[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 174 (Wednesday, December 2, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H8884-H8894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1177, STUDENT SUCCESS ACT

  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 542, I call up 
the conference report on the bill (S. 1177) to reauthorize the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to ensure that every 
child achieves, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 542, the 
conference report is considered read.
  (For conference report and statement, see proceedings of the House of 
November 30, 2015, at page H8444.)
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 542, the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline) and the gentleman from Virginia 
(Mr. Scott) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
to include extraneous material on the conference report to accompany S. 
1177.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in strong support of the conference report to accompany 
S. 1177, to be known as the Every Student Succeeds Act.
  After years of congressional delay and executive overreach, Congress 
is finally replacing No Child Left Behind. More importantly, we are 
replacing the old approach to education with a new approach that will 
help every child in

[[Page H8885]]

every school receive an excellent education.
  For more than a decade, Washington has been micromanaging our 
classrooms. Federal rules now dictate how States and local communities 
measure student achievement, fix broken schools, spend taxpayer 
resources, and hire and fire their teachers.
  No Child Left Behind was based on good intentions, but it was also 
based on the flawed premise that Washington knows what students need to 
succeed in school.
  And what do we have to show for it? Less than half of all fourth and 
eighth graders are proficient in reading and math. An achievement gap 
continues to separate poor and minority students from their more 
affluent peers. In some neighborhoods, children are far more likely to 
drop out of high school than earn a diploma.
  Parents, teachers, superintendents, and other education leaders have 
been telling us for years that the top-down approach to education is 
not working. Yet some still believe that more programs, more mandates, 
and more bureaucrats will help get this right. Well, those days will 
soon be over.
  Today, we turn the page on the failed status quo and turn over to our 
Nation's parents and our State and local leaders the authority, 
flexibility, and certainty they need to deliver children an excellent 
education.
  We reached this moment because replacing No Child Left Behind has 
long been a leading priority for House Republicans. For years, we have 
fought to improve K-12 education with three basic principles: reducing 
the Federal role, restoring local control, and empowering parents. The 
final bill by the House and Senate conference committee reflects these 
principles.
  The bill reduces the Federal role in K-12 education by repealing 
dozens of ineffective programs which place unprecedented restrictions 
on the Secretary of Education; eliminating one-size-fits-all schemes 
around accountability and school improvement, ending the era of high-
stakes testing; and preventing this administration and future 
administrations from coercing or incentivizing States to adopt Common 
Core.
  The bill restores local control by protecting the right of States to 
opt out of Federal education programs and by delivering new funding 
flexibility so taxpayer resources are better spent on local priorities.
  The conference agreement also returns to States and school districts 
the responsibility for accountability and school improvement. A set of 
broad parameters will help taxpayers know that their money is being 
well spent while ensuring State and local leaders have the authority 
necessary to run their schools.
  The bill also empowers parents by providing moms and dads with the 
information they need to hold their schools accountable. The conference 
agreement strengthens school choice by reforming programs that affect 
charter schools and magnet schools, and it prevents any Federal 
interference with our Nation's private schools and home schools.
  Reducing the Federal role, restoring local control, empowering 
parents--these are the principles we have fought for because these are 
the principles that will help give every child a shot at a quality 
education.

  Now, let me be clear. This is not a perfect bill. To make progress, 
you find common ground. But make no mistake, we compromised on the 
detail, but we did not compromise on the principles.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people are tired of waiting for us to 
replace a flawed education law. They are tired of the Federal 
intrusion, of the conditional waivers, and of the Federal coercion. 
Most importantly, they are tired of seeing their kids being trapped in 
failing schools.
  Let's do the job we were sent here to do. Let's replace No Child Left 
Behind with new policies that are based on principles we believe in.
  For these reasons, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this 
conference agreement.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I am honored to endorse the conference report on S. 1177, the Every 
Student Succeeds Act.
  We have certainly come a long way since we were on the floor debating 
H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, earlier this year. I had sincere 
objections to much that was found in H.R. 5, but thanks to the 
commitment to work together to try to fashion a decent bill with 
Chairman Kline and our counterparts in the Senate, Senator Alexander 
and Senator Murray, along with the many long nights from our respective 
staffs, we found a way to produce a conference report that balances the 
desire for more localized decisionmaking with the need for Federal 
oversight to ensure equity for underserved students.
  This conference report is the embodiment of what we can do when we 
work together in Washington--a workable compromise that does not force 
either side to desert its core beliefs.
  Mr. Speaker, the modern Federal role in elementary and secondary 
education began with the promise in Brown v. Board of Education when a 
unanimous Supreme Court held that, in 1954, ``it is doubtful that any 
child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the 
opportunity of an education'' and that ``such an opportunity is a right 
which must be made available to all on equal terms.''
  Yet, despite the Brown decision, our education system has remained 
fundamentally unequal. That inequality is virtually guaranteed by the 
fact that we fund education basically by the real estate tax, 
guaranteeing that wealthier areas will have more funds than low-income 
areas.
  Across the Nation, gaps in equity persist. These gaps made it 
impossible to realize the opportunity of an education to all on equal 
terms because too many schools lacked the basic resources necessary for 
success. Too many schools failed children year after year.
  And these gaps disproportionately affected the politically 
disconnected: those in poverty, racial minorities, students with 
disabilities, and English language learners. This was unacceptable.
  In 1965, Congress addressed the inequality by passing the first 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, ESEA, which provided Federal 
money to address--and I quote from the original bill--``the special 
educational needs of children of low-income families and the impact 
that concentrations of low-income families have on the ability of local 
educational agencies to support adequate educational programs.''
  Simply put, Congress acknowledged that the right to an education is a 
civil right that knows no State boundaries and that the Federal 
Government has a role to ensure that all States are fulfilling their 
promises for all of America's children.
  The current iteration of the ESEA, No Child Left Behind, has run its 
course. It is so broken that the administration currently offers over 
40 States waivers from its most unworkable provisions. This has not 
only created a great amount of uncertainty for students, parents, 
educators, and communities, but it has also resulted in uneven 
protections for underserved students and a lack of transparency for our 
communities.
  This conference report improves upon both the current law and the 
waivers, lives up to the promises of Brown and the intent of the 
original ESEA, and addresses the key challenges of No Child Left 
Behind.
  First, the Every Student Succeeds Act maintains high standards for 
all children but allows States to determine those standards in a way 
that requires those standards to be aligned with college readiness.
  The Every Student Succeeds Act requires States to put in place 
assessment, accountability, and improvement policies that will close 
the achievement gap but with locally designed, evidence-based 
strategies that meet the unique needs of students and schools.
  The conference report requires the transparent reporting of data to 
ensure that schools are responsible for not only the achievement of all 
of their students but also for the equitable allocation of resources to 
support student learning.
  The conference report helps States and school districts reduce the 
overuse of exclusionary policies by allowing the existing funding to be 
used for the Youth PROMISE plans, which is an

[[Page H8886]]

issue I have been working on for many years.
  Youth PROMISE plans are comprehensive, evidence-based plans that are 
designed to address neighborhoods with significant crime, teen 
pregnancy, and other problems, and they are designed to reinvest 
savings generated by those plans to keep the plans working in the 
future.
  The conference report recognizes the importance of early learning, a 
priority of both red and blue States alike, by authorizing a program to 
assist States in improving the coordination, quality, improvement, and 
access to pre-K.
  Most importantly, while many of these new systems will be created by 
the States, under the conference report, the Federal Government 
maintains the ability to make sure that States and localities are 
living up to their commitments--that all students are being counted and 
that schools are being held accountable for their achievement.
  While this conference report is not the bill that I would have 
written alone--or that any Member would have written alone, for that 
matter--I have no doubt that this bipartisan conference report will 
make a positive difference in the lives of our Nation's children and 
will live up to the goal of the original ESEA: making an opportunity 
for an education available to all on equal terms. Therefore, I urge my 
colleagues to vote ``yes.''
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Rokita), the chairman of the Early Childhood, Elementary, 
and Secondary Education Subcommittee.
  Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I recognize Chairman Kline especially for 
the work he has done over a long period of time, 7 years or so, 
bringing this House, this Congress, to where we are today. It truly is 
leadership at its best.
  Mr. Speaker, let's face it. No Child Left Behind's high-stakes 
testing, which requires every child to be caught up to grade level 
within 1 year, is simply unworkable, as well-intentioned as it may have 
been.
  Currently, the Secretary of Education, through waivers, can run 
schools by executive fiat, imposing requirements on State testing 
standards and conditioning receipt of Federal funds on adopting Common 
Core standards.

