Drilldown: Final ESSA Accountability Rules

THE Journal: Just in time for people to ponder President-elect Donald Trump's choice for education secretary, the U.S. Department of Education has announced the final version of the regulations known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Overall, ESSA hands control over how to define a high-quality, well rounded education to the states and local education agencies (LEAs) while retaining much federal oversight for matters of equity — which is where, some observers suggest, the naming of Betsy DeVos as education secretary could cloud the outcome.

Since ESSA's initial passage in December 2015 the department has been collecting comments about ESSA from teachers; state, district and school leaders; parents; and representatives of education organizations. The tweaks to ESSA reflect many of the concerns raised during that feedback process, especially around the requirements related to timing.

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