A few weeks ago in USN I looked at the prospects for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) reauthorization.
Conclusion: That’s why despite everything else on his plate, if he’s serious about seeing education reform in 2010 President Obama must expend political capital on it himself. So far education policy is providing a surprising success for the president. Few thought the issue would be the green shoot it has become on Obama’s agenda. Improving the No Child law and firmly embedding the Obama-Duncan stamp on federal education policy is the president’s chance to see education reform through and claim a genuine policy accomplishment for 2012. Or, conversely, it’s an opportunity to watch reform unravel as status-quo-challenging changes in American education too often do.
But that strategy is going to be hamstrung if this doesn’t turnaround. Political capital diminishes fast south of 50 percent. So, although not out of the question a 2010 ESEA package looks increasingly unlikely and may well not be something reformers want anyway. 2011 looks like a better bet to see something signed. In any event, the favorite sure came in…