In 2015, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps.
We know that making sure students are prepared for college and the workplace is one of the most important things we can do to build a strong economy.
Yet for too long, we have not been setting our students up for success.
The world is changing; our kids are now not only competing with their peers from other states, but they are also competing with students from other countries.
In 2019, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) found that out of 36 OECD industrialized nations, 15-year-old students in the U.S. ranked 9th in reading, 13th in science, and an abysmal 30th in mathematics. Simply put, we need to do better.
* Refers to Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang
B-S-J-Z* (China)
Singapore
Macao (China)
Hong Kong (China)
Chinese Taipei
Japan
Korea
Estonia
Netherlands
Poland
Switzerland
Canada
Denmark
Slovenia
Belgium
Finland
Sweden
United Kingdom
Norway
Ireland
Germany
Czech Republic
Austria
Latvia
France
Iceland
New Zealand
Portugal
Australia
Russia
Italy
Slovak Republic
Luxembourg
Hungary
Lithuania
Spain
United States
Israel
Turkey
Greece
Chile
Mexico
ESSA gives states the power to design their own education system, but holds states to clear and consistent guidelines for preparing students.
These clear guidelines set what students should know and be able to do at each grade level in math, English, and language arts.
These standards will help students graduate high school able to succeed in college and the workforce.
The world is a more demanding place today than ever before.
It is vitally important that we—as business leaders, employers, and parents—speak out loud and clear that we have a role to play in helping students gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in an increasingly demanding and competitive workplace.
Let’s start today.
