Kaine Applauds Final Passage Of Every Student Succeeds Act

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine praised passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which passed the Senate 85-12 today following House passage of the legislation last week. In a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, Kaine applauded the inclusion of key provisions he authored to help prevent sexual assault and strengthen career and technical education (CTE) in schools across the country. The ESSA, which will replace No Child Left Behind, now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law.

"I would like to applaud Senators Murray and Alexander for reaching across the aisle and working with their committee colleagues to fix a long-expired and broken law. Education is key to both individual success and our country's economic success, and this bill gives parents, schools, districts and states the flexibility to close achievement gaps," Kaine said. "I'm pleased that the bill will allow elementary and secondary schools -- for the first time -- to use Title IV funds for instruction and training on safe relationship behavior among students. I believe it will help prevent sexual assault, not just on college campuses, but for anybody in the 16-24 age range who are most vulnerable. ESSA also includes my provisions to improve access to K-12 career and technical education (CTE) programs. CTE is an important pathway for students to prepare for the workforce by integrating practical applied purposes with work-based knowledge and a hands-on learning experience."

A key provision of the Teach Safe Relationships Act, legislation Kaine introduced with U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill last February, was included in the final bill. For the first time, elementary and secondary schools will be allowed to use Title IV education funding specifically for instruction and training on safe relationship behavior among students. The idea for the legislation came out of a December 2014 meeting Kaine had at the University of Virginia to listen to students' recommendations for preventing campus sexual assault. Numerous CTE provisions Kaine authored were also included in the bill, including amendments to expand career counseling, modernize high schools with work-based learning opportunities and designate CTE as a part of a well-rounded education along with traditional subjects including English, math and science.

"More than 10,000 AFT members asked Congress to pass the Teach Safe Relationships Act, and we're excited that core components of the original bill are included in ESSA thanks to Sen. Kaine and Sen. McCaskill's determined efforts. As a survivor of an attempted assault, I know first-hand how important it is to teach young people lessons about topics like affirmative consent and bystander intervention. It's on all of us to end sexual and gender-based violence--and we believe age-appropriate education can play an important role," said American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.

"I'm sincerely grateful to our partners on Capitol Hill, especially the members of the Senate and House CTE Caucuses, for their work to ensure that a reauthorized ESEA will place an unprecedented emphasis on the importance of CTE in every student's education," said Association for Career and Technical Education Executive Director LeAnn Wilson. "The Every Student Succeeds Act will, among other things, strengthen the integration of CTE and academic content, emphasize the need for career readiness in K-12 education and expand college and career guidance programs."

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