Graves Votes to Reauthorize ESEA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Sam Graves issued the following statement after the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 passed the House this evening. The bill reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act (ESEA), replacing No Child Left Behind, and is expected to be signed into law by President Obama in the coming weeks.

"The federal government continues to push further and further into local schools districts," Rep. Graves said. "Teachers and administrators should be able to focus on one thing and one thing only – preparing children to lead productive and fulfilling lives. But federal mandates and one-size-fits-all testing systems have made that impossible.

"I am proud that the House tonight passed ESEA reauthorization that will end No Child Left Behind, prohibit the federal government from forcing states to adopt Common Core standards, and empower local governments to make decisions based on the needs of individual communities."

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The House and Senate passed separate versions of ESEA reauthorization earlier this year. The conference legislation passed by the House today was a bipartisan compromise developed by both the House and Senate.

The Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act for four years. The bill significantly limits the authority of unaccountable bureaucrats at the Department of Education and prohibits its Secretary from influencing school districts with conditional waivers or executive orders.

An increased focus on federally-mandated, high-stakes tests have created inefficiencies within the national education system, forcing teachers to focus a majority of their attention on these assessments while ignoring other critical components of a child's education. The Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 will eliminate many of the federal strings tied to these tests, and also eliminates the broad federal accountability system known as "Adequate Yearly Progress."

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