Instead of having to comply with rigid requirements of the No Child Left Behind era, states and districts now have greater latitude to decide for themselves which evidence-based programs are best suited to address their students’ needs. However, as Maria Ferguson explains, evidence-based school improvement is not as easy as it sounds. Not all states have the capacity or expertise to assist districts in determining which programs are most suitable. When the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is up for reauthorization in two years, policy makers will need to consider whether states and districts have what they need to follow its mandates.
Council of Chief State School Officers. (2019). State responsibilities and opportunities for school improvement under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Washington, DC: Author.
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RentnerD.S.KoberM.BraunM. (2019). State leader interviews: How states are responding to ESSA’s evidence requirements for school improvement. Washington, DC: Center on Education Policy.
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RossL. (2018). ESSA and school improvement: Promise to practice. Alexandria, VA: Collaborative for Student Success.
