At the recent conference of the American Association of School Administrator’s Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, US Secretary of Education Duncan said, “I want the federal government to be a partner in encouraging and supporting reforms, but not a boss. The best ideas come from the states and districts, not from Washington.”
And shortly thereafter, President Obama stated that in order to receive Title I funds, states will need to have a plan that will “adopt and certify standards that are college and career ready in reading and math.” States that want Title I funds would either adopt rigorous standards proposed by a consortium or through a university “certified” process. This approach of requiring states to implement higher standards in order to receive funds is an interesting concept of a “partnership.”
Two major education associations, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA) objected. They support the goal of higher standards, but forcing it upon every state and every school district is another issue. It is also seen as an interesting approach considering 48 of 50 states are voluntarily working cooperatively to develop common core standards.
Without a formal reauthorization position on ESEA (formerly NCLB) from USDE, it is not easy to assess the value of the administration’s comments because there is no context.
As federal program coordinators know, every section of the law interacts with so many other sections. When the administration puts forth their written plan for reauthorization, we will be better able to see and understand how states, schools, and students will be impacted.