Say goodbye to NCLB, hello to ESSA
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed December 10, 2015, by President Obama. The bill ensures that:
- states set high standards for college/career readiness;
- accountability is maintained for the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools, high schools with high dropout rates, and schools were subgroups are struggling;
- there are fewer and better assessments;
- there is more access to high-quality preschool; and
- new resources are established to test promising practices to drive better outcomes for students.
The White House has provided a fact sheet on ESSA and a progress report on Elementary and Secondary Education. Together these documents help poise us to be informed and craft the next wave of education reform to promote excellence and equity in education to achieve social justice.