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Dept. of Education Faces an Important Choice

Yesterday Congressman Buck McKeon, the Senior Republican Member on the Committee, sent a letter to newly-installed U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan congratulating him on his appointment and confirmation as the new Secretary of Education.  The letter discusses Secretary Duncan’s long commitment to improving educational opportunity, particularly for disadvantaged students, during his tenure as Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools.

More importantly, and building on Secretary Duncan’s reputation as a “reformer”, the letter also calls on the Secretary to ensure that the public school choice and Supplemental Educational Services (SES) or free tutoring provisions that were included in the final Title I regulation and guaranteed under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) are not weakened so that parents have access to and knowledge of the parental choice options guaranteed under the law.  The letter states:

"Because of what I believe is our shared commitment to improving educational opportunity for disadvantaged students, I am writing to express my strong concerns over recent press reports that the Department is planning to weaken the public school choice and Supplemental Educational Services (SES) provisions that were included in the final regulation implementing Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  This regulation is critically important to ensuring that parents have access to and knowledge of the parental choice options guaranteed under the law.

"President Obama spoke compellingly about the importance of parental empowerment in education during the campaign, saying that he believes we should “…foster competition within the public school system. Let's make sure that charter schools are up and running. Let's make sure that kids who are in failing schools, in local school districts, have an option to go to schools that are doing well.

"I could not agree with that sentiment more, which is why I am so troubled by reports that parental options may be in jeopardy.  I firmly believe that any attempt to weaken or failure to enforce the public school choice and SES provisions of ESEA would undermine both congressional intent and the spirit of reform championed by our new President."

Prompted by the education establishment--long resistant to the parental options requirements included under the law--various news reports have quoted senior Administration officials who have stated that they were reviewing the new Title I regulations and may consider possible changes that would weaken public school choice and free tutoring options.  Some have even suggested that weakening parental options is in the best interest of children, although we would argue that the opposite is clearly the case.  The letter, which calls on Secretary Duncan to reject these arguments, continues Congressman McKeon’s long-held belief that federal, state, and local policies must put the interests of students and parents first.  Parents must be made fully aware of the choices available for their children.  We hope that the new Secretary agrees.

To learn more about the Title I regulations and the letter to Secretary Duncan to support strengthening parental options, check out the letter, our press release, and information from last year regarding the regulations.

Posted by Education Policy Staff (02-10-2009, 12:29 PM) filed under Education

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