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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

ASCD Inservice: Anti-Washington Fervor Extends to Education

ASCD Inservice: Anti-Washington Fervor Extends to Education

Anti-Washington Fervor Extends to Education

Polls are still open in the western half of the country and while control of both the House and Senate remain undecided at the moment, the current returns and projected winners suggest several emerging themes in education reform among the incoming class of United States Senators. Those themes are school choice, parental involvement, and local control.

Kentucky senator-elect Rand Paul’s (R) position may be the most extreme example of this mindset given his advocacy for the abolishment of the U.S. Department of Education, but it highlights the shared interests of his incoming colleagues in curtailing federal involvement in education and shifting decision-making back to the states, and more specifically, to the local level.

Indeed, Arkansas senator-elect John Boozman (R) declares on his congressional website “Our teachers, administrators and parents are far more familiar with the needs of the students in Third District of Arkansas than the federal government can ever be. I believe it is imperative that their role in our children's education is not constrained by