
The U.S. Senate approved the conference legislation known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a measure that – once signed into law by President Obama – will replace the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal law and will serve as the latest iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
by Dr. Susan Berry9 Dec 2015, 10:26 AM PST0

Sen. Patty Murray is crowing about one of her crowning achievements in the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) legislation: a newly codified federal preschool program and the taxpayer monies that will fund it.
by Dr. Susan Berry9 Dec 2015, 10:05 AM PST0

Alexander, who chairs the Senate committee that oversees education, and ranking member Sen. Patty Murray, congratulated each other numerous times on the floor of the Senate for completing the 1,061-page “bipartisan” conference legislation, much of which was apparently crafted behind closed doors and passed by the House last week after having been published for review only two days earlier.
by Dr. Susan Berry8 Dec 2015, 11:21 AM PST0

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday the country must “look forward, not backwards” on issues regarding “LBJs,” meaning “LGBTs.”
by Dr. Susan Berry28 Oct 2015, 9:11 AM PST0

“This is one of the greatest illustrations of the butchery, if you will, of our culture and the literal attack on words to call what happens in a Planned Parenthood clinic ‘health,’” Limbaugh said. “Whether you preface it by saying women’s health or whatever, there’s nothing healthy going on in here.”
by Dr. Susan Berry30 Jul 2015, 1:50 PM PST0

Many in the GOP reportedly refrained from voting until the last minute and some changed their votes under pressure from Republican leadership. Only one conservative amendment, introduced by Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) was adopted, by a vote of 251-178, that would allow parents to opt their children out of standardized testing.
by Dr. Susan Berry8 Jul 2015, 5:32 PM PST0

It’s worth noting that in the half-century since the ESEA was passed as part of Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” billions of dollars have been spent – by both Democrat and Republican administrations – on education and so-called “helpful” programs for “disadvantaged” children, and yet Democrats are still fighting for more federal control and federal programs and subsidies in order to “close the achievement gap.”
by Dr. Susan Berry7 Jul 2015, 12:46 PM PST0

The House’s version of the redo, known as the Student Success Act (H.R. 5), was pulled from the House floor by GOP leadership in late February after it was determined the measure lacked sufficient support. Grassroots parents’ groups – many that have been fighting against the Common Core standards in their states – voiced their concerns that the Student Success Act still required excessive federal intrusion into the right of states to set their own education policies.
by Dr. Susan Berry6 Jul 2015, 9:01 AM PST0

Republican leaders seem poised to resume attempts to convince the conservative base of their party that the bill will reduce federal involvement in education and return it to the states and localities.
by Dr. Susan Berry13 Jun 2015, 6:14 AM PST0

Sen. Lamar Alexander’s (R-TN) rewritten draft legislation that would reauthorize No Child Left Behind (NCLB) will likely not allow Title I dollars for low-income children to follow them to schools of their choice, an outcome that would be a win for the Obama administration.
by Dr. Susan Berry7 Apr 2015, 8:30 AM PST0

The conservative Washington, D.C.-based American Principles in Action (APIA) is urging Congress to oppose the Strengthening Education Through Research Act (SETRA), which the group states would extend federal psychological profiling of children through increased research on “social and emotional learning.”
by Dr. Susan Berry24 Feb 2015, 5:53 AM PST0

During a hearing, Sen. Patty Murray says she hopes Congress can “encourage broader use of vaccines.”
by Dr. Susan Berry10 Feb 2015, 2:01 PM PST0