Bennet, HELP Committee Advance Bill to Fix No Child Left Behind

Press Release

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today helped pass the Every Child Achieves Act, a bill to fix No Child Left Behind, out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The bill, approved 22-0 by the committee, reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the chief federal law addressing K-12 education. It reforms many of the policies from No Child Left Behind, the previous version of the bill, while maintaining several key policies that have proved successful.

"It's encouraging to be a part of a bipartisan process to make much-needed updates to ESEA, which are long overdue," Bennet said. "This bill is a good start, and we're glad it addresses many of Colorado's priorities. It rolls back areas of federal overreach and eliminates No Child Left Behind's one-size-fits-all approach that disempowered those closest to our kids and hindered innovation and advancement. It also helps provide supports for our teachers and school leaders and evidence-based interventions for schools needing improvement.

"We made some good progress this week, and we'll continue to push for more changes to ensure there are appropriate accountability measures to ensure all kids have access to a quality education," Bennet added. "We must ensure that this bill builds on our successes while turning us away from the failed practices of the past. Every child should have access to a great education that prepares them to succeed in the 21st century economy."

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