The Senate voted 81-17 on Thursday to overhaul No Child Left Behind — a sweeping, often-controversial education law passed during George W. Bush's presidency. The law required that schools implement strict student assessment standards to continue receiving federal funding. The new proposal would leave in place No Child Left Behind's annual testing schedule, but let states and school districts decide whether and how to use tests to assess the performance of schools, teachers, and students. "Supporters of the Senate bill said the overhaul gets rid of the teach-to-the-test mentality that they argue has dominated public schools since No Child Left Behind's inception," says The Hill.
The House passed its own, less moderate version of an overhaul last week. Thursday's Senate vote "sets the stage for what could be contentious negotiations with the House over the federal government's influence over education policy," reports the Associated Press.
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