Background

Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993

In 1993, Governor Weld signed the Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA) which increased the state's role in its educational system. Prominently, MERA increased state funding for education to $2.6 billion by 2000 and set a minimum budget that would allow a district to successfully educate students. Additionally, the act developed the Common Core system of curriculum frameworks and educational goals as statewide standards. With these standards in place, educational progress could be measured and standardized. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) was developed for this purpose and remains in use. MERA also created an accountability system to ensure quality student performance in school districts, changed the power structure of local education governance, revised teacher licensure to raise the quality of educators, and funded early education programs and charter schools. The impact of MERA is clear: Massachusetts is one of the leading states for K-12 and higher education, districts are better funded, and student scores have improved significantly on national standardized tests.

Information from nonpartisaneducation.org

Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) advances on its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), seeking equal opportunities for all students across the country. As the name suggests, NCLB focused on offering additional support to students in their areas of need, regardless of race, cultural background, or socioeconomic status, so that all students could achieve the same outcomes. However, the national standard measures of student success became less workable over time, and in 2010, the Obama administration revisited the approach to these laws, emphasizing the need to prepare students for college and career success. ESSA contains provisions which promote equity among disadvantaged students, maintain high academic standards, support local innovation of intervention strategies, invest in increasing access to preschool, and enforce accountability in lower-performing schools. ESSA also requires every state to evaluate student progress in reading, math, and science, and each state must have an online report card system which allows parents to access their students' test performance information. Still, schools are not over-testing students as NCLB had, with the new focus on advancing equity and career preparedness for all students.

Information from ed.gov