House Committee on Education and Labor
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Washington Post: Propping up Education Status Quo Wastes More Than Money
Posted by: Education Policy Staff (01-29-2009, 05:43 PM)

If you’re like us, when you opened up the Washington Post editorial page this morning, you did a double-take.  After all, it’s not every day that one of the nation’s premier newspapers states so clearly what we’ve been saying for years:  it’s not how much money you spend on education, it’s what you spend it on.  To sum it up even better: results matter.   Consider, a few of the Washington Post’s editorial points from An Education Stimulus? – “Education is poised to win big under the economic stimulus plan hurtling through Congress. But it remains to be seen whether America's schoolchildren really will be helped by the huge investment of public funds that is being planned. After all, it seems that much of the billions of dollars of new federal spending is aimed at continuing programs and policies that largely have failed to improve student achievement. For the amount of money being spent, Congress should insist on real change, not simply more of the same.” “The plan shaped by President Obama and congressional Democrats proposes to more than double the current budget of the Education Department, with $150 billion of new federal spending over two years.” “…Congress will not be getting its money's worth unless it insists on real reforms in what students are expected to learn and how teachers are compensated.” “We understand the urgency of the need for spending that will jump-start the economy, but if Congress merely props up the educational status quo, it will be wasting more than money.” The bloated, so-called “economic stimulus package” the U.S. House passed last night and the Senate is poised to pass next week is just more of the same argument that we’ve heard for years – that money will solve the problems in America’s schools.  We’re not saying money isn’t important, because it is.  But if more federal spending was the solution, those problems would have been solved long ago with the more than $500 billion federal dollars that have gone to elementary and secondary education since 1965.    The real solution is to hold states, schools, and school districts accountable for getting academic results for all children and fostering innovative reforms, such as replicating successful charter schools.  With this deceptively named economic stimulus package, Congressional Democrats are bankrupting future generations while failing in the effort to improve student achievement. Here’s hoping that saner voices prevail.

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Gates Foundation Calls for Lifting State Charter School Caps
Posted by: Education Policy Staff (01-29-2009, 10:52 AM)

With all the talk of massive federal spending increases Democrats have included in the so-called economic “stimulus” package (side note: what are States and school districts going to do when this money vanishes in two years?), we’ve been reading and re-reading a letter Bill Gates recently released on his foundation’s effort to improve America’s education system.  While the letter is definitely a good read for all of those stakeholders interested in improving student achievement, Mr. Gates’ call for lifting the artificial caps that many States have imposed on the creation of new charter schools, which is being led by many in the education establishment, is great news and one that we hope will be seriously considered by those offending States.

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Davis-Bacon Should be a Provision of the Past
Posted by: Press Staff (01-21-2009, 04:09 PM)

In response to President Obama's own words from his Inaugural Address, The Wall Street Journal today highlighted the need to repeal Davis-Bacon in the editorial, How to Save $40 Billion: One suggestion for transcending 'worn-out dogmas.'   The article underscores that the Act "tangles projects in red tape and inflates federal construction costs." 

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Meet the NEW Members of the Committee
Posted by: Press Staff (01-14-2009, 01:45 PM)

Yesterday, Senior Republican member, Buck McKeon, used his new media technology to connect the Committee to outside groups and constituencies by video recording and introducing the five newest members of the Committee.Please take a moment to meet them yourself by following this link http://tinyurl.com/8uur36, which is also located on the Republican Committee website homepage.

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Marking the 7th Anniversary of NCLB
Posted by: Press Staff (01-08-2009, 06:40 PM)

Today marks the seventh anniversary of enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act, a sweeping overhaul of our nation's elementary and secondary education laws. While No Child Left Behind has brought real accountability to our nation's schools -- and has helped improve student achievement and begin to close achievement gaps in the process -- the time has come for reform. We can build on this law's strengths while making it more nuanced, flexible, and responsive to state and local needs. Republicans are committed to reforming this law, and will fight to make sure it happens in the 111th Congress.

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