All Means All: Connecting Federal Education Policy and Local Implementation Practice Through Evidence and Equity

Inclusion ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Clare Schuh ◽  
Kimberly M. Knackstedt ◽  
Jake Cornett ◽  
Jeong Hoon Choi ◽  
Daniel T. Pollitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Elementary And Secondary Education ◽  
Local Practice ◽  
Policy Domain ◽  
Federal Education Policy ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Every Student Succeeds Act

Abstract This article discusses equity-based inclusive education and federal policy drivers that can be used to make positive sustainable change in state, district, and local practice to improve the academic, social, and behavioral outcomes for all students including students with extensive support needs and those with labels of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Educational policies addressed include the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA), Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and civil rights legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The policy domain feature of the Schoolwide Integrated Framework for Transformation (SWIFT) model is examined regarding how it was implemented in districts and schools, working toward the goal of providing an equity-based inclusive education for all students. Translating federal education policy into state, district, and local practice requires leadership and political courage to align federal, state, and district policy with the vision and values of equity-based, inclusive education.

scholarly journals Education Policy Trump Style: The Administrative Presidency and Deference to States in ESSA Implementation

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-445
Author(s):  
Kenneth K Wong
Keyword(s):  
School Choice ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Elementary And Secondary Education ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Public School Choice ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Every Student Succeeds Act

Abstract Since the 1960s, U.S. presidents have used their executive, administrative, and political power to pursue policy goals in elementary and secondary education. This article analyzes the K-12 education policy strategies pursued during the first three years of the Donald Trump presidency, focusing on two main aspects of Trump’s approach to education policy. First, I analyze Trump’s heavy reliance on executive and administrative tools and his use of these tools to promote state flexibility, diminish federal direction on civil rights issues, and expand private and public school choice. Second, I examine the Trump administration’s approach to implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), especially in reviewing state plans pursuant to the ESSA. The administration took a highly deferential approach as states sought approval for their ESSA plans and in a way that suggests the Trump presidency is shifting federal involvement in K-12 education policy away from prioritizing equity and oversight.

The Every Student Succeeds Act: Strengthening the Focus on Educational Leadership

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 705-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle D. Young ◽  
Kathleen M. Winn ◽  
Marcy A. Reedy
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Educational Leadership ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Federal Policy ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Elementary And Secondary Education ◽  
Federal Education Legislation ◽  
Leadership Pipeline ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Every Student Succeeds Act

Purpose: This article offers (a) an overview of the attention federal policy has invested in educational leadership with a primary focus on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), (b) a summary of the critical role school leaders play in achieving the goals set forth within federal educational policy, and (c) examples of how states are using the opportunity afforded by the focus on leadership in ESSA. Findings: Through the examination of federal policy and existing research in this arena, we review the level of attention paid to educational leadership within Elementary and Secondary Education Act, its reauthorizations, and other federal education legislation. ESSA provides an enhanced focus on educational leadership and acknowledges the importance of leaders in achieving federal goals for education. Furthermore, ESSA acknowledges the importance of developing a strong leadership pipeline and, thus, allows states and districts to use federal funds to support leadership development. In this article, we delineate this focus on leadership within ESSA and offer examples of how states are planning to support leadership development. Implications and Conclusion: The important role that school leadership plays in supporting student, teacher, and school-wide outcomes warrants its inclusion within federal education policy. However, the opportunity to realize ESSA’s intended goals around leadership development could be undermined by forces at both the state and federal levels.

Look Back: The feds, the states, and Kappan

2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-7
Author(s):  
Teresa Preston
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
Federal Mandates ◽  
Elementary And Secondary Education ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Federal Department ◽  
Education Act ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Every Student Succeeds Act

Across the decades, the balance of power between the federal government, states, and local districts has shifted numerous times, and Kappan authors have weighed in on each of those shifts. Kappan Managing Editor Teresa Preston traces those shifts, beginning with the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which gave the federal government a larger role in public education. Further expansion occurred under the Carter administration, with the launch of the new federal Department of Education. As the new department continued operations under Reagan, its priorities expanded, but actual decision-making authority reverted to states. States, in turn, began involving themselves more with instructional and curricular matters, a trend that eventually made its way back to the federal level, with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Under NCLB, federal mandates had the effect of requiring state and local levels to take on additional responsibilities, without necessarily having the capacity to do so. This capacity issue remains a concern under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Increasing Regulatory Flexibility of Special Education Programs: Problems and Promising Strategies

