Step Closer to Proper Role of Federal Government in U.S. Education
CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
July 16, 2015
Kara Kerwin, president of The Center for Education Reform (CER), together with CER senior fellow and president emeritus Jeanne Allen, issued the following statement on the U.S. Senate’s passage today of the Every Child Achieves Act (S.1177):
“With appreciation for the bi-partisan approach with which the Senate leadership has deliberated and passed their Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization, we believe we are finally once again on the way to reinforcing the proper role of Washington in education.
“Education is and must remain a national priority, and excellence in education an international imperative. Parents and high-quality educators must be assured that their work and positions of authority count more in schooling than the misguided dictates of the federal bureaucracy.
“We applaud the Every Child Achieves Act for reinforcing the principle of local autonomy and state sovereignty in pursuing the reforms and programs that they believe, through a democratic process, best fit the needs of the students, the communities and the schools that they know best.
“The Center for Education Reform is dedicated to and founded in 1993 on the belief that only by expanding choice and accountability in education can we achieve excellence in every school and for every child. Such tenets have over the last 25 years resulted in increased success at all levels.
“We still believe that money should follow the child and that federal money should honor that principle wherever states have choice programs, and are thus disappointed that the Alexander and Scott amendments failed.
Nevertheless, the Senate’s effort is a great advance, and along with a strong House bill, will correct the overreach of this and subsequent administrations for years to come.”
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Founded in 1993, to bridge the gap between policy and practice, The Center for Education Reform is the pioneer and leading voice for substantive change that transforms learning opportunities and outcomes for America’s children. Additional information about CER and its activities can be found at www.edreform.com.