蜜桃影视

This update on the Every Student Succeeds Act and the education plans now being refined by state legislatures is produced in partnership with ESSA Essentials, a new series from the Collaborative for Student Success. It鈥檚 an offshoot of their聽聽newsletter, which you can聽! (See our recent ESSA updates聽from previous weeks right here.)

The Every Student Succeeds Act includes a provision that is often glossed over but has the potential to ignite important conversations about equity. The provision requires states to 鈥渟tart reporting to the public each school鈥檚 annual per-pupil spending amount,鈥� Daarel Burnette II聽聽in聽Education Week. For the first time, per-pupil spending will be revealed at the school level, instead of just as a districtwide average, shining a light on spending decisions and allocations such as which schools have the more experienced 鈥� and, as a result, more expensive 鈥� teachers and 鈥渨hether racial minorities and districts鈥� neediest children are receiving their fair (and necessary) share of tax dollars.鈥�

Burnette explains that 鈥渢o collect and report this data, a technically challenging and politically thorny process, has roiled the school finance community.鈥� While state legislatures are eager to see how money is spent and whether it is spent well, Burnette reports that district officials have concerns that the large volume of information has the potential to be misinterpreted.

See below for more ESSA news.

1 Two civil rights groups ask DeVos to hold firm on Florida’s ESSA plan

Florida remains the only state that has yet to have its ESSA plan approved by the U.S. Department of Education, and UnidosUS and the Florida chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens want it to stay that way 鈥� at least for now. Corey Mitchell in Education Week that the two organizations issued a letter Aug. 10 鈥渁rguing that the current ESSA plan excludes 鈥榗ritical protections鈥� for English language learners, students with disabilities, nonwhite students, and students from low-income families.鈥� In addition to 鈥渁sking state Education Commissioner Pamela Stewart to take more time, and gather more public feedback, on the state plan,鈥� the organizations want U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos 鈥渢o hold firm and reject any revised proposal that doesn’t comply with the letter of the law,鈥� Mitchell explains.

2 ESSA state Preschool Development Grants now open for applications

聽Linda Jacobson at Education Dive, states can now start applying for $250 million in聽 under ESSA to 鈥渆xpand access to and improve the coordination and quality of early childhood education programs for children from birth to age 5.鈥� These grants, which are overseen by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “represent the first time that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act has included funding specifically for early childhood, even though states have long been able to use Title I funds for preschool and other programs for young children,鈥� Jacobson writes.

3 Most pressing ESSA challenges & questions for districts

With the school year fast approaching, Alyson Klein聽聽in聽Education Week聽what 鈥渢he toughest part of the Every Student Succeeds Act for districts to get a handle on鈥� is. To find out, she asked experts such as Noelle Ellerson Ng from The School Superintendents Association, Jeff Simering from the Council of the Great City Schools, and David DeSchryver from Whiteboard Advisors. Their answers ranged from concerns about promoting equitable funding and tackling challenges around test participation rates to confusion around Title IV (the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants) and ESSA not seeming like 鈥渁 very big departure鈥� from its predecessor, No Child Left Behind.

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