The Every Student Succeeds Act - Education Essay Example

The US has progressive education policies that result in its high levels of technological advancements and innovations. Each of the policies formulated in the US at federal and state levels has a common objective of improving access to education while at the same time providing students from different backgrounds with the requisite skills for industrial development. Various legislations including Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Race to the Top and College-and-career-ready standards significantly influences the nature of education systems in the USA. For instance, ESSA is a culmination of previous policies such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which show the countrys commitment to ensuring equal educational opportunity for all students.

The ESEA responds to the fact that America is a diverse country hence its population experiences different social, economic and political factors that may affect equality in access to education (Dana, 2017). For instance, the policy strives to reduce school registration and completion rates among low-income households. It provides not only the protection for the disadvantaged people but also provides critical information for families, educators, and communities so that they get actively involved in educational systems (Robert, 2017). The policy actively focuses on tracking and assessing the progress of students to higher achievements and career development (Dana, 2017).

The Every Student Succeeds Act, and College-and-career-ready standards resonate well with the industrial background of the US. The policies support local innovations which contribute to higher economic progress and support of livelihoods (Dana, 2017). Ultimately, the Every Student Succeeds Act has multiple contributions including increasing access to education, investing in local investment, fostering social inclusion and increasing student registration and completion rates.

Although the Every Student Succeeds Act primarily targets the historically underserved and underprivileged students, it fails to set the criteria for identifying them. Eventually, a scenario in which the cover is extended to the undeserving groups is possible (Kate, 2017). Furthermore, studies have revealed that increasing access to education among the disadvantaged populations is not an express indicator of higher completion rates or other outcomes. Therefore, a provision should be included in the policy to impose some sense of accountability on the students. Though the regulation requires students to take standardized tests in math, reading, and science, it does not focus on how they perform in those areas (Dana, 2017). Therefore, there is the need to empower schools to track the scores of groups, such as disabled students, nonwhites, and those learning English

References

Dana Goldstein (March 9, 2017). Obama Education Rules Are Swept Aside by Congress. The New York Times.Robert C. P (Apr 24, 2017). Shaping Teacher Preparation for the Future. Huffost.

Kate Taylor (July 16, 2017). New York Schools for Off-Track Students May Face Stricter Rules. The New York Times.