Educators are Ready to Lead on ESSA Implementation
We want to see more listening, not less.
More engagement, not less.
More stakeholder engagement, not less.
Read Lily’s testimony at the Department of Education on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act
¡Buenos días! My name is Lily Eskelsen García and I am proud to be the President of the National Education Association representing about 3 million educators who are teaching students, serving nutritious meals, and transporting students safely as we speak.
In the months leading up to the enactment of The Every Student Succeeds Act, I heard loud and clear from my members what they wanted to see in a new law:
- Ensure opportunity really matters in the accountability system
- Guarantee educators’ expertise in decision-making
- Reduce the volume and over-reliance on standardized testing
The new law delivers on all three, and paves the way for opportunity to become a real part of ‘what gets counted’ now, an historic development for our education system. The law also returns significant responsibility to states and schools districts to ensure students are learning. This shift offers the U.S. Department of Education the opportunity to focus on its enforcement authority to ensure students have equitable access to a robust and well-rounded education and to the supports they need to excel.
Thank you for kicking off the implementation process so soon in the New Year. This kind of monumental transition will require deep collaboration among multiple stakeholders, some of whom are not used to working together, and making sure more voices are at decision-making tables. None of us should be seeking a shortcut in this collaboration—that’s the only way the new law will work. There is built-in time for deep engagement of all stakeholders and we urge the U.S. Department of Education to set a good example by not rushing its part of the process for the sake of expediency.
The implementation process will be simultaneously developing at the national level, at the state level, at the district level, and ultimately in schools across this country as policies are updated. We implore the Department to ensure the regulatory process is infused with the best thinking, ideas, and concepts from across the Educators are Ready to Lead on ESSA Implementation - Lily's Blackboard:
