WASHINGTON – Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, along with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va. and three other Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives, staged an event on Tuesday at Washington D.C.’s Two Rivers Public Charter School to call for reforms to the Bush-era “No Child Left Behind” law.
“Politicians have tried for decades to fix our schools with a ‘Washington-knows-best approach,’” Roby said. “But this top-down scheme hasn’t improved student achievement, and our schools are bogged down in more federal mandates and red tape than ever before. Teachers, principals, superintendents and parents I talk to all agree: one size does not fit all when it comes to education. They are frustrated with endless regulations and red tape from Washington, and they need relief to be able to do make sure students are getting the instruction they need.”
Roby and the others have lined up behind H.R. 5, otherwise known as The Student Success Act, which would repeal the “Adequate Yearly Progress,” or “AYP” mandate, which is the measure the federal government uses to determine the academic performance of public schools.
“The Student Success Act repeals burdensome mandates like ‘AYP,’ and returns more authority back to the states,” Roby said. There are some amazing things happening at Two Rivers School. For me, it just demonstrates what can happen when we get government out of the way and give our educators the flexibility to innovate. Alabama currently doesn’t have charter schools, and that’s a policy choice only the state can make. However, I believe all public schools can benefit from the flexibility charter schools enjoy; flexibility which the Student Success Act offers.”
The bill would also repeal the “Highly Qualified Teacher” provision of No Child Left Behind, which measures what impact teachers and administrators have on a student’s learning. The Student Success Act is said to take some of that power from the federal government and put it in the hands of local officials to develop.
Although NCLB has not been reauthorized for six years, the Student Success Act is expected to get a vote in the U.S. House on Friday.
What else is going on?
1. Freshman Rep. Bill Poole to Chair Powerful Ways & Means Committee
2. The War on Coal Hits Home
3. So who will succeed Jay Love in HD 74?
4. Young leads AL01 field in cash on hand, Byrne has raised the most money
5. Sessions: House must not negotiate with Senate immigration bill
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.