                              {time}  1445

  It's time for a positive change, and that change is the Every Student 
Succeeds Act. This bill, as pointed out here, as The Wall Street 
Journal puts it, is the largest transfer of Federal control, Mr. 
Speaker, to the States in 25 years, where this authority and 
opportunity frankly belongs.
  This bill empowers States, and it ends the federally mandated high-
stakes testing, which is the core, which is the heart of No Child Left 
Behind, which is causing all the stress that we see from our teachers, 
our school administrators, our parents, and especially our students. If 
it produced the results that we intended, maybe that is one thing. But 
all it is producing is stress and an unworkable situation.
  The people who best know how to test, how long to test, what to test, 
et cetera, et cetera, are our parents, our teachers, our voters, our 
taxpayers, our local school administrators. Let them have this 
responsibility back.
  It provides flexibility so voters and taxpayers, through their 
locally elected officials, can decide for themselves what success looks 
like. It recognizes that, when it comes to determining academic 
standards, States, school administrators, and parents know what is 
best.
  It is time we put our children first so we can compete in a global, 
21st-century world and win again. It is time we trust parents, 
teachers, and local education leaders more than we trust Federal 
bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. This bill is a huge step in that 
direction.
  I urge all of my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, to support it.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may 
consume to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge), who is the ranking 
member of the subcommittee that reported this bill.
  Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I thank both the chair and ranking member for their leadership. It 
has been a privilege to work on this with both of you.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express my strong support for the 
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It is 
long overdue. For years, our Nation's students, their parents, and 
teachers have implored Congress to address the flaws in No Child Left 
Behind.
  Today we finally have a bill that addresses many of the most 
difficult issues. Though not perfect, this bill is a significant 
improvement over No Child Left Behind.
  Education is our Nation's great equalizer. Education opens the doors 
of opportunity to all of our Nation's children. This year we 
commemorated the 50th anniversary of President Johnson signing the 
original ESEA.
  Fifty years ago, as part of the Great Society legislation, we passed 
ESEA as a civil rights law that affirmed the right of every child to a 
quality education. It further underscored the belief that poverty 
should not be an obstacle to student success.
  The bill before us protects title I funding, ensures equitable 
allocation of resources to schools. It recognizes the importance of 
afterschool education and maintains subgroup disaggregation of data for 
reporting.
  Further, the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants program 
is formula based and distributes dollars that fill resource and 
opportunity gaps based on the need and population.
  While ESSA does give States and local districts more flexibility, it 
does not absolve the Federal Government of its responsibility to 
protect the civil rights of underserved students. Make no mistake. The 
Department of Education maintains its authority to oversee 
implementation of the law and take action against States and districts 
that aren't honoring the civil rights legacy of the ESEA.
  It was my goal that the final bill provide equal educational 
opportunities for all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, 
language, or disability. I believe the Every Student Succeeds Act 
achieves this goal by striking a balance in the best interest of all of 
our Nation's students.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson), a member of the Early Childhood, 
Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee of the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Kline for 
the opportunity to voice my support for this comprehensive overhaul of 
No Child Left Behind, which has been a long time in the making.
  As a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, I can 
attest to this conference report being the product of many years of 
hard work. I am happy to have been a conferee for the Every Student 
Succeeds Act, which, through a bipartisan agreement, provides more 
flexibility for our States, school districts, educators, parents, and 
students.
  The Every Student Succeeds Act will establish a more appropriate 
Federal role in education by ending the era of mandated high-stakes 
testing, limiting the power of the Secretary of Education to dictate 
cookie-cutter standards, repealing dozens of ineffective and 
duplicative programs, and ensuring resources are delivered to where 
they are most effective and necessary.
  I am especially grateful to the conferees for their adoption of an 
amendment that will instruct the Department of Education to finally 
study the fairness of the current title I formulas used to offset the 
effects of poverty upon young learners.
  ESEA, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, was created to 
provide each student an equal opportunity under the law. But, 
unfortunately, we are still not targeting those areas with the highest 
concentration of poverty.
  I am hopeful that we can continue to embrace the spirit of ESEA and 
ensure that we are always working in the direction of providing great 
educational opportunities for all children.
  I want to thank my friend, my colleague, and my chairman, John Kline, 
for his leadership to accomplish this historical education reform.
  I urge my colleagues to support the conference report.

[[Page H8887]]

  

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).
  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
legislation. It has been 13 long years since ESEA was rewritten. As we 
have heard from prior speakers, there are many problems that have been 
identified with No Child Left Behind, which we have heard from across 
the board in terms of parents, educators, administrators, and in terms 
of the need to update and revise this legislation.
  What we also know is that the American economy has changed over the 
last 13 years and so has the world economy. One of the biggest problems 
that employers have today is the lack of individuals with degrees in 
science, technology, engineering, and math, STEM technology.
  The good news is that this bill upgrades the K-12 system to give kids 
the tools that they are going to need to succeed with these jobs, which 
now are growing three times as fast as non-STEM jobs. The good news is 
it provides incomes twice as large as non-STEM jobs.

