Chairman Cassidy Releases Vision for K-12 Reform
This month, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) released a report, “Preventing a Lost Generation: A Vision for K-12 Reforms to Ensure Student Success.” The report identifies literacy as the most important priority for K-12 educators and supports broader implementation of the science of reading. The report asserts that many students who struggle with reading have undiagnosed disabilities.
“Early identification and intervention through increased awareness, improved screening, and specialized teaching is critical to helping more students achieve literacy in a faster and more comprehensive manner,” it states. To improve literacy, the report’s second recommendation is to strengthen the educator workforce by improving educator preparation programs so that new teachers know how to implement the science of reading and other evidence-based instructional methods. It is highly critical of current educator preparation programs for “perpetuating disproven instructional methods and not preparing aspiring teachers well for the classroom.”
It recommends that Congress hold educator preparation programs more accountable by evaluating how their graduates impact academic achievement in the classroom. Finally, the report recommends further empowering parents by improving the way they get accurate information about school curricula and performance.