ESSA offers changes that can continue learning gains

Abstract

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives educators a fresh opportunity to think through how to ensure that all students achieve at high levels, especially kids from low-income families and kids of color. The new law continues with four principles that had been in earlier iterations, all of which have important implications for students from low-income homes and children of color: The obligation of states to articulate what they expect students to learn; the expectation that schools have an obligation to help all their students meet or exceed standards; the requirement that states assess regularly to measure whether schools are teaching the standards; and the requirement that information about schools, including assessment results, be made available to educators, students, parents, and communities.