nea's view ofhe this is. lily: you didn't see me float in here. this is the most historic thing that happened in a long long time. in of those bad ways was 2000 two, when they passed this bipartisan fanfare, this thing untested."child left we haven't been -- we have been living under this dark cloud for 14 years. a year ago, almost a year ago when we said we are going to start a campaign to reauthorize really strengthened the things we need to really improve our schools, -- our schools. even our best friend said, yeah right.

congress, who can't agree on what day it is today, is going to change something big like no child left? it took a long time, but the president signed a very bipartisan bill. bipartisan and isn't always good, but this time it was. we were still in happy shock that things are going to be really better for a million public school children. give us the highlights. lily: one of the things that was dragging us down in public republican sent democrats, without asking any teachers, and educators, not a school principal, said "we need to know how schools are doing." we will set a quota and they have to hit that cut score, and if you miss it by one point the kit is a failure, the teachers notfective, the school is

yet meeting adequately protections without asking anyone what the unintended consequences to children with disabilities, two children having a bad day, what that would mean is we are going to look at one score on the standardized test -- on the standardized test. one of the mandates was by the magical year 2014, that just passed us by, 100% of human type children have to hit the score. if one child in the school misses a cut score, one or the other, the entire school --

entire score would be -- the entire school would be labeled as a failure. the school would close down. knew what was coming. they knew this horrible thing was going to happen. nobody could find a way out. what changed and brought us to this point is i think republicans and democrats this time tried to do something different. they set maybe we should ask the educators before passing it in 2002. we told him not only to get rid of the bad things, we set this is what you should replace it with. not just a standardized test, graduation rates. how many kids are earning college credits? proficiency and english language learners, how fast are they learning english?

many measurements actually talk about the whole child. the thing we think will be the big game changer, at least one indicator for the first time since 1965 when lyndon johnson , we have schools to report. what are some of the opportunities? the services, the supports. a school librarian, a nurse, a school psychologist. do they have access to advanced now we have ases? -- and now the race is not to the top of some testing pile. it is to your state legislature, who now has the responsibility

to fill in that dashboard. >> one of the mounting concerns of this law is shrinking the role of the federal government could potentially allow states and school districts to share the responsibility for disadvantage and historically underserved children. how do you see the role going forward in partnering with the schools to make sure that doesn't happen? >> it was always the intent of the military secondary education act to do what you just suggested. it was an acknowledgment during the civil rights movement, during desegregation of schools where if you are in a white affluent neighborhood children had everything they needed. was -- it was an acknowledgment

at that time that school districts and states did not cheat -- did not treat children equally. it never demanded they treat children equally. they acknowledged it, accepted it. reading tenders. we think that the new law takes to the elementary and secondary education act. multiple indicators of how that school is doing, with the game changer again. kids who faced discrimination , to gotitutional racism in and say the indicators we want our to see what kind of service and support children and our affluent communities half.

we needed to be transparent and we need the public to see that not all children have equal access to the opportunity to learn. we have lost something, no one can make the cut -- make the argument that it was better for poor children, better for minority children, that effortless ability -- better for disability. i think it was even more dangerous that had push out programs. this time we will have real information and we will be able to use advocate for all children.

>> can you talk specifically about that? when they are giving advice to states, is that going to put as little emphasis on testing as humanly possible and student access. a lot of people will say softer indicators. lily: a lot of state legislatures and educators never will say in children need a hard number. people, when they start to think about their own experience of standardized testing understand that they didn't have to create anything, they didn't have to make an argument, they didn't

have to work collaboratively. there are a lot of things that happen in school. take a sports team. skills that life you learn, i was meeting with the director of special olympics , talking about the opportunity we have to look at art and sports. he said when you look at what children with disabilities have in terms of acess sports experience, the teamwork and confidence they build, just being able to create something that is going to stay with them andthe rest of their lives compare that to memorizing something for a standardized test. you can't convince me, a sixth grade teacher, you can't convince me that putting on a play or looking at a science fair project is soft.

that was some of the hardest work my students ever did. they learned more from that. doesn't show up on a standardized test. it is probably the most important skills taught in school. there are decisions made on the district level by the people who know the names. its time to turn it on head. the most powerful decision-makers should be the people who actually know the names. >> always wondering what you are looking for in the particulars.

