Article 1
Obama Pleads for Action, but is Real Progress Likely Anytime Soon?
By: Steve Drake, Principal, Steven Drake Associates, LLC.
Published: March 18, 2011
President Barack Obama
In a speech to students, teachers and education reformers including EIA's Steve Pines, at an Arlington, VA middle school, President Obama on March 14 urged Congress to fix No Child Left Behind (NCLB) before the start of the next school year.
"We need to make sure we're graduating students who are ready for college and a career," Obama said. "In the 21st Century, it's not enough to leave no child behind. We need to help every child get ahead. We need to get every child on a path to academic excellence."
You can read the President's remarks:
"We need to make sure we're graduating students who are ready for college and a career," Obama said. "In the 21st Century, it's not enough to leave no child behind. We need to help every child get ahead. We need to get every child on a path to academic excellence."
You can read the President's remarks:
| President's Remarks |
The President went on to articulate what he and his administration find lacking with NCLB, and why his proposed ESEA blueprint would result in a fair accountability system, one he says will support reform and innovation at the state and local level; empower principals and teachers; and focus on the schools and students most at risk.
Full details can be found:
Full details can be found:
| NCLB Fact Sheet |
"Instead of NCLB's one-size-fits-all mandates, we need to fix this law now so that we can close achievement gaps and win the future," President Obama added.
President Obama's declaration of urgency came about two weeks after attendees at EIA's 11th edition of its Education Industry Days Conference in Washington, DC heard something quite different from a knowledgeable cadre of Congressional staffers and Washington insiders.
"It was clear in session after session: despite the rhetoric from the Obama Administration and Capitol Hill that education is all-important and perhaps the one issue that might produce bi-partisan cooperation, reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) would only occur if all of the stars perfectly aligned, and that seems unlikely for 2011," said EIA Executive Director Steve Pines. "At the same time, because the U.S. Department of Education will continue to influence policy administratively through waivers to NCLB, and Republicans will push for significant budget cuts wherever they can, education entrepreneurs and businesses must continue to make their voices heard. The upshot for all in 2011 and beyond is that education businesses must be as vigilant and are engaged in federal education policy-making as ever."
President Obama's declaration of urgency came about two weeks after attendees at EIA's 11th edition of its Education Industry Days Conference in Washington, DC heard something quite different from a knowledgeable cadre of Congressional staffers and Washington insiders.
"It was clear in session after session: despite the rhetoric from the Obama Administration and Capitol Hill that education is all-important and perhaps the one issue that might produce bi-partisan cooperation, reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) would only occur if all of the stars perfectly aligned, and that seems unlikely for 2011," said EIA Executive Director Steve Pines. "At the same time, because the U.S. Department of Education will continue to influence policy administratively through waivers to NCLB, and Republicans will push for significant budget cuts wherever they can, education entrepreneurs and businesses must continue to make their voices heard. The upshot for all in 2011 and beyond is that education businesses must be as vigilant and are engaged in federal education policy-making as ever."
During the Conference itself, Education Industry Days' participants had plenty of expert Hill and Administration voices from which to draw their conclusions. Senior staffers of both the House and Senate education committees suggested that while chances for bi-partisanship on ESEA reauthorization are good, little significant progress has been made in either committee to date, given the focus on deficit reduction and orienting freshman Members of Congress to education policy.
Beltway policy insiders did make the strong case to the attendees to get involved in the political process NOW by meeting with their elected officials. Local school officials have been on the Hill for months now pleading for more flexibility for NCLB mandates, including SES. Andrew Rotherham, of WhiteBoard Advisors even proclaimed that "they [Congressional Democrats] don't like you", referring to many SES providers at the EIA conference. All of the speakers from the Hill and from policy shops in DC made the same point repeatedly -- you have to educate your elected officials to understand that what you are doing makes a real difference for student achievement.
Representing the Obama Administration and the U.S. Department of Education, Scott Pearson told attendees in the final Education Industry Days session that ESEA reauthorization remains a priority for the Obama Administration, and outlined the Department's principles for what it calls "College and Career-Ready Students." Pearson said that its three key steps toward that goal include "local flexibility" in responding to individual school needs; "rewarding success" for schools making the greatest gains; and "responding to the greatest challenges," for schools in the bottom 5% or 10% of achievement, or those with stagnant achievement gaps between groups of students.
Pearson also outlined the Department and Obama Administration's aggressive budget request for education support programs, including nearly $4 billion to help create, improve, and better distribute excellent teachers, principals and education leaders; $1.1 billion to make more rigorous standards in literacy, science, math and other subjects meaningful in the classroom; $1.8 billion for programs designed to ensure successful, safe and healthy learning environments; and almost $2.5 billion to help foster innovation and excellence, including $1.35 billion and $500 million, respectively, for the Administration's signature "Race to the Top" and "Investing in Innovation" programs.
"The bottom line for EIA and our members is this: we must continue to make our voices heard here in Washington, we must continue to run the highest-quality programs in areas such as SES and school management, and we must not take any program or promise for granted," said Pines. "Yes, we need to continue to fight for attention and respect, and yes, it's worth it."
Beltway policy insiders did make the strong case to the attendees to get involved in the political process NOW by meeting with their elected officials. Local school officials have been on the Hill for months now pleading for more flexibility for NCLB mandates, including SES. Andrew Rotherham, of WhiteBoard Advisors even proclaimed that "they [Congressional Democrats] don't like you", referring to many SES providers at the EIA conference. All of the speakers from the Hill and from policy shops in DC made the same point repeatedly -- you have to educate your elected officials to understand that what you are doing makes a real difference for student achievement.
Representing the Obama Administration and the U.S. Department of Education, Scott Pearson told attendees in the final Education Industry Days session that ESEA reauthorization remains a priority for the Obama Administration, and outlined the Department's principles for what it calls "College and Career-Ready Students." Pearson said that its three key steps toward that goal include "local flexibility" in responding to individual school needs; "rewarding success" for schools making the greatest gains; and "responding to the greatest challenges," for schools in the bottom 5% or 10% of achievement, or those with stagnant achievement gaps between groups of students.
Pearson also outlined the Department and Obama Administration's aggressive budget request for education support programs, including nearly $4 billion to help create, improve, and better distribute excellent teachers, principals and education leaders; $1.1 billion to make more rigorous standards in literacy, science, math and other subjects meaningful in the classroom; $1.8 billion for programs designed to ensure successful, safe and healthy learning environments; and almost $2.5 billion to help foster innovation and excellence, including $1.35 billion and $500 million, respectively, for the Administration's signature "Race to the Top" and "Investing in Innovation" programs.
"The bottom line for EIA and our members is this: we must continue to make our voices heard here in Washington, we must continue to run the highest-quality programs in areas such as SES and school management, and we must not take any program or promise for granted," said Pines. "Yes, we need to continue to fight for attention and respect, and yes, it's worth it."
About the Contributor
Steve Drake
Steve Drake provides corporations, small businesses, non-profits and government agencies with targeted, expert and cost-effective communications, marketing and business development strategy and implementation. He holds both a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, where he currently serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Communication. He speaks and writes on a range of communications topics, including public relations in China, international public relations, and strategic thinking.
Phone: 301-680-0585
Email: sdrake@verizon.net
Phone: 301-680-0585
Email: sdrake@verizon.net