Moving in the Right Direction

House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans recently introduced two pieces of legislation designed to reform K-12 education law, currently known as No Child Left Behind. The Student Success Act (H.R. 3989) and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act (H.R. 3990) encourage a smaller federal role in the nation’s classrooms, put decisions back in the hands of state and local leaders, and support more effective teachers.

The facts below provide a summary of a few of the important provisions included in the proposals:

FACT: The Student Success Act eliminates the federal Adequate Yearly Progress system and requires states to implement their own accountability systems within two years, allowing states to determine the standards and assessments that will be most effective in measuring the progress of local schools and students.

FACT: The Student Success Act eliminates federally mandated turnaround models for under-performing schools and allows states to create their own methods that consider the challenges facing area school districts.

FACT: The Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act improve data reporting and encourage enhanced transparency to help close student achievement gaps.

FACT: The Student Success Act supports better teachers in the classroom by repealing antiquated “Highly Qualified Teacher” requirements that value an educator’s credentials and tenure over his or her ability to improve student learning.

FACT: The Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act calls on states and school districts to implement their own teacher evaluation systems based on student learning and other metrics.

FACT: The Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act streamlines most existing teacher quality programs into a single Teacher and School Leader Flexible Grant, which awards funds for states and school districts to implement initiatives with a proven track record for successfully identifying, recruiting, and retaining more effective teachers in the classroom.

FACT: The Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act protect taxpayer investment in education by consolidating and eliminating inefficient and duplicative federal programs.

FACT: The Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act strengthens existing provisions in the federal Impact Aid program, simplifying the process for determining federal allotments and standardizing eligibility for school districts with the highest percentages of students from military bases or other federal lands.

FACT: The Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act grant states and school districts increased flexibility to shift federal resources to the K-12 programs that best serve their unique student populations.

FACT: The Student Success Act protects states from the overreaching authority of the U.S. Secretary of Education by prohibiting the secretary from adding new requirements to federal programs, coercing states into adopting specific academic standards, or imposing extraneous conditions on states in exchange for a waiver of K-12 education law.

FACT: The Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act encourage increased parental engagement in their child’s education and improve school choice by improving opportunities for students to attend magnet or charter schools and providing relevant data to parents about their child’s academic progress as well as the success of local schools.

For more information on the Student Success Act, or to read a bill summary or fact sheet, visit www.republicans-edlabor.house.gov. Additional resources on the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act, including a bill summary and fact sheet, are also available on the website.

 

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