The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has launched an online survey offering parents, taxpayers and the general public an avenue to provide input on the state’s implementation of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
ESSA, which is the new federal law governing K-12 education and replaces the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, returns a significant amount of decision-making on education policy to the states. As part of the process, each state is required to establish a strategic vision for public education and develop an overall plan to achieve those goals.
TEA is the lead agency developing the Texas state plan, which must determine how the new federal law will affect accountability, funding, school improvement, and grant-making systems. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath noted that input regarding ESSA implementation coincides with work on a state strategic plan for education that had already been underway.
“The passage of ESSA has created a unique opportunity to inform Texas’ education policy,” Commissioner Morath said. “However, we need input from all parts of our state to ensure that, under ESSA, all students in Texas can receive a high-quality education that prepares them for the future.”
TEA will review input collected during the survey period and consider how best to incorporate into the final state plan. A final plan is required to be submitted to the federal government by July 2017.
To learn more about ESSA and the state’s implementation of the federal law, visit the TEA website.
