August 08, 2008
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Talking Points: No Child Left Behind (NCLB)


If your representatives or senators are on the Education Committees, urge them to:

  • Incorporate the provisions of H.R. 648 in the House (or Senate) bill, including introducing amendments if necessary.
  • Complete the reauthorization of ESEA/NCLB by the end of the year, not later.

If your representatives or senatrs are not on the Education Committees, urge them to:

  • Contact the chair of the appropriate education committee (i.e. Chairman George Miller (D-CA-7) of the House Education and Labor Committee or Chairman Edward Kennedy (D-MA) of the Senate HELP Committee) and urge them to incorporate the provisions of H.R. 648 in the House (or Senate) bill and to complete the reauthorization of ESEA/NCLB by the end of the year, not later.

Additional Talking Points supporting the provisions of H.R. 648

The provisions in H.R. 648 will:

  • Ensure that tests are valid and reliable for all students, particularly those students with disabilities and those not proficient in English.
  • Foster increased accuracy and fairness in public reporting on students, schools, and school districts.
  • Eliminate the overbroad negative labeling of schools and school districts.
  • Establish federal funding levels commensurate with the extensive fedearl requirements.

Additional Talking Points supporting reauthorization NOW

  • The goals of NCLB cannot be achieved without addressing the barriers to full implementation that local school boards have identified based on five years of experience and an in-depth understanding of the flaws of the current law and the unintended consequences.
  • The accountability and assessment systems of the current law fail to accurately and fairly reflect the performance or progress of students, schools or school districts resulting in too many of our schools being identified as "failing."
  • More scohols will be unnecessarily subject to more severe and costly sanctions which will force local school boards to redirect already limited funds away from those students and schools most in need.