WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today voted for a bipartisan education reform bill that overhauls the No Child Left Behind Act and ends the Common Core mandate. The Every Student Succeeds Act – a combination of the Senate-passed Every Child Achieves Act and the House-passed Student Success Act – passed the Senate on an overwhelming 85-12 vote.

“Today’s passage of the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act is a significant step forward for an education system that is outdated and out of step with the needs of our students. This legislation ends the Common Core mandate and eliminates Washington’s ‘one size fits all’ approach to education. It puts decisions about education back in the hands of those who know best: states, parents and teachers,” said Senator Capito. “Our students deserve the highest academic standards, the best available teaching and the resources needed to excel in school. The Every Student Succeeds Act will help achieve those goals.”

“Many provisions in the bill will directly benefit West Virginia’s nearly 300,000 students, including funding for STEM programs and drug prevention education. The bill also includes three provisions I introduced to empower students and their families. These amendments seek to improve student access to the internet at home, fund health and social services at community schools, and provide parents with important information about their children’s schools.”

Senator Capito’s amendments in the Every Student Succeeds Act include:

Develops Metrics for Success
Requires state and local educational agencies to include college enrollment information on state and local report cards. By including this simple, easy to understand outcome measure, parents and students will have the information they need to make informed choices about their education. Additionally, the data will help states and school districts target limited resources to the schools that need them.

Promotes Digital Learning
Authorizes a report on closing the homework gap for students without internet access at home as proposed in the Digital Learning Equity Act and allows funding in the bill to be used to close this technology gap. Building on her Capito Connect plan, Senator Capito introduced legislation similar to these provisions with Senator Angus King (I-Maine) in June.

Helps Community Schools
Ensures that any West Virginia community school program receiving Title I funds can use these funds for their program and for a site resource coordinator at their school or local education agency. The bill also creates a new grant program to expand the community school model. Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides financial assistance to local schools with high numbers of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. Site resource coordinators work with the local community and nonprofits to identify additional resources that benefit students.

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