  So what the bill does is it creates a STEM master teacher core, 
provides professional development training to STEM educators, greater 
access for thousands of school districts to Federal funding to support 
STEM programs, including partnerships with nonprofits.
  It encourages alternative certification programs to allow more STEM 
teachers to come from industry and will retain and provide promising 
STEM teachers with differential pay. This is what our school systems 
need and this is what our kids need to have the tools to succeed in the 
future.
  It is a great achievement that the chairman and the ranking member 
defied all the conventional wisdom to get this bill to move forward. It 
is almost like Pope Francis created some aura that you capitalized on. 
I mean that sincerely.
  This is an incredible achievement to break through the barriers that 
have prevented us from coming together as an institution to really fix 
what in many respects is the most important issue, which is creating a 
future for the kids and our grandchildren.
  I urge strong support of this legislation.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from 
Connecticut for mentioning Pope Francis and not mentioning ladies 
basketball.
  I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe), the 
chair of the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee of 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and ranking 
member for doing the Herculean work on this bill, Every Student 
Succeeds Act, and the conference report. Many, many, many hours and 
many Congresses could not make this happen. They did. My hat is off to 
them.
  When I go home to Tennessee and talk to the teachers, students, 
administrators, and the parents, what do I hear? There is too much 
Federal control, too many forms to fill out, we are teaching to the 
test, the students are frustrated, the teachers are frustrated.
  Just go sit in front of a group of teachers and ask them: Would you 
be a teacher again? I promise you that over half of them will hold up 
their hand and say: No. I wouldn't be a teacher again.
  That is terrible. We have to make an environment where the educators 
are enjoying what they do.
  For the most part, I think teachers have one of the most important 
jobs in this country. I am a product of the public education system, 23 
years. If I hadn't had great teachers, I would not have had the 
opportunity to be a doctor and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to 
serve in the U.S. Congress. So I am forever grateful.
  What do we do? What do they say? They say: Look, this adequate yearly 
progress we are being judged on, these tests, as far as our students 
moving along, the Common Core--I hear that all the time at home--we 
don't need a national school board telling us what to teach in our 
community.
  We heard them. Both sides of the aisle heard them and said: Okay. 
What we will do is we will push that control back down to the local 
level and you decide what is your curriculum, but you are going to be 
held accountable for how your student outcomes are. If you have 
students and minorities, we will be able to ferret those out and 
improve those students' outcomes.
  We have eliminated or altered 49 different programs into a 
flexibility grant that will make it easier for the administrators to 
run their school systems. I think the main thing we want to do at the 
end of the day is that we want to create an environment where our 
students have the best opportunity in the world to achieve because they 
are now competing on a world basis.
  For that reason, I think this bill does that. I encourage my 
colleagues to vote for this.
  I am proud to stand on the House floor today in support of the Every 
Student Succeeds Act. Everywhere I go in my district, I hear from 
teachers, parents, administrators and students, who all tell me that we 
need to return control to the local level. Just as a one-size-fits-all 
approach doesn't work for health care reform, it will not work for 
education. Each state, school district and student are different, and 
local administrators, teachers and parents--not the federal 
government--should make decisions based on what's best for their 
students.
  There are a lot of good reasons for conservatives to support this 
bill, because on virtually every account it reduces the federal 
government's ability to control state and local education. This bill 
replaces the national accountability system with a state-led one, 
ensuring local leaders' voice is heard. It also eliminates duplicative, 
expensive and unnecessary programs and replaces them with a Local 
Academic Flexible Grant, providing funding for school systems to better 
serve and support their students.
  Perhaps most importantly, conservatives can feel good about 
supporting this because of how far it goes in stopping the federal 
government's intrusion into academic standards and curriculum, and in 
particular the adoption of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. 
While these standards were developed in a process that began as a 
state-led initiative, in recent years concern has increased as the 
Department of Education has been coercing states into adopting these 
standards as a condition of getting education waivers and grants. The 
bill would take away the Department's ability to require Common Core as 
a condition of federal grants, which ensures the decision on whether or 
not to adopt Common Core will truly be left up to the states--as it 
should be. If you claim to be concerned about or opposed to Common 
Core, then you must support this bill.
  Mr. Chairman, a lot of people ask me, why does it matter whether we 
agree on education policy? Well, on my way home after work just the 
other evening, I met a boy at the grocery stow who was looking for some 
items on the shelves. He asked me for help in locating crushed 
pineapples because he told me he couldn't read the words. So I helped 
him and we found the crushed pineapples. But it hit me--this is why we 
want to invest in education. We have to have a system that ensures that 
boy and thousands of other kids just like him are given the opportunity 
to succeed in life, and that starts with a good education. We have a 
great opportunity to start helping that child by agreeing to this bill, 
and I look forward to working with my colleagues to make that happen.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wilson), a former educator herself.
  Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of the Every 
Student Succeeds Act. I want to thank Chairmen Alexander and Kline and 
Ranking Members Murray and Scott for their yearlong work on this bill.
  At its heart, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is a civil 
rights law based on a simple, yet powerful, promise made to all 
American children. It is a promise that, no matter where you live, what 
you look like, or what resources you have, you deserve a quality 
education.
  Unfortunately, No Child Left Behind's one-size-fits-all approach 
derailed the fulfillment of this promise by creating an untenable 
environment of excessive, high-stakes testing that undermines 
educators' ability to serve their students.
  While not perfect, the Every Student Succeeds Act is a substantial 
improvement that takes us one step closer to delivering on the promise 
of a quality education.
  ESSA will provide schools with the resources and guidelines they need 
to deliver on this promise by directing resources to the children most 
in need and allowing school districts the flexibility to use title IV 
funds in a way that best works for their students.

[[Page H8888]]

  As someone who has dedicated my life to dropout prevention, I am 
overjoyed to see this bill includes my amendment allowing title IV 
funds to be used for dropout prevention and reentry programs. But this 
is just the first step for our children.
  It is the champions of our children's education--the teachers, the 
parents, the principals, and the mentors--who will create an 
environment of learning. That environment will ensure that our 
children's hearts and minds are positively shaped by our collective 
wisdom, our support, and our love.
  I want to thank the teachers and parents across our Nation and 
especially in Florida for their work and commitment.
  I urge my colleagues to support this conference report and stand 
united for a single purpose: our children.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), a member of the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Every 
Student Succeeds Act.
  As a father of three children who have attended public schools, I 
know the importance of allowing those who know our students best to be 
the decisionmakers.
  I want to thank everybody who is involved in educating our children. 
My wife and I certainly appreciate those who have sacrificed so much 
time to take care of our children.
  Since coming to Congress, I have heard from parents, teachers, school 
board members, and school leaders that No Child Left Behind is not 
producing the results our children need.

                              {time}  1500

  States and local school districts need flexibility to deliver a 
quality education to our students. This agreement does just that. It 
gets the Federal Government out of our classrooms and puts the 
decisionmaking back in the hands of our State and local leaders.
  This agreement prevents the Secretary from legislating through 
executive fiat. It prohibits the Secretary from adding new requirements 
through regulations and from adding new requirements as a condition of 
approval of a State plan.
  As a Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and 
a conferee on this agreement, I am pleased with the determination of my 
colleagues in this Congress to move beyond the failed policies of No 
Child Left Behind. Our children deserve a quality education, and this 
bill is a step in the right direction.
  Mr. Speaker, I do want to thank the chairman and the ranking member 
and those in the Senate for all their hard work. I know the staff from 
both sides, people that we get to work with every day who work hard for 
the people of this country and who have worked hard for our children. I 
appreciate the hard work they have done in bringing this agreement to 
where we are today.
  I urge my colleagues to support this conference agreement.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Takano).
  Mr. TAKANO. I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding time.
  Mr. Speaker, as a former public schoolteacher for 24 years, I am 
proud to rise in support of this bill, which will improve our schools, 
offer more support to teachers, and, most importantly, provide more 
students the education they deserve.
  Having served in the classroom during the implementation of No Child 
Left Behind, I can say without hesitation that our current education 
system needs a reset.
  While well-intentioned, No Child Left Behind created a punitive 
approach to education policy that punishes underperforming schools 
instead of helping them to improve. That rigid, test-driven approach to 
accountability, combined with heavyhanded intervention from the Federal 
Government, has failed to close the achievement gaps in our country.
  This reauthorization replaces our test-and-punish system with a more 
flexible test-and-reveal approach that returns decisionmaking to States 
and school districts. It will empower educators who best understand 
their students' needs to develop new ways to meet local challenges.
  I am also pleased this bill increases overall education funding and 
ensures States are maintaining their investments in schools.
  As a teacher, I might not give this bill an A-plus, but it is a solid 
bipartisan compromise, and it is an overdue replacement for a status 
quo that we all know is unacceptable. For that reason, I give this bill 
a passing grade.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Messer), another member of the committee.
  Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I have not heard from one parent, student, 
or teacher who likes No Child Left Behind. Despite what may have been 
the best of intentions, its one-size-fits-all mandates led to Federal 
Government micromanagement in the classroom, overtested kids, and 
anxiety-ridden teachers, but, sadly, no significant improvement in 
student outcomes.
  That is why virtually everyone wants to repeal No Child Left Behind. 
Today we have an opportunity to do just that by supporting the Every 
Student Succeeds Act. It is a new approach to the Federal role in 
education. If you read it, there is a lot to like in the bill.
  By voting for this bill, we can end Federal Common Core mandates and 
stop the march towards a Federal curriculum. We can end high-stakes 
testing and abolish the unworkable adequate yearly progress metrics. 
Best of all, we can give power over education back to the people we 
trust: the parents, the teachers, and the local school administrators 
who are best positioned to make good decisions for our kids.
  Access to a quality education is the gateway to opportunity in modern 
America. We still have a long way to go before we can make sure every 
child has that kind of access, but the Every Student Succeeds Act is a 
big step in the right direction.
  I urge my colleagues for their support.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the Democratic whip.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank Mr. Scott for yielding. I want to thank Mr. Kline, 
the chairman of the committee, and Ranking Member Scott for their work 
on this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, Frederick Douglass was born a slave on the Eastern Shore 
of Maryland. He became one of the great leaders in our country. 
Obviously, he worked hard with Abraham Lincoln to see the issuing of 
the Emancipation Proclamation. He said this: ``It is easier to build 
strong children than to repair broken men.''
  This bill is about investment in the future, investment in children. 
Investing in elementary and secondary education is one of the most 
consequential acts we will undertake in this House. The impact of our 
investments in education will be felt long after we are gone. It will 
have a significant bearing on the future well-being of our economy and 
our democracy.
  I want to thank Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Scott, as well as 
Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray, the chair and ranking member 
of the Senate HELP Committee, for their extraordinary efforts on this 
bill.
  This is a bipartisan bill. We worked together. Frankly, we had a 
little trouble working together here, but they worked together there, 
and then we worked together here. It is turning out well.
  My friend indicated that he would not give this bill an A-plus. I was 
trying to reflect on any bill that I have ever voted on that I would 
give an A-plus to. It is not a perfect bill, but it represents a 
reasonable compromise that will strengthen elementary and secondary 
education in this country, provide certainty going forward, and help 
prepare the next generation of students--no matter who they are, how 
they learn, or where they live--for success in college, in their 
careers, in their vocations, and as future innovators and entrepreneurs 
in our economy.

