Senate Education Committee Holds First ESEA Hearing
Last week, the House Education and Labor Committee kicked off its hearings on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. And today, it was the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee's turn.
As in the House, there was virtually no discussion of any of the major ESEA proposals the Obama administration has put forward so far, including tying Title I money to rigorous common academic standards and replacing adequate yearly progress with a new mechanism for gauging college-and-career readiness.
There may be more concrete reaction next week. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is scheduled to testify next Wednesday in both the House and Senate on the Obama administration's ESEA proposals. In fact, the House Committee hearing is actually called "The Obama Administration's Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization Blueprint," according to a notice sent to committee members. (I'm guessing that means the administration's blueprint, or at least part of it, could be out by that point.)