Tennessee’s former Education Commissioner makes her case to serve as the number two official in the U.S. Department of Education

Penny Schwinn testifying Thursday (screen grab)

Former Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn told members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions that she supports President Trump’s plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.

President Trump nominated Schwinn earlier this year to serve under Secretary Linda McMahon as the Deputy Secretary of Education. Thursday Schwinn took questions from members of the Senate committee, including Senator Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, who asked about Trump’s plan to dismantle the department she would lead.

“We should be focused on how to improve public education, how to build a system that is the envy of the world, but instead, the president has moved to close the Department of Education. Do you support the president’s goal of shuttering the Department of Education,” asked Hassan.

 “I support the president’s EO (executive order) which is to explore all the opportunities and options around what is in the best interest of students, including shuttering the Department of Education,” answered Schwinn. “What people actually care about is the laws that you all pass and the funding you all appropriate. We need to make sure that those two things are rock solid, that our states understand exactly how much money they’re getting and what the laws say their responsibilities are, and then allow states to figure out the best way to implement that to achieve outcomes for their kids.”

Schwinn served four and a half years as the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education before stepping down in 2023.  During that time she led efforts to implement the Tennessee Literacy Success Act that provided support for students to be proficient readers by the third grade, and the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) that modernized the way schools are funded to be based on a per-pupil formula.

During Thursday’s confirmation hearing Schwinn talked about her experience in Tennessee and the lessons she learned about the importance of flexibility.

“In Tennessee, we achieved real outcomes because we had the flexibility to tailor solutions. Rather than being bound by rigid funding categories, we prioritized what mattered most for our students,” said Schwinn. “And it worked. Tennessee became one of only two states to rank in the top 25 on all 16 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) indicators. Our statewide literacy gains—fueled by training 30,000 educators, supporting 178,000 families, and aligning teacher prep with the science of reading—led to the highest growth in English Language Arts since the adoption of new standards.”

Senators also asked Schwinn whether she supports allowing foreign-born students to attend U.S. Colleges and Universities and if she supports President Trump’s policies concerning parental rights in schools around abortion, sex education, and transgender issues.

Schwinn said yes to both questions and she told Senators that she’s a strong supporter of strong assessment systems.

“We must continue to raise the bar and give families clear, accurate information about how their children are doing—where they are excelling and where we, as adults, must do better. If we’re serious about outcomes, we must be serious about measuring them. Assessment is not about bureaucracy—it’s about truth. And families deserve the truth,” said Schwinn.

Schwinn’s nomination will need the approval of the full Senate.