Tester Votes to Roll Back Damaging Impacts of No Child Left Behind

Press Release

Former teacher and school board member Jon Tester today released the following statement after voting with a bipartisan group of Senators to pass the Every Child Achieves Act - the first education reform bill to clear the Senate in over 13 years:

"The Senate should be proud today for putting partisanship aside and reforming our education system to better serve today's students and future generations. While this bill isn't perfect, it moves us away from the failure of No Child Left Behind and gives more control to the folks on the ground who know how best to educate tomorrow's leaders."

Tester successfully offered two amendments to the Every Child Achieves Act: one to give school boards greater control in the classroom and one to restore four grant programs in Indian Country.

The Senator also introduced an amendment to replace the federal annual testing requirement under No Child Left Behind and replace it with fewer tests.

The measure passed overwhelmingly 81-17 and now moves to a conference to resolve differences with the version of the bill approved on a party-line vote by the House of Representatives.

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