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NCLB Reauthorization Bill May Be Delayed Senators Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Michael Enzi (R-WY) announced plans to postpone a bill to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act to 2008. This delay may mean that no new NCLB legislation will be passed until after the next presidential inauguration in Jan. 2009. Read Kennedy Announcement Could Delay NCLB Reauthorization Until 2009 in the December 2007 AAG Newsletter. Overview No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the current version of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), is presently up for reauthorization, which presents a major opportunity for Congress to support geography teaching at the K-12 level. For more information, see "Educating Congress on Geography Education" in the July/August 2007 AAG Newsletter, and the resources listed below for regular updates.
We urge you to write your Congressional representatives (see the list) to provide your opinion regarding geography education funding and implementation programs for NCLB. Congressional leaders need to understand that geography is essential to a well-rounded K-12 education. Some key points which might be helpful to share with your representatives include the following:
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—|TOP|— While we urge you to contact all of your Senators and Representatives about this important topic, the following members serve on the Congressional Committees with jurisdiction over NCLB. If you are from the same state as one of these individuals or have some tie to their office, please also consider sending a letter to their office. View the list of committee members and contact information. —|TOP|— Another Key Legislative Initiative Two related bills have been introduced in Congress that would also serve to promote geography education. The Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act (S. 727 and H.R. 1228) has been introduced in both houses of Congress, thanks largely to the supportive work of the National Geographic Society. The AAG supports these bills and is heartened that numerous sponsors have signed on in each House of Congress. We urge you to support these bills, either on their own, or as part of NCLB reauthorization process, as well. —|TOP|— Background on the Ongoing NCLB Reauthorization Process The House Committee on Education and Labor, under the leadership of Chairman George Miller (D-CA), and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, chaired by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), have convened a series of ongoing hearings this year focused on different aspects of the ESEA and what has and has not been working since NCLB went into effect in 2002. Both Chairmen have stated a goal of releasing reauthorization proposals by August 3 (the last Congressional working day before the month-long Summer District Work Period). While reauthorization is a priority for the Committees and the Democratic Leadership in both Houses of Congress, there is still disagreement in Washington as to whether the political will exists to craft a compromise bill that the White House will agree to by year’s end. It does seem quite clear that if an agreement cannot be reached before the end of the year, a reauthorization is unlikely until 2009 – the polarization of the presidential election will make action nearly impossible in 2008. That having been said, this is the most important year for those interested in the ESEA since No Child was passed in 2001, and even if a bill is not in place by the end of the year, any proposals put forward in 2007 would likely have a significant effect on a 2009 reauthorization. The AAG has written several previous letters on geography education, and has worked with GENIP to develop a recent letter to Chairmen Kennedy and Miller urging them “to give strong support to the teaching of geography in any proposal for the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.” This letter, as well as previous columns in the AAG Newsletter on the current NCLB Act, are available below. —|TOP|— Additional Resources & Updates
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