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The White House
Finally a fix
to No Child Left Behind
If you’re like me, you probably dread an overdue notice, whether it’s
for registering your car or returning a library book. For nearly a
decade, our national K-12 education law has been overdue for revision,
and parents, teachers, and students across the country have made it
clear that it is time for a reboot.
Over that period of time, America’s fourth graders became today’s high
school seniors -- ready to graduate and embrace a bright future. The
students who come behind them deserve a better law focused on one clear
goal of fully preparing them for success in college and future careers.
The Bipartisan Bill to Fix No Child Left Behind
Although well-intended, the No Child Left Behind Act -- the most recent
version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act -- has long been
broken. We can no longer afford that law’s one-size-fits-all approach,
uneven standards, and low expectations for our educational system.
That’s why, early on, President Obama and I joined educators and
families calling on Congress to fix its flaws.
When Congress didn’t act, we did -- providing relief from the most
onerous elements of the law for states and school districts willing to
embrace reform.
But yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives finally answered the
overdue notice and took action to revise and replace No Child Left
Behind. This bipartisan plan -- the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
-- is good news for our nation’s schools. It is a compromise that
builds on the work already underway in states to raise expectations for
students and to help them graduate college and career-ready. The bill
reflects many of the priorities we’ve put forward over the last six and
a half years.
Today, high school graduation rates are at all-time highs. Dropout
rates are at historic lows. And more students are going to college than
ever before. That’s thanks to educators across the country.
ESSA will help cement that progress. All students will be taught to
high learning standards that will prepare them for success in college
and career. More children will have access to high-quality preschool,
delivering educational opportunity earlier for our nation’s youngest
learners.
Educators will have more flexibility and support to develop their own
systems for improving schools. However, ESSA maintains critical
guardrails, especially for the schools and groups of students that are
furthest behind.
And with new resources for states to review and reduce the burden of
standardized testing, ESSA will enable a smarter approach to
eliminating unnecessary tests so that teachers can spend more time
ensuring that all students are learning, while still following their
progress each academic year and providing critical information for
parents about their child’s performance.
As the President has said, education is the civil rights issue of our
time. Every American deserves an equal opportunity to succeed, so every
child in America -- regardless of zip code -- deserves a fair shot at a
great education. I hope the Senate acts swiftly, so we can all move
forward on behalf of our nation’s children.
Arne Duncan
Secretary of Education
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