November 14, 2008 2:38PM 

# For Better, Definitely for Better 

By [Neal McCluskey](https://www.cato.org/people/neal-mccluskey) 

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Over at *Flypaper*, [Mike Petrilli thinks](http://www.edexcellence.net/flypaper/index.php/2008/11/the-coming-collapse-of-gop-support-for-no-child-left-behind/) that “for better or for worse,” when it comes to federal education policy, congressional Republicans will dump their eight-year, NCLB-led foray into big-government education and get back to [following the Constitution](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5042).

OK, Mike didn’t mention the Constitution — I added that part — but the important point is that the sooner Republicans abandon a [rotten law](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8850) and a [failed political strategy](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9779), the better.

OK, I added the “failed law and failed political strategy” part, too, but Mike does think congressional Republicans will get back to small government, and no matter what he thinks is the reason for that, it would be great news.

##### Related Tags 

[Education](https://www.cato.org/education), [Center for Educational Freedom](https://www.cato.org/center-educational-freedom) 

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