Monday, December 07, 2015

Graves: Goodbye to No Child Left Behind and good riddance

(From Sixth District Congressman Sam Graves)

Last week, when the House passed reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act (ESEA), the Wall Street Journal wrote that it was the “largest devolution of federal control” in 25 years.

The bill - which the Senate should pass tomorrow - replaces No Child Left Behind, gives authority back to local school districts, and prevents the White House from forcing states to adopt Common Core standards.

It is expected to be signed into law by the President as early as this week.

Federal overreach and excessive testing requirements have made it impossible for teachers to fulfill their single most important responsibility - preparing children to lead productive and fulfilling lives. This bill will return decision making capabilities to administrators, school districts and local governments, while limiting the influence of bureaucrats in Washington.

The House and Senate passed separate versions of ESEA reauthorization earlier this year. This bill was a bipartisan compromise developed by both chambers, and is a critical final step before reauthorization can become law.

Replacing No Child Left Behind represents a shift back to the way things should be run. I am proud that Congress passed a bipartisan bill that will let local governments make their own decisions on education.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

KINDA FUNNY THAT HE'S HAPPY ABOUT THIS. IT WAS HIS REPUBLICAIN PRESIDENT, DUBYA, THAT GOT THIS TOTALLY RIDICULOUS LAW PASSED!!

Anonymous said...

And he voted for it in 2001.

We shouldn't castigate him too much, at least he's implicitly admitting it was a mistake. But this is another example of why the GOP establishment is so estranged from the base.

Anonymous said...

8:34 Have you forgotten that No Child Left Behind, was authored by Ted Kennedy (D) and was used in a "one hand washes the other" session in conjunction with Bush's tax cuts.

Anonymous said...

From Wikipeida....

Legislative history[edit]
The legislation was proposed by President George W. Bush on January 23, 2001. It was coauthored by Representatives John Boehner (R-OH), George Miller (D-CA), and Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Judd Gregg (R-NH). The United States House of Representatives passed the bill on May 23, 2001 (voting 384–45),[6] and the United States Senate passed it on June 14, 2001 (voting 91–8).[7] President Bush signed it into law on January 8, 2002.

Anonymous said...

Thanks 11:59. But I'm still standing by my statement. Especially, the "one hand washes" statement. Teddy wanted it to be presented as a bi-partisan effort, but his office was the A#1 author. The White House was also informed, that if Bush wanted his tax cuts, this had to pass. 9:37