July 26, 2007

Freshmen NCLB memo

House Education Committee Chairman George Miller recently sent an undated and without letterhead memo to freshmen members of the Democratic caucus regarding NCLB reauthorization and the 9 key policy areas he is looking to address. The good news is that many of these areas are consistent with the priorities of NASBE and state boards of education. The bad news is that at this late date, the committee is still working toward consensus on these issues and does not appear to have working legislative language in these areas as of yet.

 

Of particular note is the introductory statement about the freshmen’s feedback on these changes being “key to the reauthorization process.” That’s not lip service. The support of the 42 new Dems is one of the keys to reauthorization, and Miller’s outreach to them is a smart strategy. Secondly, note that the issues of assessment and special populations (i.e., LEP and special ed students) crop up under numerous bullet points.