Bennet, ESEA Conference Committee Approve Framework for K-12 Education Overhaul

Press Release

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the House-Senate conference committee to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), today voted to approve the bipartisan, bicameral framework to fix No Child Left Behind. The agreement represents the conference committee's work to reconcile the differences between the House- and Senate-passed bills.

As part of the agreement, the conference committee adopted Bennet's amendment that allows states to set a target limit on the amount of time devoted to testing.

"It is long past time to reauthorize this law," Bennet said. "There are teachers and kids all over Colorado and the country working incredibly hard, often under adverse circumstances, trying to teach and trying to learn. Fixing No Child Left Behind is just one step, but this bill represents meaningful progress to help our students, our teachers, and schools all across Colorado."

At a conference committee meeting yesterday, Bennet highlighted the need to fix No Child Left Behind's one-sized-fits-all approach, while maintaining its core strengths. This includes provisions that forced us to face the facts about how kids in poverty are doing in our schools and to take action when schools consistently fail our kids.

Source