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February 22, 2017 The Skanner Page 9 News Republican Lawmakers Attack Obama’s Education Law As Educators Work to Improve ESSA, Republicans Vote to Weaken the Law states the timeline for ad- dressing underperform- ing schools, how schools By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Contributor W SHOWTIMES WIKIMEDIA COMMONS ithout hesita- tion, Jill Lauren said that the most critical program that should be included under the Ev- ery Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is proper reading instruction beginning in kindergarten. “We know that chil- dren learn to read by using either a whole language or phonics ap- proach. Some kids seem to pick up reading, as if by magic, while others need every sound and syllable rule explicitly taught,” said Lauren, who holds a bachelor’s of sci- ence and master’s degree in learning disabilities from Northwestern Uni- versity. Known as an expert in reading and writing, Lauren has trained teach- ers around the country to utilize a variety of structured, multi-senso- ry approaches to the in- struction of reading and written language. “Teachers of pre-K to [third grade] need to know how to teach both methodologies of read- ing instruction,” said Lauren. “Every child en- tering third grade should be reading on grade lev- el, meaning we have four years to properly teach kids how to read.” Lauren continued: “Without the essential skill of reading on grade level, the rest of a child’s school years will be troubled, and statistics show that most youth of- fenders, as well as adult inmates, struggle with literacy. This education- al failing is a national tragedy.” Lauren’s concerns come as Education Week reported a push by Re- publicans in Congress to overturn accountabili- ty regulations for ESSA could have far-reaching consequences for how the law works in states, and the potential end of the much-contested rules is dividing the education community. Groups supporting the move argue that it would free schools from unnec- essary burdens, while opponents contend that overturning the rules could hurt vulnerable students and create tur- moil in states and dis- tricts trying to finalize their transition to ESSA, the 2015 law that re- placed the No Child Left Behind Act. The National Newspa- per Publishers Associa- must be rated, the ways English-language learn- ers must be considered The House of Representatives recently approved a joint resolution that would overturn ESSA accountability rules issued by the Obama administration. In this photo, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) takes his oath of office following his election as Speaker on October 29, 2015. tion (NNPA), comprised of 211 African Ameri- can-owned media com- panies and newspapers, recently received a $1.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support a three-year, multi-media public awareness cam- paign focusing on the unique opportunities and challenges of ESSA. Bridging the academ- ic achievement gap in education K-12 for Afri- can-American students and others from disad- vantaged communities is of critical importance over the next several years, said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the pres- ident and CEO of the NNPA. “The ESSA law was es- tablished to help increase the effectiveness of pub- lic education in every state,” said Chavis. “Our task is to inform, inspire, and encourage parents, students, teachers, and administrators to fulfill the intent and objectives of ESSA with special fo- cus on those students and communities that have been marginalized and underserved by the education system across the nation.” Under ESSA, states will adhere to more flexible federal regulations that provide for improved el- ementary and secondary education in the nation’s public schools. ESSA, which also reau- thorizes the Elementary and Secondary Educa- tion Act (ESEA), received bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 10, 2015. The regulations are ad- ministered by the U.S. De- partment of Education and ESSA goes into full effect at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year. Last week, the House of Representatives approved a joint res- olution that would overturn ESSA account- ability rules issued by the Obama administra- tion. Those rules, which be- came final in November, are intended to detail for SILENCE (R) Fri-Thur: 1:10, 9:10 PASSENGERS (PG-13) Fri-Thur: 11:50, 6:40, 9:40 MOANA (PG) Fri-Thur: 11:35, 2:05, 5:00, 7:25 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (PG-13) Fri-Sa, Mon-Thur: 2:15, 6:55 Sun: 2:15 in state accountability plans, and other policy issues. The Week of Friday, Feb. 24 through Thursday, March 2, 2017 LOVING (PG-13) Fri-Sa, Mon-Thur: 4:20 THE EAGLE HUNTRESS (G) Fri-Thur: 11:15, 4:40 SID AND NANCY (R) Fri-Thur: 9:50 THE 2017 OSCARS (NR) Sun: 4:00 $4.00 adults, $3.00 senior citizens (65+), $3.00 for kids (12 & under) 7818 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97215 503-252-1707 • AcademyTheaterPdx.com Babysitting: Available for children 2 to 8 years old. Fri: shows after 3:30pm and before 8:00pm. 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