School choice advocates seemed surprised earlier this year when the NAACP called for a moratorium on new charter schools. The need for school choice, according to many advocates, such as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, stems from lack of choices and underperformance of public schools for low-income students and students of color. However, a new survey by the civil rights group The Leadership Conference asks black and Latino parents about their views on education. Instead of education advocates and policymakers presupposing that all parents want is choice, we should stop and listen to them.
Parents want changes that would provide fair opportunities to their students. Most of their criticism is centered around race-based inequalities in funding and resources, as well as biased treatment of their students. Some parents may use school choice to attain greater equality, but until every school provides a high-quality education, providing options alone isn’t enough.
The Leadership Conference surveyed 600 black parents and 600 Latino parents across the U.S., all with children ages 5-18. The margin of error for each group is 4 percent. In addition to ensuring that our education system hears the voices of all groups of parents, this survey is particularly important because it helps peel back the layers on why black and Latino students often lag behind in educational attainment. They also make up nearly half of the student population.
Surveyed parents overwhelmingly felt that schools in black and Latino communities received less funding than schools in white neighborhoods. Research from EdBuild, an organization that studies education funding, would back up that sentiment. Black parents whose children attended majority white schools were more likely to rate their school as excellent than parents of students at majority-black schools (61 versus 14 percent). If funding tends to follow white students, then minority students at majority-white schools would also benefit from better supported schools. Socioeconomic status may also play a role in this perception; black and Latino students are far more likely to attend high-poverty schools than white students.
This week President Trump signed a resolution to invalidate a regulation designed to help implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This move will create tremendous confusion among states that are currently in the middle of putting the new law in place in time for the 2017-2018 school year.
Even more egregious is that congressional Republicans attempted to rewrite or ignore the intention, history and plain text of the law to eliminate the rule.
The 2015 passage of ESSA was a rare recent example of successful bipartisan policymaking. The legislation both reauthorized the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and reinforced ESEA’s core principles to ensure schools have the resources they need to teach all children well, particularly Black children and other children who’ve been neglected for too long, and give them the opportunity to succeed.
Now that the rule is gone, it’s essential that the civil rights legacy and legislative intent behind ESSA and the original ESEA not be obscured and that states recognize in developing their state accountability plans that they are still bound by the provisions of the law designed to ensure all children have equal educational opportunity.
ESEA is — and always has been — a civil rights law. It was a central plank in the Johnson Administration’s “War on Poverty” and one of a long string of legislative successes emanating from the civil rights movement in the mid-1960s. The legislation provided federal funds to help educate low-income children and recognized that the federal government has an important role in the educational success of every American child, no matter where they lived, how much money their parents had, or what they looked like.
Honoring this civil rights legacy, legislators ensured in 2015 that the ESSA reaffirmed that the federal government has an essential and irreplaceable role in enforcing civil rights laws and holding states and districts accountable if schools are not educating all children well.
One only has to reflect on the long history of state and local decisions shortchanging vulnerable students to understand why the federal role is essential for historically marginalized students, including the children of color who now comprise a majority of K-12 students in America’s public school classrooms.
Children facing the greatest barriers to their success like Black children and children from low-income communities need and deserve schools that educate all children well. They also deserve to know that the federal government will still hold states and school districts responsible if schools are not doing well or need help to improve.
And yet Republicans, in their zeal to rewrite ESSA’s legislative history, have been claiming that states would have carte blanche to ignore the students who’ve been deprived for far too long and sweep problems in schools under the rug now that the rule is gone. And that has led to more confusion and uncertainty for states who are in the middle of drafting their accountability plans, attempting to comply with the law, and deciding how best to support their students.
But make no mistake, ESSA – and its requirements for states – are still on the books and it’s important for our children’s future that states understand their responsibilities under the law.
Given our nation’s history, asking states to faithfully implement the law and meet their legal obligations to historically marginalized groups of children, while refusing to provide sufficient federal guidance and oversight, is a recipe for failure. No matter what Republicans say, Congress knew this and that’s why provisions that were in the law since 1965 remained, which is ultimately why the civil rights community supported the final law.
