Dive Brief:

• As expected, the White House says it won't support a No Child Left Behind rewrite currently backed by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• The proposed bill would give states power over what to do with failing schools and implement one flexible local grant program in place of several on the federal level, moves the Obama administration said would "virtually eliminate accountability" when it comes to ensuring federal dollars help the poorest schools, according to the Associated Press.
• Additionally, the Associated Press reports that the Obama administration is worried that the potential rewrite would make it possible for states to use federal funds for non-education purposes, like prisons or sports stadiums.

Dive Insight:

Of additional concern: The potential for public funding to follow students to whatever school they choose, which U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said was backwards, additionally citing the aforementioned issue of making sure federal funding benefits the poorest schools. As we've also noted before, it would restrict the education secretary from requiring states to alter standards or tying such changes to federal funding initiatives or waivers.

While the back-and-forth between Congress and the White House will be interesting enough, it will be even more interesting to see what compromises are made between the House and Senate. Senate education committee leader Lamar Alexander has stated that he wants that chamber's rewrite to be a bipartisan effort, a notable contrast to the process said to be occurring in the House, where Democrats have reportedly struggled to have their voices heard.