Responses to educational inequalities in the US
What is the Every Student Succeeds Act?
The main US Government policy to ensure that public K-12 schools (kindergarten to fifth year / 5 to 6 years to 16 years) have high educational standards comes from the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Who introduced ESSA?
ESSA was signed into law by President Obama in 2015.
What was the aim of ESSA?
Its main aim was to鈥provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps
.
ESSA requires all 50 states to develop state report cards
that provide clear and concise information on children鈥檚 educational progress. It also requires states to report on how much is spent on a student鈥檚 education and to identify and provide support to the lowest performing schools in the state. Importantly, ESSA allows each state greater flexibility on the way it goes about improving education in the state although each state must report back to US Department of Education.
Has ESSA been successful?
Supporters of ESSA argue that the law has improved equity in the US education system by ensuring greater support for disadvantaged and high-needs students. They also argue that it sets high academic standards for schools which better prepare students for college and a career. (Source: US Department of Education)
Critics of ESSA argue it gives the states too much flexibility and this has, in practice, reduced educational equality.
How has President Biden tried to improve US education?
One key priority of President Biden since he assumed office in 2021, has been to improve the US education system.
American Rescue Act (ARA)
By way of a response to the impact of Covid pandemic and the effects of school lockdowns, President Biden signed the American Rescue Act (ARA) into law in 2021. In respect of US education, the law provided over $133 billion of extra support to allow schools nationwide to employ more teachers, expand after-school and summer learning opportunities, improve school buildings, provide additional physical and mental support and purchase new learning materials. (Source: The White House)
Improving Student Achievement Agenda (ISAA)
Building on the ARA, President Biden announced its Improving Student Achievement Agenda (ISAA) in early 2024. This programme aims to increase student attendance in schools, improving tutoring opportunities and further expand after-school and summer learning experiences for students. The states have flexibility in how ISAA will be delivered although the federal government will continue to monitor the practice and performance of each state.
What is Affirmative Action (AA)? 1961 - 2023
AA or 鈥榩ositive discrimination鈥 was the name given to a set of programmes in the USA which aimed to reduce inequality in education and also employment.
Originally introduced to help black Americans overcome historical race disadvantage, AA programs later aimed to help a range of disadvantaged Americans including women and those with disabilities to access higher education and to gain employment.
For decades, supporters of AA argued it was needed to overcome the historic and continuing disadvantage that many groups in the US experience. Opponents of AA, on the other hand, saw AA as 鈥榬everse discrimination鈥 with some black Americans themselves holding the view that AA undermined their (and other) successes i.e. they only got into university through preferential treatment and not because they earned their university place.
Trump, Biden and Affirmative Action
President Trump and his Republican supporters are largely against Affirmative Action. During his presidency, Trump sought to reverse AA. In 2018 the Trump administration withdrew guidance which encouraged universities to consider diversity when selecting students. (Source: 大象传媒 News).
After President Biden was elected, he signed an Executive Order in early 2021 reversing Trump鈥檚 approach to AA. However, at that time, AA policies were again being challenged in courts across the US. (Source: The White House)
By June 2023, in a landmark judgment, the US Supreme Court ruled the race-based admissions at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina were illegal. The 6-3 ruling dominated by a conservative majority effectively put an end to AA as a way in which to diversify higher education.