[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 198 (Wednesday, December 11, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H10019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR ALL STUDENTS AT ALL LEVELS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the passage of 
the Every Student Succeeds Act, which President Obama signed into law 4 
years ago yesterday.
  When I came to Congress, updating the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act was one of my top priorities, and I was proud to stand 
with President Obama on the day that we finally left behind No Child 
Left Behind.
  More than 50 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson signed the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act into law, and he said ESEA 
represents a major new commitment of the Federal Government to quality 
and equality in the schooling that we offer our young people.
  I agree with President Johnson. When we promote and realize equity in 
education, when we expand and invest in educational opportunities, we 
can improve outcomes for all students at all levels.
  Reauthorizing ESEA in 2015 was meant to put us closer to achieving 
that equality envisioned in the original law, but there is still much 
work to be done.
  ESSA created new opportunities to make sure that all students, 
regardless of their race, color, national origin, ZIP Code, or family 
wealth, could have an equal opportunity to obtain a high-quality public 
education.
  It returned flexibility and autonomy to States and districts to set 
high standards for all students, to evaluate schools using multiple 
measures of student learning, and to design systems for identifying 
schools in need of additional support.
  With provisions I championed, States were also given the ability to 
eliminate unnecessary or duplicative testing and access to resources 
for fewer, better quality assessments. Importantly, the Every Student 
Succeeds Act put more emphasis on well-rounded education that prepares 
students to be creative, critical thinkers.
  Since ESSA's passage, I have worked hard with appropriators to make 
sure Congress fulfills the commitments made in this law with robust 
funding of Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants.
  As we continue to implement this law, strong Federal accountability 
and support are necessary to make sure that the flexibility and 
autonomy that States and districts now have is used to identify and 
close achievement gaps, rather than to shirk responsibility to 
students. We know there is more work to be done in that area, as well.
  Unfortunately, the current Department of Education is more focused on 
privatizing education than on making sure that the States fully 
implement the law. They are not holding States accountable for 
improving outcomes of disadvantaged students. This is most noticeable 
in the Department's approval of State plans that ignore the performance 
of subgroups altogether and the lack of guidance and regulation 
available to help States implement the Every Student Succeeds Act.
  As we reflect on passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act and the 
opportunities it provides, I urge the Department of Education and 
Secretary DeVos to support States and hold them accountable for 
implementing this law with fidelity. My colleagues on the Education and 
Labor Committee will continue our robust oversight of the Department's 
implementation to make sure that the Every Student Succeeds Act 
fulfills a promise we made to all students when President Obama signed 
it into law.

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