Swan Song for 2007 ESEA in the House?

So long as we have a President named Bush we can scapegoat the h-e- double hockey sticks out of him. He deserves it for hundreds of poor policy decisions alone, not to mention the very serious lack of bi-partisan effort (if you've got a National Journal account you can read this, if you don't, don't sweat it, in a nutshell Bush has one of the worst records of Bi-partisan accord of any president ever).

This is all introduction for short notice on a day-old press release from House Education and Labor Committee Chair George Miller. Miller, in what would appear to be the House's official swan song for reauthorization of ESEA in 2007, has publicly blamed the President. Is this entirely fair? Probably not. Am I suprising myself by writing that? Probably.

There are a lot of education groups, partisans, think tanks, membership organizations, and members of congress, not to mention TEACHERS who think that the reauthorization bill that landed late August from Miller and McKeon just isn't good enough--that it's too much in the vernacular of the publicly unpopular No Child version of the 1965 legislation, originally a funding vehicle designed to ameliorate conditions in schools for poor and minority students. The Senate gave up on it's 2007 reuathorization last week.

Point is Miller took it on the right, the left, up the gut, and on the chin this Fall. He's lucky, and maybe we're all a little lucky, for once, to have someone worth blaming to blame it all on. We must reauthorize the most important federal piece of legislation for schools, students, teachers, and for the future of this great country on the back of fair and flexible methods for schools and the resources and quality education for all students. We have our work cut out for sure.

In Keeping With the Administration's Swagger: Undermining Teacher Education

File this one under Bush Admin conspiracy theories. Alongside other more prominent and insidious theories of dismantling public education, the surreptitious undermining of teacher education seems to be on the agenda. Check out the Education Department’s “Becoming a Teacher” page.

Notice the first recommended link, an Editor’s Pick no less, is a link for information about alternative certification. No less than four of seven! Of the "Editor’s Picks" on this page direct the user to information about alternative certification. Surprising? Not really. Brazen as hell? Totally! And in line with the Bush Admin’s general swagger.

Bush, NCLB Reauth: Sweeping Up Ed Thousands of Students at a Time

Bush, the Boston Globe reports, wants something decent to sticky to his legacy. EE says rots of ruck. The commander in chief wants reauthorization for NCLB this year. So much for the bets against reauth (pdf). Of course, this doesn't mean Bush'll get what he wants.

Bush challenged the Congress to not change the act too much--"don't change the core." Whatever that means. "Watering down No Child Left Behind would be doing thousands of students a disservice," he said. Apparently Bush is a little fuzzy on how much of an impact NCLB is having. NCLB only affects thousands!?!? I can picture him now. Bush up late at night with Laura. Scratching at his hair. "Laura, I just don't git it. Why all the fuss over a few thousand kids? I mean, seriously. The states and unions just need to let the thing alone. No Child is doing a lot of good for thousands of kids."

The U.S. enrolls 48.8 million public school students.

The rest of the article is a fluff piece about the school in New Albany that Bush visited (Silver Street Elementary School) and the Dems wanting more money for those thousands of kids whose education could be watered down if Congress acts wrongly.

"Laura how much money do these God damn Democrats want for a few thousand kids? Bleeding my government dry! Amateurs."