Governor Hassan's Statement on Passage of Federal Every Student Succeeds Act

Statement

Governor Maggie Hassan issued the following statement today after the United States Senate passed the Every Student Succeeds Act:

"Strengthening education so that we can help our students develop the skills and innovative thinking needed for success in the 21st century economy is critical to expanding opportunity for all of our people. By reauthorizing and reforming the Elementary and Secondary Education Act -- something I fought for as Vice Chair of the National Governors Association Education and Workforce Development Committee -- the Every Student Succeeds Act gives states greater flexibility necessary to meet the needs of our students, teachers and schools, and in turn, our businesses and economy.

"This includes more locally managed assessments that empower our students and our teachers, allowing more states to follow the model created here in New Hampshire through our Performance Assessment for Competency Education (PACE) pilot, as well as moving teacher evaluations away from being tied to student scores. It increases funding opportunities for early childhood education and preschool, which is critical to the long-term development and success of our children, and continues to strengthen efforts to modernize education in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"New Hampshire is a leader in competency-based education and innovation in our public schools, and this important measure will help us continue our innovative work in the Granite State and at the local level to develop an even stronger workforce pipeline and ensure that students are prepared for success in all phases of life. I applaud Senator Shaheen for her leadership on this bill, particularly on the STEM provisions, and look forward to it becoming law."

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