The state accountability plans are, at their core, a declaration of a state’s commitment to the education of all of their children. It’s the one place where parents and families can see what their state expects of schools – and what they plan to do when schools need more help doing their job well. The federal government’s role in helping to ensure these plans put the needs of children first is essential.
Every child in every school in every community across America deserves an education that equips them with the skills they need to forge a bright future. But ESSA’s success depends on states doing the right thing and the U.S. Department of Education holding them accountable when they fail to do so.
Overturning the regulation didn’t change this fundamental dynamic.
Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund.
Since 2009, H2O for Life, founded by retired educator Patricia Hall, has provided more than 2.5 million dollars for water, sanitation and hygiene education projects for schools around the world.
There’s no doubt millennials are making their mark on the world, but the baby boomers may be just as active, energized, and idealistic. After decades in the workforce, they aren’t ready to head to the golf course or the front porch rocking chair just yet. In fact, they are determined to put their experience to work in new ways to make their mark on the world again.
Many have found their second calling with the help of Encore, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes Baby Boomers for social change. One of them is Patricia Hall, a retired teacher from Bear Lake, Minn. She found her second calling as president of H2O for Life, a service-learning organization with a mission to engage, educate and inspire young people to learn about the global water crisis through investigation and local and global actions.
“I volunteer my services to the organization, typically providing 40 hours or more a week doing the outreach to schools and donors for our work,” she says.
Since 2009, the H2O for Life curriculum has reached more 300,000 students and has provided more than 2.5 million dollars for water, sanitation and hygiene education projects (WASH in Schools) for schools around the world.
“I spent 30 years in education, with a focus on special ed…” Hall says. “My passion for education led me to help create H2O for Life. My advice for pursuing your encore is to recognize that, as an older adult, you have many skills and time to contribute. Find your passion and have the time of your life.”
Retirees Motivated by Giving Back
In November 2016, Encore launched the “Generation to Generation” campaign that has the goal of mobilizing a million adults over 50 to volunteer or work with organizations that are dedicated to helping kids around the country. The campaign was launched after an Encore survey that found that the Generation War is a myth and that generations not only recognize their interdependence, but embrace it.
Of the 1,510 adults surveyed, 80 percent of respondents said “making the world a better place for the next generation is important or very important.” Most (65 percent) also believe that cooperation between young and old will be a source of national strength in an era characterized by rapid population aging, growing racial diversity and persistent partisan gridlock. And 77 percent of respondents 60 and older said life after age 60 is a time of mostly “freedom, growth and giving back.”
“Now, more than ever, we need people who feel passionate about social change to be out in the world making that change,” says Marci Alboher, vice president of Marketing for Encore and author of The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life. “Retired educators are uniquely positioned to connect with young people, both as guides and mentors, but perhaps even more importantly, as listeners and comrades. These are exactly the types we want to mobilize—and hear from—in the Generation to Generation campaign.”
Through a partnership with VolunteerMatch, would-be volunteers can search for opportunities on the campaign website, and find roles with youth-serving organizations that are interested in recruiting older adults.
Coming Together for Common Goals
The idea is that, despite the divisiveness and polarization our country has experienced, the campaign can serve as reminder that people from different ages, backgrounds and social classes can always come together around a common goal. It’s a timely approach to the timeless idea that society works better when everyone is connected and valued.
Encore was founded in 1998 by Marc Freedman, who helped establish Experience Corps—now AARP Experience Corps—which mobilized thousands of individuals over 50 to improve the school performance and prospects of low-income elementary school students in 22 U.S. cities.
Rather than thinking of an aging population as a burden, Freedman wondered how baby boomers could continue contributing to society in new and meaningful ways.
“As we confront significant challenges in areas like education, the environment and health care, this windfall of talent could help carry us toward a new generation of solutions,” he says.
