Dive Brief:
- Yesterday, at the House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing before today's formal nomination hearing, acting Secretary of Education John King fielded questions about charters, open educational resources in schools, and line items related to education in the Obama administration's FY 2017 federal budget, which is 1.9% more than FY 2016.
- Republicans voiced concerns around the cost and implementation of new programs like diversity initiatives, Title I funds for disadvantaged students, expanded pre-K, and funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Act that are included in the budget.
- King told the committee that he remained concerned about teachers, and wanted to make sure they didn't feel attacked regarding school performance, saying "I am very worried about the ways in which the (tone of conversations) around teaching in the last decade has led folks to feel blamed or attacked," Education Week reports.
Dive Insight:
Dr. John B. King Jr. seems to be continuing his diplomatic, reconciliatory tone. Previously, he flat-out apologized to teachers. In his first major speech as acting Secretary of Education, Dr. King adopted a cooperative tone and publicly apologized to educators in Philadelphia, PA, saying they had been unfairly blamed for the nation's educational challenges. That's a shift away from predecessor Arne Duncan, who was known for straight-talking and ruffling feathers.
In an interview last month with Education Dive, Duncan admitted that his advice to King included telling him to maintain a narrow focus on just a few targeted issues, in order to accomplish as much as possible over the limited timeframe of the next year.
King has championed issues that may prove divisive: integration, an aggressive approach to helping the lowest-performing schools, and school equity. His formal confirmation hearing will take place today at 2:00 p.m. EST.
