Re-Authorization of Every Student Succeeds Act

On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which is the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), a key federal law governing education, originally signed into law in 1965, and last reauthorized as No Child Left Behind in 2002. This law is the first major overhaul of federal education law in over a decade.  The law has many new provisions including the provision that states to ensure certain protections for vulnerable youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems.

"Children in foster care are often forced to change schools multiple times, disrupting important relationships and derailing children's educations. The new provisions in ESSA are an important advance in ensuring school stability and academic success for students in foster care, and we look forward to supporting schools and child welfare agencies to ensure smooth implementation," said Kathleen McNaught of the ABA Center on Children and the Law, who leads the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education.

_{Cathy Krebs is the committee manager of the Children's Rights Litigation Committee at the ABA Section of Litigation in Washington, D.C.}

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