THE PROBLEM: The Department of Education operates approximately 80 programs tied to K-12 classrooms, each with its own set of burdensome rules and reporting requirements. According to Virginia's Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Edgar Hatrick, navigating this complicated system often results in "resources being diverted from the mission of teaching and learning." Additionally, federal ... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind, has been due for reauthorization since 2007. Despite its best intentions, there is widespread agreement that the current law is no longer effectively serving students. Under No Child Left Behind’s accountability system, known as Adequate Yearly Progress, all schools that fail to meet target proficien... Read more »
Reform-minded governors in states like New Jersey, South Dakota, and Virginia are using this year’s “state of the state” speeches to call for much-needed K-12 education reform that supports effective state and local initiatives. House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans have long recognized the progress state and local officials have had implementing innovative reforms that hold scho... Read more »
U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) issued the following joint statement today after the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) announced a reorganization of its assessments and accountability programs: “Bureaucratic inefficiencies must never undermine the health and safety protec... Read more »
On Thursday, February 9 at 8:30 a.m., U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) will speak at the American Enterprise Institute about committee efforts to reform the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind. When No Child Left Behind was signed into law ten years ago, it fundamentally altered K-12 education in America with... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans understand an effective K-12 education system cannot be created solely by Washington bureaucrats. It must include insight from state and local education officials and other experts who better understand the needs of students. Over the last year, committee Republicans have listened to parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, and other e... Read more »
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), today held a hearing entitled, “The NLRB Recess Appointments: Implications for America’s Workers and Employers.” The hearing examined the constitutional concerns and legal uncertainty surrounding President Obama’s so-called recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and the impact these im... Read more »
In January, President Obama shocked many across the country when he made three so-called recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) – despite the Senate not being in recess. This unprecedented action touches upon a number of constitutional powers. The first is the president’s authority to fill vacancies through recess appointments, a power which no one questions. The other co... Read more »
In the first session of the 112th Congress, House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans held 11 hearings to discuss a better way forward for the K-12 education system. Dozens of state and local education officials offered their thoughts on the challenges facing states and school districts across the country. Time and time again, these experts shared their frustration with current law’s... Read more »
Dear Commissioner Shulman: As you know the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released an advance notice of proposed regulations titled "Determination of Government Plan Status." We understand these regulations would define the term "governmental plan" and will determine what a governmental plan is under section 414(d) of the Internal Revenue Code. It has been brought to our attention that these regu... Read more »
