One year ago today, President Obama signed into law the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). This bipartisan, bicameral legislation is designed to help put Americans back to work by updating and reforming the nation’s broken job training system. As Chairman John Kline (R-MN) said when the law was enacted: We rejected petty politics and put the best interests of working families first. ... Read more »
Since President Obama unveiled his plan to offer “free” community college, the American people have learned there is nothing free about it. News reports quickly revealed the plan was projected to cost taxpayers $60 billion. That is, until congressional Democrats turned the president’s $60 billion idea into a $90 billion legislative proposal. Citing a lead sponsor in the Senate, one news outlet rep... Read more »
The nation’s one-size-fits-all mandates dictating K-12 education have been letting students down for years. Federal involvement in classrooms is at an all-time high. Yet far too many schools are ill-equipped to make the grade. The Obama administration has only made a broken system worse by imposing a backdoor education agenda on states and school districts through pet projects and temporary, condi... Read more »
Under the Obama administration, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has a track record of undermining the rights of both employees and job creators while advancing the interests of Big Labor. Given its pervasive culture of union favoritism, the board surprised many this week when it hit “pause” on its latest effort to stifle employee freedom and choice, stepping back from an attempt to under... Read more »
For years, parents, teachers, and state and local leaders across the country have expressed the urgent need to replace No Child Left Behind, a well-intended but flawed law that has not delivered on its promise to improve K-12 education. Yesterday, the House answered their call to action when members passed the Student Success Act, commonsense legislation that will help ensure students have access ... Read more »
Last month, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan extended the administration’s intrusion into K-12 classrooms when he renewed a controversial temporary, conditional waiver scheme in several states. This is not the first time the secretary has issued waivers – bypassing Congress to dictate education policy is a common theme of this administration. It is, however, the first time the secretary has issu... Read more »
It’s no secret that the Obama National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is determined to advance a culture of union favoritism – regardless of the cost to hardworking Americans. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) noted earlier this week: The president’s appointees at the NLRB have undermined employee free choice through an ambush election scheme, stifled employee fr... Read more »
Fifty years ago, one of the most significant early childhood education programs was signed into law: Head Start. Fast forward to 2015 and the program has helped prepare millions of children for success in school. This week's anniversary presents an opportunity to reflect on the importance of Head Start and strengthen the program for future generations. As House Education and the Workforce Committe... Read more »
Two years ago, Washington was embroiled in a classic self-made crisis. Thanks to the political gimmicks of Washington Democrats, interest rates on most federal student loans were set to double. The president called on Congress to pass a long-term, market-based solution that would get Washington out of the business of arbitrarily setting student loan interest rates. Under the leadership of Educatio... Read more »
When it comes to K-12 education, Washington bureaucrats have woven a very tangled web of programs, mandates, and pet projects. Under No Child Left Behind, the Department of Education is a vast bureaucracy that: Operates more than 80 programs tied to the nation’s classrooms – the majority of which are ineffective, duplicative, and unnecessary; Dictates how states and school districts gauge school p... Read more »
