Parents, teachers, and students may soon see greater local direction in education decisions if the House of Representatives’ H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, becomes law. This legislation is the first update to federal education policy since the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001 and shifts an antiquated one-size-fits all policy towards greater local control. Representative Brad Wenstrup voted in support of the Student Success Act.

“Education decisions are best made by our local parents and teachers, not federal bureaucrats. By reducing the federal footprint in education, we restore local control to support effective teachers and empower parents,” Wenstrup said on the bill’s passage.

“Additionally,” he continued, “this legislation has important safeguards which prevent the federal Department of Education from imposing national standards, such as Common Core, on state and local school boards."

The education bill, H.R. 5, would eliminate the adequate yearly progress (AYP) benchmark requirements established by No Child Left Behind that quickly proved impractical for most jurisdictions, and allow local school districts to develop evaluations that reflect a teacher’s actual impact in the classroom. H.R. 5 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 221 to 207. The bill will be sent to the Senate for consideration.

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