The Every Student
Succeeds Act (ESSA) and What It Means for Music and Arts Education by Marcia Neel
What is it? A brief background
In December of 2015, with bi-partisan support, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) thereby reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) first signed into law in 1965 by President Johnson. Within the current law, there are a number of “Titles” which deal with various facets of the Act—many of which have been established along the way in subsequent reauthorizations after the initial signing of ESEA. The most well-known of these Titles is “Title I” as it makes up most the total funds allocated. Prior to the signing of ESSA, the last reauthorization of ESEA was the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which was signed into law in 2001 by President George W. Bush.
What are the major changes from No Child Left Behind(NCLB) to the Every Student Succeeds Act(ESSA) and why is this important for Music and Arts Education? One of the biggest changes is that decision- making and accountability measures will no longer be dictated from the federal level— they will now originate from each individual state. State education agencies (SEAs) are currently in varying stages of developing and/or revising their State Plans to meet the provisions within ESSA and are expected to submit them to the U.S. Department of Education.
Also, ESSA places a focus on the providing of a “Well-Rounded Education” for all students. ESSA defines a “Well-Rounded Education” as follows.
S. 1177-298 (52): Definitions (Well- Rounded Education)
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The term “well-rounded education” means courses, activities, and programming in subjects such as English, reading or language arts, writing,
science, technology,
engineering, mathematics, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, geography, computer science, music, career and technical education, health, physical education, and any other subject, as determined by the State or local educational agency, with the purpose of providing all students access to an enriched curriculum and educational experience.
Speaking to the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts on April 14, 2016, former Secretary of Education John King declared that while literacy and math skills are “necessary for success in college and in life…they’re not by themselves sufficient. A more well-rounded education is critical for a safe, supportive and enjoyable learning environment.” (The Huffington Post, “Education Secretary John King: It’s Time To Stop Ignoring The Arts And Sciences.”
http://www.huffingtonpost. com/entry/john-king-well-rounded-education _us_570e9013e4b03d8b7b9f34c6)
Why is all of this important for Music and Arts Education? ESSA has provided a major opportunity for each state to determine to what degree Music and Arts Education are incorporated into federal funding plans at the state and local level. The stage has been set: 1) Decision-making is occurring at the state level rather than from the federal level, 2) State Plans are currently under construction thus providing opportunities to have input via state arts organizations, coalitions, and interested like-minded supporters, and 3) A
focus has been placed on providing a well- rounded education which, among others subjects, includes music and the arts so that all studentsmay have “access to an enriched curriculum and educational experience.” What does this mean for Music and Arts Education and implementation of Title I? Title I is the largest source of federal funding for education. The U.S. Department of Education website describes it as a program which “provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low- income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.”
Arizona has had more than a decade of allowing arts integration to be supported by Title I funds, first through Title I Part F funding (Comprehensive School Reform under No Child Left Behind) and through Title I Stimulus funds. An Arizona website for arts and Title I was created at
title1arts.org in part to create a centralized portal to showcase this work and to encourage Arizona districts to undertake more Title I funded arts integration within the state. The
title1arts.org site provides a direct link to the “Arizona site” which also clearly states that, “Arts programs can help schools achieve the goals of Title I by facilitating student engagement and learning, strengthening parent involvement, and improving school climate and school wide behavior.” This site even quotes Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas in her support for arts education for Arizona’s children in her remarks that, “as an artist myself, I know how important the arts are for learning. I support the arts as part of a complete education for
May/June 2017
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