By Della B. Cronin

The biggest event and most newsworthy development on Capitol Hill in recent weeks had little to do with education. The country watched intently as Pope Francis began his first visit to the United States in Washington and the nation’s capital welcomed him with open arms. His visit included events at the White House and Congress, and he was warmly welcomed everywhere he went. His September 24 visit to Capitol Hill was the culmination of multiple efforts from Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), a devout Catholic himself, to get a Pope to visit Congress.

The morning after Pope Francis’s address to members of the House and Senate, Speaker Boehner told his colleagues that he will leave both his Speakership and the House at the end of October. The announcement came as a shock to his colleagues and the news alerts it produced interrupted meetings across the District of Columbia. He told his colleagues that he would be speeding up his plans to leave Congress in order to save the institution from what could have been an ugly attempt to challenge his leadership in the House. He said he was certain he would have survived such a challenge, but his affection for Congress and the country motivated his decision to leave. Of course, the Pope’s visit had a profound effect on him, as was evident by the constant wiping of tears the day before, but he insists that it merely sped up his timeline for leaving Capitol Hill.

While education advocates were reeling from that announcement a week later and wondering what the news might mean for conference negotiations on a revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), another resignation followed one week later. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will leave the administration in December. That’s two resignations for advocates hoping for permanent changes in ESEA to worry about.

Why worry about the first announcement? Speaker Boehner was one of the architects of No Child Left Behind and is a staunch advocate for education. While he hasn’t intervened much in current efforts, supporters of updating the law know that he would have been helpful in that effort, as he deemed appropriate. Since the House ESEA reauthorization proposal—the Student Success Act (HR 5)— passed with only the minimum votes needed—218—there could be trouble ahead for a compromise bill in that chamber.

As for the second departure, Secretary Arne Duncan has led the Department of Education since the first day of President Obama’s presidency and has voiced a desire for Congress to permanently change what he considers to be a flawed No Child Left Behind Act. While a note to Education Department staff says he is simply leaving to be with his family who moved to Chicago this summer, the move makes the community wonder. Acting Deputy Secretary John King, Jr., will step into his position, although he won’t likely seek Senate confirmation given the brevity of his assignment.

While these developments aren’t necessarily good news for a revised ESEA, NCTM, the STEM Education Coalition, and the broader education advocacy community are hopeful that the progress will continue. Once a new Speaker is elected gauging commitment to a new ESEA will be easier. Or, at least less difficult.

The House and Senate have approved a spending bill that will keep the government running past the end of fiscal year (FY) 2015. They have kicked the can down the road until December, when there will be yet again another “potential government shutdown.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker Boehner talked to President Obama during negotiations the temporary spending measure about launching long-term budget negotiations to address sequestration caps. Senator McConnell hopes for a two-year spending agreement before year’s end that will avoid budget crises during next year’s election season.

And there was a bright spot of news in STEM education recently. The STEM Education Act of 2015 (HR 1020) has been approved by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and is headed for the White House and a presumed presidential signature.  While not a sweeping legislative proposal, it affirms the National Science Foundation’s activities in informal science education, allows math and science teachers with bachelor’s degrees to qualify for Noyce Fellowships (currently limited to those with a master’s degree) and modifies the definition of “STEM education” to include computer science.

October and November will be busy months for NCTM and other groups concerned about STEM education and federal investments in education. While NCTM and NSTA recently wrote a joint letter to appropriators urging them to adequately fund the Math Science Partnership program, there will be Hill visits to do and more letters to write in the coming weeks to ensure this Congress supports math teachers.

Della B. Cronin is a principal at Washington Partners, LLC.