Making the Most of the Every Student Succeeds Act
A reference guide (and our advice) for states, districts, advocates and funders to advance state goals under ESSA.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives all states the chance to dramatically change the way they approach and think about public education. “Making the Most of ESSA” is a reference guide designed to help policymakers and other stakeholders leverage this new level of flexibility to strengthen their public schools, build a consistently strong teaching force and help all students—especially low-income students and students of color—achieve at higher levels. We urge all states to start their process by revisiting, confirming and potentially redefining their “North Star”—the guiding vision that helps communicate to the public and educators what their pre-K–12 education system aims to accomplish. This resource also provides our advice for state and district leaders, funders and advocates on how to approach ESSA planning in five key areas: stakeholder engagement; standards and assessments; accountability and school improvement; high-quality educators; and funding flexibility.
