Washington – U.S. House of Representatives Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) introduced legislation today to reauthorize the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The “Student Success Act” and the “Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act” would fall short on federal funding commitments to reduce school financing and student performance gaps, eliminate existing standards for teacher qualification, weaken school performance standards without offering a replacement, limits schools’ class size reduction efforts, and does not deliver an increased investment in early education. In response to the bill’s introduction, First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley released the following statement:
“Congress attention to Elementary and Secondary Education Act reform is well overdue, so Chairman Kline’s proposal is a welcome start to the debate. The Chairman’s proposals, however, fall short of meeting children’s needs in several key areas, like funding disparities, class size reduction, teacher qualification, and early education. We look forward to working with Chairman Kline and other lawmakers to deliver an ESEA bill worthy of the name ‘Student Success Act.’”
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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visitwww.ffcampaignforchildren.org.