[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 178 (Wednesday, December 9, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





           CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1177, STUDENT SUCCESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. JUDY CHU

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 2, 2015

  Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my 
concerns with S. 1177--the Every Student Succeeds Act. I cast my vote 
in favor of the Every Student Succeeds Act because I believe it is an 
improvement from No Child Left Behind (NCLB), our nation's current law. 
However, I strongly believe this legislation falls short in many 
areas--specifically resource equity, federal authority, and data 
disaggregation for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students.
  While I am pleased that S. 1177 requires schools where students are 
consistently struggling to report on resource inequities, it does not 
hold states accountable for these inequities. States with dramatic 
investment disparities will be required only to identify gaps, not 
necessarily to close them.
  Additionally, this legislation significantly limits secretarial 
authority by relinquishing much of the responsibility for monitoring 
and enforcing protections for vulnerable students from the federal 
government to the states. History shows us that strong federal 
oversight compelled states to identify and address achievement gaps 
faced by minority and low-income students. Without this strong 
oversight, I am concerned that these vulnerable groups will once again 
fall through the cracks.
  Finally, I am very disappointed that S. 1177 does not require that 
data collected and reported on AAPI students be disaggregated by ethnic 
subgroups. As the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American 
Caucus (CAPAC), I have worked to combat the so-called ``model minority 
myth,'' which leads people to believe that AAPI students are all high-
achieving and successful. In reality, the AAPI population includes over 
40 distinct ethnic groups who speak over 100 different languages. 
However, this diversity in experience and success is often masked when 
data is not disaggregated by AAPI subgroups. As a result, many AAPI 
students fail to receive resources that would help them succeed 
academically.
  I believe that S. 1177 is an improvement over the patchwork system 
our country is currently operating under in the wake of NCLB, but it 
falls short on the promise to serve all of our children. I will 
continue to work to ensure that every child, regardless of economic 
background, race, gender, sexual orientation, family history, or 
ability receives a free, high-quality education that enables them to 
achieve the American Dream.

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