In this week’s School of Thought column at TIME.com I take a look at reaction to the administration’s idea for “Plan B” to reauthorize No Child through regulations. It landed with a thud and unless it spurs some action precisely because no one likes it, it’s pretty risky:
Is it finally the beginning of the end for No Child Left Behind?
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced late last week that if Congress does not overhaul the ten-year old federal education law known as No Child Left Behind in the next few months, he will do it himself. His plan? To give states waivers from some of the law’s provisions in exchange for a commitment to undertake a currently unspecified set of reforms. Immediately dubbed “Plan B” by the Secretary and others, the announcement was not a surprise. Using regulations to amend the law, which is years overdue to be revised, has been under consideration for months. Still, the reaction to Duncan’s announcement highlighted why Congress is having such a hard time fixing the law in the first place…