Someone interpret, please...

What does Arne Duncan's "Race to the Top" have to do with NCLB? Plenty, says Duncan's press guy. Nothing, says Duncan.

Peter Cunningham on NCLB

“We’re mindful of all the criticisms about federal overreaching, about too much testing, of all the complaints about No Child Left Behind,” Mr. Cunningham said. “These complaints come up all the time in conversations about all our programs, not just this one, with education officials across the country. The context that No Child has generated is the context that we have to live with.”

Arne Duncan on NCLB

CNN CORRESPONDENT TOM FOREMAN: But how do you feel, when you see headlines like this on the Web from people out there who are criticizing you, parent groups, some teacher groups. Some are very much in your corner. There's no question. But there are others who are saying no, what you're doing is an extension of No Child Left Behind, you're just not calling it that.

DUNCAN: Right. Well, this has nothing to do with No Child Left Behind.