Education

Minnesota Republicans Join Anti-NCLB Chorus

January 02, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

As 2008 begins, the press and the political world are focused on presidential politics. As Sam Dillon of The New York Times reported before Christmas, NCLB has been a punching bag for Democrats on the campaign trail. If you read to the end, though, you’ll see that the leading candidates support the law’s goals and use of accountability.

But state-level politicians want to beat up on NCLB, too. In Minnesota, Republicans plan to introduce a bill this legislative session that would require the state to pull out of NCLB, according to the Star Tribune. They failed to win passage of the same bill last year. The state would lose an estimated $250 million in federal money if the effort is successful.

“We’ve had five years of the No Child Left Behind regime, and I think it’s safe to call it a failure now,” state Rep. Geoff Michel told the Minneapolis newspaper. “We’re giving it an F and trying to take back our schools.”

Ironically, the Democrat who led an earlier effort to turn away NCLB money isn’t impressed with the GOP plan. State Rep. Rep. Mindy Greiling said she’s now in the “amend-it-don’t-end it” camp.

State legislatures have had a history of making statements against NCLB. In 2005, a conservative Republican representative in Utah led the charge to pull the state out of the program. In 2004, Virginia’s legislature passed a resolution calling for a radical overhaul of the law. Both states continue to accept NCLB money, though.

In 2008, you’ll continue to hear NCLB messages from presidential candidates. But keep your ears open for what’s being said in St. Paul and other state capitals.

A version of this news article first appeared in the NCLB: Act II blog.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read