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Business Leaders Release Principles for Reauthorizing ESEA

WASHINGTON – Today the Business Roundtable, representing business leaders from every sector of the U.S. economy, released its updated Principles for the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
 
In its principles, Business Roundtable noted that ESEA reauthorization – and not waivers, though understandably granted in the absence of congressional action – is the appropriate way to update and change education legislation. ESEA reauthorization should focus on seven priorities:
 
  1. Internationally benchmarked state standards in reading, math and science that communicate grade-by-grade what students need to learn to graduate from high school ready for college and careers without the need for remediation.
  2. Statewide assessments and pass scores aligned to the state standards, with the assessments based on college- and career-ready standards.
  3. State and local accountability for all students and all schools, including targets for closing achievement gaps, choice for students in low-performing schools and prompt action to fix or close persistently low-performing schools, among other accountability measures.
  4. Effective teachers and school leaders, including state human resources strategies to recruit, hire, assign, develop, compensate, layoff, fire, reward and retain talent – including a special focus on STEM and teacher professional development to help all students meet college- and career-ready standards – and state models for evaluating teacher effectiveness, with an emphasis on improving student achievement.
  5. High-quality education choices by expanding choices with proven records, including programs that have been scaled; charter school networks; virtual schools; Advanced Placement and other programs to earn high school diploma, college credits and workforce certifications; and high-quality workplace internships.
  6. Incentives to address national challenges, including students reading on grade level by end of third grade; minority and low-income students earning STEM college credits in high school; and developing leaders, improving STEM learning, accelerating remediation and reforming high schools.
  7. Elimination of costly and ineffective or redundant programs and regulations.

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