  I am particularly proud--and I thank Mr. Scott, and I thank also the 
two Senate leaders, as well as Mr. Kline--that this conference report 
includes the Full-Service Community Schools program, which I have 
championed for several years.
  My wife, Judy, was an early childhood educator and administrator in 
Prince George's County, Maryland. She

[[Page H8889]]

died over 18 years ago. It is from her, however, that I first learned 
of the potential of full-service community schools, and our State has 
very successfully created a network of schools using this integrated 
approach named in her memory.
  There will be 52 Judy Centers around our State for 3- and 4-year-
olds. Some of them are privately funded, they are so popular, some 
publicly funded, and some in partnership. These Judy Centers enable 
low-income families with very young children to access a range of 
critical services all in one place. When starting kindergarten, 
children whose families participated in Judy Center programs performed 
better than those whose families did not.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Dold). The time of the gentleman has 
expired.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds 
to the gentleman.
  Mr. HOYER. Judy Centers are helping to close that gap.
  In closing, I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill because it is 
a step forward. It is an indication, as well, that we can work in a 
bipartisan fashion to the benefit of the people we represent. I urge my 
colleagues to vote for this conference report.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Curbelo), a member of the committee.
  Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of the Every Student Succeeds Act. I want to thank my colleagues on the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce for their tireless efforts to 
improve K-12 education for all students, especially Chairman Kline, 
Chairman Rokita, and Ranking Members Scott and Fudge.
  Throughout this process, we have identified the successes and 
failures of No Child Left Behind. This agreement allows us to capture 
the spirit of that last ESEA reauthorization: education is the great 
civil rights issue of our time, and every child in this country can 
learn, no matter the color of their skin, the ZIP Code they live in, 
the language their parents speak, or their income level.
  We also learned from the failures of No Child Left Behind that led to 
an overly rigid, one-size-fits-all accountability system, inevitably 
giving the Federal Government an outsized role in public education. 
That is why the legislation before us today returns decisionmaking 
authority to States and local school districts, empowering communities 
and giving America's teachers the respect they deserve.
  I am especially pleased that the bill we are considering today 
includes my amendment, which will ensure that children learning English 
are counted without being counted out, and that the teachers and 
schools who serve them are given more time to help these students 
succeed.
  As a former member of the Miami-Dade County School Board, I am proud 
to have been a part of this process as a conferee. I urge my colleagues 
to vote in favor of this bipartisan compromise. This agreement promotes 
school choice, empowers local leaders, and, most importantly, puts 
children, not Washington bureaucrats, at the center of America's 
education system.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, could you advise us how much time 
is still available on both sides.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Virginia has 13\1/2\ 
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Minnesota has 14\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, the students, educators, parents, and 
school board members I have spoken with over the years have been 
waiting for this day, and I am glad we are finally reaching agreement 
on a new education law, and we are going to leave behind No Child Left 
Behind.
  It was a well-intentioned law. Its goal was to create more equitable 
education for children across the country, but it resulted in too much 
emphasis on one-size-fits-all mandates and interventions, and the 
adequate yearly progress requirements caused too much focus on high-
stakes testing. Change is long overdue.
  The Every Student Succeeds Act returns flexibility to States and 
school districts to design interventions that address the specific 
needs of their schools. Importantly, it has States use multiple 
measures of academic progress in their accountability systems so no 
schools will be punished for the performance of students on a single 
exam. They can focus on addressing resource inequalities and improving 
school climate and delivering access to advanced coursework and rich 
curricula.
  After hearing frequent concerns from students and teachers about the 
need for fewer, better assessments, I am pleased that the Every Student 
Succeeds Act includes a bipartisan provision I authored with 
Congressman Ryan Costello to help school districts eliminate 
unnecessary testing.
  The bill also improves STEM learning by encouraging the incorporation 
of art, music, and design. A well-rounded education that teaches our 
students to think creatively is good for their futures and good for the 
innovation economy.
  The Every Student Succeeds Act has States set high standards for 
students. It requires States and school districts to intervene in 
schools where students have poor academic outcomes and where subgroups 
of students, such as English learners, low-income students, or students 
of color, lag behind their peers.
  The law we are voting on today is true to the legacy of the original 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act and its goal of closing 
achievement gaps and promoting equitable opportunities and outcomes for 
students.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend Chairman Kline and Chairman Alexander and 
Ranking Members Scott and Murray and their very hardworking staffs for 
their commitment to this bipartisan accomplishment.
  I support the Every Student Succeeds Act and urge my colleagues to do 
the same.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, in an effort to balance the speakers on each 
side, I will reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Pocan).
  Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman not only 
for yielding, but for his and Chairman Kline's hard work on this bill.
  I rise today in support of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Defending 
public education is one of the reasons that I came to Congress. For 
years, we have witnessed a negative impact on public education, from 
underfunding our schools to stripping teachers of their rights to 
collectively bargain for fair pay and conditions, like in my home State 
of Wisconsin.

