ISTA welcomes new education law to create greater opportunity for every student to succeed
12/11/2015
Today, President Obama signed into law S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a bipartisan, bicameral bill to reauthorize the federal education law known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. NEA President Lily Eskelsen García joined the president at the bill signing. Indiana’s Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN4) was also in attendance.
Students and educators have lived with the unintended consequences of the failed No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) for more than 14 years. ISTA and other NEA members have waged an unprecedented mobilization and advocacy campaign on behalf of Indiana’s students in an effort to turn the page on the failed NCLB law and to bring in a new federal education law that provides more opportunity for all students.
With ESSA, educators will now have a seat at the table when it comes to making decisions that affect their students and classrooms. This legislation begins to close the opportunity gaps for students by providing a new system that includes an ‘opportunity dashboard’ with indicators of school success and student support. Not only does it reduce the amount of standardized testing in schools, but it decouples high-stakes decisions and statewide testing so students have more time to develop critical thinking, while educators do what they love—inspire a lifelong love of learning.
For ISTA members, the stakes couldn’t have been higher. The extraordinary effort to get Congress to rewrite NCLB, resulted in an unprecedented bipartisan, bicameral compromise and eventual bill language in late November. The bill sailed through both the U.S. House and Senate. The House voted 359 - 64 and Senate 85 - 12.
A majority of Indiana’s Congressional delegation voted in favor of the bill. Reps. Visclosky (D-1), Walorski (R-IN2), Rokita (R-IN4), Brooks (R-IN5), Messer (R-IN6), Carson (D-IN7), Bucshon (R-IN8), Young (R-IN9) supported the bill. Both Senators Donnelly (D-IN) and Coats (R-IN) voted in favor. ISTA would like to thank these members for their support. Rep. Stutzman (R–IN3) was the only no vote from the Indiana delegation.
Leading up to ESSA’s passage, educators mobilized in Indiana and across the nation, using face-to-face meetings with lawmakers, phone calls, petitions, emails and social media to urge Congress to bring the joy of teaching and learning back to the classroom and help close opportunity and resource gaps so that all students have access to a well-rounded education. Educators nationwide made nearly a half million individual contacts to members of Congress.