By U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, (R-KS)
Education is essential to expanding opportunities for Kansans and Americans – it is the primary gateway to upward mobility and achieving the American Dream. The global competitiveness of our state and nation is directly related to the quality of our students’ education, from pre-K to college and beyond. Given this impact, I believe the key to excellence in education is dedicated, passionate teachers who are committed to their students and strive to unleash their unique potentials.
I often witness this special teacher-student interaction firsthand when I visit schools and classrooms across our state. When fielding thoughtful questions from a high school government class, watching students compete in a robotics competition with machines they made or submitting my annual nominations of patriotic young men and women to our nation’s Service Academies, I learn how our Kansas students are uniquely inspired by a teacher, coach or mentor who made a positive impact in their lives.
To foster this special commitment and ignite students’ creative fire, we must increase flexibility for state and local schools to tailor education initiatives around the unique needs of Kansas students. Since parents and teachers know the educational needs of their children and students best, I have long believed that federal education policies should allow local school districts to determine how to best use federal educational resources. Education is far too important to be ceded to the Washington overreach that has continually failed to improve school performance.
In 2001, I voted against passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the primary source of federal aid to K-12 education and most recent authorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), because it did not afford sufficient flexibility to Kansas schools. Education is a process that involves more than just preparing for and taking tests. NCLB’s one-size-fits-all federally-mandated approach attempted to standardize education, stifling the passion and creativity most needed for educational success. As Kansas ranchers say, “If you want fat cattle, you need to feed them, not just weigh them.” We must prepare students for the challenges of life, not just standardized tests.
Most ESEA programs have not been updated since expiring in 2008, so consideration of a reauthorization has been long overdue. Over the last two weeks, the Senate considered a reauthorization package called the Every Child Achieves Act (S. 1177). I voted against this bill because I believe it does not go far enough in reducing the counterproductive federal mandates currently dictating K-12 education. Under S. 1177, Washington bureaucrats will still have a substantial say in curriculum development, school testing and assessment decisions – functions best handled by states and local school districts. The measure continues to mandate testing requirements, and states would still have to submit their accountability standards to Washington for approval. Unfortunately, this legislation misses an opportunity to give responsibility back to those who best know the unique needs of students, families and educators. Under the U.S. Constitution, the federal government’s role in education is limited and common sense tells us the Founders were right.
Senate passage of S. 1177 sets up a conference with the House, which passed its ESEA reauthorization measure earlier this month. When this Senate-House conference gets underway, I will continue to advocate for freeing Kansas schools from Washington control by putting states and local school districts back in control of education policies. Educators improve the world one student at a time, and this change happens in classrooms throughout Kansas every day. I will continue working to make certain federal policies are supporting, rather than stifling, this positive energy.