Secretary of Education Arne Duncan found himself in the hot seat this week. At yesterday's Senate Education Appropriations Committee meeting, Senator Richard Shelby stated that the "Race to the Top" program extends the reach of the federal government too far into states' public schools. Senator Jack Reed also had some tough questions for Duncan on priorities and the loss of programs that worked in favor of experimentation. The video was posted in This Week in Education.
The hearing was covered in the Huffington Post and repeated in Scathing Purple Musings.
The Washington Post reports that Secretary Duncan met with some protesters associated with the SOS March on Washington D.C. Facebook postings report Duncan indicated there is common ground and agreement; however participants remain unconvinced. The meeting is the first acknowledgement by the administration of widespread national public concern over federal mandates and excessive testing initiatives. The March is scheduled for Saturday.
UPDATE: SOS March Executive Committee declines White House invitation to meet today and requests a Sunday meeting or a date after the March. The committee invited the White House to attend the Saturday rally and listen first hand to concerns.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2011/07/save_our_schools_leaders_decli.html#.TjKPEMfipQV.facebook
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/obama-administration-reaches-out-to-education-activists-before-march/2011/07/28/gIQAp39zeI_blog.html
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