02.06.15

ESEA Rewrite Must Ensure World-Class Education for All Students, Committee Learns

WASHINGTON—Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, Ranking Democratic Member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee held a forum to hear from teachers, researchers and other education experts to inform the committee’s work on rewriting the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Committee Democrats believe any ESEA reauthorization must reflect current research and best practices, and must protect students’ rights in the process. The forum followed this week’s announcement by committee Republicans that they intend to consider reauthorization of ESEA without holding a single hearing on the relevant issues. Members heard from experts who warned that the Republican bill, H.R. 5, would turn back the clock on equity and accountability in American public education.

“As this Congress takes up reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it is important that we make well-informed policy decisions,” said Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA). “Because the Republican majority has pushed a ESEA rewrite without the benefit of a single hearing, the goal of yesterday’s forum is to further explore the relevant issues, research, and proposed solutions. We all agree that No Child Left Behind needs to be fixed, but it has become frighteningly clear that the Republican bill would make things worse. We should be working together, not apart, to prepare all of our students for the global economy and to ensure that federal education policy meet the challenges of the 21st Century.”

While the committee’s majority was invited to hear from both Democratic and Republican panelists, only committee Democrats attended Thursday’s forum. Two panels of education policy experts, advocates and educators discussed the needed reforms to NCLB and the lessons learned since the law’s passage. Panelists also shared their deep concerns about H.R. 5’s provisions that propose to reduce education funding, eliminate and weaken protections for disadvantaged students, fail to provide a well-rounded education for all students, and fail to support our nation’s educators. Particularly concerning to both panelists and members is H.R. 5’s “portability” provision, which would eliminate the targeting of desperately needed federal resources to schools and students with the greatest needs.

“I don’t need to tell you that dollars matter, especially in our highest poverty schools where children’s needs are often vast. Yet this bill contains a wolf in sheep’s clothing — its so-called ‘portability provisions’—that take dollars away from the poorest schools and districts to send to the more affluent ones,” said Kati Haycock, President of the Education Trust. Haycock elaborated, saying that under portability, federal dollars would “be spread much more thinly across American schools, reducing federal support for those with the highest concentrations of poverty and increasing it for those with the fewest poor children. That would be a terrible mistake.”

Panelists expressed concerns that H.R. 5 would undermine the historic federal role in targeting aid to our nation’s poorest schools and students. Michael Casserly, President of Great City Schools, called the present law’s funding targeting provisions “among the most critical provisions and successful components of federal education law—and among the most effective things the federal government does.”

H.R. 5 was introduced without any input from committee Democrats, and is slated to be marked up by the full committee only a week after its introduction, bypassing even subcommittee consideration. Furthermore, according to the Republican majority’s leadership memo, this bill will be on the floor in just three short weeks.

This April will mark the fifty-year anniversary of when ESEA originally signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. The law was last reauthorized 13 years ago and reauthorization has historically been a bipartisan effort.

“We want to get this right. The challenges facing this nation’s education system are too great for us to rush a deeply flawed bill through the House, particularly without a serious, deliberative process,” said Rep. Scott. “The Republican’s H.R. 5 does a disservice to the fifty-year bipartisan history of ESEA and, more importantly, a disservice to our nation’s children. Committee Democrats remain committed to ensuring any ESEA reauthorization reflects current research and lessons from the past to build a world-class education system that prepares all of our students for lifelong success.”