This Week’s ESSA News: Building a Pipeline of School Principals Through Title I Funds, Indiana Publishes Foster-Care Student Data, Rating States by Equity & More
This update regarding the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the current implementation of education plans by states and school districts is brought to you in partnership with ESSA Essentials. ESSA Essentials is an ongoing series from the Collaborative for Student Success and is an extension of their ESSA Advance newsletter, which you can subscribe to here! (Check out our previous ESSA updates from the past few weeks here.)
During the CCSSO Legislative Conference, Virginia Democrat Rep. Bobby Scott addressed state school chiefs and emphasized that while ESSA grants states more flexibility in establishing policies and adhering to federal law, it should not be viewed as a "blank check," as reported by Alyson Klein for Education Week. Scott expressed concerns that many state ESSA plans are inadequate and may perpetuate inequalities for disadvantaged students. He also criticized the Department of Education for not enforcing strict adherence to the law.
Scott also expressed disappointment over the fact that many states are disregarding subgroup performance, explaining that some state accountability systems allow schools to receive high rankings even when marginalized students such as minorities, English learners, and students with disabilities are falling behind. According to Scott, these systems do not fulfill the promises of ESSA, and the Department’s approval of state plans raises concerns.
Klein notes that Scott’s criticisms are not surprising, as he and Sen. Patty Murray have long been critical of state plans regarding vulnerable student groups, as well as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ approval process for these plans.
Here are some additional updates on ESSA:
Promotion of principal talent using Title I funds:
According to Denisa R. Superville in Education Week, districts and states looking to invest in principals and school leaders as a means to improve schools may be able to utilize federal Title I funds. A recent RAND Corporation report examined the Wallace Foundation’s Principal Pipeline Initiative and found evidence of improved student achievement. This strengthens the argument for utilizing Title I funds for additional school leadership programs, including the selection, training, and mentoring of new principals.
National Urban League publishes equity ratings for ESSA:
The National Urban League released a new equity review report that evaluates the ESSA plans of 36 states and the District of Columbia based on a variety of equity metrics, as reported by Jessica Campisi in Education Dive. The report examines resource equity, educator equity, and interventions for struggling schools. Each state is rated as "poor," "sufficient," or "excellent" in each metric. Overall, the report found that nine states received an "excellent" rating, 20 states received a "sufficient" rating, and eight states received a "poor" rating.
Indiana publishes data on foster-care students:
In Indiana, data on students in foster care has been made publicly available.
The Education for All Students Act (ESSA) now requires states to provide information on the academic progress of foster-care youth. However, many states have not yet complied with this requirement. For example, Indiana has taken a unique approach to addressing this issue. To learn more about Indiana’s approach, click on the following link: [link]
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