Elementary and Secondary Education Act

It has been ten years since the passage of No Child Left Behind, the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This law ensures that all children have an equal access to a quality education no matter their background. However, there is broad agreement that the law is now outdated and is restraining schools from making the kinds of improvements needed to benefit students, communities and the economy.

Rewriting the outdated No Child Left Behind law will only happen through bipartisan consensus that serves the interests of all the nation’s children. Unfortunately, Education Committee Republicans recently released two highly partisan draft pieces of legislation in place of a whole-scale rewrite of NCLB that do not live up to our nation’s commitment to all of our children. This move likely means that the rewrite of the law won’t happen this year and millions of schoolchildren will have to remain under the current broken system.

Five decades after Brown v. Board of Education, there is still work to be done to ensure that all children have access to world-class educational opportunities. Democrats on the committee are committed to ensure that the rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act lives up to our nation’s commitment to all of our children, regardless of their background or the zip code they may live.

Democratic Principles for the Reauthorization of ESEA.

Key Problems with the Republican bills.

Letters of opposition and concerns about the GOP's legislation.

Letters of support for the Democratic amendments to the Republican legislation.

Ranking Member George Miller’s statement on the 10^th anniversary of No Child Left Behind and suggestions for the rewrite of the law.

Real Relief for Schools: A Report on Accomplishing Effective Flexibility

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