蜜桃影视

When Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander gave his to the U.S. Senate last month, he recounted some of the major pieces of legislation he and education committee Ranking Member Patty Murray were able to move to the floor and ultimately to the president.

They include permanently funding historically Black colleges, streamlining the federal financial aid form 鈥� his most recent victory 鈥� and, of course, the 2015 passage of the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act, a bill, he said, 鈥渢hat had 100 alligators in the swamp.鈥�

But when Murray, now poised to take his seat as chair of the education committee, recalls her favorite memories of Alexander, she thinks of him in the Senate office building atrium, accompanied by Democrat Tim Kaine of Virginia on harmonica. Alexander鈥檚 and Kaine鈥檚 musical collaboration began in 2014, they performed at a 2017 festival in Bristol 鈥� a town that straddles both of their states 鈥� and last month, they entertained Capitol staff with 鈥淕o Tell it on the Mountain.鈥�

鈥淪omething about moments like that one show who he is as a Tennessean, and as a lawmaker,鈥� Murray said, calling Alexander 鈥渟omeone who just enjoys finding ways to work with anyone 鈥� even when it comes to music.鈥�

Alexander鈥檚 18 years in the Senate, including six as chair of the education committee, came to an official close last week, days before rioters stormed the Capitol and invaded the chamber where he worked to advance key legislation. Many consider what he called 鈥渢he bill to fix No Child Left Behind鈥� the peak of collaboration during his tenure. With the Senate now split 50-50, the question is whether Alexander鈥檚 patient and non-polemical approach will continue under new education committee leadership. Murray, at least, has that goal in mind.

鈥淭hough there are too few elected officials that approach their job the way he did 鈥� with a focus on solving problems,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 hopeful that his legacy will continue in the 鈥� committee and we can continue to work in a bipartisan way to deliver for students and families.鈥�

Forcing a 鈥榖road agreement鈥�

For Alexander, education has been an issue that unites rather than divides. When he became governor of Tennessee in 1979, he invited James Hunt, his counterpart in neighboring North Carolina, over for a visit.

He wanted Hunt, already established as an 鈥渆ducation governor,鈥� to talk to his cabinet about the Tar Heel State鈥檚 agenda on student achievement 鈥� policies such as setting minimum high school graduation standards and funding classroom reading assistants in the early grades. It didn鈥檛 matter that Hunt was a Democrat.

鈥淗e wanted me to make it clear to them that education was the most important thing they could work on,鈥� said Hunt.

Reauthorization of the Perkins Act for career and technical education in 2018 was another milestone Alexander noted as an example of working with his Democratic colleagues. 鈥淚t鈥檚 better, I think, to force a broad agreement on these difficult issues,鈥� he said in an interview, 鈥渁nd then when we get it, it sticks.鈥�

But even Alexander wasn鈥檛 able to find common ground with Democrats on other higher education issues, like , student loan repayment rates and applying accountability rules to for-profit institutions.

To him, leaving those fights for another day does not signal defeat.

鈥淧art of his message to the U.S. Senate is that you can鈥檛 get everything you want, but what you can get is good enough,鈥� said David Cleary, who worked for the senator for 15 years, most recently as chief of staff. In his farewell speech on Dec. 2, Alexander was 鈥渉oping to remind senators that they spend a lot of time and money and energy to get there, and there鈥檚 no reason for them to sit around like potted plants,鈥� Cleary said.

鈥楢 tricky issue for Republicans鈥� 

Whether as governor, president of the University of Tennessee, Secretary of Education during the first Bush administration or in Congress, Alexander can鈥檛 be accused of sitting around. To many observers, few people have had more influence over education policy for the past 40 years.

鈥淗e wrote the book about how to be a great United States senator focused on education,鈥� said former Gov. Hunt. 鈥淗e did it in a bipartisan way with the knowledge of a former governor who led education throughout his state and at the grass roots level.鈥�

Alexander, whose parents were educators, made his mark early by taking on the controversial issue of teacher quality in his home state.

鈥淗e was a leader in emphasizing improved pay for teachers,鈥� said David Mansouri, president and CEO of the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education, or SCORE. 鈥淪o much of the past decade has been focusing on how we elevate and support great teaching in Tennessee.鈥�

Under Alexander鈥檚 leadership as governor, Tennessee enacted a 鈥� among the first attempts to tie higher pay for teachers to stronger evaluations. The program was a forerunner of models that based evaluation ratings in part on student test scores, a reform largely opposed by teachers unions and that later showed to be ineffective at boosting student performance. The Tennessee program lasted 13 years, and while it was associated with in reading and math, other results were mixed.

But while convinced that rewarding teachers for raising student performance was the 鈥渉oly grail鈥� of improving schools, he didn鈥檛 see it as of the federal government.

鈥淗e turned out to be right,鈥� said Michael Petrilli, president of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute, noting that the Obama-era policy of to factor student test scores into teacher evaluations 鈥渨ent too far.鈥�

Alexander 鈥渆mbodied what makes education such a tricky issue for Republicans at the federal level,鈥� Petrilli added. 鈥淲e want to see major changes in our schools, but we also see that it鈥檚 very hard for the federal government to make sure those changes come out right.鈥�

The teacher evaluation issue is what prompted Murray to begin working with Alexander on legislation to replace No Child Left Behind. Then-Secretary of Education Arne Duncan her state鈥檚 waiver from certain requirements of the law because officials weren鈥檛 using state test results to help evaluate teachers.

Ultimately, Petrilli said, the Every Student Succeeds Act 鈥渘ot only stopped that power from coming to Washington, but in real ways sent it back to the states.鈥�

The 鈥榮plit screen鈥�

Despite his reputation for bipartisanship, it was a partisan move 鈥� voting against calling witnesses in President Donald Trump鈥檚 impeachment trial last year 鈥� that will taint Alexander鈥檚 legacy as he retires to his home in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. Without naming Alexander specifically, Democrat Bernie Sanders the vote a 鈥渟ad day in American history,鈥� and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed disappointment with his

Alexander鈥檚 vote, which ended the trial, was a rare moment when the senator received more attention for politics than for his preference, as Petrilli said, to 鈥済et things done.鈥�

Alexander said he doesn鈥檛 鈥渂elieve in giving advice鈥� to his successors, but he did leave them with his favorite analogy to describe the institution where he ended his career in public office 鈥� a split-screen TV. The dysfunctional channel, he said, is tuned to the snarky tweets and tense confirmation hearings. But he鈥檚 tried to spend more time 鈥渙n the other side of the split screen.鈥�

Cutting by two-thirds the number of questions on the federal student application doesn鈥檛 amount to the kind of drama that pundits rehash during the evening news.

But 鈥渟omething that affects 20 million American families every year and makes it easier for them to go to college 鈥� that鈥檚 a very significant achievement,鈥� Alexander said in the 74 interview. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot more on the functional channel 鈥� than most people realize.鈥�

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