Education Reform: Has Obama Found a Bipartisan Issue?

Alex Altman:

When the bare-knuckled brawl over health-care reform finally wraps up, and the Obama Administration pivots to less divisive topics, education reform may be one of the few issues capable of drawing bipartisan support. The Obama Administration’s proposed overhaul of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) could resonate with Republicans, many of whom have been disappointed with the results of George W. Bush’s signature education initiative. Obama’s blueprint, which was sent to Congress March 15, sets forth an ambitious national standard –that by 2020, all students graduate high school ready for college or a career — but leaves the specifics on how to achieve this goal up to state and local authorities. “Yes, we set a high bar,” President Obama said in his weekly radio address. “But we also provide educators the flexibility to reach it.”
With more than 1 million high school students dropping out every year and the U.S. lagging behind many of its competitors on achievement benchmarks, no one can argue with the need to better prepare students for college and beyond. NCLB, which earned broad bipartisan majorities when the legislation passed in 2002, has drawn praise for shining a light on achievement gaps by forcing the nation’s 99,000 public schools to disaggregate student data. But the legislation’s emphasis on accountability and standardized testing has had some unintended results. By requiring schools to demonstrate adequate yearly progress — toward a goal of 100% proficiency in reading and math by 2014 — Bush’s landmark bill has led many districts to narrow their curricula and some states to lower their standards in order to meet annual targets.