House Passes Education for All Act

RESULTS Applauds House Action, Calls for Senate to Follow Suit

Washington, DC, September 8, 2016 — Yesterday the House of Representatives took the critical step of passing the Education for All Act, legislation that will help ensure all children, regardless of where they were born, have access to a quality basic education. The bill passed by voice vote.

“We are absolutely thrilled that this important legislation is one step closer to becoming law. It has the power to accelerate efforts to get millions of the most vulnerable children globally in school and learning,” said Dr. Joanne Carter, Executive Director of RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund. “It’s now up to the Senate to make sure the bill quickly reaches the President’s desk.”

The Education for All Act (H.R. 4481) requires the U.S. government to develop a comprehensive, integrated strategy to improve access to quality education for children and youth in low-income countries. It will address key barriers to school attendance, retention, and completion, and also ensure that children affected by conflict and other emergencies receive an education. Crucially, the bill calls for U.S. support for the Global Partnership for Education, the only multilateral partnership exclusively focused on ensuring access to quality education for all.

“With millions of children currently out of school, and even more who are not learning despite being in school, we must be tireless in our efforts to expand access and increase quality in classrooms across the globe,” said Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), one of the bill’s lead authors, alongside Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA).

“For the millions of children living in poverty, especially in conflict-affected regions and sub-Saharan Africa, access to an education is their best chance of growing up to live a healthy, productive, and stable life,” said Rep. Reichert.

RESULTS has worked with congressional allies to advance key elements of this legislation for over a decade, and grassroots advocates have pushed to keep global education a priority on Capitol Hill. In February, a new version of the bill was introduced in the House by Reps. Lowey and Reichert, both long-time global education champions.

“We are able to celebrate today thanks to the leadership of Representatives Lowey and Reichert, and the work of RESULTS volunteers all across the country,” Carter said. “We know that when children receive a quality education, they are healthier, achieve higher wages, and are less likely to be targets for trafficking and forced labor. With 263 million children and youth still out of school worldwide, this legislation will help drive the action needed to create a brighter future for kids everywhere, and that benefits us all.”

In July, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Edward Markey (D-MA), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced companion legislation in the Senate, S. 3256, which is nearly identical to the version that just passed in the House.

About RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund:

RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund are sister organizations that, together, are a leading force in ending poverty in the United States and around the world. We create long-term solutions to poverty by supporting programs that address its root causes — lack of access to health, education, or opportunity to move up the economic ladder. We empower ordinary people to become extraordinary voices for the end of poverty in their communities, the media, and the halls of government. The collective voices of these passionate grassroots activists leverage millions of dollars for programs and improved policies that give low-income people the tools they need to move out of poverty.

Media Contact:

Colin Smith
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