Dive Brief:
- House and Senate members have reached accord on a preliminary bill on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind confirmed Republicans Sen. Lamar Alexander, Tenn., Rep. John Kline, Minn and Democrats Sen. Patty Murray,Wash., Rep Bobby Scott, Va. on Friday.
- An official conference committee is likely to be addressed this week, with hopes for passage before 2016.
- Lawmakers have been trying to reach a compromise since July. One sticking point has been two provisions which include several deemed critical for ed tech's success in classrooms.
Dive Insight:
The official statement: "We believe we have a path forward that can lead to a successful conference, and that is why we are recommending to our leadership to appoint conferees to take the next step in replacing No Child Left Behind. This is a law that everyone wants fixed, and teachers, parents, and students are counting on us to succeed. Our efforts to improve K-12 education will continue to reflect regular order, providing conference members an opportunity to share their views and offer their ideas. Because of the framework we've developed, we are optimistic that the members of the conference committee can reach agreement on a final bill that Congress will approve and the president will sign."
The National Education Association told Education Week that it is pleased that there's some preliminary progress but also said there is still much work to get done.
"Today we are a step closer to rewriting a federal education law that commits America to the success of every student regardless of ZIP code," Lily Eskelsen Garcia said via statement. "While we welcome this progress, our work is not done. We look forward to working with the Congressional conference committee members to ensure that we produce a bill that, when signed by the president, gives every student the opportunity, support, tools, and time to learn."
