This Week’s ESSA News: Nearly Half of Louisiana Schools Require School Improvement Plans, North Carolina Grappling With Persistent Achievement Gaps & More
This update, brought to you by the Collaborative for Student Success as part of their ESSA Essentials series, sheds light on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) by states and school districts. It is an offshoot of their ESSA Advance newsletter, which you can subscribe to. The update offers a fresh perspective on the use of evidence in improving schools, suggesting that state and local leaders have various options to prioritize evidence in their spending decisions. The report provides both lighter and heavier lift approaches, allowing educators to have flexibility and adaptability in making evidence-based decisions that suit their district’s and school’s unique needs.
Despite this, rural schools face challenges in finding and implementing evidence-based school turnaround strategies. Limited access to resources makes it difficult for them, and some administrators rely on plans recommended by other rural K-12 leaders.
In other news, Louisiana faces the task of improving outcomes for struggling students, with 44 percent of public schools in the state having to develop improvement plans for approval and funding, as mandated by ESSA guidelines. Recent performance scores reveal that 16 percent of public schools received an ‘A’ grade, while 32 percent received a ‘B,’ 29 percent received a ‘C,’ 14 percent were rated a ‘D,’ and 9 percent received an ‘F.’ The Louisiana Department of Education underscores the need for urgent action, as over 45,000 students still attend an ‘F’-rated school. Recommendations include expanding access to quality early childhood programs for children aged birth to 3.
In North Carolina, despite signs of improvement in achievement gaps within Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, there is still work to be done. According to accountability results set under ESSA, the district has only met around a quarter of the 265 goals aimed at closing gaps between high- and low-performing subgroups. Education officials express frustration over persistent achievement gaps, but highlight the importance of not only considering the amount of spending but also how it is allocated.
The December 2019 deadline for school districts to break out school-level funding approaches quickly. To meet the financial challenges of this deadline, schools can streamline and modernize their systems through enhanced automation, which will have benefits beyond just ESSA compliance. A new playbook provides guidance on meeting ESSA funding and finance requirements, helping educators navigate this process effectively.
Would you like to stay informed and up to date? Simply click on this link to subscribe to the ESSA Advance newsletter. By doing so, you will receive comprehensive information directly in your inbox every Tuesday.
Sign up for Newsletter to have stories like these delivered straight to your inbox.
