New Opportunities to Advance Personalized Learning in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

With the new Every Student Success Act (ESSA), all eyes are searching the federal K-12 education law for opportunities to advance education reform. While there are good and concerning provisions, one thing is certain: the 391 pages are full of opportunities to make personalized learning a reality for every student in the country.

These opportunities will only translate into results for students if stakeholders take advantage of them as they design new systems of teaching and learning. This side-by-side tool compares key provisions in the previous K-12 education law (No Child Left Behind) to new provisions in ESSA that advance personalized learning. Our goal is to draw attention to these new opportunities so stakeholders are inspired to explore personalized learning elements as they begin to design and advocate for systems change.