The Highlights of the ESSA

With a school administration career spanning more than two decades, Craig Hockenberry has a passion for the education of youth. Craig Hockenberry serves as superintendent of the Three Rivers Local School District in the Cincinnati area.

In December 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was put into place. ESSA was designed to replace the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and to shift to less federal authority in education. This replacement law eliminated a number of things that NCLB brought into effect that some considered burdensome, including Adequate Yearly Progress and Highly Qualified Teacher requirements. It also eliminated the need for teacher/principal evaluation systems that linked results to student test scores and reduced the authority of the US Secretary of Education. School Improvement Grant funding requirements were also eliminated.

The main focus of ESSA is transferring the control of the public education system to the states and school districts. This allows for more flexibility so that states and local school authorities can more effectively tailor their systems to meet their specific needs. States also consult with a variety of stakeholders to make decisions.