Loebsack: Federal education law needs reform

DES MOINES - U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack said Tuesday that, if re-elected, he would use his high-ranking position on a U.S. House subcommittee to wield influence over changes to a federal education law.

Loebsack, who represents Iowa's 2nd District in the U.S. House, spoke Tuesday at the Greater Des Moines Partnership's 2014 candidate series.

The Democrat is seeking his fifth term in the U.S. House. His opponent, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks, addressed the Partnership a week ago.

Loebsack is the top Democrat on a U.S. House subcommittee on early childhood, elementary and secondary education. He said if re-elected he would tackle reforms to No Child Left Behind, the federal law that was designed to ensure all students reach certain learning goals.

'Provided I'm re-elected, I will have a bigger seat at the table when we're reforming No Child Left Behind,” Loebsack said. 'We've got to get rid of a one-size fits all system. We've got to make a lot of reforms when it comes to No Child Left Behind.”

Loebsack said local districts and state authorities should have more discretion than currently allowed under the law and criticized the program's assessment system.

'The idea's a good idea. Leave no child behind. But the way it's been implemented and what's happened as a result has left a lot to be desired,” Loebsack said. 'So we end up with schools being designated as ... schools in need of assistance. And they're punished instead of provided what they need to do well and educate their students. It doesn't make any sense.”

As for reforming the law, Loebsack said schools need more flexibility. He said there should be multiple assessment measures, not just one 'high-stakes exam.” He also said the way student progress is measured should be changed.

'When I see that the way this was set up so that there's one, let's say fourth-grade class being compared one year to another year's fourth-grade class, you're comparing apples and oranges. This makes absolutely no sense,” Loebsack said.

He said some states are testing students as they progress through multiple grades.

'You follow them all the way through and then measure their growth all the way through. ... It makes a hell of a lot more sense to me than the way it's being done now, the way it was in No Child Left Behind.”

Fielding various questions from the audience, Loebsack said he thinks the U.S. Senate bill on immigration reform is a 'good start,” that private industry is going to have 'skin in the game” to address the nation's infrastructure needs and that he supports a simpler tax code but doesn't think major tax reform is in the cards with the current makeup of Congress.