Miller Plans NCLB Fantasy Speech for July 30

I hope there will be hundreds of teachers, parents, and grandparents outside the National Press Club on July 30 at 10 AM. Reporters need to hear something besides the dissembling and obfuscating pep talk that Miller staffers are now piecing together for their boss. From Ed Week:

By David J. Hoff and Alyson Klein

Congress has delayed any significant action on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act until it returns from its summer recess after Labor Day.

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, announced this week that his committee would not consider an NCLB bill next week, the last before lawmakers take their August break.

Instead of presenting a bill to his committee, Rep. Miller planned to give a speech July 30 at the National Press Club in Washington. In it, he was planning to tout the success of the 5½-year-old law and explain his priorities for reauthorizing it, said Tom Kiley, the congressman’s communications director. But Mr. Kiley declined to say how specific the chairman would be in the speech.

Rep. Miller had been preparing to introduce a bill to revise the NCLB law before Congress left town.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee had delayed consideration of its NCLB-renewal bill while lawmakers in that chamber worked on their plans to reauthorize the Higher Education Act and alter federal financial-aid programs for college students. . . .

Plan to attend and call Congressman Miller in the interim:

Event Date:	July 30, 2007
Event Name:	No Child Left Behind
Event Type:	NPC Newsmaker
Time:	10:00 AM
Sponsored by:	Newsmakers Committee
Event Location:	Zenger Room
Details:	Congressman George Miller, Chair, House Education & Labor Committee,will discuss "The Future of No Child Left Behind" U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA) will address a National Press Club Newsmaker on the future of "No Child Left Behind." Miller chairs the HouseEducation and Labor Committee, and is a co-author of the current law, which was enacted in 2002. He will discuss the law's reauthorization. The National Press Club is on the 13th floor, National Press Building, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. ________________________________________________________________________________ Contacts: for the National Press Club: Debra Silimeo (202) 550-4777 or dsilimeo@hagersharp.com Congressman Miller: Tom Kiley, House Education and Labor Committee 202-226-0853; Thomas.kiley@mail.house.gov.