In this July 12, 2014 photo, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., takes part in a discussion at the National Governors Association convention in Nashville, Tenn. Early voting is getting underway for Tennessee's primary election that features tea party-styled challenges to Alexander's bid for the Republican nomination to a third term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators today ushered in a rewrite of the controversial set of federal education regulations known as No Child Left Behind.
After days of debate and amendment consideration, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted unanimously to approve a bipartisan reform of NCLB.
The senators' legislative agreement, the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015, would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the chief law governing the federal role in K-12 education. The most recent reauthorization of ESEA was the "No Child Left Behind Act," which was enacted in 2001 and expired in 2007.
The senators' legislative agreement, the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015, would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the chief law governing the federal role in K-12 education. The most recent reauthorization of ESEA was the "No Child Left Behind Act," which was enacted in 2001 and expired in 2007.
In a statement today, Senate Education Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander said politicians have had plenty of time to repair the bill, which is often criticized for creating a test-centric culture in schools.
"If senators were students in a classroom, none of us would expect to receive a passing grade for unfinished work," he said. "Seven years is long enough to consider how to fix No Child Left Behind."