Mattie's insights about ESSA

OHIO YAB Youth Ambassador Mattie Harrod created a video regarding the Every Student Succeeds Act and opportunities to improve K-12 outcomes for Ohio foster youth, which was shared as part of a workshop during the PCSAO conference on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023.

Mattie's goal in creating this video was to map out the supports needed by K-12 foster youth at school.

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act, as passed in December 2015, makes a lot of promises on paper that ultimately need to be both funded and held accountable on a federal, state and local level. 

For now, in Ohio (the state of 88 counties), it is up to the voices of tenacious and courageous youth leaders like Mattie, as well as caring ally organizations such as the Ohio Department of Education, to advocate for ESSA support to be a consistent part of the foster youth experience.