ESEA Authorization Lacks Steam

It’s beginning to look a lot like 2011. Flagging support for reauthorization of ESEA and the upcoming November elections mean more attention is being diverted away from a solution.
Here are a collection of responses from the National Journal post written by Eliza Krigman.
Steve Peha, President, Teaching that Makes Sense.

Time-sensitive legislation often gets passed in a timely way. Maybe not as quickly as we’d like but as quickly as it can. Not so with the ESEA. As important as it seems to us here in this forum, I get the sense that it’s much less important to Congress. The question is why.
Perhaps it’s because the new ESEA isn’t that exciting. When we reviewed the Obama blueprint a while back, some of us thought it was a little better than NCLB, some thought it was a little worse, and a few (myself included) didn’t think it added up to much at all. I wonder if Congress feels similarly.

Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education

First, the need is clear. The stimulus package with its innovations and reform-driving initiatives expires after September 30, 2010. Without new legislative authorization, future funding reverts to old formulas. There will be no further targeting of funds to the lowest-performing high schools, which account for more than half of the nation’s high school dropouts.

Gary Huggins, Commission on No Child Left Behind

Work should continue this year to make action next year more efficient and productive. To build momentum for 2011, Congress should continue to wrestle with tough issues and reach agreement where possible—even if markups and floor time are a long way off.