Expanding NCLB, Soft on Spellings (Federal Politics)

For the start of the new Congress, nearly everyone rehashes GWB’s second-term plans for NCLB expansion:
`No Child' Act won't leave high school students behind Kansas City Star
No Child heading off to high school Dallas Morning News
Bush Eyes Expansion of No Child Left Behind NPR
The Next School Reform
Bush: Solution is More Testing, More Budget Cuts and More PR FairTest.org

Despite the need to address secondary school reform, however, the odds of the NCLB expansion plan actually taking place seem slim:
Bush's Latest Brainchild Could Be Left Behind Los Angeles Times
High school reform on deck The Gadfly
Congratulations! You're About to Fail Los Angeles Times

Between the war, the tsunami relief effort, the red-state/blue-state stuff (judiciary appointments, mainly), and the domestic focus on Social Security and Medicaid reform, Congress already has its hands full. Plus which, news came out recently that Medicaid spending by states has now surpassed spending on education, so you know that the governors are going to be focused on Medicaid relief more than anything else:
Medicaid crowding education spending Lancaster Eagle

Meanwhile, as expected, Margaret Spellings had an easy time with the Senate education committee, giving them the NCLB version of a post-date “I’ll call you tomorrow” about possible fixes to the existing law:
Spellings Promises Fixes to Education Law Washington Post
Spellings heads toward education secretary

Not everyone’s going to hold their breath, however, and in the meantime there’s news of yet another Administration snafu:
Some in House look to roll back Bush plans
White House paid commentator to promote law Pundit got $240,000 to pitch education reform USA Today

But as Jay Mathews and others have pointed out, the law is already getting watered down on its own:
Our 26 Most Dangerous Schools and Other Fables Washington Post