1998 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret J. McLaughlin ◽  
Deborah A. Verstegen
Keyword(s):  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Program Administrators ◽  
Organizational Barriers ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
National Organizations ◽  
Local Program ◽  
Education Act ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Regulatory Flexibility

This study investigated the perceptions of federal, state, and local program administrators related to increasing regulatory flexibility. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 58 individuals representing 8 states, 11 local school districts, the U.S. Department of Education, and selected national organizations. Individuals were asked to respond to a number of questions regarding how their state or local district is attempting to increase flexibility in implementing the Indiviual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA), and bilingual education and to identify barriers to increasing the consolidation of resources across these programs. Strategies for consolidating programs and services were also identified. Interviewees generally perceived a number of benefits in consolidation, including more efficient use of resources, enhanced collaboration, and more inclusive education. They also identified a number of policy and organizational barriers including fear of audits, lack of leadership, and lack of personnel training or support. Challenges included the dilution of services, lack of targeting, and loss of special protections to special populations.

Washington View

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (6) ◽  
pp. 72-73
Author(s):  
Maria Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
School Choice ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Technical Education ◽  
School Funding ◽  
The Other ◽  
Career Technical Education ◽  
Every Student Succeeds Act ◽  
To Receive ◽  
The U.S

Maria Ferguson suggests that implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, school choice, and career technical education will dominate the conversation about education policy in 2018. On the other hand, school funding inequities, as discussed at length in a recent report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, deserve more attention than they are likely to receive.

scholarly journals From No Child Left Behind to Every Student Succeeds: Back to a Future for Education Federalism

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Heise
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Individual Autonomy ◽  
Elementary And Secondary Education ◽  
Children's Education ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Children’S Education ◽  
Every Student Succeeds Act

117 Columbia Law Review 1859 (2017).When passed in 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act represented the federal government’s most dramatic foray into the elementary and secondary public school policymaking terrain. While critics emphasized the Act’s overreliance on standardized testing and its reduced school-district and state autonomy, proponents lauded the Act’s goal to close the achievement gap between middle- and upper-middle-class students and students historically ill served by their schools. Whatever structural changes the No Child Left Behind Act achieved, however, were largely undone in 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act, which repositioned significant federal education policy control in state governments. From a federalism standpoint, the Every Student Succeeds Act may have reset education federalism boundaries to favor states, far exceeding their position prior to 2001.While federal elementary and secondary education reform efforts since 2001 may intrigue legal scholars, a focus on educational federalism risks obscuring an even more fundamental development in educational policymaking power: its migration from governments to families, from regulation to markets. Amid a multidecade squabble between federal and state lawmakers over education policy authority, efforts to harness individual autonomy and market forces in the service of increasing children’s educational opportunity and equity have grown. Persistent demands for and increased availability of school voucher programs, charter schools, tax credits programs, and home schooling demonstrate families’ desire for greater agency over decisions about their children’s education. Parents’ calls for greater control over critical decisions concerning their children’s education and schooling options may eclipse state and federal lawmakers’ legislative squabbles over educational federalism.

scholarly journals Principal Evaluation under Elementary and Secondary Every Student Succeeds Act: A Comprehensive Policy Review

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Morgaen Donaldson ◽  
Madeline Mavrogordato ◽  
Shaun Dougherty ◽  
Reem Al Ghanem ◽  
Peter Youngs
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Principal Evaluation ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Federal Policies ◽  
Elementary And Secondary Education ◽  
Evaluation Policies ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Policy Lever ◽  
Every Student Succeeds Act

A growing body of research recognizes the critical role of the school principal, demonstrating that school principals’ effects on student outcomes are second only to those of teachers. Yet policy makers have often paid little attention to principals, choosing instead to focus policy reform on teachers. In the last decade, this pattern has shifted somewhat. Federal policies such as Race to the Top (RTTT) and Elementary and Secondary Education Act waivers emphasized principal quality and prompted many states to overhaul principal evaluation as a means to develop principals’ leadership practices and hold them accountable for the performance of their schools. The development and dissemination of principal evaluation policies has proceeded rapidly, however, it is unclear whether focusing on principal evaluation has targeted the most impactful policy lever. In this policy brief, we describe where policy makers have placed their bets in post-RTTT principal evaluation systems and comment on the wisdom of these wagers. We describe the degree to which principal evaluation components, processes, and consequences vary across the fifty states and the District of Columbia, and review evidence on which aspects of principal evaluation policies are most likely to improve principals’ practice and hold them accountable.

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