U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Bob Menendez pledged support for an education reform bill that would greatly reduce the federal role in schools and give more control to states on issues like testing, standards and teacher accountability.
The Every Student Succeeds Act has already passed the House of Representatives and is scheduled for a vote today in the Senate. With support in the Senate and from President Obama, the bill is expected to become law and replace the much-criticized No Child Left Behind act.
"The bill reaffirms the federal government's commitment to support student, teacher and school success while turning a page on the overly prescriptive No Child Left Behind era," Booker said in a conference call Monday with Menendez and Wendell Steinhauer, president of the New Jersey Education Association, the statewide teachers union.
Menendez said the bill would allow states to develop their own accountability systems to better respond to the unique needs and challenges that struggling schools face.
"It replaces the one-size-fits-all approach with one that is more balanced," Menendez said.
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