Reauthorizing ESEA

1. Reauthorizing ESEA Florida Association of District School Superintendents March 25, 2010 Bruce Hunter Associate Executive Director American Association of School Administrators

2. Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Jan. 2010

3. Source: State Revenue Report, Rockefeller Institute of Government, Oct 2009

4. Source: State Revenue Report, Rockefeller Institute of Government, Oct 2009

5. Source: State Revenue Report, Rockefeller Institute of Government, Oct 2009

6. Source: State Revenue Report, Rockefeller Institute of Government, Oct 2009

7. Reauthorizing ESEA • AASA is pushing hard for reauthorization this year • Secretary Duncan is pushing hard for reauthorization this year • George Miller, D-CA, Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee is pushing hard to finish this year • AASA has great access to USED and White House staff

8. But reauthorization is an uphill climb • ESEA is a complex collection of programs (93) • Congress seems to be at loggerheads over every issue • The administration’s proposal does not provide sufficient detail yet • There are some huge competing priorities, e.g., two wars, the great recession, jobs bill(s), • The 2010 elections are looming and at some point it becomes very difficult to legislate

9. ESEA REAUTHORIZATION U.S. Department of Education

10. Overarching Principles Raise the bar for all students. Close the gap. Tight on goals. Loose on means. Fosterinnovation and reward success. Support students graduating ready for college and a career. Build on the four assurances.

11. Fiscal Year 2011 Budget • Includes a $3 billion increase for programs under ESEA, and an additional $1 billion contingent on reauthorization – largest increase proposed in the 45-year history of the law. • Lays out a vision for the major themes for ESEA reauthorization: redefining the federal role in education to focus less on compliance and more on rewarding success and supporting innovation. • Focus on maximizing impact by flexibility in approach, emphasizing competitive funding, accountability for outcomes, and evidence of results.

12. Proposed Increases for ESEA Funding $28.0b $25.0b Competitive: $7.8b Competitive: $4.2b Formula: $20.8b Formula: $20.3b Formula - Formula - FY10 FY11 Request

13. Core Areas for ESEA Reauthorization Accelerating Achievement & Ensuring Equity ExcellentInstructionalTeams EducatingDiverse Learners Effective Teaching &Learning Supporting StudentSuccess Fostering Innovation & Success

14. Accelerating Achievement – Principles Ensure all students are college- and career-ready. Develop high-quality assessments that better measure student learning. Focus on closingachievement gaps. Give responsibility for improvement to schools, LEAs, and States, with focus on results. Build school, district, and State capacity for reform. Recognize and reward success. Significant change in the lowest-performing schools. More state and local flexibility. Better, clearer information for students and families.

15. Accelerating Achievement – Approach Rethinking the federal accountability system • Use growth and progress to measure schools. • Focus on closing achievement gaps. Differentiated relationships at State, district, and school levels Require significant intervention Provideflexibility for results Recognize& reward

16. Educating Diverse Learners • Maintain federal support for historically underserved groups. English Learner Education Migrant Education Neglected & Delinquent Indian Education Homeless Education Impact Aid Alaska Native Education Native Hawaiian Education Rural Education • Support students with disabilities in IDEA and across ESEA. • English Learners • Strengthen programs for English learners and support teachers of ELs, including through new competitive funds. • All programs • Transparency on outcomes. • Greater flexibility. • Other minor changes to address community concerns or implementation issues.

18. Excellent Instructional Teams - Structure Improve the effectiveness and equitabledistribution of teachers & leaders. Effective Teachers & Leaders ($2.5b) Preparation& support Equitable distribution Meaningful evaluations Flexibilitywith results Teacher & Leader Innovation Fund ($950m) Teacher & LeaderPathways ($405m) Support ambitious reformsin teacher & leader placement, compensation, recognition & advancement. Develop & scale up programs that prepare teachers & leaders to be effective where needed most.

19. Effective Teaching and Learning - Principles • Support high-quality instruction in high-need districts and schools. • Support implementation of college- and career-ready standards. • Focus on a complete and well-rounded education. • Improve low-income students’ access to accelerated and college-level coursework.

