Contrary to my assertion that there was "nothing happening," I came back from vacation to find newsy tidbits in my inbox and on my RSS feed. None of them were better than a day at the beach, but they're worth listing here.
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings gave seven states the ability to offer tutoring one year before school choice for schools failing to make AYP. I'm guessing that civil right activists are unhappy that Alabama is one of them.
Spellings also created the National Technical Advisory Council, which will evaluate states' accountability systems. The panel includes the usual potpourri of researchers, practitioners, and business folks. It also includes Education Sector's Kevin Carey—the main voice of The Quick and the Ed. Does this mean bloggers are going to get a seat at the table in the future?
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and others introduced the Time for Innovation Matters in Education Act—or TIME Act. We knew that was coming.
Tom Loveless responds to the criticism of his report on how high-achieving students are faring under NCLB. (Link via Flypaper.)
A new Education Next poll finds that NCLB is increasingly unpopular. Half of those surveyed support an NCLB reauthorization with no or small changes. That's down from 57 percent in 2007. The law is especially unpopular among teachers. Three-quarters of them say the law should be "completely overhauled" or scrapped. In an online commentary for Education Week, Richard Whitmire looks into a crystal ball and predicts that a McCain administration is more likely to give teachers what they want on NCLB than an Obama administration. Given how complicated and counterintuitive the politics of NCLB is (see here and here), he may be right.
I have often said that it is unfortunate that we require a written law to ensure all children receive a free and appropriate education. I think it is a true reflection of how we, as a whole, view ethics in our great country. I learned long ago there is the ideal, which is often the written (De jure)way, and then there is the real, which is the de facto way of doing things. Unfortunately, the two create the ambiguity in too many educational outcomes.
BTW: I approve of TIME and look forward to seeing how it is played out.