Engel Calls for More Reforms to No Child Left Behind

Statement

Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) applauded the Obama Administration's latest efforts to reform "No Child Left Behind." In the absence of Congressional actions to make changes to the flawed program, the Administration's initiative is encouraged.

Last week, the Administration arranged for waivers to the restrictive No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements, thus encouraging schools to enact needed reforms free from the restrictions imposed by NCLB's unfunded mandate. According to the U.S. Department of Education, "States can request flexibility from specific NCLB mandates that are stifling reform, but only if they are transitioning students, teachers, and schools to a system aligned with college- and career-ready standards for all students, developing differentiated accountability systems, and undertaking reforms to support effective classroom instruction and school leadership."

"I originally voted for No Child Left Behind because I, like many of my colleagues in Congress, were assured that it would be fully funded. From its inception, NCLB has failed to meet expectations. Now, states will be able to obtain relief from the federal mandate, and enact needed reforms on the state and local levels. NCLB puts too high an emphasis on standardized testing and has been grossly underfunded. There are no standard solutions that fit every school in the same manner," said Rep. Engel. "What results instead are schools subjected to punishments for failing to reach artificial goals. It also doesn't take into account schools that are greatly improving, but are still below the desired results. We should be rewarding these schools, not cutting their budgets."

States that are most ready to apply for the waivers can file by mid-November, with the first round of waivers to be issued early next year. A second round of waiver requests will be accepted in January.

"Tens of thousands of schoolchildren in my district have been affected by the flawed program. Budget cuts to programs resulting from failure to reach NCLB levels have hurt already-struggling schools. State cuts are now making things worse in far too many school districts. In addition, the act of transferring students from one struggling school to another is not the way to improve their learning environment," said Rep. Engel. "In order for America to compete, we must have a Grade A education system for our future generations. As a former teacher, I understand how important this is for our children, and our families. This is a great first step towards giving New York, and other states, the freedom to reach the goals originally sought after by NCLB, except free from the restrictions imposed by the flawed law."

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