Public Comments for ESSA End Aug. 1
07/11/2016
This year Congress replaced the disastrous, test-driven No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law with the promise of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). New draft regulations of ESSA were issued by the U.S. Department of Education in May.
While stakeholders are intended to design and implement ESSA, the U.S. Department of Education has proposed regulations to clarify the law’s language on accountability systems, and they missed the mark.
Unfortunately, the Department wrote regulations for the law they wanted, rather than the law we all got. Regulators are trying to reinforce closing academic gaps at the expense of closing opportunity gaps. They are trying to put parameters on our state accountability plans that are not in the law. Every decision made at the federal level takes away another decision from the table where educators have a seat.
Educators, parents and other community members have until Aug. 1 to make our serious concerns heard and ensure this new law becomes the game changer it promised to be.
We need you to urge the U.S. Department of Education to promote equity and not exclude educator and community voices. Our kids deserve better.
While the comments form is pre-populated with our major concerns, we want to make sure you personalize it by telling the Department what type of educator you are and where you work. You can do it right from your phone or tablet.
You have until Aug. 1 to make sure your voice heard. U.S. Department of Education officials are required to read and consider each letter they get, so let’s make sure they hear from each and every one of you.