Federal Policy

Through a mixture of laws, regulations, guidance, and incentives, the federal government serves to protect the rights of the nation's disadvantaged students and their access to the public education system. In this section you will find information on federal policies, including the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  

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School board members in front of Old Executive Office Building
Young boy waving American flag

Stories from the Field

How ESSA is Helping One School District Recruit Great Teachers

The single most important factor for student learning is a great teacher, but recruiting and retaining great teachers has been a major challenge, especially for high-needs schools where teacher burnout and turnover is rampant. The Clark County Education Association (CCEA), however, seems to have discovered a solution to the problem...
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Diplomas Now: A Model of Collaboration and Innovation

First posted July 2013. We know a great deal about the high school dropout problem. From the research of Robert Balfanz and others, we know where dropouts are likely to come from – the majority attends a small subset of high schools where the graduation rate is 60% or lower....
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LFA Updates

New Report: Public Schools Offer More Choices in Learning

An analysis by the Center for Public Education shows that public school districts offer more educational and extracurricular options for students than their private school counterparts.

For all the talk in Washington and state capitols about the need for school choice, a new report from the Center for Public Education has made the case that public schools actually offer the most educational options for students. The new report found “an abundance of choice” in public schools,...
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Give Dreamers ‘The Certainty They Deserve,’ Education Leaders Say

The education community's response to the Trump Administration's decision to end the DACA program has been swift and negative. Education leaders urge Congress to act quickly to give those impacted stability and protection.

On September 5, the Trump Administration announced its decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Nearly 800,000 people are working and studying in the United States under DACA. The program, established by executive order during the Obama administration, allows young undocumented immigrants brought to the United...
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Member Resources

6 Keys to Engaging Families in ESSA

National PTA has identified six critical ways states, school districts and schools should be engaging parents and families as part of ESSA or any new education initiative. Learn what they are, and use their new rubric to evaluate how your state, school district and school are doing.
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ESSA and Professional Learning

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes many provisions that influence how educators experience professional learning. Learning Forward offers several resources related to ESSA to help educators at all levels advocate and implement meaningfully, including: A New Vision For Professional Learning: A Toolkit to Help States Use ESSA to Advance...
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