Washington, DC, September 10, 2007 – Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Billy Cannaday, Jr. testified today before the House Education and Labor Committee on preparing students for college and work in the 21st century and, more broadly, on ensuring the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) supports states in their efforts to continuously innovate and improve. The purpose of the hearing was to solicit input on the Committee’s ESEA reauthorization discussion draft. To view Cannaday’s written testimony, please click here.
“Congress should set a floor, not a ceiling, for state education policy, and then empower state and local educational agencies to produce results on behalf of all children by developing innovative solutions to challenging educational and social issues, such as closing the achievement gap and boosting graduation rates,” Cannaday stated in written testimony.
Further, Cannaday outlined how Virginia has worked to align standards with college and work-ready expectations through its efforts with the American Diploma Project, the College Board, and ACT. He also explained how the Virginia State Board is in the process of developing a technical diploma and an advanced technical diploma that will increase rigor and better prepare Virginia students to compete for the technical jobs of the 21st century global economy. Cannaday said that Virginia’s work aligning college and work ready standards requires the type of innovation and sound educational judgment the revised ESEA must acknowledge and encourage.
CCSSO members are calling on Congress to ensure that the revised ESEA provides new support for promoting alignment, strengthening accountability, and enhancing dropout prevention; and also: (1) spurs continuous state and local innovation; (2) facilitates increased state capacity; and (3) provides greater resources for ensuring that every child in America receives a high-quality education.
Last week, CCSSO submitted specific comments on the Committee’s Title I discussion draft; please click here to view the Council’s press release. Additionally, CCSSO has released an ESEA Reauthorization Policy Statement, recommendations to strengthen and update ESEA, and specific legislative language codifying the recommendations. CCSSO leadership and chief state school officers from across the country have participated in numerous Congressional hearings and meetings on reauthorization to provide input on areas of the law that need to be improved.
Today’s hearing is archived on the Committee’s website, and can be viewed by clicking here.
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks members’ consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.
