King Pledges to Uphold Congressional Intent to Protect Educational Equity in ESSA Implementation
WASHINGTON – Today, the full Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing entitled, “Next Steps for K-12 Education: Upholding the Letter and Intent of the Every Student Succeeds Act”. With the bipartisan passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), effort has now shifts to the implementation of the new law. This was the first full committee oversight hearing specifically on ESSA implementation, and Committee Democrats emphasized the Department of Education’s constitutional duty to faithfully execute this civil rights law.
“While the Every Student Succeeds Act returns much decision-making to the state and local level, this new law is not a blank check,” said Ranking Member Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03). “Getting this right is hard work, and the federal government has an important role to play in setting high expectations – both for systems and for the students those systems serve – and maintaining vigorous oversight and enforcement to ensure those expectations matter. We know from experience that when the federal government turns a blind eye or leaves states without a meaningful regulatory framework, it is the most vulnerable children – children of color, English learners, students with disabilities, and low-income children – that lose out. I am glad that the Department of Education, under the leadership of Acting Secretary King, quickly began the process to faithfully implement this new law.”
While the ESSA allows for more flexibility in state and local decisions, there is no shared, bipartisan intent to remove the federal government from its role in working to achieve educational equity. The Department’s role is necessary to ensure that ESSA is implemented in a way that both fulfills congressional intent and honors the civil rights legacy of the law. States and school districts are tasked with more than they have ever been responsible for, and need additional guidance, technical assistance, and oversight from the Department of Education in order to fulfill statutory requirements.
“With ESSA, Congress has reinforced the Federal commitment to holding our nation’s schools accountable for the progress of all students. The possibilities are exciting and expansive, but their real world impact for children will depend on implementation,” said Acting Secretary John King. “What we do at the Federal level is support states and districts to improve opportunity for all students, invest in local innovation, research and scale what works, ensure transparency, and protect our students’ civil rights, providing guardrails to ensure educational opportunity for all children.”
As ESSA moves to become a reality in schools across the country, state chiefs, state legislatures, and school district leaders must work collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure that the voices of parents, teachers, students, and the civil rights community are heard in state capitols and school board meetings across the country. With more flexibility comes responsibility and state and local leaders must come to the table and fight for strong policies that support all children.
Testimony of John King, Acting Secretary of Education, can be found here.
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