                              {time}  1515

  At the same time, punitive policies which limit teachers' and 
administrators' abilities to manage their classrooms have further 
hampered student achievement. It is past time we renew the promise of 
an ESEA which has students' best interests at heart.
  I meet with teachers and administrators from Wisconsin's Second 
Congressional District regularly and was stunned when I was told that 
one-third of a school's staff turned over last year because schools 
lack the financial support and autonomy they need to give students the 
educational experience they deserve. Teachers are being asked to do 
more with less, and it is coming at the expense of our kids' education.
  While this bill is not perfect, I am pleased that we are finally 
discussing a bill today that aims to put students first and trusts our 
teachers, who dedicate their careers to education. This bill trusts and 
empowers teachers to ensure their voices are heard on the Federal, 
State, and local level, while increasing teacher quality and 
professional development and reducing the burden of testing in schools.
  These are good improvements, Mr. Speaker, good for our Nation's 
children. And that is why I support this bill.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Bishop), another member of the committee.
  Mr. BISHOP of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I would too like to voice my 
appreciation to Chairman Kline and the ranking member for their hard 
work on this legislation.
  I am a father of three children in the K-12 education system in my 
hometown. And I think all of us would agree

[[Page H8890]]

here that we have a moral obligation to ensure the best possible 
educational environment for our children.
  Unfortunately, the past 25 years have seen student achievement 
actually go down. We can blame that on a lot of things. There is plenty 
of blame to go around. But the best question that we can ask today is: 
What is Congress going to do about it?
  And the answer, I believe, begins with the Every Student Succeeds 
Act. It is a bipartisan bill that helps to limit the role of Federal 
bureaucrats, restore local control, and empower parents.
  The Wall Street Journal has called this ``the largest shift of 
Federal control to the States in a quarter-century.'' And they are 
precisely correct. It gives more flexibility back to local school 
districts and gives States the right to set their own standards. So if 
a State wants out of Common Core, they would have the option to do 
that.
  What is more, parents can get information on local school performance 
so they can do what is best for their children. And when it comes to 
holding schools accountable, State and local leaders will get that 
responsibility back, as they should.
  But, above all, this bill replaces the No Child Left Behind Act. I 
think we can all agree that our current system is broken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 
seconds.
  Mr. BISHOP of Michigan. So let's make a difference here today and 
adopt a smart public policy. Do it for our children. Make sure that 
they have an excellent education.
  I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Every Student Succeeds 
Act.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark).
  Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Kline and 
Ranking Member Scott for their leadership on this bill and for proving 
that Congress can listen to our educators, administrators, and 
communities and put the needs of our students first.
  We all know that a great country deserves great schools. And I am 
pleased to join champions of education in both Chambers, both sides of 
the aisle, in supporting this blueprint for schools that invites every 
child to participate, no matter a child's income, race, ZIP Code, or 
disability.
  This bill helps fulfill the unrealized promise of No Child Left 
Behind by protecting resources for schools in underserved communities. 
It provides accountability and equality of access while reducing 
reliance on high-stakes tests. It creates opportunities for our most 
vulnerable students--homeless and foster youth--who have suffered abuse 
and those who have experienced trauma. And, for the first time, we have 
a bill that invests in early learning through Preschool Development 
Grants.
  This legislation brings us closer to ensuring that every child gets a 
fair shot at their dream.
  I thank my colleagues for their work and commitment to our country's 
children and to our economic future.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams).
  Ms. ADAMS. I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
played a major role in ensuring all students have access to quality 
education. Because of this legislation, over the past 50 years, we have 
made remarkable progress in closing the achievement gap that plagues 
many low-income students. However, we still have a lot of work to do.
  The last reauthorization, No Child Left Behind, was signed into law 
in 2002 and hasn't been updated since. In that time, we have seen many 
changes in our education system and the needs of our students and 
educators, in addition to the unintended consequences of No Child Left 
Behind.
  So I am proud today that we are finally moving forward with a 
bipartisan bill that keeps the best interests of American students and 
educators in mind. The Every Student Succeeds Act is a true embodiment 
of what a stronger reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
should look like.
  This legislation upholds the key principles of equal access to 
education for all, rich or poor, and upholds accountability systems 
that ensure success. From promoting access to early education to 
supporting our neediest students and our teachers and investing in STEM 
education, this legislation puts our students first and helps to close 
achievement gaps.
  Our children are our future. Educating them shouldn't be a Democrat 
or a Republican issue. So I urge all of my colleagues to support our 
students by supporting this critical bipartisan legislation.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Allen).
  Mr. ALLEN. I thank the chairman as well as the ranking member for 
their hard work on this bill. Thank you for getting us to this 
important day.
  Today, I rise in support of the Every Student Succeeds Act. This 
bicameral legislation improves K-12 education by repealing No Child 
Left Behind and scales back Washington's role in education by restoring 
authority to those who know our students best.
  As we have seen, the current top-down approach is not working. The 
arms of Washington have extended far too long into the classroom. We 
need a change; American students deserve a change. And the Every 
Student Succeeds Act is a powerful step forward in reforming our 
educational system.
  This legislation stops Federal micromanagement of local schools, gets 
rid of unnecessary programs, downsizes the Federal education 
bureaucracy, places new restrictions on the authority of the Secretary 
of Education, and, most importantly, restores control back to the local 
level, letting States and school districts address the needs of our 
students.
  Teachers, school officials, and parents have an ear to the ground 
each day. They know what our schoolchildren need to succeed. This is 
what I hear every time I am in the district. Washington bureaucrats do 
not belong in the classroom.
  I am proud to support this legislation that gives students the tools 
they need for a successful future. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' 
on the conference report.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is 
remaining on both sides?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Virginia has 7 minutes 
remaining, and the gentleman from Minnesota has 11\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. DeSaulnier).
  Mr. DeSAULNIER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say what a pleasure it is to be here to 
support the Every Student Succeeds Act, having spent much of my first 
year in the district going to school districts and schools.
  And I will be able to go back in the coming weeks and say that we 
have this bipartisan compromise through the hard work of Chairman Kline 
and Ranking Member Scott and Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member 
Murray. So I congratulate and thank them for their hard work.
  I am also pleased to see that a number of priorities I share with my 
Democratic and Republican colleagues were included in the final version 
of the landmark bill.
  The conference report for Every Student Succeeds Act sets national 
education standards that ensure all American students, regardless of 
geography, socioeconomic status, race, or gender, receive a quality 
education.
  Included in the bill are several measures that I am proud to have 
worked on with colleagues which are meant to protect students. I am 
pleased that a number of them, such as promoting efficient and 
effective Head Start programs, protecting student athletes from 
concussions, and providing students with academic and extracurricular 
support beyond the normal school day, which we know is important, were 
included.
  While the concussion-related provisions of the bill are an important 
first step, it does not go far enough to combat the devastating 
physical and neurological impacts of brain injuries like those we 
recently heard about sustained by Hall of Fame football player Frank 
Gifford. There is a demonstrated need for increased vigilance and 
improved education on this important

[[Page H8891]]

topic, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on this and 
other issues.
  Again, I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member, and I 
urge all my colleagues to support this very important piece of 
legislation.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Colorado (Mr. Polis).
  Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, when ESEA was first signed in 1965, it was a 
critical piece of civil rights legislation. In fact, when President 
Lyndon Johnson signed the bill, he said it bridges the gap between 
helplessness and hope for millions of students affected by it.
  The bill before us today maintains President Johnson's commitment to 
the achievement of every child, regardless of race, socioeconomic 
background, or ZIP Code.
  Many of my colleagues have talked about the new flexibility provided 
in the bill. Well, that is true, but it is flexibility to meet the 
learning needs of every kid, not the flexibility to fail.
  Flexibility does not mean freedom from responsibility. States are 
accountable for the achievement of each and every child under this 
bill, and I am confident that President Obama wouldn't sign any bill 
that doesn't maintain strong civil rights protections. And I would 
never support a bill that would allow students to be swept under the 
rug.
  This bill upholds the spirit of the original Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act. I am proud to support it today and support innovative 
solutions to improve the opportunities for learning that every child in 
our country has.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, a lot has been said about the work being done in this 
committee. I think it is important to point out that the chair and I 
didn't do all this work. His staff, Senator Murray's staff, and Senator 
Alexander's staff worked hard.
  I would like to read the names of some of the members of my staff 
that worked on this legislation, starting with Denise Forte, Brian 
Kennedy, Jacque Chevalier, Helen Pajcic, Christian Haines, Kevin 
McDermott, Alex Payne, Kiara Pesante, Arika Trim, Rayna Reid, Michael 
Taylor, Austin Barbera, and Veronique Pluviose.
  Also, House Legislation Council staff Anna Shpak, Susan Fleishman, 
and Brendan Gallagher worked hard on this legislation; and 
Congressional Research Service staff Becky Skinner and Jody Feder.
  I would like to mention those names as hardworking members that have 
brought about all of this bipartisan cooperation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished Democratic 
leader.
  Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his 
extraordinary leadership as the new ranking member on the Education and 
the Workforce Committee, bringing with him all of his commitment to 
education in our country as well as his knowledge of the connection of 
young people to our justice system and how to provide opportunities for 
them in the safest possible way. I thank Mr. Scott for his great 
leadership.
  We are all very, very proud of you. I know your predecessor in this 
role, Mr. George Miller, would be as well.

