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Moving in the Right Direction

Parents, Teachers, State and Local Leaders Praise Passage of Every Student Succeeds Act

Yesterday the House passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, taking an important step toward replacing No Child Left Behind and improving K-12 education. The bicameral bill (S. 1177), which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support:

 

  • Significantly shift(s) authority over the nation’s 100,000 public schools from the federal government to states and local school districts. (Washington Post)
      
  • Represent(s) the end of an era in which the federal government aggressively policed public school performance. (New York Times)
      
  • Scales back the federal role in education for the first time since the early 1980s, handing greater control over accountability and school improvement back to states. (Education Week)
      
  • Return(s) to the states the authority to decide how to use students' test performance in assessing teachers and schools, and it … end(s) federal efforts to encourage academic standards such as Common Core. (Associated Press)
  
As Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) said,
  

Parents, teachers, and state and local school leaders support this bill because they know it will restore local control and help get Washington out of our classrooms.

  
Here’s what they had to say following yesterday’s vote:
  

  • AASA, The School Superintendents Association: [The] House vote represents relief from a broken law that lacked the flexibility states and local school districts need to support student learning and achievement … On behalf of more than 13,000 school system leaders and, more importantly, the students they serve, we are pleased with today’s vote.
      
  • National Governors Association: Governors congratulate the House for passing ESSA with broad bipartisan support. This marks an historic moment in ensuring children’s future success in the nation’s schools.
      
  • National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: The National Alliance applauds the overwhelming bipartisan vote in support of the Every Student Succeeds Act. We commend Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Scott for their strong leadership in steering this bill through conference. This vote brings us one step closer to an improved law.
      
  • Council for Chief State School Officers: State education leaders are thrilled to see such bipartisan action in the U.S. House of Representatives to support a stable federal education policy in our schools across the country. The Every Student Succeeds Act will provide states with additional flexibility to improve achievement for all kids while at the same time making sure we maintain strong accountability systems.
      
  • National School Boards Association: It’s good news for our nation’s 90,000 local school board members, and an historic step toward reversing years of undue burden under the No Child Left Behind Act and restoring responsibility for school accountability and academic standards back to states and local school districts.
      
  • National Education Association: The U.S. House of Representatives took a historic step to usher in a new era in public education that will ensure every child has equal opportunity to a high quality education regardless of ZIP Code … We applaud the U.S. House for getting the job done and doing what works for students, educators, and public education.
      
  • Business Roundtable: [The] House vote marks a milestone moment toward fulfilling the nation’s promise of a high-quality education for all American students … Congress is providing leadership that all teachers, parents and students deserve and expect. We urge the Senate to pass this legislation as quickly as possible and send the bill to the President’s desk.
      
Next week, the Senate is expected to consider the Every Student Succeeds Act. Discussing the work ahead, Chairman Kline said,
  

I look forward to the Senate’s consideration of this bipartisan proposal and finally sending a bill to the president’s desk that will provide parents and school leaders the certainty and flexibility they need to deliver children a great education.
  

To learn more, visit republicans-edlabor.house.gov/k12education.

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