WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) released the following statement today after supporting the bipartisan conference report reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which was more recently referred to as No Child Left Behind. The legislation passed the House of Representatives last night by a vote of 359 to 64.

“The single greatest avenue of upward mobility in our society is a quality education, and I’m glad this bill continues expanding that opportunity to all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, language, country of origin, income or disability,” Rep. Grijalva said. “This bill is far from perfect, but it’s a vast improvement over the version House Republicans pushed through in July, which undermined important federal protections for students, and would have allowed for ‘portability’ – the syphoning of vital funds away from schools with high concentrations of low-income students.

“We now look to Governor Ducey and the state of Arizona as they develop and implement accountability systems and academic standards to hold our schools accountable for student growth. I urge them to focus on closing the achievement gaps and address resource inequities that remain in our schools, and ensure funds for preschool development grants are allocated for all children, especially programs that serve children from migrant farmworker and Native American families.”

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