Business Roundtable

Washington – “With Congress having failed to renew the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the Obama Administration is making a reasonable and educationally sound decision to issue waivers from the law to qualifying states.

“Business Roundtable supports U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s authority to issue the waivers tied to states’ continued progress on educational reforms,” said William D. Green, Chairman and former CEO of Accenture, who chairs Business Roundtable’s Education, Innovation and Workforce Initiative. “These waivers will continue the momentum for schools to improve their educational quality and accountability.” 

“America’s CEOs care deeply about education in this country,” said Green. “Reform of America’s K-12 education system to ensure students are prepared for the technology-intensive jobs of the future is a primary policy goal of America’s business community.”

Business Roundtable has long supported education reform and has advocated for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in the current Congress. “Our children are our future, and we must ensure we are providing them with an education that will prepare them to succeed in the 21^st century workplace. We urge Congress to follow Secretary Duncan’s lead and get serious about moving forward on ESEA reauthorization. Congressional passage of No Child Left Behind remains a priority, but in the interim we welcome the state waivers as an immediate, necessary step,” concluded Green.