Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to support the bipartisan Every Child Achieves Act. This bill is landmark legislation that would reform and reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind. This bill would improve our schools and strengthen the traditional roles played by our local communities, our educators, and our States. I am proud to have joined every member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in voting to report this bill and I applaud the chairman, Senator Alexander, and the ranking member, Senator Murray, for their leadership. Congressional action to remedy the serious problems with the law No Child Left Behind, while preserving its valuable parts, is long overdue. NCLB was a well-intentioned law, and its focus on the education of every child, greater transparency in school performance, and more accountability for results were welcome reforms. But some of its provisions were simply not achievable and thus discouraging to teachers, to parents, and to students alike. The current system of unattainable standards and a patchwork of State waivers has led to confusion about Federal requirements. High-stakes testing and unrealistic 100-percent proficiency goals do not raise aspirations; they instead dispirit those who are committed to a high- quality education for our students.…”