The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has drastically changed the federal education landscape for the first time in more than a decade. State education agencies (SEAs) have been granted additional flexibility under the new law but first must establish their state strategic vision and evaluate how the new law will affect their accountability, funding, school improvement and grant-making systems. And, thanks to the new law, states will not be doing this alone -- ESSA requires that states design their new systems with input from dozens of stakeholder groups, ranging from teachers to parents to community organizations. But before SEAs reach out to their stakeholders, they should carefully plan their approach to ensure each engagement effort is meaningful, the right people are reached, the right questions are asked, and SEA staff are able to get the information necessary to design the best systems for the students in their state. This tool is meant to inform that planning and provide general guidance, successful examples, and questions for SEAs to consider before stakeholder outreach and engagement begins. [For a companion to this report, "Let's Keep This Conversation Going: Steps to Ensure That Stakeholders Get Engaged and Stay Engaged through the ESSA Development Process and Beyond," see ED597959. This report was developed with input from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), National Urban League, Partners for Each and Every Child, National Council of La Raza and the PIE Network.]