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

[Brown, Charlene]

I think you may have identified one of the "issues" that we as advocates
need to work on.  Many of those that we think understand that the adult
learner includes not only those whom are in postsecondary education such as
vocational programs, community colleges, and colleges but also includes
those adults with much lower skills.  Frequently, when we seek to inform
governmental "representatives/agencies", Adult Basic Educators fail to
adequately distinguish the Adult Basic Education ESL/GED/Literacy students
from the rest of the adult student population.  Therefore, our students,
most of whom have vastly different needs than the college group, are lumped
in and lost in the rhetoric. 

Our goal is to get them to the community college level.  We have got to help
the "authorities" understand that it is not a simple transition from
K-12-college-Graduate School for a sizable portion of our population.  There
has to be some educational assistance for them between high school or middle
school depending upon when they stopped being able to participate and entry
into higher skilled training.  



 
-----Original Message-----
From: David Rosen [mailto:djrosen at comcast.net] 
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 10:30 AM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Margaret Spellings, Sec. of Ed. [faked-from]

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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