This week, CEC participated in a meeting convened by the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to urge for the reauthorization – or rewrite – of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, which amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) originally passed in 1965. Secretary Duncan conveyed a sense of urgency in his remarks calling NCLB the civil rights issue of this generation. CEC agrees with Secretary Duncan that changesmust be made to the current law, and believes that any such law must better address the needs of students with disabilities and/or gifts and talents and the professionals who work on their behalf.
Secretary Duncan’s speech in which he restated his vision of being ‘tight on goals but loose on the means for meeting those goals’ also focused on:
• Encouraging high standards
• Helping struggling schools
• Closing the achievement gap
• Strengthening the field of education
• Reducing the dropout rate
• Boosting college access
CEC is encouraged by Secretary Duncan’s leadership as demonstrated by his speech yesterday, ongoing Listening and Learning Tour, and plans for future stakeholder meetings on the reauthorization of ESEA. CEC believes that gaining input from the field is critical to creating a successful education law. CEC has urged the Department of Education to hold meetings to specifically address special and gifted education and looks forward to future participation in all stakeholder meetings. Look for more information in future editions of CEC’s Policy Insider.
Read Secretary Duncan’s speech
http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2009/09/09242009.html
Read CEC’s ESEA Reauthorization Recommendations
http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Public_Policy_Resource_Sheet&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=8160
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