“We are a place that believes every child, no matter where they come from, can grow up to be anything they want… And I’m confident that if we fix No Child Left Behind, if we continue to reform American education, continue to invest in our children’s future, that’s the America we will always be.”
-President Barack Obama
President Obama has stated that “education is the civil rights issue of our time.” He promotes that every American deserves an equal opportunity to succeed, thus every child in America deserves a fair shot at a great education. This month, The White House and the Secretary of Education, Anne Duncan, released an update on No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (the Elementary and Secondary Education Act). This national law was put in place to govern K-12 education, and is focused on the goal of fully preparing kids “for success in college and future careers.”
The White House and Secretary Duncan looked to fix the flaws of No Child Left Behind. And thus, this month, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate both passed, with bipartisan support, legislation to revise and replace No Child Left Behind with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA builds on what the states are already working on to raise expectations for students, and to help them graduate college and be career-ready.
The good news is that today, high school graduation rates are at an all-time high, and dropout rates are at historic lows. And, more students are going to college than ever before! Every Student Succeeds intents to help build on that progress, and give all students learning standards that will prepare them for success in college and career.
As well, more children will have access to high-quality preschool, delivering educational opportunity earlier for our nation’s youngest learners. ESSA also encourages innovation by educators to develop their own systems for improving schools. Furthermore, ESSA maintains critical metrics for students that are furthest behind. Finally, many are very happy with the aspect of the act that reduces onerous standardized testing. .
Kudos to our legislative branch, and our President for this newest version of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act that works to better the education and futures of our nations K-8 students. I can think of no law more important than laws that promote learning for all American children regardless of race, wealth, and aptitude.
