| Washington D.C.- Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), a member of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), today introduced legislation that would release states from the bureaucratic forces of Washington thrust upon them by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. The Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act of 2007 (A-PLUS) – introduced with 50 cosponsors – provides flexibility by empowering states to implement child-first initiatives that ensure the efficiency and accountability that parents deserve.
“Congress has gone from overwhelmingly voting against national testing in 1998 to the largest federal intrusion into education since the Department of Education was created in 1979 under No Child Left Behind,” said U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI). “The federal government cannot continue to impose more testing, more costly mandates and more penalties.”
Despite the good intentions that led to its enactment, NCLB has not performed up to expectations. NCLB has continued centralizing education requirements through Washington rather than parents and local communities. Mandates set by Washington – directly linked to funding – can be reached by lowering standards on the local level. As a result, Washington’s influence in local education can promote mediocrity over excellence. In addition, NCLB costs states and communities over 6 million hours and $140 million each year just to fill out the paperwork necessary to comply with the law.
“We need an education system that most effectively teaches our children about math, science, and history,
teaches our children right from wrong, and helps them to compete in the 21st Century,” said RSC Chairman Jeb Hensarling. “Those who know our children best are able to care for them best. I believe we need to bring more free market principles, thus flexibility, into education so that parents have more freedom to make the best choice for their children.”
Hoekstra’s legislation provides all states the option to provide the Secretary of Education with a “declaration of intent” to assume full responsibility for educating their students. States would continue to receive federal support while being empowered to advance their own policy.
“We need to restore accountability to parents and communities, those closest to the unique needs of their children and who are best able to address local issues.” Hoekstra said.
The Republican Study Committee is the largest caucus in the House of Representatives, consisting of over 100 Conservative Republicans.
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