A Second Calling Can Offer Firsts
Some, like Larry Jemison, have found their second calling in unexpected ways. When he retired from his job as a senior letter carrier in Cleveland, Ohio, he told his wife he was going to take a year off to do nothing. At the end of the year she told him his time was up and asked, “What are you going to do?”
Today he is a tutor with Cleveland Public Schools, the last place he’d have expected.
“I’ve always been the one talking about what the teachers aren’t doing and what the schools aren’t doing, and what they need to do,” he says. “So this was my chance to actually do something.”
He’s learned a lot about the challenges students face—like class sizes topping 40 kids.
“The ones that are low in those areas of literacy kind of get lost. Teachers don’t have time to work with the individual student and get them up to the level with the rest of the kids. So we are a big help to them. . . . I get real joy in seeing the impact of our work.”
He’s learned how important the attention of an adult is to a young person. He’s learned that public schools are doing the best they can with the resources that they have. And he’s learned how rewarding it is to give back.
“It had never occurred to me that I would like doing something like this!”
CHICAGO – On April 30, hundreds of libraries across the country will celebrate Día, a national library program that fosters literacy for all children from all backgrounds. Demographic projections show more than half of the country’s children will be part of a minority race or ethnic group in the next few years, and programs such as Día play a critical role in helping meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population, while also fueling cultural understanding and acceptance.
Educators say literacy depends on children’s desire to read. Through Día, libraries and librarians are using their expertise to nurture literacy by providing children access to and awareness of books that reflect their culture, heritage and language. Día events and activities have ranged from providing reading materials to children who are unaccompanied minors in detention centers and hosting bilingual story times for immigrant families from Somalia to visiting underserved communities on a bookmobile with book giveaways and fun crafts.
This year, libraries are planning a variety of Día celebrations that support inclusion, diversity and equity, including a show with Japanese drumming and storytelling in Los Angeles, a performance of traditional dances from Mexico and Spain in Broomfield, Colo.; and multicultural games and educational activities based on books from the Association for Library Service to Children’s 2017 Building STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) with Día Booklists in Portland, Ore.
For the last five years, libraries focused on engaging African-American children and families have received Día grants from through the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature to purchase books. This year’s grant winners include a library in Idaho Falls, Idaho, where students will research inspiring African-American authors and a library in Sharon, Pa., will present a program on the important contributions of African-American writers.
“Libraries provide opportunities to serve as mirrors to reflect those within the community and as windows to provide opportunities to learn about people from other cultures and backgrounds.,” said Andrew Medlar, past president of the Association for Library Service to Children. “Through Día, libraries and librarians are transforming lives and communities by offering services and programs that challenge intolerance and cultural invisibility.”
Día, also known as El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) is a commitment to include and celebrate a variety of cultures every day, year-round, culminating annually on April 30. Día recognizes and respects culture, heritage and language as powerful tools for strengthening families and communities.
Día booklists, coloring sheets, an interactive map of participating libraries and other resources can be found at http://dia.ala.org.
The Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, is the national home for Día and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA) and acclaimed children’s author Pat Mora are founding partners of the initiative. Día is an enhancement of Children’s Day, which started in 1925 and was designated as a day to bring attention to the importance and well-being of children. In 1996, Mora proposed linking the celebration of childhood and children with literacy to found Día.
In case you missed it, states turned in the very first batch of plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act this week. We have links to all nine of them here. And a number of advocacy groups and research organizations haveâor are planning to createâsome ESSA resources for states and advocacy groups.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has announced a new resource to guide schools’ response to race and bias incidents occurring within their facilities.
Dubbed the Equity and Inclusion Toolkit, it is the latest of several resources released by the department since the 2016 presidential election. Other recent initiatives include a hotline for school districts to report incidents and obtain assistance, as well as a crisis plan template and curriculum guides, according to a news release.
“A healthy and safe environment can help our students thrive, and every student regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression should be provided the opportunity to learn free from discrimination, fear or harassment,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement.
