Knowledge is perhaps the best gift we can give our children, and no one knows the importance of education better than the teachers, administrators, and parents who support our students every day. So as the Senate worked on a bill to reform and replace No Child Left Behind, I made it my mission to connect with Maine teachers and visit schools in our state in order to better understand how federal legislation can effectively support and improve education in Maine.

In those many conversations, two particular themes arise have arisen: first, teachers and administrators need flexibility and discretion – rather than strict and burdensome federal requirements – in order to directly and positively impact our children’s future. Second, income disparities and geographic barriers create a digital divide between those students with access to the Internet outside of school and those without it.

I took these concerns back to Washington with me and worked to address them as the Senate considered the Every Child Achieves Act – a major rewrite of the failed No Child Left Behind Act. I’m pleased to say that we were able to make significant progress.

First, I crafted an amendment to improve the bill’s assessment pilot program, which will grant states greater opportunity to pursue innovative testing systems. Maine schools are already on the forefront of developing proficiency-based assessment systems that may eventually replace existing federally-mandated statewide tests; I am glad to support their innovative efforts at the federal level. This amendment, coupled with the Every Child Achieves Act’s overall de-emphasis on standardized tests, will ensure that teachers will be able to refocus their efforts in the classroom on the things that truly improve student learning. I’m pleased to say my amendment was accepted in the bill.

Second, the Every Child Achieves Act contains two key amendments I authored with Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.V.) to address the digital divide, often referred to as the “homework gap,” that exists for students who don’t have access to the Internet outside of their school day. The homework gap is one of the most pressing inequities in our education system.

By some estimates, teachers in 96 percent of districts assign homework that requires Internet use, yet about one-third of low-income kids in the U.S. lack a high-speed connection at home. Imagine a middle school student who isn’t able to watch a video that explains metamorphosis, or a ninth grader who can’t access math resources which demonstrate new ways of solving algebra problems, all because they don’t have the Internet at home.

Right here in Maine, the Cherryfield Public Library in Washington County has teamed up with Axiom Technologies, an innovative local company to tackle that very problem. As part of their “Check-out the Internet” initiative, students may check-out a mobile Wi-Fi device to provide them with Internet access outside of school. This type of program is absolutely critical for rural areas in Maine and the U.S., and one of digital learning amendments I offered, and which was accepted, opens the door for similar programs to launch around the country.

My other amendment authorizes a study of how the homework gap is impacting teachers in the classroom and the ability of students to complete their assignments and stay engaged in their work. Bringing the Internet to students and acquiring better information on this challenge will allow us to close the homework gap and ensure that the next generation of learners – particularly those in rural America – aren’t left behind.

Former U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley summed it up best when he described education as “a national priority, a state responsibility, and a local function.” I agree. Washington should be a partner in education, not a roadblock. With the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we return our educators’ focus to teaching, and give our students the power to achieve.