Landmark Education Bill Empowers Parents, Teachers, Students and Taxpayers

Press Release

Congressman Patrick Meehan (R/PA-07) and 358 of his colleagues from both sides of the aisle today voted in favor of the Every Student Succeeds Act (S. 1177). The legislation is the bipartisan compromise version of landmark K-12 education bills passed by the House and the Senate earlier this year.

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"'No Child Left Behind' was a well-intentioned step towards bringing more accountability to our schools and classrooms," said Congressman Meehan. "But in the almost 15 years since it was enacted, we've learned that many of its mandates and requirements are simply unworkable. The one-size-fits-all metric of "Adequate Yearly Progress' is broken, the testing regimen is ineffective, and a dizzying array of Washington directives are tying the hands of our administrators and school boards."

"The education reform bill passed today takes significant steps to address these issues. It ends "Adequate Yearly Progress' and gives states more freedom to determine how best to measure school performance. It gives states more flexibility in how they direct federal education dollars. It will help us identify struggling schools that need help and what needs to be done to get them back on track. And it prohibits Washington from imposing Common Core on local school districts."

"The bill will also make schools safer: it prohibits from facilitating the transfer of child predators to other local schools or districts, a provision I championed along with Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick earlier this year."

"This bipartisan compromise has earned the support of a broad range of stakeholders in our education system: school boards, PTA associations, and the National Education Association. Giving states and schools more flexibility will help them better meet student needs and keep property taxes low. It will empower parents, teachers, students and taxpayers. It's good news when Republicans and Democrats can come together to do what's best for our kids' educations," Meehan said.

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