Michael Litke, Principal, Naubuc School

The following recap of March 2016 developments in Washington was prepared by Michael Litke, CAS-NAESP Federal Relations Coordinator.

TOP NOTES OF THE WEEK

• U.S. House Committee Held Hearing on Student Data Privacy – Signals House Action this Year – The House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing titled, “Strengthening Education Research and Privacy Protections to Better Serve Students.” The hearing’s purpose was to examine how researchers use personally identifiable student data to support education research.

• John King Confirmed as U.S. Education Secretary – On Monday March 14, 2016, the Senate confirmed Dr. John King to serve as Secretary of Education. During his nomination hearing, Secretary King emphasized the Every Student Succeeds Act’s importance to strengthening K-12 education. He also discussed the Department’s initial ESSA implementation plans, including closely collaborating with states and school districts. Secretary King said his particular focus is on closing achievement gaps and supporting State and local school improvement efforts.

• ESSA Negotiated Rulemaking Begins this Month – The negotiated rulemaking committee met for the first time on March 21, 22, and 23. The committee is tasked with informing the Department’s Title I regulations. The committee will meet a second time in early April. Following the committee’s deliberations, the Department of Education will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking public comment on the draft regulations developed with the committee’s input.

• Another Delay for U.S. Department of Education Teacher Prep Rule – The U.S. Department of Education recently sent a supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to the Office of Management and Budget that would allow the department to collect additional public comments regarding its multi-year teacher preparation rulemaking. This additional step reportedly focuses on resolving distance education issues. After the Office of Management and Budget reviews and approves the latest notice, the Department will publish the document in the Federal Register for public comment.

• National Leaders Conference a Success!  – NAESP hosted 185+ state leaders for the annual event, which included conference programming a day of visits on Capitol Hill. Members reported positive meetings overall related to oversight of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and FY 2017 budget priorities, including Title I, Title II, Title IV and IDEA Part B state grants.