Enacted in December 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) shifts a significant portion of authority over K-12 education from the federal government to state agencies and local school districts. States and districts will now experience broader discretion in creating accountability systems, setting academic goals, and deciding how to intervene in low-performing schools.
Although states have been given approximately a year to manage each stage of the process, school districts may be under pressure to operationalize their states’ plans fairly quickly. Fortunately, there are preparations districts can take now in anticipation of ESSA implementation.
ESSA legislation also significantly changed the federal grants landscape. Click here to download the companion Research Brief: Grant Funding in the Every Student Succeeds Act for an overview of the changes in the funding landscape for districts on the federal and state levels including those reauthorized, newly established, or eliminated by ESSA legislation.
