Senate introduces No Child Left Behind successor

[Starry Messenger]

http://news.yahoo.com/senate-introduces-no-child-left-behind-successor-155001147.html

WASHINGTON (AP) — The one-sized-fits-all national requirements of No Child Left Behind would give way to standards that states write for themselves under legislation Senate Democrats announced Tuesday.

The state-by-state approach to education standards is already largely in place in the 37 states that received waivers to the requirements in exchange for customized school improvement plans. The 1,150-page proposal from Senate education committee chairman Tom Harkin would require some of those states to tinker with their improvement plans and force the other remaining states to develop their own reform efforts. Education Secretary Arne Duncan would still have final say over those improvement plans, and schools would still have to measure students' achievements.

Buried on page 694 of the legislation, the proposal also includes protections for gay students. Schools that don't take stern measures against bullying or discrimination against gays or lesbians would see their federal funding cut. Democrats likened the measure to Title IX, which forced schools to provide equal opportunities for female athletes under threat of penalty.

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The sweeping Elementary and Secondary Education Act governs all schools that receive federal dollars for poor, minority, disabled and students whose primary language is not English. The latest version of the law eliminates 20 programs while encouraging states to expand art, physical education and pre-kindergarten programs.

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This new piece of legislation hadn't been on my radar at all, so I haven't had time to digest this. Thought I'd bring this over for thoughts.