Washington – Following Senate passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Business Roundtable President John Engler released the following statement:

“Preparing our youth to succeed is of paramount importance to the future of our economy and our nation. Senate passage of ESSA marks a historic moment in the nation’s longstanding commitment to ensuring all students are ready to succeed in college, career and military service. We are grateful that Congress maintained a major focus on measurable academic student outcomes to gauge how well schools are living up to this commitment. We urge the President to sign the bill into law as quickly as possible.

“This legislation also takes important steps to shift responsibility from the federal government back to the states, giving them increased flexibility to design and implement their own accountability systems. As this process unfolds, Business Roundtable will remain committed to working with all stakeholders to keep the focus on improving school performance and student results.”

Business Roundtable has been a strong and consistent supporter of ESEA reauthorization. Last week, Rex W. Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation and Chair of the Business Roundtable Education and Workforce Committee, called passage “a milestone moment toward fulfilling the nation’s promise of a high-quality education for all American students.” The Business Roundtable principles for reauthorizing ESEA are available here.

Earlier this year, Business Roundtable released an economic growth agenda that calls for tax reform, trade expansion, fiscal stability, infrastructure investment and a competitive workforce so that America can reach its full potential.