lily: everybody believes there for prizes orere punishments. day, last day to the new world. we have an implementation team on the national level, so that our state affiliates and local affiliates and all the coalitions being built with school psychologists and parent and disability rights groups, civil rights groups, coalitions are coming together on the building, district, and state levels. what they are looking for from the national education association is framework.

opportunitiesur are to really start advocating for the services, the program, the support. the parent says this is my school. things were shot out under no child left. it is the only number that counts. this is the only thing we are going to look at when we say your school has made adequate yearly progress. we want something real. will beur account faith moving quickly, some of their big policies they have in place like an accountability system. systemaccountability under federal government, they said hit your quota. the one thing we did like coming out of 2002, for the first time

they aggregated the data. they only gave us sat -- only gave a standardized testing data. we want to see where the caps on between affluent children and poor children. those populations of kids who were so seriously disadvantaged, they came to school needing so much. the law said people should know they are only what getting, but they should know how they are doing. uschild left did not give any information about what they were getting, what they were receiving, the program and the services they could expect. it only said did they hit their cut score? if they didn't, here are the four punishments. get fired.achers

the school gets closed down and opens up as a charter school area as if charter schools have the answer. or the kids get redistributed. those were the four selections a community would have. we believe there are persistent gaps and whatever that school is doing, there are many indicators . you must have an intervention, you must come in and have a serious analysis of what is going on in the school. what are you going to do to bring parents into this process? to train teachers and cultural competence. arts you took away their and sports programs. what is it you are going to to win that school.

what are going to be your benchmarks so that everybody comes together in a collaborative way to say it isn't working. we need to do some course correction and we need to ramp it up. we have an opportunity to bring death to life. >> i wanted to look back at a second for last year. they were actually much more in line with the republican parties . it is an interesting moment with a lot of different views. likewas that like looking

that? >> teaches love democrats and they don't like republicans. most of my members in utah are republican. our members reflect the communities they come from. it played out by individual. i really believe these are decisions that should be made on the school district level. however we also agreed there should be funding for special education in school. the same person who said i like the decisions on instruction to -- be made at the school level -- and i'm not crazy about special education at all. you have some of the democrats there wouldelieved

be high-stakes consequences. we believe you need to have multiple measures. if you only took a patient's temperature, and the doctor knew -- based on just the temperature. that test tells you some limited information. know, theyall you are going to make some mistakes about what that child needs. then they talk about special education and funding for english language learners.

what we saw come together here, when you look at those who supported and lobbied this act, when you end up with a host of representatives that are constantly fighting over the smallest thing, you have 365 yes votes? that was amazing. when you end up with 82 votes in , how dide out of 100 we get there? it really didn't seem to be the party of the game changer. i think truly both sides said we recognize we are in a train wreck here. a joke on prairie home companion

. under our watch if we keep settling down on a bad idea, shame on us. instead of sitting in a dark room and saying what are we going to change? what i saw from the democrats and republicans, they were willing to listen to the educator. to that pairtening of professionals who worked with kids. what we did differently this with every senator, every member of congress heard from someone back home, from the teachers, from the parents. allows fort no child our ability to teach. here is what we are asking to consider.

i can't tell you how many of whoe individuals i sat with said you send people here and they started crying. i am talking to a second grade teacher and she starts crying. lobbyists are second-grade teachers. we put real educators in front of those folks. they wanted a way out of this. and we showed them a way out. we are grateful that both parties listen to us. >> we have time for a couple more questions. >> at the end of this month, ernie duncan will be stepping down. say youit is fair to have enjoyed a time all chua's relationship with the obama administration and department in

general. i would love to hear your thoughts on what is the most challenging part of that relationship. did they reset or rethink their role in the union's? lily: we did have a difficult relationship. i ask sometimes what our relationship is like, and i always want to begin with i think he is a sincere person and a very honest person. any punches, he never told us one thing and did another. we had some really honest disagreements. on the role of standardized testing and what that test should measure and what should be the results, whereas someone says someone should be held for a child who

comes to school hungry and has a -- has a hard time learning, or the class of 39 figure i had. so i should be held accountable that every child has a cut score on a standardized test and go i must be a good teacher? and if i can't check that talks -- check that box i must be a bad teacher? kids don't come to us and that one-size-fits-all. i taught in a homeless shelter for years. what kids need from me was different than what i taught in the suburbs. so we had a difference of opinion on how simple something like accountability or what it means for a child to succeed. we always have lines of communication. he was very honest and open. i was very honest and open with him to say that doesn't work.

