WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) spoke on the Senate floor today in support of the bipartisan Every Child Achieves Act, which seeks to reform federal education policy by putting decisions about education back in the hands of those who know best: the students, parents, teachers and state and local officials. The bipartisan Every Child Achieves Act passed out of committee unanimously and is now being considered on the Senate floor.
Senator Capito also urged support for a bipartisan amendment she introduced with Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). The amendment requires state and local educational agencies to include postsecondary enrollment information and encourages the inclusion of remediation rates on the existing report card measures included in the Every Child Achieves Act.
Video of the speech and the full remarks as prepared for delivery are below.
Watch Senator Capito’s floor speech here.
Remarks as prepared for delivery:
“Thank you, Madam President.
“I rise to express my strong support for the Every Child Achieves Act that is now pending before the Senate. I want to commend Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray for the bipartisan process that brought to the floor a bill that will improve the quality of education for children across the country.
“The Every Child Achieves Act puts state and local officials back in control of our local schools.
“This bill stops the Department of Education from conditioning federal funding on the adoption of national standards like Common Core.
“Importantly, this bill also makes sure that parents and taxpayers continue to have access to important information about how the schools in their community are performing.
“The Every Child Achieves Act deserves the Senate’s support this week.
“Last week the Senate unanimously adopted an amendment that will allow community school programs the flexibility to use federal funds to pay for a site resource coordinator at their school or local education agency.
“Community school programs provide important health, nutrition and other key services for many West Virginia students living in poverty.
“The amendment passed last week will allow those programs to better coordinate with community partners to provide resources and support for our children in need. I was happy to work with Senators Brown and Manchin to see that amendment pass.
“I also want to talk briefly about a bipartisan amendment I introduced with Senator Durbin that takes important steps to create more transparency for students and families.
“It does so by allowing them to know the quality and progress of their schools as it relates to college readiness.
“This amendment would require state and local educational agencies to include postsecondary enrollment data on the existing report card measures included in the Every Child Achieves Act.
“It also encourages the inclusion of data on postsecondary remediation.
“Supported by dozens of organizations, including the College Summit, the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce this amendment seeks to improve the education outcomes of our students.
“Parents and students alike deserve to know that they are being adequately prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary programs.
“Including these simple, easy to understand outcome measures on state and local report cards will provide them with 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 it most.
“This amendment was carefully crafted to avoid putting onerous and additional burdens on states and schools.
“Nearly all states have already made the investments necessary to collect, link and report data on postsecondary enrollment and success.
“In fact, the majority of states are already reporting the information called for in this amendment.
“Currently, 40 states produce high school feedback reports that include postsecondary enrollment data. More than 30 states already include some measure of postsecondary success, such as remediation rates.
“Adding postsecondary enrollment and remediation rates to existing report card measures included in the Every Child Achieves Actwould ensure that students, parents, educators and policymakers have access to critical information about how well our high schools are preparing students to enter and succeed in postsecondary programs.
“The end result will be successfully restoring decision-making to those who know best – the students and their parents.
“I urge you to join me in supporting this important and bipartisan amendment.”