蜜桃影视

This update on the Every Student Succeeds Act and the education plans now being implemented by states and school districts is produced in partnership with ESSA Essentials, an ongoing 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.)

A 鈥渟leeper provision鈥� in the Every Student Succeeds Act that requires states 鈥渢o publish annually on their report cards the per-student spending data for every public school in their borders鈥� is 鈥渇inally bearing fruit,鈥� according to this . 鈥淎s of March 2020, more than half of the nation鈥檚 states had released school-level spending data, with the remaining states expected to follow suit by the June deadline.鈥�

In some cases, the release of this information has generated questions regarding why some districts are spending 鈥渢housands of dollars more per student on one of its schools than the others.鈥� As Education Next found, 鈥渢here is no single story across districts or even types of districts. The patterns vary from place to place.鈥�

鈥淭he bottom line is that the focus on the district isn鈥檛 going away,鈥� write the authors. 鈥淧erhaps district leaders can consider the release of their data a 鈥榯eachable moment.鈥� Districts have much to learn from the data, and they have ample opportunity to educate people inside and outside the system about what the data mean.鈥� .

Here are the week鈥檚 other top headlines for how states are implementing (and innovating under) ESSA:

California adapts accountability system amid the pandemic

Like other states across the country, California is making major changes to its accountability system to adapt to the monumental challenges the coronavirus pandemic has posed for educators and students.

This provides a quick overview on where things currently stand in California鈥檚 鈥減ainstakingly instituted accountability system.鈥� Of particular note: How the widespread school closures due to the pandemic will impact everything from standardized testing to English learners鈥� language skills assessments to a requirement for districts to adopt Local Control and Accountability Plans for the next academic year to how schools will be identified for improvement next year under ESSA, and more.

After CARES funds, the transparency required for schools and districts

A recent outlines what information states and districts that have received emergency coronavirus relief funding must report.

Within 60 days of receiving funds, state education departments must 鈥渢ell the U.S. Department of Education their budgets for their 鈥榬eserve鈥� of the money,鈥� including 鈥渄ollar-by-dollar details about how this reserve gets used鈥� to address issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Districts should expect to provide their state agencies with information regarding how they plan 鈥渢o use the money in the context of its plans to address virus-related challenges.鈥�

Like ESSA, the CARES Act requires districts to give disadvantaged private school students 鈥渢he same services that their counterparts in public schools get,鈥� so non-public schools are also included on the applications for CARES Act funding.

Leveraging ESSA to help students in need during the pandemic

As Andrew Ujifusa , there are more ways for states to take advantage of ESSA than just the waivers provided by the Department of Education.

According to the Center on Reinventing Public Education, there are 鈥渕illions of dollars states can use outside of the traditional federal funding formulas to help schools address the coronavirus.鈥� States can help students in need by leveraging Direct Student Services; redirecting resources for now-canceled annual tests to support 鈥渄iagnostic testing for every student鈥� to 鈥渟ee how the pandemic has impacted their academic needs鈥�; and working to put in place 鈥渆vidence-based strategies for remediating gaps in learning鈥� that have worked to address related challenges.

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