Lessons from NCLB for the Every Student Succeeds Act

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) replaced the No Child Left Behind Act with great fanfare and enthusiasm. Granting more power to states and curbing what was seen as federal overreach was well received. However, the new legislation maintains a predominately test-based accountability system with a federal mandate for interventions in well over five thousand public schools every year. In this policy brief, the authors offer recommendations for state policymakers on both broad and focused ESSA implementation issues. (A list of notes and references is included.)