At the Republican National Convention in St. Paul this week, President Bush was expected to anoint Senator John McCain as his successor and the new leader of the party. However, it remains far from clear whether Senator McCain--and other top Republicans--will continue to embrace the federal mandates on school accountability at the center of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, Bush's signature domestic-policy initiative, or whether the GOP will return to its role as a champion of limited government and local control of schools. Senator McCain outlined his education priorities in a speech to the NAACP in July, but as of last week he had not put forth a proposal explaining how he would revamp the NCLB law. The GOP most typically has viewed education strictly as a state and local matter. While some Republicans favor the strong federal presence in education that NCLB exemplifies, others in the party reject such a role as violating federalism principles. President Bush's departure will almost certainly open the door for some Republicans who voted for the NCLB Act to return to their roots and push for leaving school policy authority firmly in state and local hands.