For the first time in more than a decade – and a half-century after enactment of the country’s main k-12 law – Congress has redefined the federal role in elementary and secondary education. But what does the Every Student Succeeds Act actually mean for schools and the communities they serve? And how does the new law differ from its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act For the first time in more than a decade – and a half-century after enactment of the country’s main k-12 law – Congress has redefined the federal role in elementary and secondary education. But what does the Every Student Succeeds Act actually mean for schools and the communities they serve? And how does the new law differ from its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act? In this essential guide to ESSA, Education Week explains what the law will mean for: • Accountability and testing • Teacher quality • Early-childhood education • Special education • Academic standards, including the Common Core • English-language learners • Teacher evaluation Inside ESSA gets to the heart of a law set to reshape our education system and the people it serves for many years to come.