Murray Statement on Alexander No Child Left Behind Proposal

(Washington, D.C.) –Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement on Chairman Lamar Alexander’s No Child Left Behind proposal.

“Anyone I talk to, Republican or Democrat, agrees that No Child Left Behind is a broken law that needs to be fixed. Now that we have each laid out our priorities I am hopeful that Chairman Alexander and I will begin a truly bipartisan process to provide every child with the quality education and opportunity they deserve. I have serious concerns about many aspects of Chairman Alexander’s bill, especially its consequences for children in struggling schools that aren’t reaching high standards, for accountability measures that ensure taxpayer dollars are translating into educational gains, and for investments we absolutely must make in early childhood education and other areas that will help our children and country succeed. Reaching agreement despite these serious differences won’t be easy, but the two parties showed last Congress that if we come to the table ready to work across the aisle, we can break through the gridlock and dysfunction to deliver results for our constituents. I am looking forward to beginning conversations about a bipartisan approach to fix this broken law in a way that ensures every student has access to a quality public education, regardless of where they live, how they learn, or how much money their parents make.”

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