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

[David Rosen]

Daphne and others,

I call your attention to:

>  She also cited the Administration's commitment to adult learners and  
> higher education through
> investments in community colleges and Pell Grants;

The Secretary acknowledged a commitment to adult learners, but  
unfortunately only mentioned community colleges.  I hope we have an  
opportunity to discuss with her the broader commitment Congress and the  
Department of Education has made to adults through a provider system  
which also includes: public schools, libraries, corrections, CBO's,  
volunteer programs, faith-based organizations, workplace education  
programs, union halls, and other organizations.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


On Jan 7, 2005, at 9:29 AM, Daphne Greenberg wrote:

> 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
>
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