Analyzing the First Round of Every Student Succeeds Act State Plans: The Role of Local Education Agencies in School Improvement

• In Event: The Changing Role of States in Supporting School Turnaround in the Era of the Every Student Succeeds Act

Abstract

With the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in effect in 2017-2018, states are taking the opportunity to re-evaluate the role of districts and schools in supporting their lowest-performing schools and subgroups of students. ESSA gives states more autonomy to work with local education agencies (LEAs) and schools to identify and generate locally developed interventions, practices, and policies based on empirical evidence. The purpose of this study is to review the first round of ESSA state plans that were submitted to analyze how state education agencies (SEAs) are approaching this ideological shift. Although approaches vary, the data suggest that the role of LEAs has been emphasized as a key lever for change across multiple state plans.

Authors

• Eric Ambroso, Arizona State University

• Lenay D. Dunn, WestEd