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President Obama And Congress Managed To Agree On Education Reform

The new law overhauls No Child Left Behind, giving the states power to set their own educational goals and strategies.
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Congress and the president actually worked together to get something done on education reform.

"And we owe the children of America a good education. And today begins a new era," then-President George W. Bush said. 

The bill overhauls President George W. Bush's 2002 law No Child Left Behind.

This new law gives power to the states. It allows states to set their own goals and strategies and legally bars the U.S. education secretary from influencing state decisions. 

"We know the early years can make a huge difference in a child's life, so this law lays the foundation to expand access to high-quality preschools," President Obama said.

The law establishes a $250 million annual grant to send more kids to preschool. 

The law does not get rid of statewide standardized tests, but it drops the link between those test scores and teacher evaluations. 

"But of course, now the hard work begins. Laws are only as good as the implementation," President Obama said.