Murkowski Educational Efforts Empower Teachers, Students Through Major Legislation
Senator: Every Child Achieves Act Passes Committee to Replace Flawed NCLB, Returns Decisions to States and Local Communities
Senator Lisa Murkowski successfully worked with her Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee colleagues this week to finalize and unanimously pass (22-0) the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 out of committee and send it to the Senate floor for debate. The bill – an attempt to undo the many harmful impacts of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) bill – restores major decisions and oversight of the educational system back to the state and local level and allows greater flexibility for those closest to the students.
“Under the No Child Left Behind Act, no one – educators, students, parents, or tribes – was happy,” said Murkowski. “The one-size-fits-all mandates, poor tribal consultation, and the lack of state and local control over our children’s education were not working. The Every Child Achieves Act gets the federal government out of the way and makes sure the Secretary of Education cannot dictate the evaluations and accountability standards 3,000 miles away from Alaska’s classrooms. I thank my HELP Committee colleagues for working with me to help make this bill better serve Alaskans teachers, students and administrators.”
The Every Child Achieves Act not only features several policies advocated for by Senator Murkowski during its drafting, but it also includes amendments she championed during committee negotiations this week.
