Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Rick Allen (R-Ga.-12), member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, today supported the Student Success Act (H.R. 5), legislation to replace No Child Left Behind, restore local control of education, and expand opportunities in K-12 schools. The legislation was passed by the House, and Congressman Allen released the following statement:

“Current federal mandates and one-size-fits-all accountability standards are holding back teachers and limiting opportunities for students. No one knows the individual needs of students better than the parents, teachers, and local education leaders who spend time with them every day. That’s why students are best served when education reforms are developed at the state and local level, not by federal bureaucrats in Washington.”

Congressman Allen continued, “While not perfect, the Student Success Act is a strong step forward in restoring local control and putting education back in the right hands. The bill implements bottom-up reforms that promote innovation at the local level and stop top-down education mandates. It allows states to create their own systems to assess school performance and empowers parents and local education leaders with information to hold schools accountable. We all agree that every child deserves access to a quality education. The Student Success Act will create more opportunities for students by returning responsibility to the parents, teachers and education leaders who know them best.”

Congressman Allen spoke on the House floor today on how the Student Success Act will strengthen K-12 schools. You can watch the video HERE.

Text of the Student Success Act can be found HERE.  The legislation:

·         Replaces the current national accountability system with a system led by states to give responsibility for measuring school performance back to states and school districts.

·         Prevents the Secretary of Education from coercing states into adopting programs like Common Core, as well as other common standards.

·         Empowers parents with information to hold schools accountable for effectively teaching while expanding school choice options.

·         Eliminates nearly 70 unnecessary programs and replaces them with a Local Academic Flexible Grant, providing more flexibility for states to meet the needs of their students.