Sen. Ernst Statement on Passage of the Every Child Achieves Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) released the following statement after voting for passage of the Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA):

“As a mother and grandmother, I believe education is an issue best handed at the local level – by Iowans – and not Washington bureaucrats that employ a top down, one size fits all approach.

“The long overdue reforms to fix No Child Left Behind in the Every Child Achieves Act will restore local control, remove the weight of the federal government on our school systems, and empower parents, local educators and school boards to make the best decisions for their students. I voted for several amendments that would have further strengthened local control and improved the bill, and although they were unfortunately not adopted, these should be ideas we continue to push forward. Ultimately, this legislation affords greater flexibility for our individual school systems to design and implement their education and accountability standards as they see fit. 

“The Every Child Achieves Act is a positive step forward to ensure our students have access to quality education now, and for future generations.”

About the Every Child Achieves Act

• Ends federal accountability standards created in No Child Left Behind
• Restores state authority to handle and define teacher evaluation and quality
• Ensures federal Common Core-like requirements cannot be imposed from Washington  

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