up for debate

SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER R–TN

SEN. PATTY MURRAY D–WA

Making the Grade?

political atmosphere, it’s unusual for lawmakers from across the aisle to work together to create bipartisan legislation—which is why Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington are remarkable. As chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate education committee, the two managed in 2015 to dismantle the controversial No Child Left Behind Act—a feat President Obama dubbed a “Christmas miracle.” Its replacement: the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which, says Murray, “reduces high-stakes testing and gives states more flexibility, with strong federal guardrails to ensure students don’t fall