U.S. Department of Education Starts Implementing ESSA
On December 18, the U.S. Department of Education published a notice in the Federal Register announcing its consideration of conducting negotiated rule making for the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The secretary invites advice and recommendations on standards and assessments as well as on the requirement that Title I, Part A funds “supplement, not supplant” state and local funds. The Department seeks feedback from stakeholders on other areas of Title I that could benefit from either guidance or regulation as the nation moves from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to ESSA.
The Department also sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to states addressing pending transitions, including from current NCLB waivers to the new law. In the letter, the Department notes that it will not renew waivers or accept waiver applications from states that do not already have one.
The Department will hold two public hearings in January to collect feedback on transitioning to the new law:
- January 11, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST, Barnard Auditorium, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC. To present comments during the meeting, RSVP to ESSA.publichearing@ed.gov no later than 5 p.m. EST January 4.
- January 19, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. PST, University of California Los Angeles, Carnesale Commons, 251 Charles E. Young Drive West, Palisades Room, Los Angeles, CA. To present comments during the meeting, RSVP to ESSA.publichearing@ed.gov no later than 5 p.m. EST January 12.
Useful Links:
- Department of Education web site for ESSA: http://www.ed.gov/essa
- Registration for Department of Education e-mail updates: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USED/subscriber/new?topic_id=USED_5
- Department of Education press release about its ESSA implementation: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-takes-first-steps-transition-new-law
- Chart from the Committee for Education Funding (CEF) comparing NCLB programs to ESSA programs: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwToc2NRNFFSVXF0cTQ/view?pref=2&pli=1
- All programs authorized in ESSA (also compliments of CEF): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwTobERPdWFmWVB4NVE/view?pref=2&pli=1
- Summary of the new law from the Congressional Research Service: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwToT2Y0a2xPZnlPNm8/view?pref=2&pli=1
Tags: elementary education, federal issues
