Louisiana Superintendent John White continued his tour across the state explaining the impact of the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

“I don’t think educators have to be bossed around in order to arrive at what’s good for children” said White.

ESSA was signed into law in December 2015 replacing the Bush Administration’s “No Child Left Behind.” Essentially giving control back to states when it comes to what local administrators feel is best for students.

One teacher in attendance said, “As an educator and as a parent, I want to treat our students as students and not as test scores.”

ESSA will allow states to cut back on standardized testing and refocus curriculums to be more inclusive of arts education including media arts, music, visual art, theater and dance.

Another educator said, “We take away art, we take away music, we take away play time, we take away their childhood. We take away who they are and what they’re going to become.”

While White says there is too much duplication of testing, he also believes tests are essential for verifying that students are in fact learning.

White explained, “Our kids have to compete in college, they have to compete in the work place after they graduate and that’s not always going to be within the borders of Louisiana. Our kids are just as smart and just as capable as any kids in this country and need to have expectations that show that.”

White also explained that the new law will give Louisiana more leeway to keep teachers in the classroom with mentorships and professional development. ESSA could also mean more funding for historically failing or low income schools.

“We have achievement gaps that are along line of race and class in our state, we have too many students with disabilities and English language needs that are falling behind. We have to correct those historical wrongs if we’re going to have the school system we want” said White.

A school system that Louisiana parents and teachers want to make great.