Three weeks ago I noted we were hearing positive signs from Capitol Hill about re-writing and updating our nation's education law -- the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, now in the form of No Child Left Behind.
I was optimistic when Sen. Harkin introduced a bill. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, he is in the prefect position to pass a significant and meaningful update to the law.
Unfortunately, no Republicans signed on in support.
Instead, Republicans in both the Senate and the House introduced their own bills, which are similar to each other.
And no Democrats signed on in support.
We now have Democrats talking about their bill and Republicans talking about their bills.
Unfortunately, they aren't talking to each other.
No Child Left Behind put a system of requirements into place in 2001. Think of all the changes in education in the past 12 years -- particularly in technology and adaptive learning systems for individualized instruction to improve student performance.
We have heard plenty of talk about the need for updating and modernizing our education system. It's time for Congress to act.
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