Special Programs

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The ESSA builds upon the critical work States and local educational agencies (LEAs) have implemented over the last few years. The reauthorized law prioritizes excellence and equity for our students and supports great educators. This law supports progress in key areas through the efforts of educators, communities, parents, and students across the country.

ESSA includes provisions to help to ensure success for students and schools. Below are just a few.

The law:

• Advances equity by upholding critical protections for America's disadvantaged and high-need students.
• Requires—for the first time—that all students in America be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and careers.
• Ensures that vital information is provided to educators, families, students, and communities through annual statewide assessments that measure students' progress toward those high standards.
• Helps to support and grow local innovations—including evidence-based and place-based interventions developed by local leaders.
• Sustains and expands access to high-quality preschool.
• Maintains an expectation that there will be accountability and action to effect positive change in our lowest-performing schools, where groups of students are not making progress, and where graduation rates are low over extended periods of time.

The supplemental funding through ESSA received by New Braunfels ISD is used for supplemental instructional staff, research-based instructional materials, supports for disadvantaged students, and professional development that enhances parental involvement and supports staff in creating accelerated learning environments, as well as other activities designed to enable every student to succeed at the highest levels of performance. New Braunfels ISD uses its Title I funds on its designated schoolwide campuses to provide these supplemental resources to upgrade the entire educational program.