Administration’s Proposal to Reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act: Comparison to Current Law

Rebecca R. Skinner
Specialist in Education Policy

Erin D. Caffrey
Analyst in Education Policy

Cassandria Dortch
Analyst in Education Policy

Jeffrey J. Kuenzi
Specialist in Education Policy

Gail McCallion
Specialist in Social Policy

On March 13, 2010, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (hereafter referred to as the Blueprint). The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), particularly its Title I-A program for Education for the Disadvantaged, is the primary source of federal aid to K-12 education. The ESEA was initially enacted in 1965 (P.L. 89-10), and was most recently amended and reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB; P.L. 107-110). 

The Blueprint indicates that it builds on reforms already being implemented, which are supported through funding initiatives that were included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA; P.L. 111-5). The Blueprint outlines five areas of key priorities: 

1. College- and Career-Ready Students includes a focus on improving standards for all students, supporting the development of better assessments, and providing students with a well-rounded education. 

2. Great Teachers and Leaders in Every School focuses on effective teachers and principals, the distribution of effective teachers and leaders, and teacher and leader preparation and recruitment. 

3. Equity and Opportunity for All Students includes a focus on rigorous and fair accountability, meeting the needs of diverse learners, and resource equity. 

4. Raise the Bar and Reward Excellence focuses on achieving these goals through continuing Race to the Top, supporting public school choice, and promoting a "culture of career readiness and success." 

5. Promote Innovation and Continuous Improvement includes a focus on "fostering innovation and accelerating success," supporting local innovations, and supporting student success. 

This report examines ED's ESEA reauthorization proposal and, where appropriate, draws comparisons between the proposal and current law. The report is organized around the broad themes used to organize the detailed discussion of ED's reauthorization proposal, beginning with College- and Career-Ready Students and ending with Additional Cross-Cutting Priorities. Comparisons between the proposal and the ESEA are drawn only for proposals included in the Blueprint. As this report mirrors the Blueprint discussion, it in many ways also reflects the level of detail provided by ED on any given element in the Blueprint. In general, the discussions in this report of the individual elements of the proposal vary substantially in length and detail depending on the amount of detail ED provided about a particular element in the Blueprint. In some instances, other relevant data sources, such as the FY2011 budget request, were used to provide additional information and analysis of a particular part of the proposal. 

The analysis of the Blueprint is followed by several tables. These tables present information on the similarities and differences between key proposals included in the Blueprint and current law; the consolidation of programs proposed by the Administration's FY2011 budget request; the funding for ESEA programs not subject to consolidation under the FY2011 budget request; and ESEA programs slated for elimination under the FY2011 budget request.


Date of Report: August 3, 2010
Number of Pages: 80
Order Number: R41355
Price: $29.95

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