[AAACE-NLA] Margaret Spellings, nominee for Sec. of Ed.

[Daphne Greenberg]

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee just held a
confirmation hearing of President Bush's nominee for U.S. Secretary of
Education, Margaret Spellings.  The Committee unanimously approved the
nomination of Margaret Spellings as Secretary of Education. The following
summarizes the hearing:







Interested individuals lined up as early as 8:00 a.m. for the 10 a.m.
confirmation hearing of President Bush's nominee for U.S. Secretary of
Education, Margaret Spellings.  Each of the 13 members of the Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee present at the hearing
expressed praise and support for Spellings.  Members also took time to
congratulate Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) as the new leader of the committee
and to welcome newly elected Senators Richard Burr (R-SC) and Johnny Isakson
(R-GA) and returning former chairman of the HELP Committee Senator Orrin
Hatch (R-UT).  Also present were Ranking Member Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Sens.
Judd Gregg (R-NH), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Christopher
Dodd (D-CT), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and
James Jeffords (I-VT).



In his opening statement, Enzi criticized the current education system that
for far too long has placed preschool, K-12 education and higher education
into separate silos.  He articulated three goals for Spellings:  1) the
streamlining of these silos; 2) maintaining and enhancing flexibility so
that states can address the unique needs of their populations; and 3)
engaging parents because, there is a "lot of wisdom around the kitchen
dinner table."  He submitted for the record the 63 letters the committee had
received in support of Spellings.  Kennedy, in his opening statement said,
"we simply cannot reform our public schools and expand access to a college
education on a tin cup education budget," then drifted from his prepared
remarks to say "you knew you were going to hear that," to which the room
erupted in laughter.



In her testimony, Spellings called education the great equalizer and
expressed what she believes is the appropriate role of the federal
government in education:  setting clear goals; assisting states in holding
themselves accountable for providing every child with a quality education;
promoting access to the system for the neediest students; and fostering a
sharing of best practices.



Spellings said the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) had laid a good
foundation, but that there was much work to be done in three areas.  This
includes:  1) Politics - Spellings pledged to do what she could to continue
the bipartisan spirit evidenced by the development of NCLB and the
reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA);
2) Policy - Spellings cited recent data from PISA[1] and emphasized that the
tenets of NCLB - accountability, assessments, and every child reading-
needed to be expanded to high school, math and science.  She also cited the
Administration's commitment to adult learners and higher education through
investments in community colleges and Pell Grants; and 3) Process -
Spellings applauded the success that NCLB has had in transforming the way
education is done in this country.  In a remark that Members referenced
throughout the hearing, she said we need to "stay true to the principles of
NCLB but must work with those closest to children.to make it work."



No Child Left Behind

·        In response to a question from Gregg, Spellings said that
supplemental services are one of the creative geniuses in NCLB and that the
Department needs to find a way to get parents better and more timely
information on their options.

·        Clinton raised her concern about the difficulty districts are
having in meeting the transfer provisions of NCLB when their lack of
capacity is creating overcrowding and safety issues.  Spellings responded
that this was a fair point; that the EPA was reviewing a recently released
study of learning climates on student achievement; and that supplemental
services may be a viable option for districts that don't have the capacity
for transfers.

·        In response to a question from Burr about addressing the needs of
immigrant students, Spellings referenced the importance of disaggregating
data by subgroup, as is required by NCLB, and said that the education
community has already taken a first step at looking at curriculum reforms in
literacy and literature that take into account the language and cultural
differences of Hispanic immigrant students.

·        Isakson asked how she would make sure that the expansion of
assessment to high school would be "sensible and workable" as she said in
her opening statement. Spellings said that "we learned some things" during
the implementation of NCLB and reinforced her commitment to listen to state
and local educators to make sure implementation works for them.



Funding

·        After reminding Spellings that he believes that the Secretary of
Education is the most important cabinet position, Dodd commended Spellings'
commitment to listening to state and local policymakers and educators.  He
then asked how she intended to fill the gaps between the federal mandate of
NCLB and what constituents complain is an inability to meet and properly
finance the requirements of the law.  Spellings defended Bush's record in
funding education; she said the President's FY 2006 budget request to be
released in February would speak for itself.



