January 21, 2016Op-ed

Governing: Why the New Education Law is a Game-Changer

by John Bridgeland and Peter Orszag

Federal/ Education/

As Congress reformed the No Child Left Behind law in December, much attention was paid to the additional responsibilities the new law gives the states and to its reduction in the burden of over-testing of students. What is not well known is that the Every Student Succeeds Act could shift more than $2 billion of federal funds annually over the next four years toward building evidence on what works in education. It also invests in proven efforts that give America’s students greater odds of developing, learning and graduating from high school ready to succeed. This all may sound like common sense, but it is actually quite rare in public policy. And we think it is a game-changer for education.

Remember “Moneyball”? The book and film depicted how Billy Beane, the legendary general manager of the Oakland A’s, forever changed baseball by using data and statistics to overcome a financial disadvantage and develop winning teams. The new education law takes a Moneyball approach to helping students and schools get better outcomes. The overwhelming bipartisan support for the new law is a powerful validation of its emphasis on investing in what works.