Conference Report on H.R. 1777, Student Success Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concerns with S. 1177--the Every Student Succeeds Act. I cast my vote in favor of the Every Student Succeeds Act because I believe it is an improvement from No Child Left Behind (NCLB), our nation's current law. However, I strongly believe this legislation falls short in many areas--specifically resource equity, federal authority, and data disaggregation for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students.
While I am pleased that S. 1177 requires schools where students are consistently struggling to report on resource inequities, it does not hold states accountable for these inequities. States with dramatic investment disparities will be required only to identify gaps, not necessarily to close them.
Additionally, this legislation significantly limits secretarial authority by relinquishing much of the responsibility for monitoring and enforcing protections for vulnerable students from the federal government to the states. History shows us that strong federal oversight compelled states to identify and address achievement gaps faced by minority and low-income students. Without this strong oversight, I am concerned that these vulnerable groups will once again fall through the cracks.
Finally, I am very disappointed that S. 1177 does not require that data collected and reported on AAPI students be disaggregated by ethnic subgroups. As the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), I have worked to combat the so-called ``model minority myth,'' which leads people to believe that AAPI students are all high-achieving and successful. In reality, the AAPI population includes over 40 distinct ethnic groups who speak over 100 different languages. However, this diversity in experience and success is often masked when data is not disaggregated by AAPI subgroups. As a result, many AAPI students fail to receive resources that would help them succeed academically.
I believe that S. 1177 is an improvement over the patchwork system our country is currently operating under in the wake of NCLB, but it falls short on the promise to serve all of our children. I will continue to work to ensure that every child, regardless of economic background, race, gender, sexual orientation, family history, or ability receives a free, high-quality education that enables them to achieve the American Dream.
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