As of Thursday afternoon, President Obama has officially signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into law, the latest reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). And as far as the eye can see, support is rolling in.
The flagship achievement for ESSA has been its undoing of the “pain” brought on by 13 years of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which was heavy on standardized testing and federal standards. ESSA has been toutedas a way to put the states back in charge of establishing the curriculum. Now that the law is signed, states have two years to create, submit, and enact education plans to meet the guidelines established in the latest reauthorization of 1965’s ESEA.
According to supporters, it improves on the accountability assurances first seen in NCLB byallowing states and districts more freedom to feel out different kinds of tests to see what works best in assessing students. And now, the rule will allow states and districts to create new and innovative solutions to address struggling schools and populations. In fact, the plans states come up with must include high standards for all students, extra protections for marginalized students, and accountability measures for state success—something supporters say is a major step for civil rights in education.
“For the first time, the law will focus on low-performing schools, focus on the drop-out factories. For decades, these schools were left to languish and fail. So we’re having a laser-like focus on those children and communities, which far too often are African American or Latino, who are not being served well educationally,” Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan told NBCBLK.
“Having a law that says you have to identify those schools…and more importantly…you have to take action—that’s never happened in the history of our country, and it’s a major step in the right direction.”
Additionally, the act makes strides for evidence-based educational modeling. Using more specific language than NCLB, ESSA raises the bar for how the government should be seeking to improve its educational methods, as Robert Slavin writes for the Huffington Post:
ESSA defines four categories of evidence based on their strength:
- “strong evidence” meaning supported by at least one randomized study;
- “moderate evidence” meaning supported by at least one quasi-experimental study;
- “promising evidence” meaning at least one correlational study with pretests as covariates; and
- programs with a rationale based on high-quality research or a positive evaluation that are likely to improve student or other relevant outcomes and that are undergoing evaluation, often referred to as “strong theory” (though the bill does not use that term).
The top three categories effectively constitute proven programs, as I read the law…One good thing about this definition is that for the first time, it unequivocally conveys government recognition that not all forms of evaluation are created equal. Another is that it plants the idea that educators should be looking for proven programs, as defined by rigorous, sharp-edged standards.
There are some who say find ESSA has the same lack of specificity and would once again mean states would be dumbing down standards, like teacher quality and funding. But overall the bill—for now—has been overwhelmingly positive, with most calling it an “undeniable improvement.” The bill has received bipartisan support and a fair amount of praise from governors, state chiefs, teachers’ unions, and principals across the country. And while that’s one indication of how quality an education bill is, it also goes to show just how unpopular its predecessor was.
Whether or not that lasts, remains to be seen. ESSA is, after all, the latest iteration of ESEA, which has a long history of pitting aggressive federal approach against state flexibility, which will ruffle a few feathers no doubt. But with any luck, ESSA means a new start, and that teachers and students alike can finally start leaving “No Child” behind.
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