Grassley has been a staunch advocate for Iowa's unique educational system and worked with both the Iowa and U.S. Departments of Education to make sure the Iowa Plan was approved. Grassley's office made numerous contacts with top federal education officials throughout the approval process urging them to agree to the accommodations in the Iowa Plan that preserve Iowa's system of local control in education. Last week, Grassley sent a letter with Rep. Steve King to Secretary of Education Rod Paige encouraging him to approve the Iowa Plan. Now, just a week later the plan has been approved.
Grassley has also arranged a meeting with central Iowa Superintendents to meet with Secretary Paige next week. The meeting was arranged to help explain provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act and allow Iowa education leaders to express any concerns they may have.
Here is Grassley's statement
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"Iowa has one of the best education systems in the country. Iowa knows what works best for it's young people. We worked hard to make sure that the merits of Iowa's plan were understood on the federal level and how the plan fit into Iowa's unique education system. Teachers and administrators now will know what is expected of them going into next school year."