{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://cramer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/cramer-house-overhauls-no-child-left-behind", "Cramer: House Overhauls No Child Left Behind", "2015-12-02", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "ND", "Kevin Cramer", "C001096", "cramer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.Congressman Kevin Cramer announced today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the conference report for S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). It replaces the nations current education law commonly called No Child Left Behind(NCLB) and overhauls it with an education initiative designed to empower parents and to restore local control of education. One important aspect of the legislation is specific language prohibiting any federal bureaucrat, including the Secretary of Education, from coercing states into adopting Common Core.\nA quality education ensures our children are equipped to succeed and become active and productive members of our society. Unfortunately, our nations current education system is failing too many students and sentencing them to a lifetime of mediocrity and failure, said Cramer.\nHe cited statistics showing approximately one out of every five students drops out of high school and many students who graduate lack the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue a postsecondary education and compete in the workforce. Only 38 percent of high school seniors can read at grade level, and 26 percent are proficient in math, said Cramer. ESSA returns control of education to where it belongs, in the hands of parents and local school districts. Our goal should be consolidating and eliminating unnecessary or duplicate federal programs. Local flexibility and local control allows parents and school districts to address local challenges and more effectively use education resources.\nCramer praised the language in the bill allowing states to set education standards and preventing the federal government from forcing Common Core on local communities. States, not the federal government, should determine their own education standards. ESSA allows states to become Common Core Free Zones without being punished by the federal government.\nSummary of S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act\n Places new and unprecedented restrictions on the authority of the Secretary of Education. The agreement ends the Secretarys ability to impose requirements on states and schools through executive fiat and ends the era of conditional waivers.\n\tProhibits the Secretary of Education from forcing or coercing states into adopting Common Core. No agent of the federal government  including the Secretary  can interfere with the right of states to develop or change its own set of standards.\n\tEnds the era of federally-mandated high-stakes testing. The agreement empowers parents by continuing annual assessments in reading and math, but it also eliminates the federally-mandated high-stakes strings attached to these assessments.\n\tEliminates the federally-mandated one-size-fits-all accountability system. The agreement repeals the overly punitive federal accountability system  known as Adequate Yearly Progress or AYP  and restores to state and local leaders the responsibility for holding schools accountable.\n\tRepeals 49 ineffective and duplicative federal programs. The agreement helps clean up a confusing maze of K-12 education programs and requires the Secretary to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy accordingly.\n\tProvides states and schools new funding flexibility. The agreement establishes a block grant with existing federal dollars that states and school districts can use to fund priorities set at the local level.\n\tHolds the line on no new pre-k programs. Instead of creating a new pre-k program, the agreement relocates to the Department of Health and Human Services an existing program using existing resources to promote better coordination and alignment across state and federal pre-k initiatives.\n\tProhibits the use of federal education dollars to fund abortions. This is the first time federal education law will include a clear prohibition on the use of education dollars to fund abortion services.\n\tOffers parents more school choice. The agreement supports the replication of high-quality charter schools and improves the magnet school program. The agreement also empowers eligible states to let funds follow students to the schools they attend, rewarding excellent schools that enroll students who are harder to serve.\n\tProvides a four year authorization of the law. A top priority for leading conservatives, a more limited reauthorization will ensure the next President has an opportunity to continue this effort to reduce the federal role and restore local control in k-12 education.\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": ["http://cramer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/cramer-house-overhauls-no-child-left-behind"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5766327269375324, "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"}