ESSA Toolkit

Shifting from Defense to Offense: ESSA creates opportunities for local associations.

The No Child Left Behind era has ended. Thanks in great part to the work of NEA members and staff in every state and every congressional district in the country, the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) returns much power to states and districts.

ESSA requires states and districts to develop policies on school accountability, teacher evaluation, professional development, school interventions, testing, and more with meaningful consultation of stakeholders—including Association members. These decisions need to be made by the people who know the names of students and their needs. The issue is meaningful consultation is not defined. It is up to local members to use the new law to get union members on local committees and task forces to influence these decisions. 

Missouri NEA created a statewide ESSA implementation team and supports the development of local ESSA teams. The following ESSA MO Digital Toolkit provides resources to help your local association achieve the best possible ESSA implementation in Missouri and in your district. For more information about ESSA, contact MNEA Professional Practice Director Samantha.Hayes@mnea.org or your MNEA UniServ director. Your UniServ director is an expert in advocacy and can help you develop a plan to increase the voice of educators in local policy decisions. 

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