Does ANYBODY Think the WTO's Doha Round Can be Completed?

If you ask, "What's the WTO's Doha Round?" you won't be alone.

Way back in 2001, following 9/11, the World Trade Organization launched the Doha Development Agenda to provide expanded economic opportunities for people in developing countries in part to counter some of the extremism that led to the 9/11 attacks.

Unfortunately, it hasn't worked.

It's hard enough to get all the WTO members to agree on anything.  Compounding that problem is the WTO's requirement that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.  WTO rules don't allow willing countries to put agreed-to issues into effect, enabling small groups to prevent progress.

Further compounding the problem is the fact that some countries who were viewed as "developing" back in 2001, are anything but that today.  Think India and China, both of which are now major economic powers.

The next WTO meeting of ministers for the Doha Round will be held in December in Bali.  Already, we are seeing the same pre-meeting signs.  Some folks are optimistic that this time will be the one.  Others are wringing their hands saying, "We have to find a way forward."  And this week the trade minister for India said if it doesn't get what it wants in the Doha Round, the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement negotiations may be in jeopardy. 

Is it time to just pull the plug and move on?

Ending the Doha Round would be a public relations defeat for the WTO.  But after twelve years of banging our heads against the wall, it's time to stop.

Currently, the WTO has two objectives: (1) complete agreements among its members to expand and facilitate trade among nations, and (2) resolve trade-related disputes among nations and enforce its global rules.

The WTO has a good record on resolving disputes, but it hasn't done well with the first objective. 

It has become clear that the WTO isn't needed when it comes to expanding trading opportunities.  Willing countries are completing agreements among themselves.  The Trans-Pacific Partnership will unite a dozen countries touching the Pacific Ocean into a powerful trading bloc.  Many other countries are negotiating bilateral agreements to boost sales. 

With new leadership at the WTO, it's time to reassess the basic mission.

If WTO is to remain a place for negotiating global trade-enhancing agreements, it must change its requirements for completing them so single countries or small groups cannot halt progress for all.

Otherwise, the WTO will become even less relevant for trade.

I'm Always Optimistic; But Not For a 'No Child Left Behind' Update

As everyone involved with education policy knows, our education law, now in the form of No Child Left Behind, expired in 2007.  Its programs will continue as long as Congress keeps providing the money.

Much in education has changed since 2001 when NCLB was enacted.  Technology in classrooms today wasn't even invented back then.  Learning and teaching methods have improved.

Unfortunately, Members of Congress -- of all political persuasions -- have talked, but haven't acted.

I was optimistic several weeks ago when I heard about legislation actually being written in both the Senate and the House.

But then I saw the bills.  And then I heard the speeches and comments at the Committee hearings.

Our two political parties have grown further apart in the last six or eight years or so.  Ideological purity is demanded by vocal interest groups.  Compromise has become a dirty word.

The partisan discourse is so bad now, that some even are saying that the common standards developed by the states are a federal plot to control what is taught!

Just to be clear, let's look at two facts:

Fact #1: The common standards being implemented by the states were developed by the National Governors' Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.  (See the theme here? States.)

Fact #2: Math is the same in Columbia, MO, Columbia, MD, and Columbia, SC.  (Why should students in some states know less than students in other states?  Math is math wherever you are.)

So now, because of partisanship and the inability of policymakers to reach across the aisle, our kids suffer.

Our kids are missing out on the new adaptive technology that facilitates individualized instruction so they can move forward in areas they have mastered and get help where they need it. 

Our kids are missing out on new interactive materials and teaching methods.

Instead, they are stuck in a one-size-fits-all classroom, based primarily on their age, gearing up for a fill-in-the-bubble test at the end of the year.

Our students deserve better.

When they complete their secondary education -- whether in Columbia, MO, Columbia, MD or Columbia, SC -- they will be competing with students from all over the world, many of whom will have been using the latest technology and adapting as the education world changes.

We can do better as a nation.

I'm always optimistic.  But I must confess it's getting kinda tough when we're talking about updating our education law to promote student success.

The U.S. Department of Education got tired of waiting for Congress and began giving states money and flexibility in return for adopting preferred policies.  But they can go only so far -- and their program has ruffled some feathers on Capitol Hill and fed into the conspiracy theories.

What's the best way forward for our students?

Partisanship Preventing Progress on ESEA Re-Write

Three weeks ago I noted we were hearing positive signs from Capitol Hill about re-writing and updating our nation's education law -- the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, now in the form of No Child Left Behind.

I was optimistic when Sen. Harkin introduced a bill.  As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, he is in the prefect position to pass a significant and meaningful update to the law.

Unfortunately, no Republicans signed on in support.

Instead, Republicans in both the Senate and the House introduced their own bills, which are similar to each other.

And no Democrats signed on in support.

We now have Democrats talking about their bill and Republicans talking about their bills.

Unfortunately, they aren't talking to each other.

No Child Left Behind put a system of requirements into place in 2001.  Think of all the changes in education in the past 12 years -- particularly in technology and adaptive learning systems for individualized instruction to improve student performance.

We have heard plenty of talk about the need for updating and modernizing our education system.  It's time for Congress to act.

Good News for Progress on U.S. Trade Agenda

Mike Froman, the President's nominee for U.S. Trade Representative, sailed through his Senate confirmation hearing this week.  Senators from both sides of the aisle said good things about him.

And Froman said good things about the outlook for the U.S. Trade Agenda. 

