Hearings to examine choice and literacy, focusing on empowering families for better educational results.

2025-07-23

Summary

The Senate Subcommittee on Education and the American Family convened to discuss methods for empowering families and improving educational outcomes for children within the K-12 system.[ 00:25:37-00:28:45 ]

Discussions centered on school choice, the state of literacy, and the appropriate role of federal and state governments in supporting education.

Themes

School Choice and Parental Empowerment

Proponents of school choice emphasized the need for parents to have diverse educational options, including private schools, homeschooling, and charter schools, believing this leads to better student outcomes. Alabama's "Choose Act" and Florida's strong parental rights initiatives were highlighted as successful state models.[ 00:36:38-00:37:31 ]

Charter schools, supported by federal programs, were cited for their growth and improved literacy outcomes, often serving a higher percentage of minority and low-income students.

However, critics argued that private school vouchers divert taxpayer money from public schools and can lead to discrimination against students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, or those of certain faiths, as private schools are not held to the same accountability standards as public institutions. Concerns were raised about the lack of accountability and adherence to federal mandates like IDEA in private school settings.[ 01:03:37-01:03:39 ]

Literacy and Evidence-Based Instruction

A significant concern was the alarming decline in reading proficiency among students across the country. The "science of reading," encompassing phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, was presented as a research-backed instructional method crucial for improving literacy skills.

Emphasis was placed on the need for comprehensive teacher training and professional development in these evidence-based methods, as many current educator preparation programs are inadequate or teach incorrect approaches. The importance of early and universal screening for reading difficulties, such as dyslexia, was highlighted to allow for timely intervention and prevent long-term illiteracy, which has significant societal costs.

Federal Funding and Government Role

Debate centered on the federal government's role in education funding and policy, with some lamenting its "decades old" spending without improved outcomes.[ 00:27:04-00:27:23 ]

Several speakers criticized the current administration for illegally withholding over $5 billion in congressionally appropriated funds for teacher preparedness and literacy, and for proposing cuts to federal literacy grants.

The chronic underfunding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was a bipartisan concern, with calls for the federal government to meet its 40% funding commitment to support students with disabilities, which would free up significant state and local funds for other educational investments. Concerns were also voiced about the potential negative consequences of block-granting IDEA funds or dismantling the Department of Education.[ 00:59:01-00:59:25 ]

Conversely, some advocated for reduced federal intervention, arguing that education policy should primarily be set at the state level to foster innovation and respond more effectively to local needs.

Influence of School Unions

One witness highlighted the "pernicious influence of school unions" as a significant factor contributing to academic decline. The witness accused unions of prioritizing political agendas over student success, blocking student-centered initiatives, and hindering the implementation of effective educational strategies like science of reading training. It was suggested that strong state leadership is necessary to counteract union influence and implement meaningful reforms.

Tone of the Meeting

The tone of the meeting was largely serious and passionate, reflecting a shared commitment to improving educational outcomes despite differing approaches.[ 00:26:50 ]

While there were clear ideological divisions, particularly on school choice and federal intervention, speakers generally maintained a professional demeanor. There was a palpable sense of urgency regarding declining literacy rates and the need for effective, evidence-based solutions.[ 00:42:04 ]

Participants

Transcript

Lisa Blunt Rochester

Good afternoon. The Senate Committee on Health Education, Labor and Pension Subcommittee on Education and the American Family will come to order. Thanks for being here. As you can tell, we're running a little late. It's a little hectic on the hill today, but we will survive. This afternoon, we're having a hearing on empowering families for better educational results. Ranking member Blunt Rochester and I will each have an opening statement. The witnesses will have Five minutes for their opening statements, and senators will each have five minutes for questions. We will obviously have senators coming in and out because many, many votes today. So thank you to all the witnesses for being here today. It's always nice to see a fellow Alabamian here today up here in the swamp. Thanks to Mr. Barnett for coming to visit today. We've called this hearing to discuss something very near and dear to my heart, one of the reasons I'm here, I was an educator for decades before I decided to come up here, and over those years, I saw the state of our education system decline. The federal government just kept spending more money and more money in K-12 education, and the more they spent, the worse the outcomes became. It was just amazing to me to watch it in real time. It made no sense. It's the main reason I chose to run for this office. I didn't want to see our kids fail year after year. Then I got here and realized that we can fix it, but a lot of things are broken. Four years, I've been serving here on the help committee, and this year I finally got this gavel to make sure we could have something like this to where we could bring things to light. I wanted to focus on our kids' educational outcomes and figure out where we were failing. and also where we're doing good things. That lends us to today. That's why we're having this hearing. We need to take a good hard look at our K-12 education system and figure out what can we do to fix it, to make it better.

Lisa Blunt Rochester

Because the status quo in a lot of areas is not cutting it. That means we need to think outside the box. Since COVID, parents have gotten a lot more engaged, and that's where all the necessary change can start right at home. And since parents have started paying more attention, they've started calling for more and more options. Parents across our country are calling for their states to offer more options for their kids outside of failing school systems. States represented by folks on both sides of this dice are working on school choice options in their state legislatures. We'll hear about that issue from our witnesses today. Parents want these options and we ought to listen to them. In my home state of Alabama last year, we passed the Choose Act, which created an income tax credit for families who choose to enroll their children in private schools or homeschooling. Virginia, Florida, Alaska, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Indiana, and Washington are just a few states to name that have implemented or have pending state legislation to create these income tax credits promoting school choice. It's simple. When we give our parents and students choice, we yield better educational results. We owe our kids this investment. But it doesn't end there. Right now, our kids in a lot of areas can't read. We have kids entering middle school and high school who aren't at a third grade reading level. I used to recruit kids. I'd bring them in with 3.5 GPAs. The next thing I know after testing them, they wouldn't be sixth grade reading level. Something has got to change with that. States and governors across our country have taken up the literacy challenge and enacted legislation at the state level where it should be. Ranking member Blunt Rochester's home state of Delaware passed House Bill 304 that implemented reading assessments three times a school year for kids K-12

Sign up for free to see the full transcript

Accounts help us prevent bots from abusing our site. Accounts are free and will allow you to access the full transcript.