Christy Wolfe on Federal Education Silos, Bipartisanship, & State Constraints

Bipartisanship may be rare in Washington, but it still exists! This week, Christy Wolfe of the Bipartisan Policy Center joins us to discuss the Commission on the American Workforce’s sweeping new blueprint to connect education to opportunity and BPC’s federal education policy action items. We cover why federal programs remain stubbornly siloed, why Congress hasn’t reauthorized major education laws, and whether the Department of Education is truly a “pass-through” agency. We also discuss resources Christy has created explaining formula funding like Title I and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and competitive grants. She shares her views on what interagency agreements mean in practice, the real barriers to state flexibility (from waiver fatigue to talent constraints), and why some of the biggest obstacles to innovation may sit at the state, rather than the federal, level.

With more than 30 years shaping federal education policy across Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Christy brings a rare, full-spectrum view of how policy is actually made and implemented.

U.S. Department of Education 101: Federal Funding in K-12 Education: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/u-s-department-of-education-101-federal-funding-in-k-12-education/

Transferring K-12 Programs to Labor: Why Costs and Logistics Could Be a Problem for States and Schools: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/issue-brief/transferring-k-12-programs-to-labor-why-costs-and-logistics-could-be-a-problem-for-states-and-schools/

U.S. Department of Education 101: What are Block Grants? https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/u-s-department-of-education-101-what-are-block-grants/

What is the Title I Education Program? Five things to know about the Largest K-12 Federal Education Program for Schools: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/what-is-the-title-i-education-program-five-things-to-know-about-the-largest-k-12-federal-education-program-for-schools/

GOP Targets Government Waste, Bureaucracy in Schools Spending: https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/gop-targets-government-waste-bureaucracy-in-schools-spending/1997/05

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