Title 20 — EducationRelease 119-73

§7930 Sense of Congress

Title 20 › Chapter CHAPTER 70— - STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VIII— - GENERAL PROVISIONS › Part Part F— - Uniform Provisions › Subpart subpart 2— - other provisions › § 7930

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The federal government cannot tell states or local school districts what to teach, control their programs, or make them pay costs not covered by this law. It cannot pay to make, test, run, or give a national test in reading, math, or any other subject unless a law clearly allows it. Congress says states and local districts should decide curriculum, instruction, and tests for elementary and secondary schools.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §7930

Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Congress finds as follows:

(1)This chapter prohibits the Federal Government from mandating, directing, or controlling a State, local educational agency, or school’s curriculum, program of instruction, or allocation of State and local resources, and from mandating a State or any subdivision thereof to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under this chapter.

(2)This chapter prohibits the Federal Government from funding the development, pilot testing, field testing, implementation, administration, or distribution of any federally sponsored national test in reading, mathematics, or any other subject, unless specifically and explicitly authorized by law.

(b)It is the sense of the Congress that States and local educational agencies retain the rights and responsibilities of determining educational curriculum, programs of instruction, and assessments for elementary and secondary education.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2015 Amendment note under section 6301 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 7930

Title 20 — Education

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73