Trump’s proposed budget cuts alarm Pa. educators
“My administration is dedicated to improving education in Pennsylvania, and we’ll continue working to ensure every student has the opportunity to excel,” he added.
The release referred broadly to “high-visibility incidents” that occurred around the time of the election in schools across the state. The students were antagonized based on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
One such incident involved a video posted the day after the election that showed several students at York County School of Technology marching down the school’s hallways with a Trump/Pence lawn sign chanting, “white power.”
Days after the incident, Wolf dispatched resources to assist York Tech with the situation, including representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Human Rights Commission as well as a school psychologist specializing in trauma and crisis management from the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network.
“What has occurred at the York County School of Technology and other schools across Pennsylvania is overt racism,” Wolf said in a statement at the time, “and my administration will do everything it can to end it and prevent it from happening in the future.”
The incident received national attention, and the school has since hired York City activist Carla Christopher as an equity coordinator.
“I think it’s great that we have a leader who is saying that he believes in standing strong for Pennsylvania and for our students, no matter what the national climate may be,” said Christopher.
She added she thought the governor’s quick turnaround in coming up with a guide for schools is exemplary of what someone in his role should be doing.
Christopher also praised the many terms introduced in the toolkit, including education equity, implicit bias and cultural competency. “It is just such progressive thinking,” she said.
“The toolkit … will advance existing efforts at the state and local levels to create and maintain supportive settings that celebrate diversity and teach students the importance of respect for self and others,” said Pennsylvania Department of Education Secretary Pedro Rivera.
“This resource was developed in collaboration with other state agencies, organizations and partners and focuses on strategies and actions that schools can take to address bias and discrimination in a proactive and effective manner,” he stated.
Among the organizations partnering with the Department of Education’s Office of Safe Schools are the Human Relations Commission, the Center for Schools and Communities and local intermediate units, according to the release.
Christopher said the York County School of Technology has already made some strides on several of the new toolkit’s guidelines, including completing the first part of the school’s climate assessment.
“It’s reassuring to know we’re on the right track,” she said. “We’re certainly working some awesome miracles at York Tech.”
Earlier this week, the Brookings Institution released the fifth annual Education Choice and Competition Index, which ranks school choice in the largest school districts in the U.S.
During her address, Secretary of Education Betsy Devos claimed that “parents are the primary point of accountability.” When asked about policies that ensure that schools of choice are actually improving student performance, she answered that “the policies around empowering parents and moving the decision-making to the hands of parents on behalf of children is really the direction we need to go.” She later repeated the idea that transparency and information, coupled with parental choice, equated to accountability.
While it is indeed important to communicate information on school choice, transparency and information are only part of the accountability puzzle. In addition to these components, states also use accountability to ensure that schools that fail to meet academic or financial standards are improved or closed.
This is of particular importance for public charter schools, who have been given the authority to operate independently of school districts and many state rules or regulations. Accountability rules assure that students are learning and that public funds are spent responsibly.
While the accountability measures used for charter schools to demonstrate quality performance vary from state to state, they do exist, and they include more than just reporting information to parents.
Forty-three states had charter school laws in place when we completed this analysis (not including Kentucky, which passed a bill in March 2017 to allow charter schools). We examined four points of accountability within the charter school policies as recorded by the Education Commission of the States: annual reporting, specifications for termination, performance-thresholds, and technical assistance.
Annual Reporting
Most states require charter schools to submit annual reports as a part of their accountability obligations. Some annual reporting requirements include annual report cards, education progress reports, curriculum development, attendance rates, graduation rates, and college admission test scores. Many states that do not require annual reports still require financial reports, which speaks to the other side of accountability, appropriate usage of funds.
Some states, such as Washington, require charter schools to provide the same annual school performance reports as non-charter schools.
In Ohio, each charter is required to disseminate the state Department of Education’s school report card report to all parents.
North Carolina requires its charter schools to publish their report performance ratings, awarded by the State Board of Education, on the internet. If the rating is D or F, the charter school must send written notice to parents. North Carolina also requires specific data reporting related to student reading.
