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What They're Saying: House Passes Every Student Succeeds Act with Overwhelming Majority


Passed 359-64 by House, #ESSA heads to Senate next week

“A bipartisan compromise has emerged from the Senate and House … [that] would represent the largest devolution of federal control to the states in a quarter-century.” – Wall Street Journal editorial, 11/30

“Gone are No Child Left Behind’s proficiency benchmarks and mandated federal interventions. The Education Department wouldn’t be able to prescribe accountability systems and standards.” – Wall Street Journal editorial, 11/30

Republicans will have more chances to reform Washington’s role in education if they keep their majority, and this ESEA reauthorization expires in four years. They shouldn’t let their ideal of American federalism thwart a rare opportunity for real reform.” – Wall Street Journal editorial, 11/30

An exceptionally rare development is about to happen in Washington: Congress is expected to pass, and President Barack Obama is expected to approve, legislation that will unambiguously shift federal policy to the right on education.” – Daily Caller, 12/1

“The new law is a significant conservative victory that profoundly shrinks Uncle Sam’s role in K–12 schooling and upends 15 years of increasing federal control …” – National Review, 11/24

“Long outdated and widely criticized as unrealistic, the [2001] No Child Left Behind education law is on track for a major revision after the House voted to dramatically limit the federal government's role in education policy ….” – FoxNews.com, 12/2

“House Restores Local Education Control in Revising No Child Left Behind” – New York Times headline, 12/2

“The House on Wednesday approved a sweeping bill to revise the contentious No Child Left Behind law, representing the end of an era in which the federal government aggressively policed public school performance, and returning control to states and local districts.” – New York Times, 12/2

“The overhaul … allows states and school districts to set their own goals and to decide how to rate schools and what to do with those that underperform.” – New York Times, 12/2

“And the bill would prevent the education secretary from pushing national standards like the Common Core – a set of reading and math standards spread in part through Obama administration incentives.” – Politico, 12/2

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