ATLANTA – State Representative Alisha Thomas Morgan (D-Austell) was recently selected to participate in a national bi-partisan group of legislators to work on the reauthorization of “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB). The group will work under Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and with senior staff at the US Department of Education (DOE) to develop policy recommendations to reform NCLB in accordance with President Obama’s education initiatives.
“I am honored to participate in a process that I think will revolutionize public education in America,” said Representative Morgan. “NCLB has forced us all to be held accountable for educating every child regardless of race, zip code or socio-economic status. Now it’s time to take what we’ve learned to maintain accountability, raise achievement, close opportunity gaps and provide the necessary resources to ensure educators can do their jobs.”
Through the reauthorization of NCLB, the Obama administration seeks a new direction for federal K-12 education policy, including more flexibility, competitive funding, and a focus on reforms likely to have the greatest impact on student success. The goal is to replace the school accountability system established in NCLB with a new system designed to help all students graduate from high school and college and be career ready.
The No Child Left Behind Act, also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), was first passed in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was then reauthorized in 2001 as “No Child Left Behind” by President George W. Bush.
According to the Department of Education, President Obama’s proposed budget includes a $3 billion increase in competitive funding for the ESEA, the largest increase ever requested for programs under the Act. President Obama also plans to request an additional $1 billion for the reformed ESEA programs created in the reauthorization to “provide additional resources for low income students, including funding for awards to schools producing gains in student achievement, funding to improve the quality of assessments and additional funding for expanded learning time.”
As a member of the House Education Committee, Representative Morgan’s work in education has earned her the “Champion For Choice” Award from All Children Matter, the “Putting Kids 1st” Award from the Ohio Coalition for Quality Education, and the “Legislative Leadership Award” from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
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Since 2003, Alisha Thomas Morgan has represented Georgia’s 39th House District, serving Cobb County. She is the first African-American to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives from Cobb County and is the youngest female member of the Georgia General Assembly.