Political Quotes

“Last month I met with teachers, administrators, school board members, even educators in higher education that train our next generation of teachers and some graduate students who are in that program to discuss the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, which replaces No Child Left Behind as our Nation's elementary and secondary education law. I was honored to be appointed by Speaker Ryan to the conference committee that was tasked with settling the differences between the House and Senate versions of ESSA to assure this legislation will prepare students for life success. The ESSA reins in the unilateral power of the United States Secretary of Education and gives it back to the States and the local education agencies. It prohibits the Secretary from adding new requirements to State education plans, being involved in the peer review process, and exceeding his or her statutory authority. It also allows school districts to disentangle themselves from Common Core without penalty. Additionally, the ESSA eliminates the controversial adequate yearly progress provision, paving the way for States to develop their own accountability systems. While the new law keeps annual standardized testing requirements for students in grade 3 through 8 in place to monitor progress, it eliminates most of the burden of testing on teachers and students and it sets up a process to further reduce even more standardized testing in the future.…”