The Administration's Education Reform Proposal. Hearing on Examining the Administration's Proposal To Reform the National Education System before the Committee on Labor and Human Resources. United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, First Session.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, chairman of the committee, opened the hearing by commending President Bush and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Lamar Alexander for putting forward an education reform plan. Kennedy then stated his reservations: the plan does not devote enough attention to school readiness; the administration emphasizes choice as a way to improve schools; and the proposals involve no new resources for education. Secretary Alexander's presentation summarizes the President's four-part strategy by comparing it to four large trains headed toward the national goals, all at one time. This is followed by a prepared statement by Senator Strom Thurmond in support of the plan. Questions by the senators on the committee and responses by Alexander compose the remainder of the hearing. Among the topics raised are the following: school readiness, the choice issue, accountability to public authority, children with disabilities, absence of full funding for Head Start, testing, the school year, economically disadvantaged children, the imbalance of resources between communities, and concern for the 70 percent of students who are not college-bound. Secretary Alexander explained that the proposed funding is for school districts or states that would like to try to give families a broader choice of the schools their children attend, including nonpublic schools. Editorials inserted into the record by Senator Cochran from newspapers in Tennessee and Mississippi conclude the publication. (MLF)