The
House Education and Labor Committee has
released a discussion draft reauthorization
of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965, also known as the No Child Left
Behind Act. The five and a half year
old federal law that drastically changed
U.S. public education since 2001 is now
being reworked in hopes to improve the law,
as well as the goals it attempts to
accomplish. Currently, the
reauthorization is undergoing much debate
and scrutiny as Representatives George
Miller (D-CA) and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon
(R-CA) work with other members of Congress
to present a bipartisan education law that
improves upon its existing counterpart.
Of particular interest is that the draft
includes a Part B of the Foreign Language
Assistance Program, which would create a
Foreign Language Education Partnership
Program (same text as H.R.2111 introduced in
May by Rep. Rush Holt).
A Senate draft for reauthorization has
also been released. This would make
changes to the Foreign Language Assistance
Program and the Foreign Language Incentive
Program. The draft does not address
some key issues, such as accountability and
teacher pay.
