The National Education Association Legislative Report Card for the first session of the 112th Congress (2011) was released this week. The annual report card measures members’ of Congress overall support for public education and educators, with each member receiving a letter grade of A, B, C, D or F.
In 2011, only 57 Congressional Republicans earned passing NEA grades while 143 did so in 2005. “Unfortunately, these ratings confirm that Congress is increasingly divided. But when it comes to education, we all have a responsibility to help our students succeed—especially our elected leaders,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.
The grades of more moderate Democrats and Republicans rebounded from 2009-2010 lows as a result of bipartisan opposition to attacks on worker's rights and support for education programs, such as Title 1 and IDEA. Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee also worked in bi-partisan fashion to adopt some needed improvements to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
NEA graded members of Congress based on selected votes in 2011. The grades were also based on other key legislative actions, such as behind-the-scenes advocacy for education and educators, bill co-sponsorships, committee votes and how accessible the members were to education advocates in their home state or district.