A Publication of the NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY CENTER In March 2010, the Obama administration released A Blueprint for Reform, setting forth its proposed revisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. If enacted, the Blueprint will shape the curriculum, standards, assessments, and accountability systems of schools throughout the nation. It will also determine how and where federal education funds will be targeted, further increase federal control over K-12 education, and increase the private-sector role in the operation of public schools. In advancing this agenda, President Obama and education secretary Arne Duncan have maintained that their Blueprint recommendations are grounded in research, and in May the U.S. Department of Education issued a set of six documents presented as summaries of the research supporting their plan. As an extension of the ongoing Think Tank Review Project, the staff and Fellows of the National Education Policy Center examine these research summaries and assess how well they represent the full body of knowledge in each of the reform areas. In The Obama Education Blueprint, prominent education policy experts from across the nation offer a comprehensive analysis of the research support for the U.S. Department of Education’s plan for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This volume is designed to provide policymakers, the media, and interested citizens with what the research actually says about the administration’s proposals.

A guide to the educational priorities and change to expect from the Obama administration Although the Obama's goals for education have been articulated in his speeches and on his website, what's missing is a picture of what these proposals mean in practice. This guide provides the articles, stories, and commentary to clarify Obama's priorities for education. The plan itself is comprehensive and covers preschool, K-12, and college-level education. Among its recommendations: expand early education, improve teacher quality, support school innovation, make math and science national priorities, address the dropout crisis, and improve college access and affordability. Compiled by Education Week-education's newspaper of record Offers information and opinion on Obama's key educational priorities Provides a listing of the President's recommendations for education from pre-school to college level Includes advice for the President from key education leaders

A guide to the educational priorities and change to expect from the Obama administration Although the Obama's goals for education have been articulated in his speeches and on his website, what's missing is a picture of what these proposals mean in practice. This guide provides the articles, stories, and commentary to clarify Obama's priorities for education. The plan itself is comprehensive and covers preschool, K-12, and college-level education. Among its recommendations: expand early education, improve teacher quality, support school innovation, make math and science national priorities, address the dropout crisis, and improve college access and affordability. Compiled by Education Week-education's newspaper of record Offers information and opinion on Obama's key educational priorities Provides a listing of the President's recommendations for education from pre-school to college level Includes advice for the President from key education leaders

"No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) has helped focus the conversation about school reform on student achievement. It shines a bright light on the achievement gap. For the first time, schools are reporting information about how they are serving all students. NCLB has many flaws. President Obama's blueprint for reform will fix NCLB's flaws by: (1) Asking states to set standards that prepare students for college and careers; (2) Creating a fair accountability system that recognizes and rewards growth and progress; (3) Providing flexibility to state and local educators to innovate and create local solutions; and (4) Focusing rigorous, meaningful interventions and support for the lowest-performing schools that also have not demonstrated any progress. [For related report, "A Blueprint for Reform. The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act," see ED508795.].

The Obama administration's Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization blueprint : hearing before the Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, second session, hearing held in Washington, DC, March 17, 2010.