Civil rights groups asks feds to keep an eye on states as new education law moves forward
President Barack Obama at the December signing of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the new federal education law. (AP)
That includes students who are: living with disabilities; from poor families; English-language learners; Native Americans; LGBTQ; homeless; in foster care; in the juvenile justice system; boys and girls of color.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and 54 organizations issued a letter to acting Education Secretary John B. King urging him to use whatever power he could to make sure states and school districts implement the Every Student Succeeds Act with “robust and meaningful” regulations and oversight.
In December, No Child Left Behind – one of former President George W. Bush’s signature initiatives – was scrapped as lawmakers rewrote the education law by significantly shifting accountability standards back to the states.
Most everyone agreed it was time to fix NCLB as some claimed it was too punitive and relied too much on standardized testing. But many worry that efforts to hold states and school districts accountable for all children will be scrapped with it.
Schools had to make progress on subgroups to receive passing marks. That meant making sure children with disabilities, poor students, English-language learners, Blacks, Hispanics and other groups of students were learning.
Schools, districts and states faced escalating punishments for not meeting “adequate yearly progress.”
Now that the ESSA allows for states to be the driving force in setting accountability standards, groups representing such students want assurances.
“Given the long history of state and local decisions shortchanging vulnerable students, the department cannot shirk from its regulatory and enforcement responsibilities to ensure that the implementation of ESSA eliminates, not perpetuates, persistent inequities in our nation’s public education system,” reads the letter.
Lawmakers in Washing, D.C., are holding hearings on how the new law should be implemented. You can watch last month’s hearing here.Civil rights groups asks feds to keep an eye on states as new education law moves forward | | Dallas Morning News:
