Dive Brief:
- Education leaders nationwide are anxiously anticipating a No Child Left Behind rewrite that promises to lift some of the most onerous burdens of the Bush-era education overhaul.
- All but 12 North Dakota schools would currently be considered failing under NCLB, for example, which could prompt aggressive intervention and threaten federal funding.
- North Dakota is one of just eight states without waivers that allow flexibility in some of the law’s mandates. Most states currently rely on them, but if the law passed, that system would go away.
Dive Insight:
Overall, educators’ support for NCLB is very low. One survey found that just 1% of teachers said the law was effective at evaluating school quality. Another found that most school employees said the law would need major changes for it to actually help and not hinder schools. That same survey found that a majority of educators believe the law has contributed to teacher burnout and many said the related tests were not helpful for learning. North Dakota State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler told the Bismarck Tribune that despite believing that all of the state's students can learn, expecting 100% to perform at a B average is unrealistic.
The House and Senate passed separate rewrites that are currently being reconciled in conferences between the two chambers. After the negotiation process is complete, both chambers would have to vote on the resulting bill and President Barack Obama would have to sign it before it becomes law.