Senate Education Committee chairman Lamar Alexander oversaw a two-hour hearing this week to continue the process of Acting Education Secretary John B. King’s nomination for the permanent role during the final year of the Obama administration.

King answered many questions about how he would implement the new education legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act, which Alexander says is a reason a thorough nomination and confirmation process is especially important.

King "faced many questions Thursday about whether the Obama administration is committed to carrying out Congress’s vision for a smaller federal role in public education,” said the Washington Post.

"He repeatedly assured the committee that he believes the law is a good law that allows for a needed ‘reset' in the public conversation about education, and said he understood that federal officials have no role in pushing states to adopt Common Core standards or particular teacher evaluation policies.”

But King said that while he would leave the majority of the power to state and local districts in deciding how to run its schools, he said he would be “vigilant” in intervening when “local interventions aren’t working,” the Post said.

King also answered questions about voucher programs, protecting student data privacy, and supporting schools in rural communities.

According to the Post, King is expected to have bipartisan support and will likely be formally nominated for the position on March 9th when the committee meets to presumably vote.

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

2/26/2016