Among ed types a favorite parlor game is the when will No Child Left Behind get reauthorized derby. The law is scheduled to be revised next year but I’ve figured that wouldn’t happen until at least 2009 because neither party really wants its various intra-party divisions over education to spill into the open with the White House in play, and there is a lot of quiet support for the performance pressure NCLB is bringing to bear.
But, the White House does keep feebly bleating about wanting to reauthorize the law -though aside from their high school proposal they’ve put forward few specific ideas and that wasn’t a very good one anyway – and God knows there is no shortage of folks who want to gut fix No Child. Still, I think 2009 + remains the smart bet unless there is a quick deal cut between the White House and the Hill (Senator Kennedy and Rep. -possibly Chairman- Miller) for a basically status quo reauthorization in 2007. Otherwise, higher education seems like better political fodder and a bigger concern for middle-class voters heading into 2008.