Senate clears major new education bill, sends it to Obama

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday approved a sweeping revision of the contentious No Child Left Behind law, sending to President Obama’s desk a proposal that ends an era of federal control in education policy after 14 years.

The legislation, which passed the Senate by a vote of 85-12, would restore authority for school performance and accountability to local districts and states after a lengthy period of aggressive federal involvement.

While it keeps the existing annual testing requirements in reading and math and requires that states act to improve the lowest-performing schools, it allows more local control to set goals, determine school ratings and decide remedial measures.

Members of Congress debated the role the federal government should play in education, with Republicans pushing for more autonomy for states and school districts.

In January, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the Education Committee’s top Democrat and a former preschool teacher, and Alexander, a former university president and education secretary, agreed to work together on a new proposal, kick-starting the negotiations that culminated in the legislation passed by the Senate on Wednesday.