State Specification for Termination
Forty-two states specify the grounds for terminating a charter school, fostering accountability by establishing standards and consequences of failure to adhere to those standards. Failure to demonstrate academic achievement and failure to increase overall school performance are among the terms cited as grounds of termination among some states.
These state specifications for termination do not only apply to performance levels; they can be applied to a violation of any part of the charter law or agreement, such as fraud, failure to meet audit requirements, or failure to meet standards set for basic operations.
State Threshold
In addition to state specifications for termination, some states have set a threshold marking the lowest point where a school can perform before it is closed. Some states without a clearly communicated low-performance threshold have set other standards which specifically mark the lowest point of acceptable performance.
Setting a minimum threshold for performance for the automatic closure of failing schools may increase charter school accountability, and encourage high performance.
State-Provided Technical Assistance
Technical assistance to charter schools included leadership training or mentoring charter school leaders, or assistance with grant and application writing and other paperwork related to charter school operation.
In addition to holding charter schools accountable for high performance, several states offer technical assistance to ensure that charter school administrators understand how requirements are measured, and can be directed to resources to assist them with achieving performance goals, especially if they are at risk of closure due to failing to meet previously established standards.
These are clear displays of school accountability policies that help to ensure that parents have truly good schools from which to schools. Accountability relies not only on information for parents, but also consequences for schools that fail to educate students or use taxpayer dollars responsibly.
[1] The following states also require annual financial audits with their annual performance reports: Arkansas, Arizona, DC, Georgia, Hawaii, Oregon, Michigan, Texas, Utah
[2]Utah requires the most comprehensive technical assistance offerings, provided by the state charter school board which includes: assistance with the application and approval process for charter school authorization, locating private funding and support sources, and understanding and implementing charter requirements.
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) authorities convened with black publishers from around the country to discuss how to hold states accountable in assuring equity to its most vulnerable students.
During the 190th anniversary of the Black Press, the National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA) with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation held a breakfast on Friday, March 24, at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Northwest to strategize against those who threaten to pigeonhole the federal education law.
“We have to continue to press our federal rights,” said Hilary O. Shelton, director of NAACP’s Washington bureau. “The new ESSA law does not have the same robust implementation that we’ve had before. What this means is that we still have to work hard to make sure the plan is right.
“But it’s not right if we’re not pushing the government to make sure they come up with the resources that we need,” he said. “They have more flexibility than ever before to undercut a lot of the gains that we have made even with the last three authorizations.”
Hilary O. Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington Bureau, speaks during a March 24 breakfast held by the National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA) at the Dupont Circle Hotel in northwest D.C. during the celebration of the 190th anniversary of the Black Press to discuss implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
Shelton said the NAACP is deeply worried about new Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and how “our children” will be affected. He challenged the black and Hispanic publishers in the room to do diligent reporting, bringing the facts to its communities.
“You have to find out what your schools are in putting in their implementation plans before they are submitted to the Department of Education,” Shelton said. “Being able to report what that looks like before the implementation deadline day on April 3 is key.
“See exactly what officials in your local area have in store for our students,” he said. “I’d like to encourage you to monitor all that goes on along those lines. We’ve seen the tricks that get played throughout the country. We would like your stories to show what’s going on, on the ground so we can know what fight we have here in Washington, D.C.”
Susie Saavedra, senior director for policy and legislative affairs for the National Urban League’s Washington bureau, stressed how important ESSA is to communities of color.
“Education for the Urban League is the key to economic power and self sufficiency,” she said. “During the past few years we’ve been very engaged in education advocacy work through the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
“You might wonder what role do civil rights organizations play in this space, but for the Urban League it’s the heart of our mission,” Saavedra said. “We serve communities that are underserved in today’s public school system. The demographics have shifted as we know — the majority is kids of color and kids that live in poverty.”
