Parent Resources
Fundamentally, ESSA is about creating a set of interlocking strategies to promote educational equity by providing support to districts and schools as they work to ensure that every student succeeds. New York State is committed to ensuring that all students succeed and thrive in school no matter who they are, where they live, where they go to school, or where they come from.
What is ESSA? Why does it matter? What do parents need to know?
Information for parents is available below.
English Language Learner and Multilingual Learner Parent Resources
English Language Learner and Multilingual Learner Parent Resources are available from NYSED's Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages. On this section of our website, you will find information about how children are identified as ELLs, the kinds of programs available for ELLs, when students can exit ELL programs and services, and how you can obtain additional information, materials, and resources from local schools.
ESSA Accountability Designations
Under ESSA, schools receive one of four support models: Local Support and Improvement (LSI), Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Additional Support and Improvement (ATSI), or Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI). Districts are designated as either identified for LSI or Target Districts. Schools identified for CSI, ATSI, and TSI are eligible for additional support. When schools are persistently found to be low performing, they can be placed into Receivership, and if a school in Receivership does not make Demonstrable Improvement, the school may be assigned an Independent Receiver. View information on School Accountability Designations and school standings, Receivership, and Demonstrable Improvement.
ESSA Fact Sheets
These fact sheets for parents summarize and explain the final ESSA plan. The fact sheets are available in 15 languages.
ESSA-Funded Programs Complaint Procedures
The complaint procedures offer parents and other stakeholders a process to file complaints and allow for the timely resolution of such complaints.
McKinney-Vento Homeless Education
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education program provides support to ensure that homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free, appropriate, public education; including a public preschool education, with the opportunity to meet the same challenging state content and student performance standards.
Parent Dashboard
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has developed a Parent Dashboard to increase transparency and make information about school performance and other school-level data easier for parents and the public to access. Information is available on all public schools including charter schools.
School Climate / Educating the Whole Child
A positive school climate promotes school safety, student self-esteem, emotional well-being, mental health, and lower incidences of substance abuse, student absenteeism, and suspensions. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) continues to promote initiatives to foster student engagement and thereby increase student achievement, safety, and wellness. Efforts will be expanded to provide capacity-building guidance; strategies; best-practice resources; and professional development for school administrators, instructional staff, and non-instructional staff in the following areas to advance these initiatives.
ESSA Informational Video
This brief, parent-friendly video about ESSA implementation includes information on ESSA requirements and important changes.