Education News & Updates: What Parents Should Know About America’s New Federal Education Law ‘Every Student Succeeds Act’

It is already a given that when it comes to education, there is no such thing as the so-called "one-size-fits-all" system. Fortunately, the federal education law of the United States has been amended to introduce a new and self-built concept known as the Every Student Succeed Act, where the power to govern schools lies in the hands of each state nationwide.

As the federal education law, No Child Left Behind was changed into the Every Student Succeeds Act, the education sector in the United States will be embracing a welcome change in terms of "school accountability." According to U.S. News & World Report, ESSA will allow the states to establish a "more personalized system of checks and balances" while going beyond transparency and holding schools more accountable.

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, the states should develop tangible "evaluations or scores" for schools. In addition, states are also required to test 95 percent of students annually, as well as the inclusion of the "participation rate in their accountability systems," Politico noted.

With Every Student Succeeds Act, schools will be evaluated but not just based on its test scores. Instead, ESSA will allow the people to have the power to push the states to "measure what they think matters most."

"We're hoping we can actually use ESSA to hold schools accountable," Equity in All Places policy analyst Florentina Straigers said, as per NOLA. "If discipline is part of the state report card, there's definitely some incentive there."

Since the standardized tests have been the major issues, students may encounter fewer tests in Every Student Succeeds Act. The new federal education law may also concentrate more on fixing "inequities," especially when it comes to the level of achievement among the economically disadvantaged students, students of color and underrepresented minorities.

Lastly, the Every Student Succeeds Act is also creating and expanding "new funding opportunities," where educational institutions may get to spend federal money for "student support and enrichment." Additionally, the state may also choose how to intervene in cases of troubled schools and get funding for teacher recruitment and training.

Do you think Every Student Succeeds Act is better than the No Child Left Behind policy? Share your thoughts below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.