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Obama Looks To Overhaul 'No Child Left Behind'

February 2, 2010

The Bush Administration's No Child Left Behind Act ushered in sweeping changes to America's education system, but many argue it emphasizes testing over learning. NPR's Larry Abramson and Claudio Sanchez explain Obama's proposed education overhaul and assess his new Race to the Top initiative.

While the budget presented yesterday by President Obama calls for a freeze on most non-defense spending, one notable exception is education. The proposed six percent increase there emphasizes both the importance of education to this administration and how the president and the secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, hope to change it.

There would be an overhaul of the previous administration's signature law, No Child Left Behind, along with a new, competitive grants program called Race to the Top.

Critics charge the Bush administration's approach can now be seen as too rigid, too punitive, too intrusive with much too much emphasis on standardized tests. However, there's no shortage of skeptics on the Obama administration's definition of reform, either....