Senate Approves No Child Left Behind Overhaul

The state’s two U.S. senators voted in the affirmative Thursday as lawmakers approved an education reauthorization bill.

The bill, called the Every Child Achieves Act, was approved by an 81-17 vote with Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark. and Tom Cotton, R-Ark. voting yes.

The Senate also approved an amendment from Boozman dealing with career and technical education.

The overall bill now heads to the conference committee with the House to iron out differences between the Senate bill and a House version.

“The ESEA reauthorization is a good step toward expanding state and local control over education. This is the proper way for education decisions to be handled, not a one-size fits all policy forced from Washington,” Boozman said.

“I am a proud graduate of Arkansas’s public schools and the son of a public-school teacher and principal. I believe in our public-school system, but I also know too many children aren’t receiving the quality of education they deserve,” Cotton said. “This bill rightly provides educators and administrators with the long-term stability they need to establish better curriculums and accountability measures. And it empowers states to decide what’s best for their students instead of Washington bureaucrats. Rest assured, I will continue to advocate for policies that improve education in Arkansas and across the country.”

The bill drew opposition from the Obama administration and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

“This bill still falls short of truly giving every child a fair shot at success by failing to ensure that parents and children can count on local leaders to take action when students are struggling to learn,” Duncan told The Hill newspaper in Washington, D.C.

BOOZMAN AMENDMENT
In a statement Thursday, Boozman said his amendment would seek to incorporate rigorous coursework with career and technical education as well as real world skills.

“Eighty-one percent of students who drop out of high school consistently report that real-world learning opportunities would have kept them in school.” Boozman said. “This is an effort to capture the best practices some states have in place so we can increase graduation rates and prepare career ready students by partnering with industry.”

The amendment would also place a focus on so-called STEM classes – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – without adding new programs or funding.

“Developing coursework to provide the appropriate training for today’s jobs allows students to find employment that matches their skills and provides businesses the workforce they need to operate. Arkansas economic officials say education is the key to future prosperity in our state. Programs that promote STEM help create a pipeline for the future and should be an integral component of our education policy,” Boozman said.