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A weekly report on education news & commentary from the nation’s leading voice on education innovation and opportunity Washingtonians & “normal” citizens are enthralled with the 24/7 coverage of Obamacare, media drama surrounding the president’s family and O.J.’s potential parole. But the biggest news stories are about our nation’s families and students quietly making their case for a national revolution in education in Washington and around the country: OPPORTUNITY ADVOCATES STORM THE HILL. Yesterday parents representing dozens of communities and several states visited Hill offices and helped educate staff and members about why their choices of schools help them achieve success. The stories were told on Twitter and made their way throughout the local and state groups who support and defend these advocates around the clock.   
But why now? Because an historic opportunity exists to create even more choices for students through substantive tax reform efforts that encourage charity to be used directly in the service of private non-profit scholarship programs. Learn more here and here, and get involved now. CONGRESS STORMS ESSA IMPLEMENTATION. Education Committee leaders on the Hill are not happy with what they are saying is a misread or mis-application on last year’s enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act and its reversal of some unpopular NCLB provisions. Senator Lamar Alexander complained that Trump Administration official Jason Botel might need to “read the law carefully,” (Botel was a surprise appointment for this Republican administration, given his support of Common Core and President Obama in prior years). 
Today Chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Virginia Foxx (R-NC) presided over a hearing about implementation and used the occasion to reinforce her belief that we must hold onto the intent of the law to allow states to innovate. She called it “a milestone for federal K-12 policy,” saying that ESSA sought to provide for both “autonomy and accountability” and “specifically prohibited the federal government from influencing the state’s adoptions of particular standards… as well as allowing states to opt out of various provisions. ESSA, she said, would force “Washington to remain at arm’s length,” that the Department should not replace state judgment with its judgment. The Committee assured us that – as implementation starts – the committee would be watching. Ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) took the opportunity to again ask that the Secretary or her designees come to the committee to address their work. It’s not clear that will happen any time soon. 
SPEAKING OF FLEXIBILITY… There are several additional no-cost, critical things the U.S. Department of Education could do to ensure continued flexibility – and understanding – of the power returned to states to help strengthen education in the way they best see fit. We recommended the leadership explore every existing statutory or legally permissible opportunity to send funds to states for them to spend on innovative, flexible learning arrangements, by appointing a commission which would:
And the Department did indeed appoint an internal review process to undertake such activities. Doing that, and being mindful of a state’s prerogative to set its own course with federal law provides a critical foundation for states to do more, which should include more opportunities for kids in all forms of education available. 
Beyond the First 100 Days: Transforming government’s role in education is both a review of progress to date, a reiteration of its January, 2017 recommendations to the Trump Administration, and an extension on the work that must be performed. Read here if you haven’t already. |
