Editorial and Op-ed Archive – June 2007
June 19, 2007 -The Real Clear Politics Blog-“Interview With Education Secretary Margaret Spellings”
I recently had the opportunity to interview Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings about the administration's push to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act. NCLB was passed in 2001 by wide margins in both the House and the Senate, and is considered by many to be the President's signature domestic achievement. But the administration has run into some resistance on reauthorizing NCLB, both from the states and from members of Congress - particularly Republicans. The full text of my interview with Secretary Spellings is below the jump.
June 11, 2007-The Virginian Pilot-“Scores prove NCLB success”
When it comes to education policy, don't expect unanimity. Since everybody's been either a parent or a child, or both, everybody has at least a semi-informed opinion about the best ways to teach and learn. The testing accountability movement that reached full flower with the federal No Child Left Behind Act spurs even more passion than most education debates. Both sides should pay attention to a newly-released study from the non-partisan Center on Education Policy. The 18-month, nearly $1-million study is the most comprehensive effort since NCLB took effect in 2002 to analyze national educational progress.
June 11, 2007- The Washington Post-“Measurable Progress in School; No Child Left Behind is helping. The next step will take courage”
HAS STUDENT achievement increased under the No Child Left Behind Act? The answer, according to an objective new report, is a resounding yes. That should give pause to those who seek to derail reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind legislation. An exhaustive study by the Center on Education Policy showed students scoring higher on state reading and math tests and narrowing the achievement gap between white and minority students. The pace of improvement increased after President Bush signed the legislation in 2002. The report has extra credibility because, as The Post's Amit R. Paley wrote, it was written by a nonpartisan group that has criticized the implementation of No Child Left Behind.
