Read the PDF of our statement here
Today, Republican leaders of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce introduced resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to overturn the regulations on accountability and state plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
This resolution cannot move forward. The accountability regulations are more critical now than ever in light of threats to meaningful accountability for states and local school districts, including the pending nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. Ms. DeVos has repeatedly expressed that deference, rather than demands for accountability for student outcomes, would be her approach to working with state and local officials.
“These ESSA regulations help ensure that state and local education officials develop and implement plans that hold schools accountable for the success of all students and that keep students in the classroom and learning,” said Todd A. Cox, Director of Policy of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
“The regulations reinforce and enhance key provisions in the law that promote positive school climates, reducing exclusionary discipline practices that disproportionately impact students of color,” concluded Cox.
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization and has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF.
