Alexander, Murray: Full Senate to Begin Debate on Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Fix No Child Left Behind

Statement

Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), following Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's announcement that the Senate would take up the bipartisan, bicameral agreement to fix No Child Left Behind next week, said they look forward to a successful vote in the Senate, following passage in the House of Representatives yesterday by a vote of 359-64.

"The legislation before the Senate next week fixes No Child Left Behind by reversing the trend toward a national school board and restoring to states, communities and teachers the responsibility for improving student achievement," Alexander said. "It passed the House of Representatives yesterday by a vote of 359-64 and received huge bipartisan support in the Senate earlier this year. I expect the same result next week so we can finally send a bill to the president's desk to fix this broken law for our 50 million children and 3.4 million teachers in 100,000 public schools."

"Moving forward on these last steps to finally fix No Child Left Behind is great news for students, parents, teachers, and communities in Washington state and across the country," Murray said. "I look forward to the Senate voting to reduce reliance on high-stakes testing, invest in improving and expanding access to early learning programs, ensure all students have access to a quality education, and so much more. I will continue working hard to finish our bipartisan work in the Senate next week and send the bill the President's desk so that this legislation can get to work for my home state and our nation."

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