Issue Position: Education
Issue Position
Providing a first-rate education for America's children is certainly one of the most important responsibilities of parents and guardians, local school districts, states and--to an appropriate degree--the Federal government. I support the steering education policy and reform toward more openness and transparency for parents to have more control and make more informed choices regarding their children's education.
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT (ESEA) REAUTHORIZATION
In 2001, Congress passed a major overhaul of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which was known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). As the changes and reforms included in the Act have been implemented over the past several years, we've had an opportunity to see which ones have worked and which ones haven't. It is important that we reevaluate those parts of the Act that have caused undue hardship on students and educators.
As you may know, the Student Success Act passed the House of Representatives on July 19, 2013. I supported this legislation because it makes reforms to ineffective portions of NCLB by eliminating federally mandated actions -- such as the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) metrics -- and replaces them with requirements that state and local school districts develop to determine the appropriate achievement levels for success. The bill also maintains important parts of the law such as the requirement that states and school districts distribute annual report cards to ensure meaningful data is available to parents and guardians. Another important piece of H.R. 5 is that it reauthorizes the Impact Aid program which many rural counties and schools in Idaho depend on.
Currently, the Student Success Act is awaiting consideration by the Senate. As future decisions impacting education come before me in the House of Representatives, I will continue working with teachers, administrators, and state and local leaders -- as well as the U.S. Department of Education and my colleagues in Congress -- to make sure important policy decisions positively impact students in Idaho.
Source