High School

·        In the first question of the hearing, Enzi asked Spellings to
elaborate on the Administration's goals for expanding NCLB to high schools
and how this fits in with Perkins[2].  Spellings said that "what gets
measured gets done."  She conceded that conducting assessments will be more
difficult in the more complicated structure of a high school, but that the
philosophy of every teacher and every parent knowing how every child is
doing must be expanded to high school.  Maintaining that she, herself, was a
product of vocational education, Spellings lauded the importance of
vocational education and said the President believes that students in
vocational education programs must experience academic rigor and the
opportunity to pursue postsecondary education.

·        Enzi also asked Spellings to talk about her intent to address
lifelong learners and collaborate with the Department of Labor.  Spellings
spoke about the President's commitment to both lifelong learners and
nontraditional students.  She referenced his proposals to allow Pell grants
to be used for year-long education, to expand the State Scholar program and
to invest in community colleges.  She also spoke about the President's
proposal reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act that streamlined funds
into four programs and that set clear goals so that states could tailor the
programs for their populations.  In response to a similar question from
Burr, she lauded the important role community colleges play in providing
training, retraining and preparation for local employees that responds
quickly to changes in the workforce.



Literacy

·        Sessions talked at length about the Alabama Reading Initiative and
encouraged Spellings to lead the Department in studying successful programs
and give the results to local school boards and educators so that they can
make informed decisions in their communities.  Spellings agreed that one of
the Department's main roles is to foster the sharing of best practices so
that teachers don't need to "reinvent the wheel."  She also said she
expected to see improvements in the NAEP reading assessment next year due to
the investment in Reading First and conceded that more needs to be done in
math and science.



Teacher quality

·        In response to a question from Reed on the Administration's
commitment to professional development, Spellings said she believes teachers
and curriculum are the two crucial components to a quality education.  She
expressed interest in exploring the opportunities technology offers in the
area of professional development.  She also referenced the success of the
$1.3 million Reading First program in providing teachers with literacy
professional development.



Higher Education

·        Gregg asked Spellings about the "Pell Grant problems", i.e., that
outlays may exceed authorizations for Pell Grants and that many students
have lost or received smaller grants due to the tax table update.  She
half-teased that it is a good thing Gregg is now Chair of the Budget
Committee, and said the President is committed to finding a solution to the
problem and has requested funding increases.  In response to a similar
question from Reed, who said "I predict you will be confirmed," Spellings
said she believes the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) and
the upcoming FY 06 budget are two opportunities for Congress and the
Administration to address the problems, as they creatively addressed other
higher education problems by closing the 9.5% loophole and increasing loan
forgiveness for teachers.

·        Former Secretary of Education Alexander reminded the room that not
everyone in Washington thinks the Secretary of Education is the most
important cabinet position; in fact, it is a hard position, and it is the
last Cabinet position to be evacuated from a Cabinet meeting in the case of
an emergency.  He petitioned Spellings for a commitment to work with the
committee in refocusing the country on its secret weapon - higher education.
Spellings recognized the increasing improvement of post-secondary systems in
China and India and pledged to work with the committee to maintain, foster
and enhance the higher education system and the information available to
parents and students about postsecondary options.

·        Jeffords asked when Congress would see a comprehensive HEA proposal
from the President.  Spellings responded that he has already made several
proposals, including expanding the State Scholars program, increasing
funding for Pell Grants, and investing in life-long learners through
community colleges.



Students with Disabilities

·         Harkin warned Spellings "not to talk to me about NCLB without
talking to me about students with disabilities."  Spellings agreed on the
importance of addressing disability issues in NCLB and praised the committee
for their recent work on IDEA that made sure it was integrated with NCLB.
She promised to work hard to get the new IDEA regulations out quickly.



Other issues

·        In response to a question from Clinton, Spellings confirmed the
President's and her commitment to Title IX.

·        Clinton raised concerns about the privacy provisions in proposed
data systems that collect information about students and an unanswered
request to Secretary Paige to provide the results of a feasibility study
done regarding the integration of the system with the postsecondary system.
Spellings pledged to look into the issue and get a response to Clinton as
soon as possible.

·        Spellings agreed with Clinton's statement that the research
functions of the National Assessment Governing Board and the National Center
for Education Statistics should remain independent.



At the close of the hearing, Enzi instructed Committee members to meet at
12:15 p.m. to vote on Spellings' confirmation.  At 2:50 p.m. the Committee
reconvened and unanimously approved the nomination of Margaret Spellings as
Secretary of Education.



If you are interested in more detailed information regarding this hearing,
please contact Lyndsay Pinkus at lpinkus at wpllc.net.





----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

[1] Program for International Student Assessment

[2] Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act