LETTERS TO CONGRESS
June 18, 2008
TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
On behalf of the Business Coalition for Student Achievement (BCSA), representing business leaders from every sector of the economy and whose membership is listed below, we strongly urge you to oppose any legislative proposals, including those that may come up through the appropriations process, that would weaken accountability for improving student achievement under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
BCSA believes that NCLB can be improved in ways that enhance the ability of schools to serve students, but that any proposals should be carefully examined through the usual committee consideration process. Specifically, BCSA believes that any proposal that would suspend the NCLB requirements to identify schools in need of improvement raises many serious concerns and deserves a thorough debate in its development. Such a suspension proposal would result in removing from students, teachers, schools, and parents additional resources and assistance devoted to ensuring improved academic achievement for those students and schools most in need. These resources that would be removed include additional school improvement funds for local schools and extra technical assistance for teachers in their efforts to boost student achievement.
The BCSA believes that improving the performance of the K-12 education system in the United States is essential for ensuring the American education system prepares our youth to succeed and our nation to be competitive in our rapidly changing world. BCSA supports exploring these improvements through a process that allows for a thorough and deliberate examination of how best to support our students, teachers, and schools in their improvement efforts. The traditional process allowing for guidance from the authorizing committees, who have developed policy expertise, will allow for careful examination of the various school improvement and reform proposals, and should be followed.
BCSA stands firm in its support for the key principles of NCLB. This law has been instrumental in focusing our nation, through information reported to parents and the public, on improving the academic achievement of all students and closing the achievement gap. The business community understands the importance of a high quality education for all students, and BSCA will continue to call for strong accountability for improved achievement.
Sincerely,
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Arthur J. Rothkopf |
Susan Traiman Director, Education and Workforce Policy Business Roundtable |
BCSA Member Organizations
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Accenture AeA A.O. Smith Corporation Eli Broad, Philanthropist/Businessman Business Coalition for Education Excellence (NJ) The Business Council of Alabama The Business-Higher Education Forum Business Roundtable California Business for Education Excellence Chamber of Commerce of Fargo Moorhead Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce The Connecticut Business and Industry Association Con-Way Corporate Voices for Working Families Eastman Chemical Company EDS Education Industry Association Educational Options, Inc. EMC Ernst & Young Florida Chamber of Commerce GlaxoSmithKline Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce The Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce Hewlett-Packard Hypower Inc. IBM Illinois Business Roundtable Indiana Chamber of Commerce Intel ITT Corporation Jefferson Parish Workforce Business Center Johnson City-Jonesborough-Washington Chamber of Commerce (TN) Kalispell Area Chamber of Commerce Liberty Mutual Group Lima Allen County Chamber of Commerce The McGraw-Hill Companies MetroWest Chamber of Commerce Micron Technology, Inc. Microsoft |
Minnesota Business Partnership Minority Business RoundTable Montana Chamber of Commerce Motorola Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce National Association of Manufacturers National Center for Educational Accountability National Defense Industrial Association National Roofing Contractors Association Nationwide Nevada Manufacturers Association New Jersey Chamber of Commerce New Mexico Business Roundtable Ohio Business Roundtable Oklahoma Business Education Coalition Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation Prudential Financial, Inc. Racine Chamber of Commerce Rhode Island Education Partnership Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce SAS ScienceCompanion Semiconductor Industry Association Siemens Foundation Software & Information Industry Association State Farm TechNet Texas Association of Business Texas Instruments Textile Rental Services Association Union Pacific Unisys Corporation U.S. Chamber of Commerce Warrick County Chamber of Commerce Xerox Corporation |
* Click here to download this letter as a PDF.
February 15, 2007
To All Members of Congress:
As Co-Chairs of the Business Coalition for Student Achievement, we are writing to urge you to strengthen, improve and reauthorize the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act this year.
Our coalition represents business leaders from every sector of the economy. From our vantage point as employers who hire the graduates of U.S. schools, colleges and universities, we believe that raising student achievement in our K-12 schools is critical for our nation’s competitiveness and for individual success in our rapidly changing world.
That is why we supported passage of NCLB in 2001, why we are committed to sustaining the fundamental features of this historic law that are designed to raise student performance and close achievement gaps, and why we are recommending specific enhancements to the law in 2007. The enclosed Framework for Reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act: Recommendations to Improve and Strengthen the Law calls on Congress to address six areas that need attention during reauthorization:
- Focus on college and workplace readiness.
- Emphasize science, technology, engineering and math.
- Enhance data-driven decision making.
- Increase teacher and principal effectiveness.
- Strengthen and refine accountability.
- Invest in school improvement and innovation.
We have two cautions as Congress begins the reauthorization process:
First, do not postpone reauthorization until after the 2008 Presidential election. Two years is a very long time in our worldwide economy. U.S. students must be prepared to succeed in this dynamic environment that places an increasingly high value on skills and knowledge.
Second, be aware that there are myths and considerable misinformation about what NCLB does and does not require from educators. We hope you will listen to divergent views and visit schools where all students are achieving at significantly higher levels than they did in the past.
We stand ready to work with you on reauthorization of No Child Left Behind this year.
Sincerely,
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Craig Barrett |
Arthur F. Ryan Chairman & CEO Prudential Financial, Inc. |
Edward B. Rust Jr. Chairman & CEO State Farm |
* Click here to download this letter as a PDF.
