Congress Reaches Bipartisan Accord on Education Reform Bill

Education reform legislation won overwhelming bipartisan approval Tuesday from a House-Senate conference in a vote that presages rapid congressional action in coming days.

The compromise bill preserves critical components of President Bush’s reform proposals, in particular a new requirement that states test all students in reading and math every year from third grade to eighth grade.

The bill also promises new flexibility for local school districts in how they use federal money and authorizes Washington to spend $26 billion annually on elementary and secondary education.

Not all of that money will actually be spent, but Congress and the White House have agreed to $22 billion in funding in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1--an increase of more than 20% from the previous year.

In exchange for cutting red tape and increasing funds, the bill takes several steps that prod schools to improve the performance of all their students. Educators would be asked to establish yearly benchmarks for student improvement.

Schools that fall behind would get extra federal aid. Those that continue to lag would be required to offer new choices to parents. Under one option, to be available as early as next fall, parents could seek out private tutoring programs subsidized by federal funds.

A prime goal of the legislation, the first reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in seven years, is to narrow the historic achievement gaps between rich and poor school districts.

By voice vote, a House-Senate conference committee cleared the bill Tuesday. Dissenters on the committee included Sens. Paul D. Wellstone (D-Minn.) and James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.), who complained that negotiators killed a Senate-backed provision to guarantee billions of dollars in federal funding to help educate disabled students.

Wellstone said the bill “contains all the language about concern and support for kids with special needs, but it cuts out the money.”

Jeffords, who cited special education funding as a priority when he left the Republican Party earlier this year, tipping the Senate into Democratic hands, said he was “extremely concerned” that without enough funding the bill “may actually do more harm than good.”

But their dissent was overwhelmed by support from nearly all other quarters. The bill forged alliances between liberals and conservatives to a degree uncommon on a social issue of such deep political significance.

“This agreement marks a truly important coming together of parties and ideologies, of Congress and the White House,” said Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), a centrist who has been pushing for tougher accountability for low-performing schools.

“We’re simply not going to accept failure here for any of our kids. We’re going to insist that they be educated,” Lieberman said.

Lawmakers acknowledged that legislation alone would not fix failing schools, but they pledged to follow up. “There will be glitches,” said Rep. Thomas E. Petri (R-Wis.), “and we’ll adjust them.”

Administration officials cheered movement on an issue that Bush declared a priority from his first days in office.

Education Secretary Rod Paige urged a final congressional vote on the bill, which he said would “offer all of America’s students a quality education.”

A final House vote could come as soon as Thursday, followed by Senate action.

Bush could sign the bill as early as next week.