Senate HELP Committee Hears from Stakeholders on ESSA Implementation
May 18, 2016
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held an ESSA stakeholder hearing to discuss implementation of the law. Committee Chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) questioned Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers and Dr. Nora Gordon from the McCourt School of Public Policy about their about her greatest concerns with the language. Ms. Weingarten voiced concerns about state accountability systems not being flexible enough at the local level, while Dr. Gordon explained that in her view, concerns expressed by the Congressional Research Service over Title I funding mechanisms are unfounded due to existing precedents.