                              {time}  1530

  I thank you, Chairman Kline, for your leadership as well and for 
enabling this bipartisan legislation to come to the floor. I salute the 
chairman and ranking member in the Senate as well.
  Fifty years ago our Nation took a bold and historic step forward for 
educational opportunity, for the strength of our economy, and for the 
health of our democracy, which is based on an informed electorate, 
enacting the ESEA.
  Today the Elementary and Secondary Education Act stands as one of the 
landmark victories in both the struggle for civil rights and the War on 
Poverty.
  At the bill signing in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson, himself a 
former teacher, explained: ``No law I have signed or will ever sign 
means more to the future of America.'' President Johnson added: 
``Education is the only valid passport from poverty.''
  In addition to what it returns to the individual and enables that 
person to reach his or her aspirations, education brings much to our 
economy. In fact, nothing brings more to the Treasury of our country 
than investments in education, from early childhood education, K-12, 
which we are addressing today, higher education, postsecondary 
education, lifetime learning.
  Indeed, the ESEA's commitment to expanding education access, 
especially to our most vulnerable students, has proven essential to 
bridging the gap between poverty and possibility for generations of 
Americans.
  Yet, for the first time in our Nation's history, more than half of 
the students attending public school live in poverty. To close the 
opportunity gap, we must close the education gap that limits the future 
of so many children and communities.
  Today we are thankful to be passing a bipartisan agreement that will 
strengthen the education of all of our children. It helps States to 
improve low-performing schools and empowers teachers and administrators 
with better training and support.
  It targets funding to the most at-risk and needy students, with 
enhanced title I investments. It provides vital resources for English 
language learners and homeless youth.
  It amplifies the voices of educators and parents, what we have always 
wanted, schools, a place where children can learn, teachers can teach, 
and parents can participate. It replaces high-stakes testing with State 
and local district flexibility.
  We are bolstering our commitment to strong STEM, arts, and early 
education for children in every ZIP code.
  In our area and other parts of the country, we call STEM STEAM, 
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, all of that 
reinforced in this legislation.
  With these improvements in the ESEA authorization before us, it is no 
wonder that this agreement is supported by a far-ranging coalition, 
including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the 
National Governors Association, the Leadership Conference of Civil and 
Human Rights, AFT and NEA, two leading teachers unions, the National 
Center for Learning Disabilities, and many more.
  We all agree that education is a national security issue. President 
Eisenhower taught us that. It is also an economic issue. It is one of 
the most pressing civil rights issues of our time.
  With this legislation, we help ensure that access to high-quality 
education is the right of every student.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this strong bipartisan 
reauthorization of the historic ESEA, the Every Student Succeeds Act.
  Once again I thank the distinguished chairman, Mr. Kline, and our 
ranking member, of whom we are very, very, proud as well, Mr. Scott.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  As has already been pointed out, this bill does not include 
everything everybody wanted. But the civil rights and education 
community both support the legislation because of the significant civil 
rights implications in the bill. This will go a long way in giving 
equal opportunity in education.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a long list of education and 
civil rights organizations that have endorsed the bill.

                      ESSA Endorsement Master List

       Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE), American Federation 
     of School Administrators (AFSA), American Federation of 
     Teachers (AFT), American Library Association (ALA), 
     Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), 
     Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), 
     Business Roundtable (BRT), Business Civil Rights Coalition, 
     California Children's Advocacy Coalition, Chiefs for Change 
     (C4C), Communities in Schools (CIS), Consortium for Citizens 
     with Disabilities (CCD), Cooperative Council for Oklahoma 
     School Administration (CCOSA), Council for Exceptional 
     Children

[[Page H8892]]

     (CEC), Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), 
     Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), Council of 
     the Great City Schools (CGCS), Democrats for Education Reform 
     (DFER), Easter Seals, Education Trust.
       Grantmakers in the Arts (GIRTS), Interstate Migrant 
     Education Council (IMEC), Knowledge Alliance (KA), Los 
     Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Magnet Schools of 
     America (MSA), National Alliance for Public Charter Schools 
     (NAPCS), National Association of Charter School Authorizers 
     (NACSA), National Association of Councils on Developmental 
     Disabilities (NACDD), National Association of Elementary 
     School Principals (NAESP), National Association of Federally 
     Impacted Schools (NAFIS), National Association of School 
     Psychologists (NASP), National Association of Secondary 
     School Principals (NASSP), National Association of State 
     Boards of Education (NASBE), National Center for Learning 
     Disabilities (NCLD), National Center for Special Education in 
     Charter Schools (NCSECS), National Center for Technological 
     Literacy (NCTL), National Council of La Raza (NCLR), National 
     Council of State Legislatures (NCSL), National Disability 
     Rights Network (NDRN), National Education Association (NEA).
       National Governors Association (NGA), National PTA, 
     National School Boards Association (NSBA), PACER Center, 
     Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), STEM 
     Education Coalition, Teach For America (TFA), The Leadership 
     Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR), The School 
     Superintendents Association (AASA), Union of Orthodox Jewish 
     Congregations of America (OU), US Chamber of Commerce, United 
     Way Worldwide.

