Washington, DC, October 16, 2006 – The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released its Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Reauthorization Policy Statement today at a news conference on Capitol Hill. The policy statement reflects the core principles CCSSO believes should guide the reauthorization of ESEA. The document urges Congress to promote meaningful accountability along with greater support for innovation to improve student achievement.

"States are ready to move beyond no child left behind to every child a graduate, but they need greater flexibility and resources to implement the next steps in standards-based reform," says Elizabeth Burmaster, Wisconsin state superintendent of public instruction and CCSSO ESEA Reauthorization Task Force chair. "Dramatically increasing student achievement will require a new and meaningful state-federal partnership—one in which states and districts lead."

Core recommendations from the policy statement include

• retaining a focus on accountability with increased support and greater freedom for state and local implementation of the foundations of standards-based reform
• offering greater support for state capacity and flexibility for states and districts to leverage the foundations of standards-based reforms to improve teaching and learning
• investing in innovation, research, technical assistance, and collaboration to inform state and local implementation of standards-based reforms

"This policy statement is the result of months of thoughtful work and deliberation by state chiefs across the country. CCSSO's ESEA reauthorization Task Force looked at the best way to build on the foundations that states have laid over the last several years to leverage federal law to focus on what matters most—improving student learning," states Valerie Woodruff, CCSSO president and Delaware secretary of education.

CCSSO's ESEA Reauthorization Task Force was convened to identify the core principles that should guide reauthorization of ESEA. The task force consists of chiefs and a diverse group of other state education agency officials from across the country. The policy statement serves as a philosophical foundation for a more detailed reauthorization proposal to be released early next year. To view CCSSO's ESEA Policy Statement, please click here.

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks members’ consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.