“As a grandmother, educator and former school board member, I know students are best served when those at the local level are the driving force behind improving education. Washington red tape, duplicative programs and coercive standards compound the negative effects of flawed federal education laws on American schools. I will not allow Washington policy to compromise education quality, and the Student Success Act begins the process of getting Washington out of the way.”
Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) today issued the following statement upon the House of Representatives’ passage of H.R. 5, the Student Success Act which she cosponsored. The legislation reforms and reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act:
“North Carolina teachers, parents and administrators – not Washington bureaucrats – should be in charge of making education decisions in our state.
“The Student Success Act I cosponsored centers around the theme of empowering the people closest to students with the authority to make education choices in their respective states and communities. By scaling back Washington’s one-size-fits-all micromanagement of classrooms, this legislation takes positive steps toward ensuring local educators have the flexibility required to meet the diverse needs of their students.
“As a grandmother, educator and former school board member, I know students are best served when those at the local level are the driving force behind improving education. Washington red tape, duplicative programs and coercive standards compound the negative effects of flawed federal education laws on American schools. I will not allow Washington policy to compromise education quality, and the Student Success Act begins the process of getting Washington out of the way.”
The Student Success Act is a long-term solution that will prevent future federal overreach into elementary and secondary education, promote effective teachers in the classroom, provide parents a stronger voice in education and begin to restore local control.
The following are some of the reforms to federal education policy included in H.R. 5, the Student Success Act:
Prohibits the Secretary of Education from coercing states into adopting specific academic standards (such as Common Core) and imposing conditions in exchange for a waiver of K-12 law;
Eliminates more than 70 duplicative and ineffective federal K-12 programs;
Prioritizes state and local decision-making by scrapping one-size-fits-all accountability and school improvement systems;
Repeals antiquated “Highly Qualified Teacher” requirements that have little bearing on teacher effectiveness;
Supports state or school district efforts to develop their own evaluation systems that take into account student achievement and include input from parents, teachers, and administrators;
Reauthorizes and expands the Charter School Program to assist states in replicating high-quality charter schools;
Improves tutoring and public school choice options through the Direct Student Services Program; and
Ensures parents have access to meaningful information about school performance, and encourages communities to hold schools accountable.
