Governor Bill Haslam doesn’t use the same rhetoric to describe the federal Department of Education as Republicans running for President.
Ten governors sat on a stage in New York City. The three Republicans were asked if they identify with the GOP presidential contenders, whose proposals range from hollowing out the Department of Education to abolishing it altogether.
Governor Haslam, who has made multiple appearances with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, says he does want less control from Washington.
“I’ll say this to make it real easy. I think we want a federal Department of Education that all of us see as a resource and not a regulator.”
The department has been both in recent years. Tennessee benefited from half a billion dollars in grant money from Secretary Duncan’s Race to the Top program. And the state expects to receive a waiver under No Child Left Behind standards.
For Secretary Duncan’s part, when asked what he thinks of GOP Presidential hopefuls debating whether to abolish his department, Duncan said he does not watch Republican debates.
Governor Haslam was also asked about No Child Left Behind waivers and his recent cooperation with the White House.
Changing No Child Left Behind is one initiative where Haslam says he and the Obama Administration see eye to eye.
“We had set an unattainable target for schools, which was de-motivating to teachers. I believe we should link student performance to teacher evaluations, but if the evaluation standard is unrealistic, then we’re not achieving our goal.”
Haslam – who is a Republican – introduced the Democratic President before an announcement about granting NCLB waivers last week.
This week, Haslam was one of 10 governors who were part of a summit sponsored by NBC in New York City called “Education Nation.” Others shared innovations from their states, like a new scholarship in Alaska that gives students a full-ride to college if they complete four years of high school math and science.
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