New Democrat Coalition Statement on Passage of Every Student Succeeds Act
Washington, DC – Today, bipartisan legislation to revise the long-outdated policies of No Child Left Behind passed the House on a vote of 359-64.
Members of the Coalition praised the bill for taking a positive step forward for students by leaving in place needed accountability while creating additional flexibility and replacing inadequate aspects of No child Left Behind. "Today’s passage is a huge milestone for improving our country’s public schools,” said Coalition Vice Chair Jared Polis, who served on the conference committee. “Education is the single most powerful tool for creating opportunity and lifting people out of poverty. But our country’s current education policy, No Child Left Behind, while well-intentioned, has been failing our students by imposing a one-size-fits-all flawed accountability system on states. The Every Student Succeeds Act – while not perfect – represents principled compromise that will move our education system forward. It reduces the emphasis on testing, provides greater flexibility for state accountability systems, and maintains ESEA’s original intent as a civil rights law first and foremost."
Earlier this year, Coalition leaders and Co-Chairs of the Twenty-First Century Education, Immigration, and Workforce Task Force sent a letter to Senate leaders outlining priorities for a commonsense reauthorization of the education legislation. The letter called for preserving needed accountability for student subgroups at the state level, a continued focus on resource equity, and improvement in data use through disaggregation and cross-tabulation to boost student learning outcomes, all of which were contained in the final bill.
“After years of waiting for a replacement for No Child Left Behind, I am pleased that we were able to craft a bipartisan piece of legislation that gives students and teachers the resources they need to succeed while ensuring schools are held accountable for results,” said Coalition Chair Ron Kind. “To ensure America maintains its competitive edge, we need to invest in world-class schools to ensure our students graduate ready to excel in college and enter the workforce.”
“The Every Student Succeeds Act is a monumental improvement from the broken No Child Left Behind waiver process currently in place,” said Coalition Vice Chair Susan Davis, who also served on the conference committee. “This bill finds the balance between accountability standards that protect low income students and the autonomy teachers need to find creative solutions in the classroom. I was honored to be a conferee on the Senate and House compromise, and I am excited to see the bill receive a passing mark.”
“Unfortunately, outdated No Child Left Behind policies have allowed far too many of our children to continue to fall behind,” said Twenty-First Century Education Task Force Co-Chair Elizabeth Esty. “Improvements were needed in critical areas to ensure America’s students have the skills to prepare them for successful 21st Century careers. I’m proud to have advocated for the inclusion of policies that promote equal learning opportunities for students with disabilities and expand vital resources for STEM education. This final bill better supports all of our students and furthers our American Prosperity Agenda.”
The Coalition’s American Prosperity Agenda, released earlier this year, calls for increasing investment in teachers and administrators, holding schools accountable for results, and promoting education and skills training opportunities. After the Every Child Succeeds Act becomes law, Coalition Members will continue working to advance these goals and improve schools nationwide.
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