Over the last several months, the Committee on Education and the Workforce has been actively examining the current state of education in the nation. Everyone has listened to state and local leaders who are working to improve the quality of education the children receive. Through a series of hearings, they have heard stories of both challenges and opportunities facing schools. The opportunities are found in the determination of countless individuals who realize the current system is failing our children and are fighting to do something about it. As a result, parents, grandparents, teachers, reformers and community leaders are shining a bright light on a broken system and pursuing real change that puts children first. The challenges, unfortunately, are in many ways found in an education bureaucracy resistant to the very kind of meaningful reforms people are trying to achieve. Policymakers have over the years added layers of mandates and regulations that weigh down our nation's schools. Every federal tax dollar spent should provide results, but they must ensure that the regulatory burdens don't outweigh the benefits of federal assistance. Members testifying before the committee to address these issues were: Honorable Larry Bucshon, a Representative in Congress from the State of Indiana; Honorable John Kline, Chairman, Committee on Education and the Workforce; and Honorable George Miller, senior Democratic member, Committee on Education and the Workforce. Witnesses testifying before the committee were: Dr. Gary M. Amoroso, superintendent, Lakeville Area Public Schools; Janet Barresi, superintendent of public instruction, Oklahoma State Department of Education; Dr. Terry B. Grier, superintendent, Houston Independent School District; and Yohance C. Maqubela, chief operating officer, Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science.