On the recordFebruary 26, 2015
I think that there is universal agreement among us in this body that No Child Left Behind, the most recent iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, needs to be replaced. I think a lot of folks have the same kinds of concerns I have about the Student Success Act, many of the provisions in that act. One of my major concerns--and, again, I think a number of us in this body can share these concerns--is that the bill lacks focus on or support for rural school districts. That is a big issue. I was raised in Iowa by a single mother, and I represented rural parts of Iowa for the last 8 years that I have been in Congress. I served for 8 years on the Education and the Workforce Committee. I would be remiss if I didn't say that I miss my time there from time to time, although I am enjoying my time on a new committee. But this issue is something that I think gets overlooked. I think that a lot of folks in this body really, through no fault of their own and certainly through no malice on their part, simply don't recognize or understand the needs of rural parts of our country, not just in Iowa, but around the country, and certainly the needs of rural students. I find myself as a former educator often educating my colleagues to some extent because they don't seem to understand sometimes--folks on both sides of the aisle, Mr. Chairman--that poverty is not just an urban problem.…
