ESSA's Impact on English Language Learner Education Policy
This paper examines the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and its implications for English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools. Tracing the policy's roots in the No Child Left Behind Act, the paper outlines ESSA's key provisions, including statewide entrance and exit procedures for ELLs, a renewed emphasis on multilingualism, and two accountability options that give students additional time to develop English proficiency before being assessed alongside native speakers. The paper also acknowledges persistent gaps stemming from unequal school resources and highlights the expanded autonomy granted to states under ESSA to ensure educational equity for ELL populations.
- Introduction: ESSA and Civil Rights Obligations for ELLs: ESSA reaffirms equal education access for ELLs
- Why ELLs Require Special Assistance: Cultural and linguistic barriers require targeted support
- Key ESSA Provisions Supporting ELL Success: Statewide procedures and multilingualism requirements introduced
- Accountability Options Under ESSA: Two timed accountability tracks protect new ELL students
- Gaps and State Autonomy in Implementation: Resource disparities and state-level responsibility remain
- Conclusion: ESSA's Broader Commitment to ELLs: ESSA affirms government commitment to ELL success
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its claims in specific legislative provisions and cited sources, lending credibility to each point made about ESSA's impact on ELLs.
- It balances a positive assessment of ESSA with an honest acknowledgment of remaining gaps, demonstrating critical thinking rather than one-sided advocacy.
- Concrete examples—such as the two enumerated accountability options—give readers specific, actionable details rather than vague generalizations.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively uses policy analysis as an organizational framework, moving from the legal basis of ESSA, through its specific provisions, to real-world implementation challenges. This structured progression allows the reader to understand not just what the policy says, but how it functions and where it falls short in practice.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by establishing the legal context (ESSA and its predecessors), then explains why ELLs need targeted support. It details specific policy provisions, presents verbatim accountability options from the American Federation of Teachers, critiques implementation gaps by noting resource disparities across schools, and closes with a reaffirmation of ESSA's overall value for ELL populations. Each paragraph builds logically on the one before it.
Introduction: ESSA and Civil Rights Obligations for ELLs
In 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reaffirmed the civil rights obligation of schools to ensure that English Language Learners (ELLs) have equal access to education (NCELA, 2016; Colorin Colorado, 2017). The same concept underlying this Act was previously found in the No Child Left Behind policy. The effect that this policy has had on ELL education is that it has helped to ensure that ELLs receive fair treatment in schools and receive the assistance they require.
Why ELLs Require Special Assistance
Because ELLs come from a foreign environment and culture, they are more likely to require special assistance when it comes to acquiring the second language (L2). Their familiarity with new surroundings and modes of expression is typically less developed than that of a learner who has been raised in the native-language environment.
Key ESSA Provisions Supporting ELL Success
Some specific ways that the policy has helped ELLs reflect a substantial consideration of their situation. For instance, as Colorin Colorado (2017) reports, schools are now required to establish statewide exit and entrance procedures for ELLs, and to place greater focus on multilingualism in order to help students retain their first language (L1) as they learn their L2. Enhancing schools' ability to monitor ELL progress is also a major development supported by ESSA.
Conclusion: ESSA's Broader Commitment to ELLs
The good thing about ESSA is that it reaffirms the state and federal government's dedication to the education of individuals who require additional attention due to their unique circumstances. ELLs certainly fall into this category. What ESSA makes possible is that students can now take the time they need to focus on learning the language without immediately having to meet standards or pass tests. While assessments are important to monitoring success, they can be overly burdensome in the early stages of language acquisition. ESSA's approach strikes a more equitable balance for English Language Learners navigating U.S. schools.
References
American Federation of Teachers. (2016). ESSA and English language learners. Retrieved from http://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/essa_ells.pdf
Colorin Colorado. (2017). Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and English language learners. Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/ell-basics/ell-policy-research/ell-laws-regulations/essa-ells
Ferguson, M. (2016). Washington view: ESSA is more than the latest acronym on education's block. Phi Delta Kappan, 97(6), 72–73.
NCELA. (2016). Legal obligations. Retrieved from
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.