Whether it is about education standards, testing, or school interventions, the current public conversation wrestles with fundamental questions about the role of the federal government in schools. Some argue that any federal involvement, particularly related to what students should learn, takes away local communities’ control over their children’s education. Others, such as the Center for American Progress, argue that without some federal intervention and financial resources, local communities will not be able to close achievement gaps and ensure equal opportunity for all students. Wherever one falls, this conversation has substantial implications for the lives of children in U.S. schools. States can certainly do much more within the current policy environment to improve outcomes for students, but what role should federal policy play in how states manage their schools?
Please join the Center for American Progress to discuss perspectives on this critical issue facing American education today. Through this discussion, we hope to build a vision for a federal government that more effectively improves outcomes for students and to recommend concrete steps that federal and state leaders can take to make that vision a reality.
Introductory remarks:
Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy, Center for American Progress
Opening remarks:
Deborah S. Delisle, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
Presentation:
Patrick Murphy, Director of Research and Thomas C. Sutton Chair in Policy Research, Public Policy Institute of California
Panelists:
Kathleen Airhart, Deputy Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Education
Frederick M. Hess, Resident Scholar and Director of Education Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
Lillian M. Lowery, State Superintendent of Schools, Maryland State Department of Education
Moderator:
Cynthia G. Brown, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress