A Romney win could upend K-12 federal policy landscape

Scaled-back federal Ed. Dept. one scenario; cloudy prospects for key Obama initiatives

 

Original article in Education Week by Michele McNeil.

If Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney wins the November election, his ascension could endanger—or dismantle—key Obama administration education initiatives and lead to a slimmed-down and less activist U.S. Department of Education.

Gone could be any federal support for the Common Core State Standards, which Mr. Romney has cast as a state issue. The outlook would be cloudy for another "Early Learning Challenge," a $500 million Obama competition, since Mr. Romney has not made early education a key part of his platform. And in a nod to fiscal conservatism, he wants to combine duplicative teacher-quality programs into a block grant.

But some of President Barack Obama's priorities might live on in a Romney administration. The former Massachusetts governor has praised the Race to the Top competition, Mr. Obama's signature education redesign initiative. He also has voiced support for the Harlem Children's Zone, a community-building project that inspired the current administration's Promise Neighborhoods grants.

To read the complete article, visit Education Week.