The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was originally passed in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” The ESEA was created to ensure that all children have equal access to quality education, regardless of their socioeconomic background. The Act is a federal law that provides funding and accountability measures for elementary and secondary education. This law provides federal funding to states and school districts to improve the quality of education for all students. It also includes accountability measures, such as standardized testing, to ensure that schools meet their students’ needs.
The ESEA was reauthorized in 2001 as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The NCLB’s stated purpose was to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and to close the achievement gaps between different groups of students (Skinner, 2020). NCLB included more stringent accountability measures, such as requiring all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. The NCLB Act was widely criticized for its heavy focus on standardized testing and the fact that it imposed unrealistic expectations on schools and teachers. Its supporters, however, argued that the law has helped to improve academic standards and hold schools accountable for the performance of all students.
In 2015, the ESEA was reauthorized again as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed with bipartisan support, and signed into law by President Barack Obama. The law retains many of the key provisions of the ESEA but gives states more flexibility in how they use federal funds to improve student outcomes. The ESSA also includes new provisions to hold schools accountable for results and support struggling schools. Some of these provisions include:
- authorizing additional funding for states to support struggling schools;
- establishing new requirements for states to report data on student achievement and school performance;
- requiring states to develop plans to improve low-performing schools;
- and authorizing new grants to support innovative approaches to instruction.
ESEA programs are targeted at high-poverty schools and districts and aim to improve academic achievement, reduce dropout rates, and close achievement gaps. According to Skinner (2020), Title I, the largest program under the ESEA, provides funding for supplemental educational services, such as tutoring and after-school programs. Other programs under the ESEA include Title II, which supports teacher professional development; Title III, which provides funding for English Language Learner (ELL) programs; and Title IV, which supports safe and drug-free schools.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act has profoundly impacted American education since it was passed in 1965. This Act provides federal funds to schools to improve the quality of education for all children. The ESEA has improved educational opportunities and outcomes for millions of children, particularly those from low-income families. In the years since the law was enacted, test scores and graduation rates have steadily increased, the high school dropout rate has declined sharply, and more students are attending college than ever before. The ESEA has also helped to close the achievement gap between white students and students of color and has also been credited with increasing the number of qualified teachers and improving school facilities. This Act also established the Office of Civil Rights to ensure that all children have access to quality education. The ESEA has also helped improve the relationship between the federal government and the states as far as education is concerned.
Reference
Skinner, R. R. (2020). The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): A Primer. CRS Report R45977, Version 4. Updated. Congressional Research Service.