This from
Politics K-12:
At first glance, GOP Senators Rand Paul and Lamar Alexander might seem
like a bit of an odd couple. Although staunchly conservative, Alexander,
of Tennessee, is often, ultimately, a dealmaker (witness his recent
role in helping to broker a deal with Democrats on student loan interest
rates, which ultimately got the support of nearly every Republican in the Senate).
On the other hand, Paul, of Kentucky, is a tea party superhero with a
mixed record on compromise. Back in the fall of 2011, Paul used
procedural maneuvers to gum up the works
on a markup of bipartisan legislation to rewrite the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act. He felt that negotiators hadn't included
conservatives in their discussions of the measure. And he said the bill,
which Alexander very reluctantly supported, went too far in maintaining
the federal role in K-12.
Flash forward nearly two years, though, and it's clear Paul and
Alexander have become buddies on a K-12 issue that unites most
Republicans: school choice. And it's a political win for pretty much
everyone—maybe even some folks who oppose vouchers. (More on that
below).
Earlier this year, the two teamed up on a budget amendment
that would have allowed Title I dollars to follow students to the
school of their choice, even a private school. And more recently, Paul
cosponsored Alexander's legislation to revamp the ESEA law, which would
allow Title I money to follow students to charters and public schools,
but not private schools.
How does it help Paul? He's considered a potential
GOP presidential contender, and it's important for folks to see that he
has expertise on key "kitchen table" issues, like education. Associating
himself with Alexander, the Republicans' main man in the Senate on
K-12, is smart politics.
For his part, Alexander is giving Paul plenty of credit for his
efforts, including at a round-table discussion on choice up on Capitol
Hill today featuring District of Columbia public school activists,
parents, and students.
"Rand attracts a lot of attention wherever he goes these days, and
I'm glad he is attracting attention on charter schools and school
choice," said Alexander, who served as the U.S Secretary of Education.
"Rand has emerged as our most effective advocate for freedom for
teachers." (Remember that quote, you may see it again on the future
website of Rand Paul for America, sometime in 2016.)
And Paul isn't alone here: Other up-and-coming GOP lawmakers are
trying to grab the conservative mantle on education redesign generally,
and school choice specifically. U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., the House
Majority Leader, helped push through an amendment to the House GOP's
ESEA bill that would allow Title I dollars to follow children to public schools,
including charters (an idea that Alexander and Paul had already
championed over on the Senate side). And another potential GOP 2016
contender, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, recently met with a cadre of
education groups to discuss K-12 funding issues, including Title I
portability.
(It's worth pointing out that Title I portability was a key part of Gov. Mitt Romney's presidential platform—and it didn't land him in the White House.)
How does it help Alexander? Paul is a tea party rock star, and Alexander is facing potential tea party opposition in his home state (more in this Chattanooga Times Press story).
It certainly doesn't hurt Alexander to show that Paul is happy to
associate with him on education, an issue where the senator from
Tennessee is seen as a party leader. (More here.)
How does it help the school choice movement? Who wouldn't want all this high-profile attention and new legislation?
How does it help some folks who aren't fans of school choice? Well,
in terms of getting an actual deal on an reauthorization of ESEA, it's
probably not so helpful. But, when it comes to ginning up opposition to
the GOP on K-12 education, very few policies will get Democratic
activists (particularly teachers' unions) more riled up than vouchers.
Diane Ravitch asks Rand Paul
: Why Should Kentucky Copy Tennessee’s Unsuccessful Corporate Reforms?
A blogger in Tennessee notes that Rand Paul of Kentucky is excited about what is happening in Tennessee.
He wants Kentucky to follow Tennessee’s lead.
But this is very odd because by almost every measure, Kentucky is more successful in education than Tennessee.
Unlike Tennessee, Kentucky has no charter schools. It does not aspire
to enact vouchers. It is doing none of what the corporate reformers
love.
And yet, having not followed the reform path to privatization, this is what Kentucky does have:
– Higher scores on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) than Tennessee in seven out of eight categories.
– A higher ACT composite average than Tennessee
– A larger percentage of its population with 4-year college degrees than Tennessee
– A lower unemployment rate than Tennessee
Please ask Senator Rand Paul why Kentucky should copy Tennessee.
Plain logic suggests that Tennessee should strive to be like Kentucky.
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