U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. will address the National Association of State Boards of Education's (NASBE) Legislative Conference Tuesday in Washington, D.C., focusing on how states can begin to implement the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
King will update the state leaders about the ongoing regulation process for ESSA, as well as the Department's priorities and timeline in transitioning from ESSA's predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act, to the new law.
Signed by President Obama on Dec. 10, ESSA helps ensure educational opportunity for all students by:
- Holding all students to high academic standards that prepare them for success in college and careers;
- Ensuring accountability and guaranteeing that when students fall behind, steps are taken to help them and their schools improve, with a particular focus on the very lowest-performing schools, high schools with high dropout rates, and schools where subgroups are falling behind;
- Continuing to ensure that parents and educators have annual assessment information they need about how students are doing, while supporting states and districts in reducing unnecessary, onerous and redundant testing;
- Expanding access to high-quality preschool;
- Empowering state and local decision-makers to develop their own strong systems for school improvement; and
- Strengthening competitive programs that will spur reform and drive opportunity and better outcomes for America's students.
NASBE represents state and territorial boards of education. State Boards, operating as a lay body over state education, are intended to serve as an unbiased broker for education decision-making, focusing on the big picture, articulating the long-term vision and needs of public education, and making policy based on the best interests of the public and the young people of America.