Congressional Republicans are scoring better than in the past on the legislative report card of the country’s largest teachers’ union, largely thanks to bipartisan support for a bill that replaced No Child Left Behind in late 2015.
The National Education Association released its latest annual report card Monday, with 59 congressional Republicans earning A, B or C grades in 2015. That’s up from 46 in the 2013 to 2014 session of Congress, 41 in the session prior to that, and just 18 in 2009 and 2010.
“The Congressional passage of the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act is a direct result of what is possible when legislators from both sides of the political aisle put students ahead of partisan politics especially in an era of gridlock in Washington,” Mary Kusler, the union’s director of government relations, said in a press release. “This outcome also is an unequivocal recognition that many Republican lawmakers continue to believe educators — those who know the names of their students — are the most trusted professionals best equipped to make school and classroom decisions to ensure student success regardless of ZIP code.”
The Every Student Succeeds Act was signed by President Obama in December 2015, just after it passed the House and Senate with majorities supporting it in both parties. Democrats and teachers’ unions supported the bill because it reduces the federal emphasis on student testing. Republicans supported it for giving states and local districts more power, and reducing the role of the Department of Education. Nearly everyone agreed that the specific federal interventions prescribed for failing schools were heavy-handed and needed reform.
“Teachers—like governors and parents—became fed up with a national school board in Washington, D.C., telling them what to do about their children and their schools,” Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., told the Washington Examiner. “That’s why No Child Left Behind was the law that everybody wanted fixed and why there was such a consensus about restoring responsibility for schools to states, local school boards and classroom teachers.” Alexander shepherded the reform bill through the Senate.
Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio all got F grades on the 2015 scorecard. Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders got an A.
Grades for party leadership were similarly divided: The three chief Republicans on the Senate and House sides received D or F grades. Their Democratic counterparts all received A grades.
Republicans who got A grades on the NEA report card include Alexander, as well as Susan Collins, R-Maine, Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
Members were graded on their voting records on various bills and amendments. Most concerned education, but some had to do with Obamacare. The NEA opposed efforts to change Obamacare’s definition of a full-time employee to 40 hours a week instead of 30, but favored efforts to repeal Obamacare’s Cadillac tax on certain employer insurance benefits.
In addition to voting records, members were graded on which bills they co-sponsored, committee votes, and “behind-the-scenes work” to advance the NEA’s priorities. Members were also graded on how accessible they and their staffs were to the NEA in Washington and in their districts.
The NEA has more than 3 million members nationwide, making it the largest union in the country.
This article was originally published Jan. 26 and has been updated to include Alexander’s statement.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
