Based on Betsy DeVos' repeated comments that the federal government ought to let states set their own course, I did not expect her U.S. Department of Education to veto Georgia's education blueprint for raising achievement and improving schools, as required under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.
And it did not.
The federal stamp of approval came today even after Georgia's own governor raised doubts about the plan crafted by the state Department of Education after statewide meetings and hundreds of public comments.
As my AJC colleague Ty Tagami reports:
Though DeVos appreciated the design, Deal rejected it, saying it "falls short in setting high expectations" and tells school districts how to run their schools.
The approval means Georgia's 111-page plan complies with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, the successor to the No Child Left Behind Act and that the state can implement it.
From the federal ED tonight:
Georgia DOE issued its own statement:
The U.S. Department of Education highlighted Georgia's work rewarding schools making significant progress with traditionally underserved subgroups and creating an accountability system that expands opportunities for students and supports the whole child.
What is the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA?
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, replacing the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. ESSA gave states additional flexibility and authority over their educational systems and tasked them with developing state plans to support education – although wholesale flexibility was not granted, and requirements of the law vary in specificity from issue to issue.
Georgia's ESSA plan sets a new course for K-12 education in the state, moving away from an excessive focus on high-stakes testing to an education system that places the whole child at the center.
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