NCLR: ESEA Bill An Encouraging Step Forward, But More Needs To Be Done

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April 9, 2015                                                                                                    Camila Gallardo
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WASHINGTON, D.C.—This week Sens. Patty Murray (D–Wash.) and Lamar Alexander (R–Tenn.) unveiled the “Every Child Achieves Act,” a bipartisan bill aimed at overhauling the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Since its passage in 1965, ESEA has played a key role in guiding educational resources and providing support for students in the nation’s most vulnerable communities. The new proposal aims to update the current iteration of ESEA, known as No Child Left Behind, which expired in 2007.

“While many gains have been made as a result of ESEA, including increased graduation rates among minority and lower-income students, we still have not achieved educational parity. That is why we applaud this bipartisan effort to reauthorize ESEA and make much-needed improvements to the law,” said Delia Pompa, Senior Vice President of Programs, NCLR (National Council of La Raza).

NCLR is particularly pleased with the bill’s provisions on English learners (ELs), which strengthen accountability requirements by setting high expectations for these students in statewide plans. Moreover, the “Every Child Achieves Act” emphasizes long-term ELs and ELs with a disability, a much-needed improvement to the law.

While NCLR applauds the improvements in the EL provisions, more needs to be done overall to maintain a robust federal role with funding attached to ambitious demands for higher achievement for all students. Our policies should ensure that all students have the opportunity to obtain an excellent and equitable education and that there are timely interventions to ensure this is happening. NCLR looks forward to working with Congress on the reauthorization of a new ESEA that will help set all of our nation’s children on a smoother path to educational success.

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

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