ESSA: New Ways to Elevate and Support School Leaders Chris Minnich Executive Director Council of Chief State School Officers

ESEA & the Foundation for NCLB, ESSA Elementary and Secondary Education Act ESEA & the Foundation for NCLB, ESSA By passing this bill, we bridge the gap between helplessness and hope for more than five million educationally deprived children. We put into the hands of our youth more than 30 million new books, and into many of our schools their first libraries. We reduce the terrible time lag in bringing new teaching techniques into the nation's classrooms. We strengthen state and local agencies which bear the burden and the challenge of better education. And we rekindle the revolution--the revolution of the spirit against the tyranny of ignorance. As a son of a tenant farmer, I know that education is the only valid passport from poverty. -President Lyndon B. Johnson, April 11, 1965

No Child Left Behind “No longer is it acceptable to hide poor performance. No longer is it acceptable to keep results away from parents. One of the interesting things about this bill, it says that we're never going to give up on a school that's performing poorly; that when we find poor performance, a school will be given time and incentives and resources to correct their problems.” -- President George W. Bush, January 8, 2002

No Child Left Behind & Testing Required annual testing in Math & ELA for grades 3-8 and once in high school No Child Left Behind (NCLB) increased the amount of data available to educators, including: Grade-level performance Academic performance by subgroups (racial/ethnic subgroups, English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, Low-income, etc.) Percentage of students tested by subgroup

No Child Left Behind: Strengths & Weaknesses Accountability Strict regulation Disaggregated data No state-specific flexibility The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) builds on the strengths of NCLB, while addressing the weaknesses.

Every Student Succeeds Act “And finally, this bill upholds the core value that animated the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act signed by President Lyndon Johnson -- the value that says education, the key to economic opportunity, is a civil right.  With this bill, we reaffirm that fundamental American ideal that every child, regardless of race, income, background, the zip code where they live, deserves the chance to make out of their lives what they will.” -- President Barack Obama, December 10, 2015

ESSA & Assessments: What Stays States must administer high-quality assessments for reading/language arts and math annually in grades 3-8 and once in high school, and once in each of three grade spans for science. ESSA requires that states assess 95% of all students and subgroups, but statue allows states flexibility in how that requirement is factored into state accountability systems.

ESSA & Assessments

In thinking through accountability, it will be critical to consider: ESSA & Accountability Moving from a “loose-tight” model of accountability, to a “tight-loose” model In thinking through accountability, it will be critical to consider: What outcomes your state values How will the accountability system drive desired instructional practices? How will collected and reported information be used to advance teaching and learning?

ESSA & School Improvement States must identify and publicly report the following schools based on the state-determined accountability system: Lowest-performing 5% of Title I schools; High schools with less than a 67% graduation rate, and Schools with underperforming subgroups that do not improve after a state-determined number of years. States must use “evidence based” strategies to improve identified schools. School Improvement Grant (SIG) models are no longer required.

Under ESSA, states can now set aside 3% to support principals. ESSA & Educators Under ESSA, states can now set aside 3% to support principals.   

What We Know and Believe Principals Matter….. Period.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) School leadership as a lever of change. Flexibility, Innovation New Funding Opportunities Proven approaches

Preparing to Move the Needle Convening Technical Assistance Resource Development http://www.ccssoessaguide.org/leadership Partner engagement

State Examples Principal Academies Superintendent Academies Principal Mentor Programs Professional Learning Systems Differentiated Principal Preparation and Support with an emphasis on difficult to staff environments Regional Systems of Professional Learning, Support, and Recruitment/Hiring Principal Induction Programs

Building on the state’s Principals Pursuing Excellence Program New Mexico Building on the state’s Principals Pursuing Excellence Program

Show video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9llz5H192w

Massachusetts Strengthening the principal pipeline and building principal capacity for instructional leadership

Delaware University of Delaware’s Principal Preparation Program, an alternate route to certification for aspiring school leaders

Let’s Discuss Choose one of the topics on the next slide. Discuss the topic at your table. Give me 2-3 ideas that I can take back and discuss with state chiefs.

Let’s Discuss What types supports and opportunities from state education departments and districts would be meaningful to building principals/school leaders? How do we attract and retain principals/school leaders in difficult to staff environments?  Examples of how school leaders exemplify equity-driven leadership? How could it improve or be strengthened  nationally and locally?

It’s The Principal of The Matter Principals Matter. CCSSO’s School Leader Development focus Monica Taylor, Director of School Leader Development monica.taylor@ccsso.org Laura Checovich- Program Associate- laura.checovich@ccsso.org