Stand for Children Illinois Calls on State Leaders to Hold up Their End of the Bargain in New Federal Every Student Succeeds Act
–Civil Rights bill hasn’t been reauthorized since 2001–
Chicago, IL–Stand for Children Illinois Executive Director Mimi Rodman issued the following statement following President Obama signing the much-anticipated Every Student Succeeds Act, legislation which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA):
“The passage of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a step in the right direction towards the intent of the original ESEA, a civil rights bill designed to hold states responsible for providing equitable educational opportunities for all children. We are pleased with the assurance that all children will be accounted for and given a chance at a successful life through the opportunity of an excellent education.
But with states getting even greater autonomy as part of the new law, our message is this: with great flexibility comes great responsibility. It’s now up to us as a state to ensure that all Illinois students receive a fair, high-quality education. It will be imperative that we stay hyper-vigilant of our most underserved students to ensure they are receiving the supports needed to graduate from high school on time, prepared for college or career. We cannot allow a bare minimum of expectations to be the norm when it comes to the education of our children.
Stand for Children Illinois looks forward to working with state education leaders and elected officials, partners, educators, and parents to keep strong accountability locally in our collective work to build an excellent public education system for all.”
Mimi Rodman, Executive Director of Stand for Children Illinois
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Stand for Children Illinois is a nonprofit, parent- and community-based organization that works to ensure that all children graduate from high school prepared for and with access to a college education. Visit http://stand.org/illinois.
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