Committee on Education and the Workforce

WASHINGTON – Education reform at the federal level should focus on results and quality, said Rep. Bill Goodling (R-PA) in a speech to the 1999 National Education Summit in Palisades, NY. Goodling, chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, outlined his plan to bring more accountability to federal education funding, as well as his goals for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

"The battle in Washington right now is balancing money with flexibility and meaningful accountability," Goodling said. "The committee has spent considerable time with that issue this year and will deal with it again as we reauthorize ESEA. I am convinced, as are many of my colleagues, that the time has come to turn away from how many children a government education program can cover and, instead, focus on the quality of that program and how we can hold schools accountable for student achievement."

Goodling cited the poor performance of students on the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) test for writing as yet another example of how bold changes were needed to the federal role in education. "We must continue to insist that high standards are met and that we have well trained teachers in the classroom," Goodling said.

Some of those changes have already taken place, Goodling said. The Ed-Flex law (P.L. 106-25), signed by President Clinton in April, gives states and schools more freedom to tailor federal education programs to meet their needs and remove obstacles to reform. In July, the House passed the Teacher Empowerment Act (H.R. 1995) to improve the quality of teacher training.

Goodling also spoke about the Student Results Act of 1999, legislation that his committee will vote on next week. The bill reauthorizes Title I of ESEA, the federal government’s largest program dealing with disadvantaged students. Some major reforms in the bill include holding schools accountable to parents for meeting high standards; closing the achievement gap so no student is left behind; meaningful public school choice for students in failing Title I schools; rewarding excellence for substantial progress in student achievement; issuing report cards to parents on how Title I schools are performing; and sending at least 95 percent of each federal dollar to the classroom.

This is the third national education summit, and it brings together governors and top business and education leaders.

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