education law

U.S. Department of Education

Laws & Guidance

Legislation, regulations, guidance, and other policy documents can be found here for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) , and other topics.

Please note that in the U.S., the federal role in education is limited. Because of the Tenth Amendment, most education policy is decided at the state and local levels. So, if you have a question about a policy or issue, you may want to check with the relevant organization in your state or school district .

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Information page
Text of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended through 12/27/22: PDF (1.2M) | Text (3.3M)
Guidance and Regulations

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

Regulations

Civil Rights

Section 504 FAQ
Sex Discrimination (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972)
Race and National Origin Discrimination (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964)
OCR Reading Room: Policy Guidance and Other Resources

IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)

IDEA Website
Text of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (PDF, 529KB)

WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act)

Text of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act

Higher Education Act

Text of the Higher Education Opportunity Act
Postsecondary Policy Initiatives
Dear Partner/Colleague Letters
Negotiated Rulemaking 2023-2024
Foreign Gifts and Contracts--Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965

Regulations and Rulemaking

Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), Title 34, Education
Recent Federal Register Documents
Submit a Petition for Rulemaking through Docket ID ED-2023-OGC-0071 on www.regulations.gov
ED’s Instructions for submitting a petition for rulemaking
Log of petitions for rulemaking received by ED
Guidance Homepage
Significant Guidance
Key Policy Letters

How Do I Find...

Student loans, forgiveness
College accreditation
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
1098, tax forms

Information About...

Elevating Teaching
Early Learning
Engage Every Student
Unlocking Career Success
Cybersecurity

Student Loans

Grants & Programs

Data & Research

Privacy Policy
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Inspector General
Whitehouse.gov
Benefits.gov
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U.S. Department of Education

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

en Español

A New Education Law

Recent updates.

FAQs: Transitioning to the ESSA
Key ESSA resources, including guidance and regulatory information
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (PDF, 1.2MB)

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015, and represents good news for our nation’s schools. This bipartisan measure reauthorizes the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students.

The previous version of the law, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, was enacted in 2002. NCLB represented a significant step forward for our nation’s children in many respects, particularly as it shined a light on where students were making progress and where they needed additional support, regardless of race, income, zip code, disability, home language, or background. The law was scheduled for revision in 2007, and, over time, NCLB’s prescriptive requirements became increasingly unworkable for schools and educators. Recognizing this fact, in 2010, the Obama administration joined a call from educators and families to create a better law that focused on the clear goal of fully preparing all students for success in college and careers.

ESSA Highlights

ESSA includes provisions that will help to ensure success for students and schools. Below are just a few. The law:

Advances equity by upholding critical protections for America's disadvantaged and high-need students.
Requires—for the first time—that all students in America be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and careers.
Ensures that vital information is provided to educators, families, students, and communities through annual statewide assessments that measure students' progress toward those high standards.
Helps to support and grow local innovations—including evidence-based and place-based interventions developed by local leaders and educators.
Sustains and expands this administration's historic investments in increasing access to high-quality preschool .
Maintains an expectation that there will be accountability and action to effect positive change in our lowest-performing schools, where groups of students are not making progress, and where graduation rates are low over extended periods of time.

History of ESEA

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who believed that "full educational opportunity" should be "our first national goal." From its inception, ESEA was a civil rights law.

ESEA offered new grants to districts serving low-income students, federal grants for textbooks and library books, funding for special education centers, and scholarships for low-income college students. Additionally, the law provided federal grants to state educational agencies to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education.

NCLB and Accountability

NCLB put in place measures that exposed achievement gaps among traditionally underserved students and their peers and spurred an important national dialogue on education improvement. This focus on accountability has been critical in ensuring a quality education for all children, yet also revealed challenges in the effective implementation of this goal.

Parents, educators, and elected officials across the country recognized that a strong, updated law was necessary to expand opportunity to all students; support schools, teachers, and principals; and to strengthen our education system and economy.

In 2012, the Obama administration began granting flexibility to states regarding specific requirements of NCLB in exchange for rigorous and comprehensive state- developed plans designed to close achievement gaps, increase equity, improve the quality of instruction, and increase outcomes for all students.