andwe will be doing this sorry we cannot work together on that. we never got angry at each other. then we start talking about preschool. then we are both on the same page with preschool. i think it is always a mistake when you say we have a serious to sick remit with this person on this very important issue. so you are the enemy. the more the world starts to look like that, where you can't have an honest disagreement with someone, and then find ways on important issues where you work together, we have lost some of that ability in the public debate. on aee that playing out lot of political levels. one thing we will always to as is that example of

when i disagree with you, you will know it and no lie. curious you can talk to us about the coming elections. where you seetes issues offered -- issues important to the -- on the other hand, spending, talking about candidates, the big player on the local and national level. >> we are very active politically. we are very good citizens. those state affiliates and our local affiliates will make decisions on things like recommendations and congressional races.

there will be other decisions made as we move forward. the state legislative governor's, everything is going front and center for us. look at what transpired in 14 years. decisionss make huge that affect the lives of our students, whether or not the schools have the resources they need, whether or not their voices are respected. we look far beyond that public school. the broad middle class depends on the public school for everything that family wants to accomplish.

>> we appreciate you being on this week's newsmaker. thank you very much. and we are back with reporters lauren camera and to maggie with political. -- with politico. happy, but what are some of the concerns people have with this new law? : the new law gives states school districts flexibility to create their own education system, everything from how they envision their accountability system set up to teacher evaluations. it also gives them freedom to choose whatever academic standards they want. it gives them incredible flexibility.

things that is starting to pop up in terms of people being concerned about what could happen over the next couple of years is that keep -- is that in giving flexibility, it banks the question about whether they will be accountable for the lowest achieving schools. historically underserved students and who will be there to be able to pull the levers. it's sort of kept out of this. >> is the federal government going to play some sort of accountability role? >> they will be playing and accountability role. just making sure states to this minimum set of things. where should that floor be? where should the minimum be?

there is going to be a huge in thestate-by-state, unit. civil rights groups are really interested in this, how states set up these systems. looking atple are the state as this primary protector. >> the national education association has an inflammation team. they are ready, they are gearing up. >> one thing lauren and i saw this year, when this reauthorization strategy started in capitol hill, the unions were there first and they were there the whole time. i think you are starting to see that happen in the states. spend millions of dollars in the capital and they are probably going to spend in the states.

>> i asked the question she didn't answer fully, how quickly are we going to start seeing the states change. i think that is going to happen. you already saw the state border regions a couple of days ago. the weight of student test for teacher evaluation, i think you are going to see a lot of states with the accountability system. several months, the education department is going to be lawyering out the particulars of the law. i'm sure the implementation team will be all over that as well. >> parents out there hated or

loved the idea of testing, does it continue until this law is implemented? when does this testing go away? >> at the end of the day democrats are keeping as much of a federal role and education as possible. the hope is that the test doesn't matter as much. you are looking a test and a graduation rate. using the education. the word that has caught on. if you make the tests high-stakes the tests are going to matter as much. some federal incentives are in place for teachers to be measured, according to student

test scores. something they really wanted to see go away. if the teacher doesn't feel like they are going to be judged, they aren't going to spend as much time on test preparation -- practice test speed practice tests. >> there are incentives built into the law that would allow school districts to eliminate the other tests we have. >> thank you very much for your time. thank you for being on newsmakers. >> today on c-span's washington journal, kevin barron looks to major security threats like terrorism, cyber security, and

relationships with russia, iraq, and to north korea. we will look at the top energy related stories for 2015. you can join the conversation by calling in or on facebook and twitter. journal on c-span. coming up next, a discussion on food regulations in the u.s. and how they affect what people eat. after that an examination of the role of american law. and the summit on race and justice in america, hosted by the atlantic. >> it is now my great pleasure to introduce a conversation