How can ESEA reauthorization fix NCLB and the crisis?

On behalf of America’s secondary school students, and in particular for the more than six million who are most at-risk of academic failure, the Alliance for Excellent Education (the Alliance) calls on Congress to complete a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that includes the following recommendations. These policies will build on the ideals of No Child Left Behind and help to lead the nation toward the goal of “every child a college- and career-ready graduate”

1. Establish graduating all students from high school on time and ready for college and careers as the goal for the U.S. education system.
2. Hold states, districts, and schools accountable for graduating all students from high
   school and getting them ready for college and careers.
3. Shift away from a one-size-fits-all school improvement system prescribed by the federal government to one that supports state and district efforts to customize reform strategies that are based on data and tailored to the unique needs of low-performing middle and high schools.
4. Strengthen the federal investment in improving low-performing middle and high
   schools and helping ensure that all students graduate from high school ready for college and careers.

For more details on the Alliance’s federal priorities and the legislation it supports, read:

• Recommendations submitted to the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee Key Pieces of Secondary
• School Legislation Pending Before Congress
• Alliance for Excellent Education’s federal policy webpage