Kristen Amundson, president and CEO of the National State Board of Education, said that when President Lyndon B. Johnson first signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the goal had been to promote equity and equality.
“Now we have the passage of ESSA and a great deal of that power and authority is coming back to states,” Amundson said. “When I tell you that it is states that is going to have to be protectors of equity and equality I understand that is a big ask.
“The part about the legislation that is going to be so essential is the stakeholder engagement,” she said. “It spells out groups that needs to be involved in the implementation of states plans including State Boards of Education members and civil rights organizations.”
Amundson said that states are, more or less, doing that, though some of them have done better than others.
“Now next month states are going to file their plans,” she said. “The real question is going to become is the stakeholder engagement one and done, or is this going to become a set way states do business. My argument is [that] it has to become engrained in everything you do. If parents, teachers and civil rights organizations are at the table, they will hold schools accountable.”
Amundson said a simple way for anyone with a vested interest to engage lawmakers is to demand a seat at the table.
“This is not the prom — don’t wait to be asked,” she said.
Thanks to an inclusive and well-designed approach, Colorado is among a small group of states that will meet an April 3 deadline to submit plans to implement new federal education legislation.
Participants and outside observers have praised the state for its ability to involve a wide swath of stakeholders in drafting its plan to implement the Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA), the successor to No Child Left Behind.
“The government said, ‘You have to consult with stakeholders,’ but the law gave few guidelines,” said Priscilla Wohlstetter, Distinguished Research Professor at the Teachers College, Columbia University.
For that reason, some states have struggled through the process or delayed plans until the final September deadline, but not Colorado. The state has distinguished itself for its unique plan and thorough public engagement.
“Top Performer” in Stakeholder Engagement
Colorado officials conducted seven statewide ESSA listening sessions. Then, utilizing a “hub-and-spoke” committee model, they formed seven “spoke” committees with 130 members that fed information into a “hub” committee of 20 statewide leaders who met nine times and formulated a draft ESSA implementation plan. In total, the state oversaw 170 meetings and collected more than 5,000 public comments.
Wohlstetter and two colleagues are conducting a research project on ESSA and intergovernmental relations. They have tracked each state’s outreach efforts and filed them into three categories: “Informative,” which provide information to the public; “consultative,” which gather public feedback but don’t necessarily use it to develop a plan; and “collaborative,” which gather public feedback through regular meetings and incorporate it into the state’s plan.
“A lot of states had listening tours so they would get feedback, but they weren’t doing anything with it,” Wohlstetter said. “Colorado was a top performer, not only pushing out a lot of information but being collaborative, setting up committees and using the information they got.”
Groups representing traditional education advocacies, civil rights organizations and business groups confirmed these findings and are satisfied with how the process played out.
Sean Bradley, the president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan Denver who sat on the “hub” committee, said about 30 civil rights groups met with top education officials early on to show how serious they were about being a part of the process. Since the “spoke” committees met during the day when working parents and teachers could not attend, the groups requested that the meetings be live-streamed and that people watching could submit questions.
“There’s a lot of talk about black and brown issues but black and brown people aren’t at the table when those decisions are being made. We’re trying to change that narrative in the state,” Bradley stated.
Partners Getting Creative with ESSA’s Flexibility
One hallmark of ESSA is the flexibility it gives state education officials in how they allocate resources for Title I, the federal program which provides education funding for low-income students. Officials in Colorado are seizing this opportunity.
“One of the exciting things about the new law is that it broadens the uses of funds and lets school districts spend in new ways,” stated Pat Chapman, executive director of federal programs for the Colorado Department of Education. “Title I primarily targets students who are farther away from achieving standards, who are struggling to be proficient in math or reading. The new law really does target all kids, and we’re really excited about the potential for these funds to have a dramatic impact directly on students. There’s a real-life impact on kids right out of the gate.”
Chapman said the agency is looking to take advantage of that as much as possible in some untraditional ways, such as programs for career and technical schools, which have never been a focus for Title I funds before.
