Oppose the Student Success Act (H.R. 3989)

Recipient: The Honorable John Kline, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce

Dear Chairman Kline:

The 41 undersigned
organizations – representing a broad cross section of civil rights, disability,
business and education organizations – write to firmly oppose the Student
Success Act (H.R. 3989), which would amend and reauthorize Title I and other
parts of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Together we
represent parents, educators, employers, and millions of students with
disabilities, low-income students, students of color, English language learners
(ELLs), and the children of migrant workers – all boys and girls who, through
education, are working to build bright futures. We are disappointed that H.R.
3989 does not incorporate the suggested changes on accountability that
undersigned groups suggested in our prior letter.

All agree that ESEA must be
updated. However, this bill is not an update; it is a rollback. It
undermines the core American value of equal opportunity in education embodied
in Brown v. Board of Education. Specifically, it abandons accountability
for the achievement and learning gains of subgroups of disadvantaged students
who for generations have been harmed by low academic expectations. The bill
also eliminates performance targets, removes parameters regarding the use of
federal funds to help improve struggling schools, does not address key
disparities in opportunity such as access to high-quality college preparatory
curricula, restricts the federal government from protecting underprivileged
students, and fails to advance the current movement toward college-and
career-ready standards. As a result, the bill would thrust us back to an
earlier time when states could choose to ignore disparities for children of
color, low-income students, ELLs, and students with disabilities. The results
in that time, for these groups of students and for our nation as a whole, were
devastating.

The last time the federal
government left accountability completely to the states, two-thirds decided to
do nothing; only two states included the performance of individual groups of
students in their systems. The rest took action in name only, setting targets
too low or too vague to meaningfully drive student improvement. The students we
represent cannot withstand the risk of Congress allowing states to return to
old habits – aiming low and abandoning children deemed too difficult or
inconsequential to educate. The bill, as written, would invite such a result.

This bill also would allow
federal dollars to flow but require virtually nothing in return. This is bad
for students and bad for taxpayers. Federal funding must be attached to firm,
ambitious, and unequivocal demands for higher achievement, improved high school
graduation rates, and progress in closing both achievement and opportunity
gaps. Any reauthorization of ESEA must, at minimum, require states to set clear
goals and provide instructional support so that all students receive an
education that prepares them for success in college and careers.

We also believe ESEA should
respect the important contributions and roles of all those responsible for
providing public education: states, districts, schools, and teachers. This
includes holding all responsible parties accountable, something the bill does
not accomplish. And while the ESEA must continue to balance federal oversight
and decisionmaking at the state level, it must ensure that the federal
government retains its long-standing and crucial role in safeguarding equal
educational opportunity.

We hope to work with you and
the committee to address our concerns as this legislation moves forward. For
additional information, please contact Dianne Piche at [email protected] or
Kate Tromble at [email protected].

 

Sincerely,

50CAN: The 50-State Campaign
for Achievement Now

The Advocacy Institute

American Association of People
with Disabilities

The American Association of
University Women

American Civil Liberties Union

American Federation of Teachers

The Arc

Autism National Committee

Bazelon Center for Mental
Health Law

Business Coalition for Student
Achievement

The Center for American
Progress Action Fund

The Center for Law and
Education

Children’s Defense Fund

Council of Parent Attorneys and
Advocates, Inc.

Democrats for Education Reform

Disability Rights Education and
Defense Fund

The Education Trust

Gay, Lesbian & Straight
Education Network

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil
Rights Under Law

The Leadership Conference on
Civil and Human Rights

League of United Latin American
Citizens

MALDEF (the Mexican American
League Defense and Education Fund)

Mental Health America

NAACP

NAACP Legal Defense and
Educational Fund, Inc.

National Center for Learning
Disabilities

National Council on Independent
Living

National Council of La Raza

National Disability Rights
Network

National Down Syndrome Congress

National Down Syndrome Society

National Urban League

National Women’s Law Center

The New Teacher Project

Poverty & Race Research
Action Council

Public Advocates, Inc.

Southeast Asia Resource Action
Center

Stand for Children

Students for Education Reform

Thurgood Marshall College Fund

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

 

cc. The Honorable
George Miller, Ranking Member, House Committee on Education and the Workforce