Previously known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act ("ESEA") and the No Child Left Behind Act ("NCLB"), the Every Child Achieves Act has passed and now includes a number of family engagement provisions, including the reauthorization of the Parental Information and Resource Centers (PIRC) program as Statewide Family Engagement Centers which will provide states and districts with the capacity to support effective implementation and enhancement of family engagement policies. As we know from decades of research, children are more likely to succeed in school when their families are engage in their education. The legislation also encourages districts to dedicate more than 1% of Title I funding to family engagement efforts and ensures that early learning programs prioritize family engagement. In addition to strengthening family engagement, the Every Child Achieves Act creates a federal Student Privacy Policy Commission to make recommendations to safeguard student data and supports student access to digital learning resources at home to address the “homework gap.” There remains some committee work ahead to consolidate the House and Senate bills before it can become law. We will continue to keep you updated.
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