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair for his 
cooperation and hard work, and I urge our Members to support the bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  I want to start by thanking my colleagues on the committee in the 
House and in the Senate, particularly the Ranking Member, Mr. Scott, 
Senators Alexander and Murray, and their staffs. We would absolutely 
not be here today without their hard work.
  Today is a big day. We have an important opportunity to approve a 
bill that will replace No Child Left Behind with new policies that 
reduce the Federal role, restore local control, and empower parents, 
three principles that will help every child in every school receive a 
quality education.
  This effort began in earnest almost 5 years ago. It was February 10, 
2011, when the Education and the Workforce Committee held its first 
hearing under the new Republican majority to examine the challenges and 
opportunities facing K-12 classrooms.
  Since that first hearing, we have held dozens of hearings and 
multiple markups and spent many hours on the floor considering 
amendments and debating competing ideas for improving education. All of 
those efforts are reflected in the final bill we have today.
  Behind all of that hard work was a team of dedicated staff. They put 
in long hours and sacrificed a great deal to draft the House and Senate 
proposals, move them through our respective committees and chambers, 
and then went to work developing this bipartisan, bicameral bill we are 
discussing today.
  My friend and colleague, the ranking member, Mr. Scott, talked about 
members of his staff and what a fantastic job they have done, and I 
know from many reports that they put in an awful lot of hours.
  In fact, Mr. Speaker, this process has been underway for so long that 
some staff who started this journey with us have now moved on to other 
endeavors: former staffers, including James Bergeron, Alex Sollberger, 
Casey Buboltz, Heather Couri, Dan Shorts, Matt Frame, Angelyn Shapiro, 
and Barrett Karr.
  And then there are those who are with us today and many who have been 
a part of this effort from the beginning. I wish I had time to 
recognize everybody, but I have a few minutes and am going to recognize 
quite a few of them: Republican staff members on our committee, 
including Janelle Belland, Krisann Pearce, Lauren Aronson, Dominique 
McKay, Lauren Reddington, Sheariah Yousefi, James Forester, Kathlyn 
Ehl, Leslie Tatum, Mandy Schaumburg, Brian Newell.
  Of course, I would like to recognize the Republican Staff Director, 
Juliane Sullivan, who always leads the team with patience, skill, and 
determination; Amy Jones, our education policy staff director, who was 
a firm, yet fair, negotiator throughout the entire process.
  And last, but certainly not least, our senior education policy 
advisor is Brad Thomas, sitting here patiently beside me today. 
According to our most recent estimates, Brad has spent more than 60 
straight days here at the office working out the details of this final 
bill. We could not have done it without his knowledge, expertise, and 
dedication.
  Brad, we are grateful for your service.
  Again, because of the hard work of both Republican and Democrat staff 
on the Education and the Workforce Committee, as well as the staff of 
Senators Murray and Alexander, we will soon have a new education law 
that helps every child in every school receive an excellent education.
  I would remind all of my colleagues that, when we come in to vote a 
little later this afternoon, it is a binary choice. You can vote for 
this new direction, give our children a better opportunity, or you can 
vote to keep No Child Left Behind the law of the land. It is an either-
or choice.
  I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the conference report to 
accompany S. 1177.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I support the Every 
Student Succeeds Act. It preserves critical civil rights protections 
for students, maintains the historic commitment to low-income children 
and communities, and strikes a delicate balance between federal 
accountability and state flexibility to meet local needs. I thank 
Ranking Member Bobby Scott and Chairman Kline--as well as the former 
Committee leaders George Miller and Buck McKeon--for their leadership. 
This is not a perfect bill, but it is a good bill. It represents an 
improvement over the current waiver process and over the outdated, one-
size-fits-all, punitive No Child Left Behind law. I especially am proud 
that the bill includes multiple provisions that I have championed for 
years.
  Foremost, the bill maintains federal accountability in public 
education. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act at its heart is a 
civil rights law, and, as such, it is essential that the federal 
government provide oversight to ensure equal educational opportunity 
under the law. Although the bill transfers considerable power to the 
states to oversee their improvement and limits some Secretarial 
authority, it requires states to take action in every school in which 
any group of students is consistently underperforming under the state's 
accountability system, in all high school dropout factories where one-
third or more of students fail to graduate, and in the lowest-
performing 5 percent of schools.
  The bill enhances transparency into the educational success of 
vulnerable students. Many years ago, I wanted to know how African 
American boys were doing in school only to learn that we did not know 
because we did not collect student data in a way to answer that 
question. I have fought to change this because we cannot develop 
educational interventions to help students--especially vulnerable 
students--if we lack a clear understanding of how various groups of 
students are learning. This bill requires reporting of outcomes and 
indicators by important student characteristics to inform our 
understanding of student learning and direct interventions.
  Further, the bill adds to the our understanding of student 
experiences by including critical information about discipline 
practices, including rate of suspensions, expulsions, referrals to law 
enforcement, and school-related arrests. Given that African Americans--
especially African-American boys--disproportionately experience harsh 
discipline that contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline, clear 
information about actual practice is key. Importantly, the bill also 
discourages the overuse of exclusionary and dangerous discipline 
practices by requiring state plans to describe how they will improve 
learning by decreasing such practices. Similarly, the Every Student 
Succeeds Act promises to improve the school environment for students by 
decreasing bullying. For over a decade I have led a bill to direct 
greater federal resources to promote bullying-free learning 
environments. In addition to requiring states and districts to report 
incidents of discipline, bullying, and harassment, the bill provides 
funding for states and localities to implement evidenced-based positive 
behavioral interventions and supports and other successful approaches 
that improve behavior, reduce harsh discipline, and decrease bullying 
and harassment so that teachers can teach and students can learn.
  The bill addresses key educational challenges for foster youth for 
which I have advocated, including: ensuring that foster youth can 
remain in their current school when they enter care or change 
placements when doing so is in their best interest; allowing immediate 
enrollment in a new school, prompt access to

[[Page H8893]]

