EDUCATION DEBATE

House Approves No Child Left Behind Bill

Republican-led rewrite narrowly passes.

A Republican-led rewrite of the No Child Left Behind education law narrowly passed in the House on Wednesday, curbing the federal government's control in education. The 218-213 vote on the George W. Bush-era bill gives states and local school district more power to assess performance of teachers, schools and their students. The bill also eliminates federal requirements or sets of academic standards, such as the controversial Common Core, and instead allows federal money to follow low-income children to public schools of their choice. Republican leaders had previously pulled a similar bill five months ago ahead of a vote after conservative backlash. Meanwhile, the Senate rejected a proposal to also roll back federal government power and redistribute federal aid for poor student to the states, allowing parents to decide whether to use the money in public or private schools.