WASHINGTON -
Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall joined a bipartisan majority of senators to pass a bill to make much-needed reforms to the nation's controversial No Child Left Behind education law. The Every Child Achieves Act passed the Senate 81-17, and takes steps to expand access to high-quality K-12 education. Udall worked to include several New Mexico priorities in the bill, including measures to strengthen Native American schools, expand access to health and physical education, improve STEM education, and increase support for teachers and teen parents.
While the bill makes many important reforms to No Child Left Behind, Udall said he is disappointed that it does not include other amendments he pushed for to improve the law and ensure it supports New Mexico students and teachers. This includes a measure to expand access to early learning opportunities for children under age 5, and amendments to strengthen accountability and ensure low-performing schools have a path toward improvement.
"This bill is a major step forward for New Mexico students and families and finally eliminates the one-size-fits-all provisions of No Child Left Behind that have been so frustrating for parents and teachers in our state and across the nation," Udall said. "While the Senate bill is not as strong as I'd like for New Mexico, moving the bill forward is the best way to advance much-needed change. Now it's time for the president, Senate and House to come together and agree on a final bill that fixes No Child Left Behind, expands resources for New Mexico students and teachers, and ensures all children - no matter their background or zip code - can get a high-quality education."
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a separate bill to reform No Child Left Behind earlier this month. The next step is for House and Senate leaders to reconcile the bills in conference. As the process moves forward, Udall plans to continue pushing for the key provisions in the Senate legislation and additional reforms to strengthen accountability and resources for New Mexico students.
New Mexico priorities Udall worked to include in the Every Child Achieves Act include:
- Investments in STEM teaching, financial literacy, rural school districts and community schools.
- Steps to expand early childhood education.
- Measures to classify physical education and health as core subjects.
- Provisions to provide support to help teen parents stay in school and graduate.
- A measure to strengthen Native language immersion programs.
- A floor amendment calling for the secretaries of Education and the Interior to study ways to improve graduation rates and teacher retention at Bureau of Indian Education schools.
- A floor amendment to ensure that the Bureau of Indian Education is eligible to apply for competitive discretionary grants as a state education agency, when appropriate.
