Bipartisan Bill Passed by Key Committee Would Strengthen Nation’s K-12 Education System
Washington – With Senate legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) now cleared through committee, Business Roundtable CEOs are urging the full Senate to act quickly on the much-needed U.S. K-12 education reform measure. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions approved The Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 earlier today.
“Providing a quality education for all students is a top priority for Business Roundtable CEOs, and ESEA reauthorization is key to this goal,” said Business Roundtable President John Engler. “We applaud Senators Alexander and Murray for their leadership on this bill, and we urge the Senate to stay on a bipartisan path to enactment as soon as possible.”
In a letter to the Senate HELP Committee sent earlier this week, Business Roundtable noted that, “[w]hile there are certainly more improvements to be made as the bill moves forward in the legislative process, we are very pleased that this bill aligns very well with many of our principles.” Those principles, released earlier this year, include ensuring that:
- Clear expectations are set for what students need to know in each grade;
- Rigorous, realistic, annual goals are established to ensure all students are meeting challenging state academic standards;
- Progress is measured toward meeting state education goals, to include annual testing in grades three through eight and at least once in high school for math and reading, as well as once per grade span (elementary school, middle school and high school) in science; and
- Data are made available to parents, teachers and state and local policymakers.
Business Roundtable released an economic growth agenda earlier this year that includes tax reform, expanded trade opportunities, immigration reform, fiscal stability and infrastructure investment. Learn more about Business Roundtable education and workforce policy proposals here and our 2015 growth agenda here.