State Chiefs Using ESSA to “Best Serve Their Unique Students”
February 7, 2018
“I served for six years as the commissioner of education in Kentucky, and during my time we implemented bold, innovative reforms that are still in place today,” writes Terry Holliday in The 74. Now, state chiefs across the nation are making similar efforts through the crafting of their state ESSA plans he says. Holliday served as a Check State Plans peer reviewer, where he reviewed state ESSA plans with other education experts brought together by Bellwether Education Partners and the Collaborative for Student Success. Holliday says he was “impressed to see how states are leading to improve education,” and notes all the plans look as different as the states themselves because they “are designed to be reflections of the priorities in their state.” Given this diversity of approach, Holliday encourages everyone to communicate with their state education departments if they have questions or need more information. “The plan is designed for your students, your state’s next generation,” he writes. “And from what I have read, states took the opportunity to chart a course for a bright future.”