VIDEO: Congressman Miller: The Time to Fix our Education Law is Now
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a hearing focused on the federal role in education policy, Congressman George Miller (D-CA), senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, called for Congress to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as soon as possible. Miller called for a more outcomes based approach to federal education policy and a need for an upgraded and aligned data system.(Click here to watch the video)
“This hearing makes a great case for reauthorization because No Child Left Behind was the last reauthorization of the last century. We’ve moved into a new century. Districts that used to fight data now want data. They want to be based on outcomes. That’s an entirely different system then No Child Left Behind addressed.
“We’re trying to transition, if we can ever get to the reauthorization of this, to a performance based system where with common data, across the state, and with some sense of common core standards, we would then be able to see how these schools were doing. And that would be a rather simple question for parents, for teachers, for the communities on how their schools are doing.
“We’ve evolved to a system where we have to hold a school responsible for what they can accomplish and not punish them for what they can't. The time has come to start thinking about how you transition to an information and performance based system.
“I would hope that we can provide better education tomorrow than we did yesterday. I think this is a fundamental challenge. I will not give up on the idea that information provides a level of transparency so that parents and communities can make decisions about their schools. We should never, ever give up on that.”
To view Miller’s opening statement, click here.
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