Obama Calls for Remaking of No Child Left Behind
Doug Mills/The New York Times President Obama signed an electronic “white board” as he met with music students at a school in Arlington, Va.
2:22 p.m. | Updated President Obama called on Congress to revamp the “No Child Left Behind” education law by the time students start a new school year in September, urging lawmakers to “seize this education moment.”
Mr. Obama made the remarks on Monday at a school in Virginia, using the backdrop of a classroom to urge changes to a law that Democrats and Republicans agree is broken.
“I want every child in the country to head back to school in the fall knowing that their education is America’s priority,” the president said. “The goals of No Child Left Behind were the right goals. But what hasn’t worked is denying teachers, schools and states what they need to meet these goals.”
Mr. Obama last week met with lawmakers from both parties in an attempt to jump-start the debate over reauthorizing the law, known officially as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Enacted in 2002, it was one of President George W. Bush’s signature pieces of legislation.
But while both sides agree that the existing law needs and overhaul, there are differences over what needs to be done. Democrats have generally favored greater investment in schools while conservatives have pushed for more local control over decisions.
Unions have also complained about the president’s push for connecting teacher pay to judgments about classroom performance.
In his remarks, Mr. Obama called for changes to the education law that would push more control to local and state governments, improve the quality of testing, demand increased standards and increase accountability by principals.
In the face of an ongoing budget dispute with Republicans, Mr. Obama also said efforts to remake the law must be supported by the funding necessary to make it work.
“A budget that sacrifices our commitment to education would be a budget that’s sacrificing our country’s future. That would be a budget that sacrifices our children’s future. And I will not let it happen,” Mr. Obama said. “So yes, I’m determined to cut our deficits, but I refuse to do it by telling students here, who are so full of promise, that we’re not willing to invest in your future.”
UPDATE: Representative John Kline ,the chairman of the House education committee, said in a statement Monday that “the president’s remarks affirm the importance of fixing the nation’s broken education system. As we develop targeted, fiscally responsible reforms, the Committee on Education and the Workforce continues to work with school officials and state and local leaders to learn about the tools they need to prepare students for the future. We need to take the time to get this right – we cannot allow an arbitrary timeline to undermine quality reforms that encourage innovation, flexibility, and parental involvement.”
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