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Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), incoming chairman of the Senate committee on education, says his top priority is fixing the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law that has been in limbo since it came up for renewal in 2007.

Since that time, the Obama administration has been issuing waivers to states from some of the law’s requirements, on the condition that states adopt college and career ready standards such as Common Core, as well as teacher evaluation plans.

Alexander wants to limit federal regulations that govern schools, but acknowledges the political reality that Congress will have to pass a compromise that has a chance of getting President Obama’s signature.

In 2013, there were conflicting proposals from the House and Senate on how best to update the federal role in education.

According to a Center for Education Reform analysis of both proposals, neither vision presented the right amount of carrot and stick to hold states accountable for receiving federal funds, and more focus on educational choice was needed.