ESEA was enacted in 1965 as part of  the Johnson Administration War on Poverty campaign. The law’s original goal, which remains today, was to improve educational equity for students from lower income families by providing federal funds to school districts serving poor students.  School districts serving lower income students often received less state and local funding than those serving more affluent children. This law was intended to lessen that gap.

In 2002, Congress reauthorized ESEA and President George W. Bush signed the law, giving it a new name: No Child Left Behind (NCLB). There were many modifications to NCLB that included mandates on closing achievement gaps, increasing equity, improving the quality of instruction, recognizing standards and increasing outcomes for all students.

In 2015, ESEA was again reauthorized. This time is became known as Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA was signed into law on December 10, 2015 by President Barack Obama.  ESSA still voices the longstanding commitment of equal opportunity for all students and requires public education to meet certain mandates that the state decides upon.

NJDOE performs calculations to provide grant funding to districts and schools based on census a poverty data.  This funding is known as "Title funds."  Schools with a certain threshold of free and reduced lunch students received title 1 funds.  Seven of our buildings received title 1 funds (Franklin, Fairview, Berkeley,  Watsessing, Carteret, BMS and BHS).  Bloomfield also receives title 2, 3 and 4- these funds can be used district-wide for specific needs.

Understanding ESSA 

The School Performance Reports reflect the New Jersey Department of Education's commitment to providing parents, students and school communities with a large variety of information about each school and district. These reports can be used as a tool to help evaluate whether all students have equitable access to high-quality education. We encourage you to use these reports to learn more, start conversations, and engage.  Districts are required to post a link to the School Performance Reports on their website.  School reports have the options such as detailed or summary and in English or Spanish.

Bloomfield School District Performance Reports