Testimony can be found HERE once the hearing begins.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ginny Gentles, director of the Education Freedom Center at Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), will testify before the House Oversight Committee, Subcommittee on Healthcare and Financial Services, in a hearing titled “America’s Report Card: Oversight of K-12 Public Education” at 2:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 30th. Gentles will address the critical issues of learning loss and the current state of K-12 public education in America.
During her testimony, Gentles will emphasize the pernicious influence of teachers unions, the alarming abandonment of responsibility towards students by public schools across the nation and the irresponsible spending of billions that were supposed to address learning loss, but that abysmally failed. She will urge the Oversight Committee to implement student-focused policies, stressing that “without external pressure, the system will not fix itself.” Gentles will call on Congress to take action to require states and school districts to invest remaining ESSER funds in effective intervention services for the most vulnerable students. She will also emphasize the need to prioritize the needs of students over those of adult employees.
Furthermore, Gentles will highlight the importance of investigating school districts that were closed for extended periods to ensure that students with disabilities receive the compensatory services they require. She will demand that district leaders who directed COVID-era federal funding towards social-emotional learning (SEL), diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and other non-academic initiatives, instead of academic recovery, provide reports on the academic progress of their students. And she recommends the committee invite teachers to talk about their concerns with no-consequence discipline policies.
In her testimony, Gentles writes, in part, “Regardless of where we send our children to school, we are all facing a learning loss crisis that imperils our country’s future. American children must learn to read in order to function in society. For planes to stay in the sky and buildings to stand in the future, today’s students must learn math and science.”
Details:
WHAT:
- The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services Hearing, Titled “America’s Report Card: Oversight of K-12 Public Education”
WHEN:
- Tuesday, January 30th, 2024
WHERE:
- Hearing: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2154
Media Inquiries: [email protected]
Gentles’ full testimony will be available HERE once the hearing begins.
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