The House of Representatives has voted to overhaul the long-expired Bush-era No Child Left Behind Act by voting to replace it with the Every Student Succeeds Act.

The bill passed by a margin of 359 to 64 votes. It still needs to pass in the Senate, "but the House vote was seen as the higher hurdle because of resistance from some conservative Republicans, who said the bill did not reduce the federal role enough. The Senate is expected to take up the measure next week, and President Obama has indicated that he will sign it into law,” said The Washington Post.

The Every Student Succeeds Act represents the first time in eight years Democrats and Republicans were able to agree on an update to the education act; No Child Left Behind expired in 2007.

"A broad range of national groups endorsed the bill, including the National Governors Association, the two major teachers unions, Teach for America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, state education leaders, the National PTA and a coalition of more than 100 civil rights groups,” The Post said.

By August, the patchwork of waivers excusing 43 states from No Child Left Behind will finally be void, with the overhaul significantly reducing federal accountability by reducing the scope of the Education Department.

Though the act will still mandate standardized testing, it makes both the Democrats and the Republicans happy because while it reduces the role of the federal government, it still holds states accountable for underperforming schools.

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

12/3/2015