Granting more freedom from the federal mandates of NCLB does not mean lowering the bar for any child.

Reauthorization is crucial to providing the nation's schools with relief from current law, which is both broken and lacking in flexibility states and local school districts need to support student learning and achievement.

The recently introduced Student Success Act and Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act represent a strong step in the right direction.

Thankfully, states have not waited for the federal government to act on ESEA and we have acted on our own to advance meaningful, state-driven levels of high accountability.

As long as the federal government spends tax dollars to fund public education there must be accountability for how those dollars are spent.

Congress must empower states also to define and lead education reform efforts, while limiting the federal role to supporting authentic, comprehensive state and local reform efforts.

Why should we have to go through all that effort, time and expense just to be able to act like an actual state?

The Student Success Act and Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act represent a step in the right direction.

reauthorization is crucial to providing the nation's schools with relief from current law, which is both broken and lacking in the flexibility states and local school districts need to support student learning and achievement.

If the federal government would just meet its commitment for special ed it would help us--every school.

For 40 or 50 years we have been doing things in a very similar way.

The current federal law is the only thing left that stands in the way preventing us from helping the children of Denver.