Take 5 Minutes Today to Speak Up on Public Charge

Deadline for comments on proposed regulation is today: Monday, December 10, 2018 at 11:59pm EST Educators understand that when a student’s basic needs aren’t being met, that student experiences additional barriers to learning in the classroom. Educators know how food-insecurity, lack of stable housing, and lack of healthcare (including dental and vision care) impede a

My First-Generation Perspective

By Dana Laurens     Last month, I had the privilege of speaking at the annual 1vyG Conference–held at the University of Pennsylvania–on a panel alongside Dr. Sean Vereen, Dr. Laura Perna, and Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab. 1vyG is a weekend-long gathering that provides a unique opportunity for over 500 first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students enrolled in

ESSA’s Financial “Sleeper Provision” Reminds Us ESSA is about Equity

By Dana Laurens   Round two of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan reviews is well underway at the U.S. Department of Education (ED), but one little known provision of the now not-so-new ESSA law has yet to be implemented. Beginning next school year, states are required to publicly report actual per-pupil spending

U.S. Department of Education Failure to Enforce ESSA – Part 3: Three of ESSA “Big Four” Troubled By State Violations of ESSA Statute

By Charles Barone and Dana Laurens   On Capitol Hill and in hip-hop culture, as the saying goes, “word is bond.” Even those not inclined to adhere to this on principle do so simply as a means for survival. A reputation for negotiating in good faith and keeping promises are among one’s most valuable assets

U.S. Department of Education Failure to Enforce ESSA – Part 2: Abandoning Proficiency Benchmarks Takes the “Every” Out of ESSA

By Dana Laurens and Charles Barone Last week, we focused on ED’s failure to enforce ESSA guardrails that quite sensibly require state accountability system indicators be comparable and statewide. A second set of equally sensible and necessary ESSA requirements – that ED has also chosen to ignore – stipulates that all state accountability systems incorporate

ED’s Failure to Enforce ESSA Will Hurt Students – Part 1

by Charles Barone and Dana Laurens As the U.S. Department of Education (ED) undertakes its second round of state plan reviews under the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA), it’s a good time to reflect on mistakes made in Round 1 and pay close attention to whether ED goes even further afield of its responsibilities under

Here We Go Again: Title IX

by Dana Laurens   In the same week that Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump Administration’s decision to repeal DACA, the Department of Education (ED) announced their vague, but clear, intentions to undo yet another critical protection put in place under the Obama Administration for a vulnerable population. As with DACA, the Administration is

Democratic Voices on ESSA Accountability

by Dana Laurens The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides a great deal of flexibility over the previous federal law when it comes to state design of their school accountability systems. It did, nonetheless, establish clear federal guardrails to help ensure those systems emphasize academic achievement and identify schools that are falling short in providing

OCR: Don’t Give Up the Fight

by Dana Laurens In recent weeks, multiple sources, including Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and the Washington Post editorial board, called for the resignation of Candice Jackson, the acting head of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education (Department). Jackson came under intense criticism for outrageously and erroneously claiming in an

Every Student Succeeds Act Peer Review: Be More Consistent, Not Less Rigorous

by Charles Barone and Dana Laurens Feeling confused lately by the Every Student Succeeds Act peer review process? That’s perfectly understandable. Writers, in both the trade and mainstream press, vary greatly in what they think is going on at the US Department of Education (USDOE). The most widely held, or at least the most loudly voiced,