Washington, D.C. — Last night, Republicans on the House Education and the Workforce Committee invoked the Congressional Review Act to begin the process of stripping state accountability guidelines—from the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act—put in place during the Obama administration. The Congressional Review Act would start the lengthy process of formal review, which could result in a withdrawal of key protections for vulnerable students. Catherine Brown, Vice President of Education Policy at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
House Republicans’ moves to upend the Obama administration’s accountability guidelines already in place could significantly disrupt state plans already underway to develop innovative, next-generation accountability systems that support all students. This disruption will harm the millions of students in our public schools, particularly the most vulnerable students.
Accountability guidelines developed under the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act provide states additional formal guidance and clarity on how to implement the law—specifically, how to measure, report, and improve school performance. Next-generation accountability systems affect 3 million teachers and 50 million students in public schools. About 26 million of these children are from traditionally underserved racial and ethnic minorities, and roughly 5 million and 7 million, respectively, are English learners and students with disabilities. The Obama administration’s actions are aimed at ensuring that the performance of these students is meaningfully included in accountability decisions, and both the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers supported these final guidelines when they were issued last year. House Republicans should carefully consider the impact their hasty moves will have on the states and schools building a better education system for all of our nation’s students.
Related resource: Needless and Harmful Delay by Laura Jimenez (U.S. News and World Report)
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Allison Preiss at [email protected] or 202.478.6331.