The No Child Left Behind era may be ending

A bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives is expected to pass a bill this week repealing key elements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the Bush-era education program that has been widely criticized for its transfer of educational authority to the federal government and emphasis on standardized testing.

The new bill is called the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and it will continue standardized testing but return significant discretion in these programs to the states. The federal government will also be completely removed from the teacher evaluation process, in contrast with the NCLB waiver program.

ESSA has been endorsed by the National Governor's Association, and it is anticipated to pass in the Senate and win the president's signature by the end of 2015. See more details of what the bill will entail here.

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