Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers
Lawmakers have been at loggerheads over how to judge schools, kids and teachers. The key issues: how many tests children should take as they progress through grades K-12, the role of the tests in evaluating, hiring and firing teachers, and whether or not federal dollars should support charter schools.
The American Federation of Teachers is weighing in on the latest attempt to rewrite the nation’s federal education law.
This statement was issued by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the Republican-drafted Student Success Act to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was approved on a party-line vote in the House Education and the Workforce Committee:
“The Student Success Act is a misnomer. In reality, it would rob poor and struggling students of the resources, supports and funding they need to succeed. The bill pulls us further away from the core purpose of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which is to level the playing field for all kids. Half of public school students are poor. Thirty states are still funding education at pre-recession levels. The funding inequities we see among districts are stark. We should be addressing these challenges head on, by ensuring all kids have equal access to resources, even when their communities can’t afford it. This bill takes us in the opposite direction. The ‘portability’ provision the committee approved would actually drive further inequities by moving money meant to go to public schools that teach poor kids and giving it to better-off schools. Rep. Bobby Scott’s substitute proposal, on the other hand, reflects a solid understanding of many of the challenges facing educators in classrooms today and would provide them with the supports and tools they need to help students succeed. We will continue to work with the House and Senate to uphold the ESEA’s historic commitment to expanding opportunity for all children.”
The House and Senate have been hotly debating the rewrite of the chief federal education law.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) believes that the 50-year-old law should get back to its original intent—to provide federal education resources to help level the playing field for disadvantaged children. But, some of the proposals working their way through Congress walk away from that commitment.
The AFT continues to work with Congress to ensure that the bill provides for adequate support and resources for public schools that teach poor kids and that those funds should not be permitted to be diverted for other purposes.