GOP Tells Education Department It Cannot Bypass Congress

image
Published: 02 May, 2013
Updated: 14 Oct, 2022
1 min read

GOP Tells Education Department It Can't Bypass Congress to Form Policy Albert H. Teich / Shutterstock.com

Thirty-four Republican representatives signed a letter, Apr. 30, sent to US Education Secretary Arne Duncan stating grievances on how education policy has been formed in recent years. They state the Department has over-stepped its authority by bypassing congress to implement reforms.

The GOP representatives, while not agreeing with the principle of Common Core, understand that states opt-in to the standards and have no say in whether or not states adopt the curriculum.

However, the problem arose when the Education Department implements Race to the Top grants and waivers from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) that have incentivized adoption of Common Core.

The letter also calls on the Department to reauthorize the Education and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in a manner that puts more emphasis on states' rights. The latest ESEA reauthorization is No Child Left Behind. It expired five years ago, but still acts as law in the absence of a revision.

The NCLB wavier system has been giving states relief from federal sanctions. It is controversial since the Department autonomously approves reform measures for states without Congressional input.

Forty-five states use or will use Common Core standards, but reactions to it have been mixed.

Read the GOP letter to Sec. Duncan here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/139103808/GOP-Letter-to-Duncan

IVP Donate

Latest articles

Elon Musk
Musk vs The Duopoly: Will the America Party Succeed Where Others Have Failed?
Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X, and former Director of the Department of Government Efficiency, has officially launched the America Party, framing it as a challenge to what he calls a “one-party system” dominated by wasteful government spending....
07 Jul, 2025
-
5 min read
CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read