In 2002, Congress reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and renamed it the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). NCLB reshaped many federal aid programs for elementary and secondary education, and put more emphasis on academic standards and accountability.
While Senator Murray applauds the goals of NCLB, she is convinced that setting a high bar and then failing to give states, schools and students the resources to succeed will leave far too many children behind. Furthermore, she is also concerned about how the tests and stringent, federally-imposed monitoring formulas end up hindering the progress of schools and children. In many cases, this law yields results that run counter to its goals and leads to a focus on testing at the expense of learning.
As Congress works to reauthorize NCLB, she plans to use the opportunity to revisit these issues and make sure that NCLB lives up to its promise. Additionally, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray will continue to push for increased federal funding for education programs, and to remind Congress that a strong education system is vital for our nation to stay competitive in the global economy