The following column, "We mean business on K-12 education," was written by John Engler, president of Business Roundtable, and Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It appeared July 9 in The Hill.

Congress gets to work this week on long-overdue legislation to reshape the federal role in America’s public schools and to more effectively educate our students.

Both the House and Senate bills reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) — known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) for the past 15 years – make important reforms by expanding charter schools, retaining annual testing, streamlining federal programs and requirements, and increasing transparency so parents, teachers, the business community, and the public can judge their local schools for themselves.

The ESEA effectively ends the days of No Child Left Behind, but it doesn’t mean that the federal government has no role in ensuring our children receive the high-quality education they need to be productive citizens. The federal role should be limited, leaving K-12 education primarily up to state government, local schools districts and, of course, parents. But when the federal government is involved, it must make certain its policies hold schools accountable and require that tax dollars be spent wisely.

To read the entire piece in The Hill, please click here.