Beyond the education department, community organizations around the state are also looking at creative ways to help students. Bradley explained that the Urban League is interested in grants through Title I that they can use in partnership with local school districts to assist homeless youth. Denver has a substantial number of students who, while not living on the streets, are not in stable environments.
“It’s an opportunity for us and others to do what we can to provide real support services for those students,” he added. “There’s much more flexibility for organizations to apply [for grants] and for the opportunity to be at the table when decisions are made on who will receive grants.”
For the business community, the newfound Title I flexibility is a chance to work with local schools and districts to help create programs like apprenticeships, job training and credentialing that will lead to high-quality employees. Colorado Succeeds represents business leaders throughout the state who are looking for ways to help students beyond writing sponsorship checks. They see new and unique opportunities under ESSA.
“It’s a chance to integrate more science and technology,” said Shannon Nicholas, the group’s director of Communications and Programs. “We’re big advocates of thinking more strongly about computer science. The jobs we have now aren’t the same job we will have 20 years from now. For our members, it’s a chance to provide partnership and opportunity for students to explore the different opportunities available in their communities, giving kids access to technology and future jobs.”
Education Reformers Demand High-Quality Tests
In addition to funding and improving employment opportunities, testing was another major topic in the discussions held around the state.
Reilly Pharo Carter, executive director of Climb Higher Colorado, a statewide initiative focused on raising academic standards, sat on the assessments “spoke” committee and commended the state for facilitating good conversations about the tests students are required to take.
Colorado will go into the next school year with their current set of assessments intact, but since students will be taking more tests than required by ESSA, education officials and lawmakers are reviewing various options to change that.
“We have some strong opinions on what we expect out of our assessments,” Carter said. “Not everyone’s bought into statewide testing so we’re not forcing ourselves into a unanimous conclusion on the topic. There are basic criteria we want to make sure we have.”
Climb Higher Colorado is part of the Equity in Colorado Coalition, which is comprised of more than 20 groups focused on closing achievement and accessibility gaps for minority student populations, low-income students, students with disabilities and bilingual students. Several representatives of individual groups served on various “spoke” committees, and, while Carter said they were “satisfied” with the state’s plan, there’s a recognition that more needs to be done.
A Plan for the Future
Once the state submits its plan to the U.S. Department of Education, officials see their real work beginning: working with local districts and schools to figure out how to implement it in classrooms. But even as state officials shift their focus, they remain committed to staying in contact with the public.
“We have pledged that a year in, we’ll reconnect with people to see what’s working and what’s not,” Chapman said.
That pledge is resonating with participants who now see themselves as partners with the state education department going forward.
“We appreciate the work that’s gone into this, and we’re going to assume the best,” Carter said. “If we see the state move forward without making adjustments based on feedback, you may see more traditional roles for advocacy groups pushing back and calling that out. We’re looking for opportunities to do more, to make the plan better.”
Bradley echoed Carter’s sentiments, noting that groups like the Urban League have a responsibility to participate in meetings.
“Even though we made some really good progress, there’s still a lot more that needs to be done,” he said. “We have to find the best ways to make sure that our kids are getting the best possible education. If students aren’t learning, we have to figure out why not and use the best tools we have to make sure they can.”
The business community will also be keeping a close watch.
“There are places where the state left the plan somewhat vague so our biggest concern is around implementation,” Nicholas said. “A plan is just a piece of paper until we start working on it together.”
While the hard work of implementation remains, Colorado’s outreach efforts have forged partnerships that are essential to taking full advantage of ESSA to the benefit of all students.
Jessica R. Towhey is a contributor to RealClearEducation.
School choice advocates seemed surprised earlier this year when the NAACP called for a moratorium on new charter schools. The need for school choice, according to many advocates, such as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, stems from lack of choices and underperformance of public schools for low-income students and students of color. However, a new survey by the civil rights group The Leadership Conference asks black and Latino parents about their views on education. Instead of education advocates and policymakers presupposing that all parents want is choice, we should stop and listen to them.
