AASA Proudly Endorses the Every Student Succeeds Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
James Minichello
703-875-0723
703-774-6953 (cell)
jminichello@aasa.org
Alexandria,
Va. – Nov. 30, 2015 – AASA, The School Superintendents Association, strongly endorses
the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Representing the nation’s more than
13,000 school system leaders, AASA has been deeply engaged in efforts to
reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). AASA is pleased
to see Congress advance such a comprehensive, bipartisan piece of legislation
that focuses on policies that support and strengthen our nation’s schools and
the students they serve.
AASA has long
endorsed an approach to federal education policy that takes the pendulum of
federal overreach and prescription and returns it to state and local control.
ESSA strikes a very appropriate balance of power between the federal, state and
local levels.
“The federal
government has a very critical role to play in federal education policy, and
that is to support and strengthen—not dictate and prescribe to—our nation’s
public schools,” said AASA Executive Director Daniel A. Domenech. “ESSA is the
embodiment of this very policy, preserving very important federal policy
cornerstones like equity, accountability, standards and assessments, but doing
so in a way that empowers state and local education leaders to more effectively
operate the systems for which they are responsible.”
ESSA is a
significant improvement over current law. “Congress demonstrated its commitment to seeing ESEA reauthorization to
completion. This legislation builds on 8 years of momentum, and carries forward
the very strong bipartisan sentiment of more recent efforts,” said David
Schuler, AASA president. “Our nation’s schools and the students they serve want
and deserve more than the broken, outdated remnants of No Child Left Behind. It
is imperative Congress not only pass ESSA, but do so in an expedient manner and
deliver this bill to the President’s desk before the New Year.”
Further AASA
analysis and response is available on AASA’s policy blog, The Leading Edge.
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About AASA
AASA,
The School Superintendents Association,
founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000
educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA’s
mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are
dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children. For more
information, visit www.aasa.org.