Student Success Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Madam Chair, I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland for his hard work on this important amendment and for his leadership. Currently, teacher attrition costs the United States over $1 billion each year. Many teachers leave within the first 5 years because of a lack of effective mentoring, training, and support. Providing these teachers with effective, evidence-based training through a Pay for Success model will not only save the government money, it will also help to retain top talent in the classroom.

Madam Chair, this amendment would do just that. It would give States and local school districts the ability to participate in this innovative new financing model in order to retain our best teachers.

Now, Pay for Success projects, also known as social impact bonds or social impact partnerships, are public-private partnerships that harness philanthropic and other private sector investments to scale up scientifically proven social and educational programs. Because these projects are focused on results, government money is only paid out to private sector investors when desired outcomes are met and only in accordance with the value assigned to those successful outcomes. This social impact financing model has the potential to fundamentally transform our Nation's education programs, shifting the focus of such programs from inputs to outcomes.

I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland, the gentleman from Colorado, and others for their leadership on this issue. I also want to thank my fellow colleague from Indiana for his overall leadership on this educational bill. I look forward to our continued cooperation on these efforts. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the State of Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers), my hardworking colleague.

Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the amendment, and I rise to support strong, conservative legislation that provides equal opportunity and education for everyone in this country, no matter their walk of life, how much money they may have, or what challenges they face. The Student Success Act improves, strengthens, and modernizes our classrooms to give all of our students the opportunity to reach their full potential.

As the mom of a 7-year-old son, Cole, who has special needs, I know firsthand that everyone has different needs in the classroom. Every student's path to learning is both unique and equally important. So I am proud to advance legislation that recognizes that.

It all starts by innovating and empowering America's students. That is why I have championed the 21st Century Classroom Innovation Act, included in today's legislation, and together we will ensure that that technology will be fully incorporated into our classrooms to enhance personalized learning for our students. By blending traditional learning programs with high tech tools, we will take our classrooms and our students to the 21st century.

But the foundation of real, educational reform goes beyond technological advancements and begins with an unequivocal recognition that our students may have different needs, but they should all have an equal opportunity--an equal opportunity to learn, an equal opportunity to graduate, and an equal opportunity for a diploma.
That is why I have championed several important provisions in the Student Success Act that address these needs.

First, when a State establishes guidelines for individualized alternative testing, they will do so on a subject-by-subject basis. Parents must be clearly informed when they move their children in alternative testing, so they will fully understand the implications of making those decisions for their kids.

Right now, far too many parents with children with disabilities aren't told when their kids are moved into alternative testing. This legislation changes that.

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