Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Supports Passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act

Press Release

Last night, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) voted in favor of the conference report for S.1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The legislation makes significant changes to the No Child Left Behind Act, and includes language introduced by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard earlier this year to reauthorize funding for the Native Hawaiian Education Act (NHEA), which provides grants for innovative Native Hawaiian educational programs across the State of Hawaiʻi. It corrects measures the congresswoman opposed in the earlier House version of the bill, like codifying low sequestration-levels of education funding and Title I portability, which would have reduced the amount of funding that schools with the most need receive.

"I have long called for updating No Child Left Behind, and this bill helps to address many of the current challenges in our education system, including overly stringent standardized testing requirements that have put unnecessary pressure on schools, teachers, and students for years without effectively improving education for our keiki. The bill gives states more flexibility to determine the best way to measure success in their schools, and provides support for innovation, teacher quality, STEM education, and more," said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. "The inclusion of the reauthorization for the Native Hawaiian Education Act, based on the bill I introduced, will continue critical funding for thousands of Native Hawaiian children and families."

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