{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://costello.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-legislation-improve-elementary-and-secondary-education", "House Passes Legislation to Improve Elementary and Secondary Education, Replace No Child Left Behind", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Ryan Costello", "C001106", "costello.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Costello-led Legislation to Reduce Testing Included in Final Legislative Compromise\n\nWashington, DC  On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelming passed S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), marking a long overdue upgrade overthe No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. ESSAis the bipartisan and bicameral compromise of education bills passed by both the House and the Senate earlier this year. The Senate is set to pass the bill in the coming days and President Obama is expected to sign it into law before the end of the year.\nCongressman Ryan Costello (PA-06) applauded this legislative compromise, Passage of ESSA marks the culmination of a year-long effort to improve our schools and our childrens future.For years, I would hear about the need for the federal government to step back and return the influence over our childrens education to those who know best  parents and teachers.That is why since coming to Congress in January, passage of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization and reform has been at the very top of my bucket list.\nESSA incorporates provisions of H.R. 408, the SMART Act, which Congressman Costello helped introduce with Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici in January 2015.Costello stated, From Day One, I wanted to work to find a commonsense, bipartisan solution to the testing burden imposed on our students and teachers.The SMART Act provisions included as part of the ESSA will accomplish this by eliminating unnecessary and duplicative assessments, limiting the amount of classroom time that can be dedicated to testing, and providing school districts and teachers with resources to develop a classroom-based curriculum that meets the needs of their students.I thank Congresswoman Bonamici for her leadership and cooperation on this issue over the past year.\nThe ESEA is the primary source of federal assistance for K-12 education programs.First enacted in 1965, the ESEA was routinely reauthorized by Congress up until NCLB Act was enacted in 2001.Since the authorization for the ESEA set in NCLB expired in 2007, federal K-12 education policy has been operating without explicit congressional authorization.\nCostello added, Most of all, passage of this legislation establishes clear policy guidance for our schools, ending the eight-year vacuum that opened the door for the U.S. Department of Education to impose broad, one-size-fits all regulations on states and school districts.This legislation not only stops the federal government from dictating Common Core standards on our students, but it explicitly reins the power of the Secretary of Education and returns it back to the states and school districts where it belongs.\nYesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives took a significant step to usher in a new era in public education, said National Education Association (NEA) President Lily Eskelsen Garca. As a result of this vote, we are now on a path to ensuring every child has equal opportunity to a high quality education regardless of ZIP Code. We applaud Rep. Ryan Costello for getting the job done and doing what works for students, educators, and public education.\nESSA empowers teachers, state and local education leaders, parents, and our students by:\n Replacing the one-size-fits-all system by establishing a statewide accountability system\n\tMaintaining important information regarding student performance\n\tProviding states the tools needed to improve poor performing schools\n\tImproving accountability for learning outcomes for all students\n\tTargeting funds to assist at-risk students\n\tHelping schools improve teacher quality\n\tSupporting at-risk populations\n\tProviding greater funding flexibility to enhance support for students and schools\n\tPromoting high quality choices for parents\n\tMaintaining and strengthening critical programs\n On Tuesday, Costello spoke on the House floor in support of ESSA. View his remarks here.\nClick here for additional information on ESSA.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://costello.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-legislation-improve-elementary-and-secondary-education"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9379610419273376, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}