U.S. Secretary of Didactics Arne Duncan appeared Tuesday before the House Education and Workforce Committee to promote what he called the "centerpiece" of the assistants's 2022 education upkeep proposal, the $75 billion program to expand public preschool through a funding initiative that would encourage states to offering preschool to depression-income and middle-form children.

"What is the smartest use of our instruction dollars?" Duncan asked rhetorically during his remarks to the committee. "The answer, I believe, is that high-quality early learning is the best education investment we can make in our children, our communities, and our country."

While Duncan fabricated a indicate of highlighting the bipartisan support for preschool past citing the Republican governors and voters who have supported expanded early education programs, the House Republicans on the committee were skeptical of the plan or questioned Duncan on other topics.

Click to enlarge. Source: U.S. Department of Education

Click to overstate. Source: U.Due south. Section of Instruction

Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., the committee chair, told Duncan he was concerned nearly starting a new program while other federal didactics programs, like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, remained under-funded. He then focused on the similarities betwixt the administration'southward plan for reducing the price of educatee loans and the Republican plan for doing and then.

Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., challenged the research Duncan presented to support his statement that quality early childhood education provided a meaning render on investment – that every dollar spent on the programs results in a long-term benefit to society in everything from increased private earnings to savings in the criminal justice system. Roe noted that the Perry Preschool written report often cited past preschool advocates equally showing the benefits of the programs looked at an expensive, full-service model. Duncan responded that recent studies out of Boston and Tulsa, Okla., showed that similar gains could be made in broader, public programs with fewer bells and whistles.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC, took event with Duncan'south chart showing the the Usa ranks 25th in spending on early on education compared to other developed countries. Foxx read of the top 3 countries, Iceland, Denmark and the Russian Federation, and said she wasn't sure these were countries we wanted to be compared to.

The other topics brought up during Duncan's testimony included Pell grants, funding for Stalk teachers, implementing the Common Core and rewriting and passing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Click here for a complete archive of the hearing, including video and transcripts of the prepared remarks.

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