Reforming America's Education System

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, just a few minutes ago I returned from the White House, where President Barack Obama signed historic reforms for elementary and secondary education into law.

I was proud to serve on the conference committee that was responsible for settling the differences between the House and the Senate versions of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which has replaced No Child Left Behind.

This is legislation which has been years in the making and which will finally put the control of education back into the hands of our States, our schools, and, of course, our parents and teachers across the Nation.

It also calls for the U.S. Department of Education to study how title I funds are distributed. I have long been concerned that children are put at a disadvantage based on the populations of their school districts rather than on a concentration of poverty. I am hopeful that this study will make the argument for a more equitable method of distributing these funds to areas that are deeply affected by poverty.

This is a bill that I believe will make a real difference for students across the Nation. I was proud to see it gain overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.

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