On April 7^th, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) released their long-awaited bipartisan draft bill to reauthorize the long-expired Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The title of the new bill is Every Child Achieves Act. The Senate education committee began consideration of the draft bill on April 14^th with nearly 90 amendments filed.

Critically, the underlying bill retains a definition of “core academic subjects” that includes the arts. Under current law, the arts cover all the disciplines, such as dance, music, theater and visual arts, enabling access to critical federal resources that address inequalities and strengthen education. The draft also allows for expanded learning time, but does not include direct authorization for the Arts In Education program or the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program within the base bill, although amendments are anticipated to restore these key programs that strengthen learning and improve teaching.

The draft bill is a next step in ongoing congressional efforts to pass legislation to reauthorize a law that’s been expired since 2007; almost every state is currently operating under waivers from the U.S. Department of Education for ESEA flexibility. This Senate action follows floor debate in the U.S. House in February, but no vote has yet occurred on the House version (H.R. 5, Student Success Act).