House Republicans Introduce Bill That Would Allow States to Opt Out of NCLB
Category: Politics Friday, March 23, 2007 at 12:29 pm ”More than 50 Republican members have signed on to a bill, the Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act of 2007 (A-PLUS Act), that would allow states and districts more flexibility in implementing state-based initiatives using federal education funding. If passed, this legislation would fundamentally alter the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. The A-PLUS Act would allow states to “opt out†of NCLB if it held a referendum or if two out of three state entities - the governor, the state legislation, and the state’s highest-elected education official - decided the state could no longer meet the law’s accountability mandates. States that elect to opt- out would still get federal funding and could combine funds from certain education programs into one funding stream. They would be freed from the requirements of each federal education program and could use the funds to advance their initiatives. Read more from the front page article in the Washington Post; a one-page description of the A-PLUS Act; or the section-by-section summary of the bill.” - New England Ocean Science Education Notes