educational records, and assistance in transferring and recovering 
credits to remain on track for graduation; assuring a point of contact 
for foster youth within the education system when such a contact exists 
in the corresponding child welfare agency; requiring school districts 
and child welfare agencies to work together to ensure funding for 
transportation exists to allow students to remain in their schools of 
origin and to remove negative effects of unreliable transportation; and 
mandating that the Department of Education and Health and Human 
Services report on the progress made in and remaining barriers to 
addressing educational stability. Further, the bill requires states and 
localities to report on the student outcomes of foster youth and 
homeless youth to better understand their educational attainment.
  The bill provides critical protections for students with disabilities 
that I have promoted, such as advancing high learning standards for 
students with the most significant disabilities. It caps the use of 
alternative, less-rigorous tests for students with the most significant 
cognitive disabilities at one percent of all students and prohibits 
states from counting lesser credentials as a regular high school 
diploma.
  The bill does many additional important things. It invests in 
teachers by improving professional supports, recognizing that states 
and localities are better-suited to implement teacher evaluations than 
federal officials, and requiring collaboration with teachers and the 
prohibition on overturning existing collective bargaining agreements if 
states voluntarily develop teacher evaluation programs. It helps 
improve equitable distribution of resources among school districts, 
promotes responsible testing policies that reduce over-testing and 
discourage the use of tests for high-stakes decisions, expands early 
childhood education, increases federal investment in education, and 
maintains the historic and necessary state financial commitment to 
education.
  This bill does raise concerns and the need for vigilance. With the 
greater responsibility given to states, there is a heightened need for 
monitoring by the federal government, advocates, and the civil rights 
community to ensure that critical supports go to the schools and 
students in need to close achievement gaps and improve learning.
  This is not a perfect bill, but it is a good bill that advances 
educational opportunity. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
its passage.
  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I am honored today to support the Every 
Student Succeeds Act.
  This bipartisan bill will end the unworkable, one-size-fits all No 
Child Left Behind Act and give control of our kids' education back to 
our states, local school districts, teachers, and parents. I have 
always believed that educational decisions are best left to the people 
who are closest to the students, and that means moving power out of 
Washington, D.C. and back into our own communities.
  It restores state and local control by allowing states to opt out of 
federal education programs, protecting states' abilities to control 
their own standards and assessments, and providing school districts 
with more funding flexibility.
  It empowers parents by preventing federal interference in private and 
home schools, promoting school choice by strengthening charter and 
magnet schools, and allowing funds in eligible school districts to 
follow students to the schools they actually attend.
  And, it includes unprecedented restrictions on the Secretary of 
Education's authority, and prevents the federal government from 
requiring or coercing states to adopt the Common Core curriculum.
  Most importantly, it reauthorizes the 21st Century Community Learning 
Centers (21st CCLC) program as a separate and directed federal funding 
stream under Title IV.
  The 21st CCLC program is the only federal funding source for our 
nation's afterschool programs, which students and working families 
across America rely on each and every day. In my district in 
Pennsylvania, the program provides 49 percent of total funding for 
SHINE, or ``Schools and Homes In Education,'' a successful afterschool 
educational program in Carbon and Luzerne counties.
  I have worked on SHINE for many years back home with my friend, state 
Senator John Yudichak--a Democrat--because helping our kids succeed 
should always be a bipartisan cause. And, we have succeeded in making 
it one today.
  Afterschool programs like SHINE are known to improve academic 
achievement, increase school attendance, and engage families in 
education. They also keep our kids safe resulting in lower incidences 
of drug-use and violence.
  Where I'm from in Pennsylvania, this is extremely important. Gangs 
have become a big and persistent problem in some of our neighborhoods.
  In the end, this is truly a banner day for the school children of 
northeastern Pennsylvania and across the country. SHINE and countless 
other afterschool programs have touched so many families and given kids 
education opportunities they otherwise would not have had.
  I know these programs help families and I can assure my constituents 
that I will continue to advocate and support afterschool programs here 
in Congress both now and in the future.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my 
support for the Every Student Succeeds Act. This bill is a much-needed 
improvement to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The fundamental purpose of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was created to ensure 
that disadvantaged children are provided a high-quality education that 
allows them to compete on a level playing field with their more-
advantaged peers. I believe this bill is a step in the right direction.
  I believe No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is flawed and must be reformed. 
Reauthorization presents a tremendous opportunity to make much-needed 
improvements and brings our education system into the 21st century.
  For too many years, Congress has stalled in updating the standards 
for our nation's students. I applaud the efforts of this body for 
working across the aisle to make sure that every student has the tools 
they need to succeed.
  The Every Student Succeeds Act strengthens critical programs and uses 
funds for the promotion of innovation, increased access to STEM 
education, arts education, literacy, community involvement in schools, 
teacher quality, and other important programs.
  This conference authorizes the Preschool Development Grants program 
that will supplement existing funds to improve coordination, quality 
and access for early childhood education.
  I urge my colleagues to vote for the Every Student Succeeds Act and 
support reauthorization that restores our nation's commitment to 
providing equal opportunity for all students regardless of their 
background and protect our country's students including the most 
vulnerable, which was the intention of this landmark civil rights law.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Every Student 
Succeeds Act to finally address serious flaws in federal education law 
and reject the old ``one-size-fits-all'' approach while continuing to 
hold states and schools accountable for the learning of every child. I 
thank Ranking Member Bobby Scott for his tireless efforts to support 
students in underserved communities and close the achievement gap.
  Today's bill provides needed flexibility in the classroom while 
maintaining ``guardrails'' to make sure that all students have the 
opportunity to succeed. It scales back the singular focus on high-
stakes testing with a broader and more representative accountability 
system that will help identify and address gaps. It includes evidence-
based interventions for schools where students aren't learning or 
aren't graduating. And it targets resources to the students who need 
them most.
  The bill allows for funding for critical supports, including mental 
health, drug and violence prevention, and Youth PROMISE plans. There 
are resources for a well-rounded education, including arts, geography, 
history, and foreign language. Dedicated funding is preserved for 
Promise Neighborhoods and Full-Service Community Schools to coordinate 
services for children and families, and for afterschool programs to 
provide out-of-school time opportunities. It will be critical to 
provide adequate funding for these priorities through the 
appropriations process.
  The Every Student Succeeds Act includes important funding for early 
childhood education programs that help provide a strong start for 
children. I strongly support efforts to provide universal pre-K, and 
today's bill is a good step to improving coordination of early learning 
opportunities. Today's bill is not perfect, but it is a strong 
compromise and a critical improvement over current law. As Congress has 
worked to rewrite this law, I am grateful to the teachers, parents, 
administrators, school board members, students, and many others in 
Maryland schools who have shared their experiences and input with me. I 
look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure that this 
legislation is implemented and funded in a way that works for our 
schools and students.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Every 
Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a reauthorization of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The ESEA was a landmark civil 
rights bill that boosted the academic achievement of low-income and 
minority students, and I am pleased to see its much-needed 
reauthorization, following its previous reauthorization in the 2001 No 
Child Left Behind Act. I must acknowledge, however, that the ESSA is 
not a perfect bill. For example, this bill does not require student 
data to be disaggregated for Asian American and Pacific Islander 
subgroups, and does not require states to act if federal resources are 
given inequitably to schools.

[[Page H8894]]

  However, the bill is a significant improvement over the No Child Left 
Behind Act and the ESEA reauthorization that passed out of the House 
earlier this year. For example, I was heartened to see that the bill 
includes academic standards that will prepare students for college and 
careers, requirements for states to intervene in schools in need of 
government support, removal of No Child Left Behind's most punitive 
provisions, and increased monitoring, regulation, and focus on the 
unique needs of English Language Learners. These provisions are 
critical to helping underserved students achieve academic and lifelong 
success.
  I was also pleased to see that the ESSA includes strong language to 
address violence in our schools and communities. For example, it 
maintains dedicated funding for afterschool programs and makes violence 
prevention and trauma support efforts eligible for federal funds, 
provisions which Congresswoman Karen Bass and I urged in a letter to 
education leaders last month.
  For these reasons, I am proud to stand in support of this bipartisan 
legislation in order to improve the quality of education received by 
our country's most vulnerable students.
  Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer the following Joint 
Statement of Legislative Intent on the Conference Report to accompany 
S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act, on behalf of myself and Mr. 
John Kline, Chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee.


Joint Statement of Legislative Intent on Conference Report to accompany 
                S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act

       Like our colleagues, we support this conference report 
     because we believe states and school districts should be left 
     to set their own education priorities. The House-passed bill 
     included strong prohibitions that clearly did just that. The 
     conference report maintains strong, unprecedented 
     prohibitions on the Secretary of Education. For example,
       Section 1111(e) clearly states the Secretary may not add 
     any requirements or criteria outside the scope of this act, 
     and further says the Secretary may not ``be in excess of 
     statutory authority given to the Secretary.'' This section 
     goes on to lay out specific terms the Secretary cannot 
     prescribe, sets clear limits on the guidance the Secretary 
     may offer, and also clearly states that the Secretary is 
     prohibited from defining terms that are inconsistent with or 
     outside the scope of this Act.
       Then there are provisions in Titles I and VIII that ensure 
     standards and curriculum are left to the discretion of states 
     without federal control or mandates, and the same is true for 
     assessments.
       Finally, the conference report also includes a Sense of 
     Congress that states and local educational agencies retain 
     the right and responsibility of determining educational 
     curriculum, programs of instruction, and assessments.

  The conference report makes it clear the Secretary is not to put any 
undue limits on the ability of states to determine their accountability 
systems, their standards, or what tests they give their students. The 
clear intent and legislative language of this report devolves authority 
over education decisions back to the states and severely limits the 
Secretary's ability to interfere in any way.
  Ensuring a limited role for the U.S. Secretary of Education was a 
critically important priority throughout the reauthorization process 
and this agreement meets that priority.
  For example, the Secretary may not limit the ability of states to 
determine how the measures of student performance are weighted within 
state accountability systems. The Secretary also cannot prescribe 
school support and improvement strategies, or any aspect of a state's 
teacher evaluation system, or the methodology used to differentiate 
schools in a state.
  Also, the Secretary may not create new policy by creatively defining 
terms in the law. Let us say definitively, as the Chairman of the 
Education and the Workforce Committee and Subcommittee Chairman of the 
subcommittee of jurisdiction, this new law reins in the Secretary and 
ensures state and local education officials make the decisions about 
their schools under this new law.
  Over the past few years, the Secretary has exceeded his authority by 
placing conditions on waivers to states and local educational agencies. 
The conference report prevents the Secretary from applying any new 
conditions on waivers or the state plans required in the law by 
including language that clearly states the Secretary may not add any 
new conditions for the approval of waivers or state plans that are 
outside the scope of the law. In plain English, this means if the law 
does not give the Secretary the authority to require something, then he 
may not unilaterally create an ability to do that.
  We are glad to be able to support a bill that will return control to 
states, where it should always be, and appreciate the strong support of 
colleagues as well.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 542, the previous question is ordered.
  The question is on the conference report.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

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