Miller: New Report on School Accountability Shows ED Must Continue to Protect Equity in NCLB Waiver Renewals
WASHINGTON—New analysis released by The Education Trust today shows that despite poor performance of low-income and minority children, schools in several states have received top ratings. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement in response to the report, which calls into question certain school accountability systems and the priority they place on preserving equity in education:
"Schools must be held accountable for successfully educating all students, regardless of their background, zip code, or family income,” said Rep. Miller. “A quality education is a fundamental civil right in this country, and it is unacceptable that we would return to a time when the performance of low-income and minority students was masked through averages. States, districts and schools must demonstrate that their students are performing at grade-level, and when they are not, something must be done about it.”
Rep. Miller is coauthor of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Beginning in February 2012, the Department of Education has awarded yearly waivers from NCLB requirements to several states. In exchange, those states’ educational agencies must adopt policies to improve student performance and instructional quality.
"Soon, the Department of Education will be considering states’ requests that they continue to be exempt from certain requirements of No Child Left Behind. As it considers these waiver renewals, I urge the Department to examine the findings of this new report closely,” continued Rep. Miller. “No state should be approved for a waiver renewal without clearly articulating how their accountability structure addresses the performance of low-income and minority children. The federal role in education has long been to uphold the value of equal opportunity. We must protect the core principle of equity. Students, and our nation, deserve nothing less."
Since 2012, Rep. Miller has several times urged the Department of Education to require that waiver applicants demonstrate robust accountability measures in order to preserve students’ civil rights and promote educational equity. Read Rep. Miller’s letters to the Department here, here and here.
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