EL-ESSA Initiative: Policy Brief Executive Summary

The federal requirement for the implementation of ESSA in Minnesota is an opportunity to adopt equity-focused principles and policy recommendations. The Minnesota Learning English for Academic Proficiency and Success (MN LEAPS) Act, passed in 2014, provides an excellent foundation for this work but has not been fully implemented due to resource and capacity limitations. Education stakeholders and leaders can utilize the development of the state’s ESSA implementation plan to further the groundbreaking leadership of the LEAPS Act, expand the engagement of EL stakeholders, and clarify policies and practices that support EL students in all the state’s schools and districts.