"If confirmed, I will engage with you to renew Trade Promotion Authority," Froman told the Senators, as reported by Doug Palmer in a Reuters story.  "TPA is a critical tool.  I look forward to working with you to craft a bill that achieves our shared goals."

Trade Promotion Authority is the process that provides for Congress to vote up-or-down on trade agreements with no opportunity for amendments in return for consultations with the Administration along the way during negotiations.

TPA isn't required for completing trade negotiations, but having it in place helps make sure the U.S. gets the best deal, as our counter-parties won't have to hold something back anticipating further demands from Congress.

TPA expired in 2007.  The Obama Administration didn't ask for its renewal during the first term, but now Froman is sending the right message.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has said he wants introduce a bill soon and get it passed by Congress this year.

TPA will give U.S. negotiators a useful tool for completing the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the new agreement with the European Union, both of which will provide significant benefits for U.S. workers, as the new agreements will open markets and we will be able to sell more U.S. products and services overseas.

Mike Froman likely will be confirmed fairly quickly as U.S. Trade Representative.  We'll certainly look forward to working with him to renew Trade Promotion Authority.

Can Congress Update "No Child Left Behind?"

We have bipartisan agreement that No Child Left Behind -- our nation's education law -- needs updating.  Education has changed; technology has changed; testing has changed -- but the law hasn't.

George W. Bush signed NCLB into law in 2002, promising that schools and states would be held accountable for results.  Students would be tested in reading and math, and later in science, and parents would have options if schools failed to make sure all students were moving toward levels of proficiency.

NCLB expired in 2007, but has stayed in place as Congress has continued to fund its programs.

Occasionally over the years we have hard talk about reauthorizing and updating the law.  

But so far Congress hasn't acted -- no doubt because today's intense partisanship prevents compromise, and sometimes even prevents simple discussions of what policies should be.

A Glimmer of Hope?

Earlier this month, the Chairman and the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce said they want to re-write NCLB. 

Both are concerned that the Administration is doing what Congress apparently can't -- that is, updating and modifying NCLB's requirements through a series of administrative waivers of key provisions of the law. 

Essentially, the Administration is saying to the states, "Enact the reforms we want, and we will exempt you from some of the law's requirements." So far, 37 states have accepted the offer.

The waivers the Administration is granting are perfectly legal -- the law itself gives the Administration the authority.

Some within Congress are concerned about the scope of the waiver program, and the fact that so many states now are exempt from key accountability provisions of NCLB.

But can they do anything about it?  Can they stop the partisan posturing and work together?

Everyone agrees the law needs updating.  It's great that the leaders of the House Education Committee want to do it.  I take it as a glimmer of hope -- not just as deja vu. 

We all should support their efforts.  We should encourage them.  We should help them reach compromise on some of the more-contentious issues.  Our kids -- and our country -- need a top-quality education system that will focus on their learning and hold schools accountable for results.

No Child Left Behind's goals are as valid today as they were over a decade ago when the law was signed.  Congress should update the law to make it relevant for today -- and for tomorrow.

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Most everybody knows Jimmy Buffett's song "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude" where he talks about the joys of traveling and experiencing the world.

But not everybody shares that joy.

I met a man the other day who was quite proud of the fact that he never traveled outside his home state.  In fact, he rarely travels more than 25 miles from his Carolina home.

As someone who works on international trade policy, among other things, and as someone who has been fortunate enough to have traveled the world on business and for pleasure, I felt he was missing something good.

When I talked about other countries, as well as the rest of America, he said he didn't really trust much of anything outside his local area and he wasn't really interested in learning.

Looking at our conversation from a policy perspective (kinda weird, I know), I wanted to ask his views on trade.  I suspect if I had asked directly, his view would have been negative -- maybe he would have talked about outsourcing or China.

Instead, while talking about US-made goods and the Carolina textile mills shut down long ago, I asked if he thought US companies should be able to sell more of their products overseas.  He said, "Of course." 

I decided not to press the issue and point out that the inexpensive Asian-made t-shirt he was wearing would probably have cost him $25 or more if it had been made in one of now shuttered mills he spoke fondly of.  And I decided not to point out that many South Carolina workers were making more money at the BMW and Michelin plants than they ever made in the mills.

I just couldn't get Jimmy Buffett's song out of my head. 

My new friend is quite comfortable at home, and who am I to judge.  But in most cases I believe if people can change their latitude and see more of the world and its people -- either by traveling in person or via the internet or other media -- then we will see more demand for other countries' products and services and more sales of ours, and everyone will be a little better off.

South Carolina May Expand Access to Digital K12 Materials

The South Carolina Senate is looking at increasing access to digital instruction materials by enabling school districts to "purchase the digital equivalent of a textbook" as well as "support equipment" from vendors approved by the state.

Currently, South Carolina school districts request texts from a list approved by the State Board of Education.  Then, the Education Department buys the text and any digital licenses and loans them to the district.

A bill under consideration would provide some flexibility by allowing districts to buy or license materials not on the approved list.  The catch, of course, is that the districts would have to cover the expense themselves and couldn't rely on the state for funds to purchase any materials not on the approved list.

Teachers and superintendents generally favor the bill.  They want the flexibility as well as additional digital offerings. 

It's a start.

Digital instructional materials are more up to date and more in line with how kids learn.

Expanding access to high quality digital instructional materials can only help South Carolina students.