ESSA—An Overview

ESSA—An Overview ESSA—An Overview

ESSA—An Overview
Signed into law in 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the federal legislation governing elementary and secondary education in the US, states NASSP, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, regarding an overview of ESSA. This reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB). ESSA represents a significant shift from the increased federal authority of NCLB and state waivers issued by the Department of Education (ED) to increased flexibility to states and school districts, says NASSP.

The Parent Center Hub website states that Title I is the most prominent, well-known section of the original legislation passed back in 1965 (ESEA) and remains so in this latest reauthorization. ED provides Title I funding to LEAs that have high percentages of children from low-income families, many of whom are ELLs, to help all students meet state academic standards. In 2014, Title I, Part A, was the single biggest investment for K-12 education with approximately $14 billion set aside.

Under ESSA, states have the flexibility in charting their own path to educational success. However, they must submit a plan to the Department of Education explaining how they plan on reaching these goals, says the Alliance for Excellent Education.

States and districts are also required to identify and intervene in the bottom five percent of performers. In addition, they’re required to identify and intervene in high schools where the graduation figure is lower than 67 percent. Under ESSA, states and districts are also responsible for improving the effectiveness of principals, teachers and other school leaders in increasing student academic achievement.

The Latino Family Literacy Project helps districts and schools to raise the literacy achievement levels of Hispanic English language learners and provide professional development for teachers, administrators and staff. These objectives are met through the organization’s step-by-step parent involvement programs in the areas of college awareness or literacy. By helping families establish regular reading routines, the organization’s literacy program has been proven to assist greatly with family reading, vocabulary development and ESL.

There’s a special offer for the Infant/Toddler, Preschool, or Elementary levels that includes:

  • 2 free webinar trainings (1.5 hours) and ongoing support
  • 2 curriculum binders to use at the webinar
  • 1 lending library with 180 children’s books (one-time purchase)
  • 1 literacy kit (consumable program materials)
  • Shipping for all items
  • Sales tax will be added to orders in California only

There is also a special offer for the College Awareness program that includes:

  • 2 free webinar trainings (1.5 hours) and ongoing support
  • 2 curriculum binders to use at the webinar
  • 1 set of program materials with 40 chapter books of Graciela’s Dream: One Family’s Journey to College (one-time purchase)
  • Both parents and students can attend the program at school
  • Shipping for program materials
  • Sales tax will be added to orders in California only

For information about costs or other questions, please contact The Latino Family Literacy Project.