Duncan spells out education agenda to Congress
Education Secretary Arne Duncan
Education Secretary Arne Duncan detailed his upcoming education agenda in testimony last week before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Other Related Agencies. Here’s what he said, according to the Education Department website:
Good morning Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee. I’m pleased to be here today to talk with you about President Obama’s priorities and plans for the Department of Education.I’m happy we were able to submit the President’s 2014 Budget to the Congress last week, and to have this opportunity to talk with you today about some of the President’s major proposals.I want to begin by expressing my appreciation to Chairman Harkin and others on this Subcommittee for your support over the past 4 years in making critical investments in our schools and our students. I am happy to report today that while we clearly have further to go, those investments are beginning to pay off.This morning I’ll sketch out some important progress made in the President’s first term. I will highlight urgent educational challenges that remain, not only for our Nation as a whole but in every congressional district and community in the country. And I will talk about the ROI—the return on investment in education spending—with special emphasis on the President’s landmark preschool plan. Finally, I want to close by summarizing a number of other key elements of the President’s education 2014 Budget.The big takeaway message here is that education is more than a set of numbers on the ledger line. Education is not just an expense—it’s an investment. In fact, it is one of the
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