All signs point to Congress reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) this year.

When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the ESEA in 1965, it was a centerpiece of the War on Poverty. The law was designed to ensure that every school got the resources to teach students, particularly in neighborhoods or districts that were not wealthy. And the requirements preventing states from taking this money away from poor students have been a critical safeguard, particularly in recessions or when state funds are thin. But, since the last major overhaul—known as No Child Left Behind—the core principles of equity and opportunity in ESEA have been overwhelmed by a devastating obsession with high-stakes testing.

We must return to a focus on ensuring every student has the chance to attend a great public school. And here’s how we believe we can do that.

Click here to sign the petition.

What is ESEA? Click here to read a Wikipedia entry.

A recent Op-Ed on the re-authorization of the bill.