ATLANTA – State Representative Alisha Thomas Morgan (D-Austell) attended the State Legislator Conference at the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Monday, June 14, 2010.
“It was an honor to visit the U.S. Department of Education and play a role in helping Secretary Duncan create a new, more effective national education policy,” said Representative Morgan. “I look forward to continuing my efforts to improve our state and national education systems.”
Rep. Morgan was invited to the conference as a continuation of her work earlier this year as a member of a national bi-partisan group of legislators who are assisting and advising the department on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Rep. Morgan was appointed to this bi-partisan work group by senior officials at the DOE. At the conference, she continued in these efforts by serving as an official representative of Georgia and the state’s public education system. In this role, she expressed our state’s education needs to Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other DOE senior staff and helped lead the legislator’s discussion portion of the agenda. Secretary Duncan and his staff will now take the information gathered from Rep. Morgan and other legislators representing 15 states into consideration as they work to rewrite the ESEA.
“This administration is changing how we educate students in our country,” added Rep. Morgan. “I am proud to be a part of this national movement to improve public education and focus our efforts on students and their success!”
In the new version of the ESEA, the Obama administration will seek a new direction for federal K-12 education policy, including more flexibility, competitive funding, and a focus on reforms likely to have the greatest impact on student success. The goal is to replace the school accountability system with a new system designed to help all students graduate from high school and college and be career ready.
As a member of the House Education Committee, Representative Morgan’s work in education has earned her the “Champion For Choice” Award from All Children Matter, the “Putting Kids 1st” Award from the Ohio Coalition for Quality Education, and the “Legislative Leadership Award” from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
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Since 2003, Alisha Thomas Morgan has represented Georgia’s 39th House District, serving Cobb County. She is the first African-American to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives from Cobb County and is the youngest female member of the Georgia General Assembly.