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Obama Is Expected to Put Education Overhaul on Back Burner
By Robert Tomsho and John Hechinger
Critics of the Bush administration's education
policies had hoped that putting a Democrat in
the White House would mean dramatic changes,
including the potential scrapping of the No
Child Left Behind law and its reliance on
standardized testing, as well as more federal
dollars for schools.
But with the financial crisis and other
priorities bearing down, President-elect Barack
Obama's education initiatives -- at least early
in his term -- are expected to be more about
tinkering than bold change.
Although he has said education is an issue
close to his heart, in an interview late last
month with CNN he listed it as fifth among his
priorities, after the economy, energy
independence, a health-care overhaul and tax
cuts for the middle class.
As American students fall behind many of their
peers abroad, business leaders and others have
said education must be a top priority if the
nation is to produce a work force that is more
competitive.
Mr. Obama "talks about energy independence and
green-collar jobs, but we are not going to have
people to take all of these green-collar jobs
unless we get serious about our schools very
quickly," said Amy Wilkins, a vice president of
the Education Trust, a Washington group that
advocates for low-income children.
No Child Left Behind mandates that all children
meet proficiency standards on multiple-choice
tests by 2014. Schools face increasingly severe
penalties if their students don't meet
achievement goals.
Susan Traiman, director of public policy at the
Business Roundtable in Washington, said NCLB
has fallen short on ensuring that middle- and
high-school graduates master advanced subjects,
particularly in math and science. "That's why
it's so urgent that we not postpone an
education-reform agenda indefinitely," she
said.
Mr. Obama has called for increased funding for
NCLB programs such as teacher training and
better testing. He has said he wants to
increase spending on early-childhood education
by about $10 billion annually and provide a
$4,000 annual tax credit to college students
who perform 100 hours of community service.
With the federal government under pressure to
rescue banks, auto makers and homeowners, as
well as a federal budget deficit that could
double to $1 trillion this fiscal year, many
observers question whether Mr. Obama will
undertake education measures that require
significant spending.
Tom Loveless, a senior fellow at the Brookings
Institution, a think tank, said he expects Mr.
Obama to sidestep most major issues involving
public schools and instead focus on small,
symbolic initiatives in the mold of former
President Bill Clinton's promotion of school
uniforms as a way to instill discipline in
classrooms.
Economically, the new president faces a "tough,
tough balancing act," said Arne Duncan, chief
executive of the Chicago Public Schools and an
education adviser to Mr. Obama. Even so, Mr.
Duncan said education has been pivotal to Mr.
Obama's personal story, and he predicted "a
very strong, aggressive and comprehensive
strategy" on the issue. "This is something that
is hugely important to him," said Mr. Duncan,
who has been mentioned as a possible secretary
of education in the Obama administration.
Incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm
Emanuel, speaking on ABC's "This Week" on
Sunday, said stimulating the economy and
getting people back to work will be the new
administration's top priority. But he added
that the president-elect sees the financial
crisis as an opportunity to make changes in
energy policy, health care and education.
"Those issues that are usually referred to as
long-term are immediate," he said.
The economic crisis has altered the landscape
in which any education-policy shifts by the
Obama administration would play out. In recent
months, at least 16 states have cut funding to
public schools, according to the Center on
Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan
Washington research group. Last week, New York
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was cutting
$566 million over the next two years and
cutting 475 administrative jobs from the city's
Department of Education.
"School boards around the country are going to
be in real trouble over the next year or two,"
said Andrew Reschovsky, a University of
Wisconsin economist, who added that some states
may be forced to seek additional federal funds
to help their school districts maintain
programs.
Fearful of cuts that could affect schools and
students for years to come, some education
groups have called for the new president to
make economic recovery his first priority.
The American Federation of Teachers is lobbying
for an economic stimulus package that includes
expanded unemployment benefits, fiscal relief
for states and public-works projects. "We have
to focus on the economy first," said Randi
Weingarten, the union's president.
Meanwhile the fate of NCLB -- widely viewed as
the Bush administration's signature domestic
achievement -- is uncertain. Mr. Obama has
signaled that he doesn't plan to jettison the
law.
But other than bolstering funds for teacher pay
and measuring students through means other than
standardized testing, he has offered few
details about his reform plans.
Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City
schools, expressed skepticism about using
alternative testing. "If you water down
accountability, if success or failure depends
on the eye of the beholder, you run the risk of
letting down kids," he said.
Some observers say that, rather than taking the
lead in what could be a contentious
reauthorization battle, the new president may
wait for the new Congress to hash out a
consensus on what changes need to be made. "I
think it's going to take months to figure that
all out," said Jack Jennings, director of the
Center on Education Policy, a nonpartisan
research group.
Write to Robert Tomsho at rob.tomsho@wsj.com
and John Hechinger at john.hechinger@wsj.com
— Robert Tomsho and John Hechinger
Wall Street Journal
2008-11-11
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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