When the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) began requiring states to identify schools for support and improvement plans, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) recognized a statewide challenge. As a variety of improvement efforts got underway at individual schools and districts, the department lacked an overarching plan and…

School improvement is complex and difficult, especially in comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) schools, which concurrently struggle with multiple challenges. To guide state education agencies (SEAs) in supporting schools, this report summarizes the resources that SEAs have identified and developed, insights from national technical…

School improvement is complex and difficult, especially in comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) schools, which concurrently struggle with multiple challenges. To guide state education agencies (SEAs) in supporting schools, this annex provides (1) the resources that SEAs have identified and developed to support the identification and…

This document synthesizes the findings from the evaluations of four statewide programs designed to provide support for underperforming schools and districts in California as part of the state accountability system: (1) Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP); (2) High Priority Schools Grant (HPSG) Program; (3) School…

To date, most of the public narrative and pushback on new teacher evaluation systems has centered around their use for high-stakes personnel decisions such as pay, promotion, and dismissal, but these systems were always intended to promote and support improvements for all teachers--not just the superstars or laggards. Why is teacher development…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) builds upon recent state efforts to reinvigorate the commitment of education to prepare students, not just for college and career, but also for citizenship and full participation in democratic life. This report outlines how ESSA strengthens opportunities for states to expand and support civic learning and…

The pathways for academic career and employment program (PACE) is established to provide funding to community colleges for the development of projects that will lead to gainful, quality, in-state employment for members of target populations by providing them with both effective academic and employment training to ensure gain. This is the second…

What happens when teachers are given funding and time to identify and develop targeted and innovative professional learning? This article focuses on lessons learned from grants funded through the California Department of Education that were designed to do just this. As the state and the nation consider the best approaches to professional learning…

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) state virtual schools are growing, and so should their funding. Since 2005, when SREB first gathered data on the number of middle grades and high school students in SREB state virtual schools, enrollment has gone up sevenfold. For many of these students, access to these courses would not have been possible…

This study examines evidence about state- and district-level formative/diagnostic policies, programs, and practices of states in the Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest (REL Southwest). Using case study methodology and data collected through document analyses and interviews with state- and district-level representatives, researchers compared…

The Massachusetts Department of Education's Accountability and Targeted Assistance (ATA) Center maintains and manages the state's School and District Accountability System. Results from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) are used to identify public schools and districts that are likely to require state intervention in order…

This report provides an overview of southeastern state efforts to assist low-performance schools in building capacity to improve students' academic achievement. High poverty, poor economic resources, and a high turnover rate of both students and practitioners are factors that impede school improvement. High-poverty schools that do improve commonly…

Describes the first year of a program conducted by two Oregon institutions of higher education that "warranty" their teacher education graduates. The program provides support to graduates and their employers, encourages collaboration between the teacher education program and local schools, makes the teacher education faculty accountable,…

Employer involvement is a crucial element in the success of school-to-work initiatives. To reach out to employers, states can do the following: target key employers and industries; foster employer ownership; give employers opportunities to recruit their peers; create or collaborate with intermediary organizations; establish partnerships with labor…

An overview of the type and amount of grants provided by Alberta Education for basic education is presented in this report. Following a description of Alberta school jurisdiction revenues, the purpose and amounts granted to each of the following programs are described: the School Foundation Program Fund; the Fiscal Equity Program; special…