[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11009]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    OPPOSING THE STUDENT SUCCESS ACT

  (Mr. TAKANO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose H.R. 5, also known as 
the Student Success Act. The Federal Government has played a key role 
in funding our education for 40 years; 40 years, Mr. Speaker.
  We know how effective title I is when it is properly funded. We know 
low-income children and English language learners are negatively 
impacted when education funding is block-granted or made portable.
  H.R. 5 does all these things: It locks in cuts to title I funding, 
block-grants many of the funding streams dedicated to specific at-risk 
populations, and it allows these funds to be diverted away from the 
districts and schools that need them most.
  The Elementary and Secondary Education Act is meant to promote 
opportunity, Mr. Speaker, not take it away. I urge all my colleagues to 
oppose H.R. 5.
  And while Ranking Member Scott's substitute amendment is an 
improvement over the current law and I will be supporting it, I still 
have serious concerns about our Nation's emphasis on standardized 
testing. We cannot continue to use standardized test scores to punish 
teachers and schools.

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