CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
Oct. 17, 2011 – 11:25 p.m.
Next Test for ‘No Child’ Rewrite in Committee
By Lauren Smith, CQ Staff
When leaders of the Senate’s education committee released a proposal last week to overhaul the law known as No Child Left Behind, Chairman
The 860-page chairman’s mark represents the furthest either side is willing to bend on its priorities. But committee members are expected to offer a long list of amendments during Wednesday’s markup, any of which could, if adopted, cost the bill its bipartisan stature.
“It’s clear this bill walks the line, and as they continue down the tightrope and add a little amendment here and there, it could be very easy to get imbalanced,” said Jennifer Cohen, education policy expert at the New America Foundation.
In agreeing to the draft bill, Harkin, D-Iowa, and ranking Republican
Going into the markup, Harkin’s task will be preserving the bill’s bipartisan nature — and thus its chances of passing the Senate — while at the same time appeasing both his liberal committee members and education advocacy organizations.
Enzi said he was “encouraged” by the bill’s prospects, but some education policy experts worry.
“If the goal is to keep the bill bipartisan, then Harkin can’t break with Enzi,” said Joel Packer, education lobbyist for the Raben Group. “And that would mean he would have to go against his Democratic colleagues.”
According to committee staff, Harkin and Enzi are working together on amendments, trying to figure out which ones they might be able to agree on.
Middle Ground
The legislation would depart from current law (PL 107-110), removing the much-criticized accountability system that requires all students, including those just beginning to learn English and those with disabilities, to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. It includes provisions aimed at gathering support from both sides of the aisle.
But the legislation doesn’t include an expansion of early-childhood education that Democrats were hoping for, and it lacks the degree of flexibility on curriculum standards that Republicans had been pushing.
“I think it’s going to be challenging from here on out,” said Cohen. “Harkin and Enzi were very careful in how they approached this. They tried to keep as much middle ground as humanly possible.”
Committee members began drafting amendments as soon as the proposal was released. Democratic Sen.
Next Test for ‘No Child’ Rewrite in Committee
Education policy experts said they expect members to offer amendments on topics including accountability. school modernization, teacher evaluations and support services.
“This just shows how difficult it is,” Packer said. “Anything that pulls back from [No Child Left Behind] is going to be seen as weakening accountability, and anything that’s too specific is going to be seen as too much federal control. It’s sort of like Goldilocks and the Three Bears — it’s either too hard or too soft. Harkin and Enzi are trying to find the bill that’s just right, but it’s hard to do.”
Harkin said he hopes to get a bipartisan bill to the Senate floor before the Thanksgiving break, but some policy experts said that was unrealistic.
“The kinds of amendments that would be needed in order to get the bill to a place where you’d get any Republicans to sign on are just extensive,” said Michael Petrilli, executive vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative education think tank. “You almost need a restart.”
Petrilli noted that with the Education Department offering states waivers from the most burdensome parts of the current law, there is less pressure on lawmakers to go along with a bill that doesn’t include all of their priorities. Recently, 39 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico announced that they would be seeking waivers.
Alexander, however, said Monday that waivers were exactly the reason Congress needed to rewrite the law.
“There is no reason why Congress should not be able to send legislation fixing No Child Left Behind to the president by Christmas,” Alexander said. “If we don’t do it, our inaction will transform the Education Secretary into a waiver-granting czar.”
Even if Harkin is able to move the bill past committee, the legislative calendar presents another challenge, especially with lawmakers expected to be contending with proposals from the joint deficit reduction committee.
“I think the chance of Congress getting something done this calendar year is close to zero,” Packer said.