On Thursday, President Obama is expected to sign the Every Student Succeeds Act, the No Child Left Behind Act overhaul that will give states greater decision-making power over education.
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“It’s a Christmas miracle here, a bipartisan bill”, the president said in his remarks before signing the bill into law.
There are critics of the new Every Student Succeeds Act.
Superintendent of Highland Park, Buddy Freeman, said students were evaluated based on their performances in class. With the no child left behind law no longer in effect that requirement will no longer exist.
Obama said the goals of No Child Left Behind were the right ones, but that its “cookie cutter” approach to standards didn’t always achieve results.
Obama said NCLB, which President George W. Bush signed into law in 2001, had some “good goals” but ultimately fell short. James Lankford says the measure would return significant control over school accountability and testing to the states. “Parents and teachers want equal opportunity for all of our students to succeed, this federal legislation gives us a foundation to provide that opportunity”.
Wyoming is one of seven states who decided not to obtain a No Child Left Behind waiver, something Balow says is important moving forward.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) also added several provisions to the bill including those specifically addressing substance abuse in the home, promoting volunteerism and community service and protecting children from predators.
Despite what many people may think, the new bill does not mean less testing, and as far as what this means for students, it’s still very unclear. It also imposed consequences for states and schools that didn’t perform well on standardized tests. States will be able to determine how to handle schools with test scores in the lowest 5 percent or where fewer than two-thirds of students graduate on time.
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But it does allow state and local officials to set their own education standards. “While not ideal, this legislation brings us closer to our fundamental promise to every child – that every child gets a fair shot at their dream”. John B. King, Jr., a deputy education secretary and former commissioner of NY state public schools, will succeed Duncan and will oversee the implementation of the new law. Additionally, it encourages states to limit the amount of time kids spend taking standardized assessments. One is it helps with after school programs, and two-and most importantly-it brings new resources towards creating early childhood education and pre-k programs.
