October 13, 2015

Members of the United States Congress:

On behalf of the more than 200 CEO members of Business Roundtable, I write to ask for your support in passing legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) – as soon as possible.

As employers, our members know that a prepared workforce powers economic growth and leads to individual prosperity. Preparedness starts with a solid educational foundation. The K-12 education programs that would be reauthorized provide states, districts, schools and teachers with the resources they need to make sure all students graduate from high school with the knowledge and skills they need to take on college or a career.

We especially urge you to support the inclusion of strong accountability provisions. Schools should be required to implement support strategies where students are not meeting state-defined achievement goals that are driven by objective academic indicators, such as state-developed assessment results and graduation rates.

We further urge that all states be expected to meet annual state testing requirements in order to receive federal funds. States that fail to meet the requirement that they use state tests to assess 95 percent of their students annually should not be eligible to receive federal funding, including those states that allow parents to opt their children out of annual testing.

A solid K-12 education is critical to the success of all students and, in turn, to the future of the American economy. Please support the reauthorization of ESEA as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

John Engler