The very recent passage of ESSA marks the end of an era in American education policies. Federal laws and incentives to create common academic standards, to unify assessments, to hold teachers accountable for students’ test results – all this is now over, with authority in all these domains returned to the 50 states. Should we mourn the passing of the “federalist decade” of educational reform? Should we agonize over what will come next?

Dr David Steiner is currently Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, and Professor of Education at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to his current position, Dr Steiner served as Commissioner of Education for the State of New York (where he led the successful effort to bring $700 million of Race to the Top funds to the state); Director of Education at the National Endowment for the Arts; and Dean of the School of Education at Hunter College of the City University of New York, (where he achieved national recognition for pioneering clinically-rich residency programs for teacher training).