Leave it to a kid to succinctly get to the heart of a complicated issue. When asked for his thoughts on his city’s ongoing teacher strike, Chicago charter school student Andy Anderson told CBS News the strike forces his friends at traditional public schools to spend the day "sitting at home, frying their brains" when they should have the chance to "come to school and get to learn more, and get a g... Read more »
By Reps. John Kline and Joe Heck Nevada citizens know far too well the difficult challenges facing families and workers. According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Labor, unemployment in the Silver State stands at 12.9%, and for 30 straight months, state unemployment has been far greater than 10%. Our country is in the midst of a jobs crisis; it is time for policymakers – at every lev... Read more »
By Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) Many students get trapped in failing schools and need a way out and public charter schools offer that opportunity. Charter schools serve as a consistently high-quality alternative to some failing public schools. They put a real premium on quality education and are often held to a higher standard of accountability for student achievement. Charter schools offer parents th... Read more »
Despite recent improvements in the national jobs numbers, unemployment remains well above average here in Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District. With more than 32,000 people out of work in our district, growing the local economy and fostering job creation continues to be the number one priority for folks in places like Columbia, Fayetteville, and Crossville. As we work to recover from the econom... Read more »
On January 26, 2011, House Speaker John Boehner introduced the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act (H.R. 471). The legislation would reauthorize a successful and popular program that provides low-income D.C. families with a scholarship to remove their children from failing public schools and enroll them in the private school of their choice. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program... Read more »
In February, the national unemployment rate dropped below 9 percent for the first time in nearly two years. While any sign of improvement in our economy is welcome news, there are still more than 13 million Americans out of work. Here in Pennsylvania, nearly 523,000 workers remain jobless. We have a long way to go if we are to overcome the devastation of the recent recession. Although our economic... Read more »
It’s been said that Washington, D.C., is 10 square miles surrounded by reality. Too often, policymakers in our nation’s capital get caught up in the rhetoric and lose sight of the fact that ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. And right now, what the people want is jobs. Americans are dealing with tough times. Unemployment remains about 9 percent and millions are ... Read more »
During a visit to Kenmore Middle School on March 14th, President Obama declared Congress should complete its efforts to overhaul 'No Child Left Behind' before the next school year begins in August. Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement: “The president's remarks affirm the importance of fixing the nation’s broken educa... Read more »
The following op-ed was published online at USA Today on January 20, 2011. Second, this effort allows us to take steps to truly deal with cost. Whatever else may be said of it, the new law has clearly failed to address the ever-rising cost of care and coverage. In many cases, the law is actually responsible, at least in part, for the increases. Many employers are facing higher costs, individuals a... Read more »
The following op-ed was published online in The Washington Examiner. At first glance, it may be difficult to understand the pairing of education and workplace issues in a single congressional committee. What does a third grade classroom have in common with a construction site? How do school lunches relate to small businesses? As unlikely a duo as these issues may seem, they are actually quite clos... Read more »
