Ed policy gurus are buzzing this week about Rep. John Boehner’s unexpected ascent to House Majority Leader. Boehner (R-Ohio) is the former House Education Committee chairman, and his departure has many wondering how this move will affect NCLB and its impending reauthorization, as well as scads of other programs. So far, the news is good. NCLB proponent Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-California) is poised to take over Boehner’s former post. And Ed Week’s Michelle Davis predicts “Rep. Boehner is sure to keep an eye on the law’s [NCLB’s] progress.” If nothing else, Boehner’s win proves that the rumored Republican/conservative rebellion against NCLB hasn’t reached calamitous levels in the halls of Congress (though it’s pretty clear there is some backlash in statehouses and at the grassroots level). If Republicans were truly sore about NCLB, it’s unlikely they would have elevated Boehner to Majority Leader. So for now, dear readers, rest a bit easier—the “Washington Consensus” on NCLB remains intact.
“Boehner Goes From Education Panel to Majority Leader,” by Michelle R. Davis, Education Week, February 8, 2006
“McKeon may chair key House panel,” by Lisa Friedman, Los Angeles Daily News, February 9, 2006