In Case You Missed It

Washington’s outsized role in education has imposed a series of one-size-fits-all policies that assume federal bureaucrats know better than parents, teachers, and local leaders. As Education and the Workforce Committee member Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) writes in a recent op-ed, “the quality of our children’s education is too high a priority to rely on a one-size-fits-all approach. The Student Success Act, he continues, would help bring control of K-12 education back to his home state of South Carolina:

I support meaningful solutions to improve education, like H.R. 5, the Student Success Act. This bill promotes common sense reforms and encourages school choice by allowing existing funds to follow low-income students to their school of choice. This will reward the excellent public schools we have in the Second District and help students across the nation escape failing schools. Our bill also prevents the federal government from imposing coercive one-size-fits-all standards, like Common Core, and returns the authority to schools to spend their money where they need it most—not where the federal government thinks is best.

In addition, our bill gives more freedom to schools to hire the best teachers for the job by eliminating federal hiring requirements. It also prioritizes transparency in school funding to ensure taxpayer dollars are used to benefit students. Finally, the bill bolsters accountability at the Department of Education, requiring increased public oversight before issuing new regulations. We must put students above bureaucratic red tape, and this bill takes a positive step toward student-centered education.

This past week marked the beginning of the fourth quarter grading period for our schools. It is a fresh start for students and their grades for the next nine weeks. Let’s give our students a real fresh start next year by voicing support for the Student Success Act to help create meaningful changes in our education system.

To read the full op-ed, click here.

To learn more about the Student Success Act, click here.

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