Polis Attends Events with President, Education Secretary; Praises Administration for Focus on Education

Press Release

Representative Jared Polis (CO-02), a senior member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, today attended major education announcements from President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

This morning Rep. Polis joined Secretary Duncan at Seaton Elementary school in Washington, DC as the Secretary laid out his vision for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the overhaul of No Child Left Behind. He later went to the Federal Trade Commission as the President announced his support for the student data privacy pledge that Reps. Polis and Luke Messer (R-IN) helped bring to fruition. The pledge currently has more than seventy signors, including Microsoft and Apple.

"From his commitment to increasing access to community colleges to his support for the student data privacy pledge I led to ease parental concerns about innovative new teaching tools, President Obama has recently shown a renewed focus on education issues that are vital to our nation remaining competitive in the 21st century global economy," said Rep. Polis. "The companies that have signed onto our student data privacy pledge have taken an important step in reassuring parents and the public that their focus is on increasing the quality of education, not their profits. The President's commitment to highlighting and expanding this landmark pledge will allow new technologies that have the potential to revolutionize teaching to be tested and implemented without fear that the data used or gathered will be abused."

"This Congress we will have the opportunity to revamp ESEA to make it work for today's students, creating equity in education, more effective standards for teachers, and a streamlined approach to testing that fits more smoothly into the curriculum," Polis continued. "Both the President and Secretary have demonstrated their desire to work across the aisle to reauthorize this legislation in a way that puts the best ideas on the table, and pushes politics to the side. President Obama and Secretary Duncan are also committed to repealing No Child Left Behind and replacing it with a law that directs resources to where they are most needed, replicates successful teaching models, and rewards our best teachers and administrators."

A number of technology and privacy trade associations also praised the student data privacy pledge and lauded today's announcement of support for it from President Obama.

"Representatives Polis and Messer help kicked off the idea of a pledge and were critical to hammering out a privacy friendly set of rules that ensure data is protected and used to benefit student education," said Jules Polonetsky, exec director of the Future of Privacy Forum.

In addition to leading efforts to create the student data privacy pledge, Rep. Polis has also sponsored or cosponsored legislation to improve student evaluation processes, support innovative approaches to education, and update our teacher and administrator evaluation systems.

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