Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is a significant piece of legislation in the United States, enacted in 1965 to enhance funding for primary and secondary education, particularly targeting schools serving low-income students. Originating from President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty initiative, the ESEA aimed to address disparities in educational access and quality, emphasizing equal opportunities for all students. One of its key components is Title I, which provides federal funding to school districts with high concentrations of low-income families, seeking to mitigate the funding disparities often exacerbated by local property taxes.
Over the years, the ESEA has undergone several reauthorizations and amendments, evolving its focus from merely providing financial assistance to emphasizing academic achievement and accountability. The act has had several iterations, including the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 and the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015, each time refining its goals and strategies to enhance educational outcomes. While the ESEA has contributed to improved educational opportunities, it has also faced criticism regarding its emphasis on standardized testing and the potential for punitive measures against underperforming schools. The act continues to be a foundational element of U.S. educational policy, reflecting ongoing efforts to bridge achievement gaps and support diverse student populations.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The US Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965. The ESEA was designed to provide more funding for primary and secondary educational institutions, particularly those serving low-income students. The act stressed the importance of equal access to education and established strict guidelines to ensure accountability across schools. Reauthorized every five years, the ESEA evolved to focus on student achievement and close gaps in performance across states. It has undergone several name changes.
Background
In January 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson urged Congress to take the necessary measures to ensure equal opportunity within America's educational system. As part of his War on Poverty campaign, Johnson wanted to increase federal involvement in education and health care to alleviate the nation's poverty crisis. He hoped these measures would provide greater access to both resources. The education part of Johnson's agenda involved closing the gaps between low- and middle-income students in their math, reading, and writing scores. He asked Congress to create legislation that would lead to a greater balance of educational opportunities across all incomes. Commissioner of Education Francis Keppel designed the first draft of the ESEA soon after Johnson's request. The law originally aimed to improve education for students from lower-income families by providing more funding for school districts with a large concentration of poor students.
Local property taxes often provide the bulk of funding for schools in every state. Lower-income neighborhoods have lower property values and therefore lower property taxes than higher-income neighborhoods. This creates an imbalance in school funding between lower-income and higher-income areas. To combat this imbalance, Congress composed a special provision for inclusion in the ESEA called Title I. The provision was designed to provide more federal funds to schools with minimal funding. Title I also offered compensatory programs to individual low-income families to help them pay for their children's educational needs. The first draft of the bill featured five more sections, each aimed at addressing various educational concerns
The original ESEA actually was an amended version of a previous law titled Public Law 81-874. This law was a federal effort to assist public education costs affected by defense spending. The original version of the ESEA included six sections total (Titles I–VI). Title I was labeled Financial Assistance to Local Education Agencies for the Education of Children of Low-Income Families and accounted for the majority of the federal funds proposed in the ESEA. The remaining parts included the following:
- Title II: School Library Resources, Textbooks, and Other Instructional Material
- Title III: Supplementary Educational Centers and Services
- Title IV: Educational Research and Training
- Title V: Grants to Strengthen State Departments of Education
- Title VI: General Provisions.
The original ESEA included a disclaimer at the end noting that the contents of the act did not give the federal government authority over the curriculum, program instruction, administration, or personnel of any school or educational institution. It prohibited the government from controlling the selection of textbooks, library resources, and other published materials. Delegation of federal assistance was placed under the control of state departments.
Overview
Despite seeing some opposition from legislators who were opposed to more federal involvement in education, the House of Representatives approved the bill in March 1965. It received Senate approval in April. President Johnson signed the bill into law on April 11, 1965. In November of 1966, the bill saw its first amendment. Alongside a few title name changes, Title VI was amended to include "Education of Handicapped Children." Two years later, Title IV was amended as "Provisions for Adequate Leadtime and for Planning and Evaluation in Elementary and Secondary Education Programs," which affected advance funding for the evaluation of ESEA programs. Title VII, "Bilingual Education," was added at this time. The general provisions section of the original document was moved down the list with each new addition. The ESEA was reauthorized for the first time in January 1969, extending its reach for another seven years.
The ESEA saw two more amendments between 1970 and 1980, both of which further detailed appropriate uses of Title I funding. The early 1980s saw a change in the ESEA's agenda, as the focus shifted to students' academic achievement. In 1981, Congress passed the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act, which significantly reduced federal regulations over Title I funding. The legislation also called for raising achievement standards for low-income students. Further amendments throughout the decade included an emphasis on bilingual education programming. In 1984, Congress passed the Emergency Immigrant Education Act, which was incorporated into Title VI and provided assistance for bilingual instruction and services. Title IV was revised to integrate the Women's Educational Equity Amendments of 1984 and Title V included the Indian Education Amendments of 1984.
The Hawkins-Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Act of 1988 cemented Title I's focus on academic performance over funding regulation, emphasizing the development of excellence programs designed to improve academic performance. These alterations were analyzed as part of the 1993 national assessment of Title I, which discovered shortcomings in the legislation. The following year, President Bill Clinton introduced the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) to address these shortfalls. The act extensively revised the original ESEA and instituted three major changes to Title I. First, it required the use of math and reading/language arts standards to keep track of student progress and ensure accountability. It modified Title I's schoolwide program assistance requirements, reducing the required student body poverty rate from 75 percent to 50 percent. This allowed more schools to use Title I funds for the entire school, not just for low-income students. Lastly, the IASA handed more control to local officials to ensure less interference with school improvements.
The ESEA was reauthorized in 2001 by President George W. Bush and renamed the No Child Left Behind Act. The act further emphasized accountability and standardized testing. Schools were expected to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) standards and were punished if they failed to do so. Although NCLB did see some improvement in academic achievement and accountability, it also created issues. Fearful of federal penalties, many states lowered their achievement standards. The act also emphasized punishment of failure over reward for success, and its focus on test scores over student growth stunted individual progress.
Upon the ESEA's reauthorization in 2015 by President Barack Obama, NCLB was renamed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The ESSA modified the nation's standardized testing provisions and further reduced federal regulation over state testing standards. States earned greater ESSA flexibility by improving their educational systems. States were expected to demonstrate adoption of college and career-oriented assessments and standards, increase accountability efforts for the lowest-performing schools, and implement educator evaluation and support systems.
Bibliography
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"Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965." Virginia Commonwealth University, socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/education/elementary-and-secondary-education-act-of-1965/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2018.
"Elementary and Secondary School Act, the 'War on Poverty' and Title 1." Arizona State University, schugurensky.faculty.asu.edu/moments/1965elemsec.html. Accessed 13 Feb. 2018.
"Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)." U.S. Department of Education,www.ed.gov/essa?src=ft. Accessed 13 Feb. 2018.
"Evolution of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 1965 to 2015." Hunt Institute, www.hunt-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Development-of-the-Elementary-and-Secondary-Education-Act-August-2016.pdf. Accessed 13 Feb. 2018.
Hanna, Julia. "The Elementary and Secondary Education Act." Harvard University, 18 Aug. 2005, www.gse.harvard.edu/news/05/08/elementary-and-secondary-education-act. Accessed 13 Feb. 2018.
"The Nation's Main K-12 Law: A Timeline of the ESEA." Education Week, www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/the-nations-main-k-12-law-a-timeline.html. Accessed 13 Feb. 2018.
Schneider, Mercedes. "The Original ESEA: Only 32 Pages." Huffington Post, 6 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/mercedes-schneider/the-original-esea-only-32‗b‗8797342.html. Accessed 13 Feb. 2018.