Washington, DC – Today, the members of Chiefs for Change released the following statement regarding the lack of teacher and principal accountability in the ESEA bill that passed out of the Senate Committee on Heath, Education, Labor and Pensions last week.
“In today’s economy, it’s more important than ever that we give all our children the excellent education they deserve. That’s why we are disappointed that senators from both parties are backtracking on reforms that would hold teachers and principals accountable for what matters most: helping students learn. We are particularly disappointed that they would endorse the same retreat from accountability that national special interest groups are seeking, namely not requiring that teacher and principal evaluations be based in part on student achievement."
"The federal government shouldn’t tell us how to run our schools, but it has a right to demand results when we take taxpayer money intended to help students. Our country can’t afford to keep sending billions of dollars a year to schools without asking whether teachers are actually helping students learn. Now is not the time to turn away from common-sense reforms that value results over bureaucratic red tape. We look forward to working with Senators Harkin and Enzi and members of the U.S. Senate to strengthen this bill.”
“In today’s economy, it’s more important than ever that we give all our children the excellent education they deserve. That’s why we are disappointed that senators from both parties are backtracking on reforms that would hold teachers and principals accountable for what matters most: helping students learn. We are particularly disappointed that they would endorse the same retreat from accountability that national special interest groups are seeking, namely not requiring that teacher and principal evaluations be based in part on student achievement."
"The federal government shouldn’t tell us how to run our schools, but it has a right to demand results when we take taxpayer money intended to help students. Our country can’t afford to keep sending billions of dollars a year to schools without asking whether teachers are actually helping students learn. Now is not the time to turn away from common-sense reforms that value results over bureaucratic red tape. We look forward to working with Senators Harkin and Enzi and members of the U.S. Senate to strengthen this bill.”
Chiefs for Changes is a group of state education officials that includes Janet Barresi, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction; Tony Bennett, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction; Stephen Bowen, Maine Commissioner of Education; Chris Cerf, New Jersey Commissioner of Education; Paul Pastorek, former Louisiana State Superintendent of Education; Gerard Robinson, Florida Commissioner of Education; Hanna Skandera, New Mexico Public Education Department Secretary-Designate; and Eric Smith, former Florida Commissioner of Education.
