“Passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act is a significant achievement that will better empower Washington state to ensure all students have access to a high-quality education. This legislation removes the outdated and burdensome mandates of No Child Left Behind, and will provide our state with new federal tools to support students, teachers, parents and schools. I was pleased, as chairman of the National Governors Association’s Education & Workforce Committee, to work with Republican and Democratic governors to help advance these critical federal education policy changes.
“Earlier this year our state made historic investments in the full continuum of education, including early learning, K-12, and higher education – investments that will provide greater opportunities for our students and a more competitive economic future for our state. Under ESSA we will be able to more effectively leverage these investments in our classrooms by restoring lost federal funding, enhancing our work on early learning and programs that support at-risk schools and students, and improving our ability to recruit quality teachers.
"I appreciate the support that Washington's congressional delegation provided for the ESSA. I am especially appreciative of the leadership of Washington Senator Patty Murray, one of the sponsors of the bill, who has fought for years to realize these important reforms.”