King: NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND IS
GOVERNMENT REGULATION AT ITS WORST
WASHINGTON - Iowa Congressman
Steve King today called on the U.S. Secretary of Education
to consider the success of Iowa schools when determining
teacher standards of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Law.
In a letter to Secretary
Spellings, King and the Iowa Congressional delegation
outlined the hypocrisy of NCLB goals if their enforcement
impedes the opportunity for Iowan innovation and autonomy.
King argues that Iowa, where
the test scores are among the highest in the nation, should
be an example for the rest of the nation, not be hindered by
government regulation.
The U.S. Department of
Education (DOE) has threatened to withhold federal funds
from Iowa's education system for non-compliance with NCLB,
even though the Iowa Department of Education has been in
close contact with DOE official while shaping Iowa
requirements for new elementary school teachers.
Even though the DOE has
introduced a "flexible" enforcement plan for NCLB
requirements, they are threatening to withhold federal funds
from Iowa schools. King believes this is wrong. Iowa has
been working with the DOE to address its concerns about
Iowa's NCLB requirements.
"Iowa's schools and our
teachers are the best in the nation," said King. "We value
teachers who teach and motivate our children, but who also
bring crucial skills to the classroom, such as teaching
ability and communication with parents. Despite working with
the feds on our requirements, apparently, they don't believe
those skills are important. This is government regulation at
its worst."
King, an opponent of NCLB, has
said he would have opposed the bill if he had been in
Congress when it passed. He is the husband of a long-time
Iowa teacher.
