Advocates of greater state authority in education policy making did breathe a sigh of relief when the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed in 2015. But, in the words of the musical Hamilton, which had opened only a few months before ESSA was signed, they also realized that while “winning is easy . . . governing is harder.”
It is certainly true that the previous three reauthorizations of ESEA created a culture of compliance in many states and in local districts. It’s also true that a decade of state budget cuts hollowed out state education agencies and made it more difficult for them to tackle persistent and political challenges.
And yet we’re already starting to see signs that states are moving in new directions — drawing on evidence and input from those closest to the classroom.
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