DeLauro Statement on the Every Student Succeeds Act

WASHINGTON, DC (December 2, 2015) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement regarding the House of Representatives vote on the Every Student Succeeds Act.

“After fifteen years of No Child Left Behind, I am encouraged that we are finally moving in a positive direction and away from high stakes testing. While the bill is not perfect, it has many improvements over the status quo.

“The bill reduces the number of standardized tests imposed by the federal government and limits over-proscriptive mandates on assessments, teacher effectiveness and teacher evaluations. These are important reforms that will give professional educators the space they need to better teach our students.

“This legislation, for the first time, invests in early childhood education by authorizing preschool development programs. There are few areas with a bigger return on spending than an investment in a child’s education at an early age. Low income children who attend preschool have higher graduation rates, are less likely to repeat grade levels, more frequently attend college, have higher lifetime earnings, and hold jobs longer. We know that a strong education leads to a stronger middle class and I am grateful that we are making this critical investment in the future of our children and our country.

“This bill maintains our federal support of education and continues to require states to keep up their commitment to education programs. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the administration to ensure that implementation of ESSA works for teachers, students and their families and I will continue to fight for increased funding for public education.”

DeLauro is the senior Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for funding the departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services.

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