Advance Illinois Statement on the Signing of the Every Student Succeeds Act into Law

December 10, 2015: Today, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into law ushering in a new day for the education system in our country.ESSA replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). While flawed and in need of overhaul, NCLB did shine a light on how well we are doing in educating our students and pointed out where we suffer from achievement gaps based on race and income.ESSA calls on Illinois to continue moving forward in improving results for all our students by shifting the focus to states to develop their own high-quality accountability systems. How Illinois answers that call matters greatly.Illinois now must develop a more robust and refined accountability system, one that prioritizes schools in need, attends to all students, and anticipates the supports students need to succeed. Advance Illinois will work to ensure that any new system is designed to help accelerate student progress and continues to shine a light on all students.ESSA is based on the belief that all students can succeed. The ball is now in our court to deliver. Advance Illinois will work with the state and other stakeholders and will continue to advocate for policies and practices that support that ideal.