Corey Mitchell reports for Education Week that, according to a new Migration Policy Institute report, ESSA may be “penalizing older English-language learners and the schools that educate them.” How? “By making four-year graduation rates such a prominent part of school accountability plans, the Every Student...
In this blog post from the Latino Policy Forum, Rebecca Vonderlack-Navarro and Karen Garibay-Mulattieri take a look at “the promise of equitable educational opportunities” for English learners under ESSA, with a focus on Illinois. “The Forum advocates for accountability systems which help us to understand...
Breanna Edwards reports for the Arizona Daily Star that Arizona has “decided how it will adapt its hotly debated A-F letter grading system” for districts that choose to stop using the AzMerit assessment. The State Board of Education will evaluate growth based on student subgroup...
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) “establishes civil rights standards for educating students from historically underserved populations—such as children of color, students with disabilities, and those learning English as a second language” so that they “receive the resources they need,” writes National Urban League (NUL)...
Jeffrey S. Solochek reports for the Tampa Bay Times that two Miami-area Democrats in the state legislature have introduced companion legislation (SB 1590 / HB 1213) that would allow Florida’s English-language learner students to take state exams in their first language. If approved, “the measure...
In this Education Week piece, Andrew Ujifusa takes a look at the sensitive issues of socioeconomic factors, geographic location, and education quality. Of course, school funding mechanisms are a vital component of these interconnected issues, as “state and local funding each typically make up about...
According to ABC 6 News, last week, Tennessee education officials released the state’s new school report card. The report card includes a “parent-focused tool that includes school ratings, English-Spanish translation and additional data on student groups among other features.” The state’s report card was put together...
“Last week Maryland released the results of its first-ever report card grading system for state schools,” WBAL Baltimore reports. The system uses a 5-star rating system, with rankings “based on academic and non-academic factors” including “progress in achieving English language proficiency for English Learners, chronic...
Conor P. Williams writes in The 74 that Florida’s “ambivalence” towards English-language learners “shows up in its recent, meandering efforts to bring its education system into compliance with federal law.” Not only was Florida “the last state” to have its ESSA plan approved, the state...
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education published the Section 5005 Final Report on Rural Education—aka the “Rural Report” that is mandated by Section 5005 of ESSA. The report “outlines actions the Department will take to meaningfully increase the involvement of rural schools and school...
