[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 178 (Wednesday, December 9, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S8561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for the 
Every Student Succeeds Act.
  I am pleased that the Senate was able to come together on a 
bipartisan basis to pass meaningful education reform, and I commend 
Senator Murray and Senator Alexander for their leadership on this bill.
  I would like to speak about three things this bill does that I 
strongly support and that I believe are of particular importance. 
First, the bill supports financial literacy programming. Family 
financial literacy programming can ensure that our Nation's parents and 
children have the skills necessary to properly utilize credit, finance 
an education, manage a household budget, and plan for retirement. I 
believe that we must do all we can to help our Nation's parents and 
students succeed in every aspect of their lives.
  Second, the Every Student Succeeds Act addresses the lack of data on 
dual status youth--children who come into contact with both the child 
welfare and juvenile justice systems. Many at-risk children lack stable 
home lives, and they are frequently funneled through the school-to-
prison pipeline. I was happy to work with the chairman and ranking 
member to include language in the bill that will help us identify and 
assist our most vulnerable youth.
  Finally, I was happy to join Senator Gardner in introducing language 
that will begin to help schools address the dual enrollment 
availability gap by enabling high schools to expand access to such 
programs using title I funding. I applaud the bill's focus on dual 
enrollment and early/middle college programs. At a time when student 
debt is crushing young Americans' economic prospects, dual enrollment 
and early/middle college programs allow high school students to begin 
earning college credit by taking college-level courses either at their 
school, online or through a local higher education institution. These 
models improve access to college while reducing degree completion time 
and tuition costs.
  Findings from the ACT's most recent ``Condition of College and Career 
Readiness'' report suggest that many students are ready for dual 
enrollment programs. Forty-two percent of the most recent cohort of 
high school graduates who took the ACT test were ready for college-
level mathematics. Nearly 30 percent were college ready in all four 
subject areas: English, reading, mathematics, and science.
  Unfortunately, hurdles to assessing dual enrollment are particularly 
pronounced for low-income students who also face the greatest obstacles 
to college completion. After participating in these programs, many 
students who may not have planned on attending college realize their 
potential and go on to attain higher levels of education. A recent 
study found that dual and concurrent enrollment participation increases 
the probability of a student completing a degree by 6 percent.
  In addition to a Gardner-Peters amendment, the Every Student Succeeds 
Act includes several other provisions that support dual enrollment and 
early/middle college programs. The bill supports professional 
development for teachers, principals, and other school leaders, focused 
on building their capacity to deliver dual or concurrent enrollment 
opportunities.
  Additionally, States and school districts will be able to use 
resources provided through the student support and academic enrichment 
grants to improve students' access to dual enrollment programs, either 
online or in person. These policy improvements will make an incredible 
difference for the Nation's students.
  There are a number of Senators who support dual enrollment and early/
middle college programs, and I plan on introducing legislation to 
support dual enrollment and early/middle college programs in the near 
future.
  My legislation would amend the Higher Education Act to expand access 
to dual and concurrent enrollment programs as well as early/middle 
college programs that enable students to earn college credit while in 
high school. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the coming 
months to expand access to these programs.
  Again, I applaud the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
  I yield the floor.

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