20. Effective Teaching and Learning - Structure Literacy ($450m) STEM ($300m) Well-Rounded ($265m) Improve literacy instruction in high-need districts and schools, aligned with standards that build to college- and career-readiness. Improve STEM instruction in high-need districts and schools, aligned with standards that build to college- and career- readiness. Improve low-income students’ access to well-rounded education in subjects such as history, art, foreign languages, & financial literacy. College Pathways & Accelerated Learning ($100m) Improve access to accelerated coursework for students in high-need schools, including early college/dual enrollment, other acceleration & transition activities.

21. Supporting Student Success - Principles Ensure students are safe and healthy. Ensure students have regular access to adults who care about their success. Provide comprehensivesupports along the birth-through-college-and-career continuum. Offer more time and supports for students and teachers to focus on teaching and learning. Engage and empower families.

22. Supporting Student Success - Structure Successful, Safe, & Healthy Students ($410m) 21st Century Community Learning Centers ($1.2b) PromiseNeighborhoods ($210m) • Implement climate measurement systems to target resources to: • improve school safety and strengthen family & student engagement; • improve students’ physical & mental health. • Strengthen community learning centers & support more learning time including: • after-school programs; • expanded learning time; • full-service community schools. • Create birth-through-college-and-career-continuum of: • effective community services; • strong family supports; • comprehensive education reform.

23. Fostering Innovation - Principles Encourage States and districts to put in place conditions for innovation and reform. Expand and sustain promising and proven innovations. Expand the range and quality of educational choices available to students. Empower families to make informed choices.

24. Fostering Innovation - Structure Race to the Top ($1.35b) Investing inInnovation ($500m) Encourage States & districts to take on comprehensivesystemic reforms. Spur and scale up promising and proven innovations. Supporting EffectiveCharters ($400m) Promoting PublicSchool Choice ($90m) Magnet Schools Assistance ($110m) Create and expand high-performingcharter & other public autonomous schools. Design and implement comprehensive systems of choice. Support magnets that raise diversity & achievement.

25. The Administration's TakeESEA Reauthorization:Before and After NCLB

26. Core Policies to Maintain in ESEA Reauthorization Disaggregation and focus on improvingperformance for all groups of students Focus on equity Standards-based reform and accountability

27. Before and After: Broad Principles NCLB Reauthorization proposal Ignored important factorslike school climate Make accountability about more than test scores for most schools. Fund development of climate measurement systems. Narrow vision ofschool’s role Greater opportunities and structuresfor positive adult-student relationships. Funding for providing comprehensive services so that students are safe, healthy, able to focus on learning. No acknowledgement that equitable funding matters Encourage funding equity.

28. Before and After: Accountability NCLB Reauthorization proposal “Race to the bottom” for state standards States adopt college- and career-ready standards. Focus on proficiency; schools making progresscan still be “failing” Differentiation of schools based onstudent growth and school progress. Many ways to “fail,” no recognition for success Real rewards for high-poverty schools, districts and states showing real progress, especially in serving underserved populations and closing achievement gaps. Exclusive focus on tests, narrowing of curriculum Develop and support the use of better assessments. Look beyond assessments to determine what a school needs, including attendance, school climate, course completion, to paint a fuller picture of a school. Allow use of additional subjects. Additional resources for developing a well-rounded curriculum

29. Before and After: Accountability NCLB Reauthorization proposal Mandated SES and choice More local flexibility around how best to serve schools; no mandated SES or choice. Over-identifies schools Targets limited portion of schools. Allowing persistently low-performing schoolsto avoid real change Meaningful change in persistently low-performing schools. Punitive/labelswithout support Meaningful investment in low-performing schools. All consequences focused at the school level Holding every level of the system responsible for improvement and support.

30. Before and After: Teachers and Leaders NCLB Reauthorization proposal Not focused enough on building the professionand teacher voice Utilize surveys of teachers (around working conditions, professional development & support), and school climate surveys that include teacher perspective. No acknowledgementor support of teacher collaboration Invest in expanded learning time programs that provide more time for educators to plan and collaborate. Equitable distribution requirementsnot meaningful Greater focus on getting great teachers where they are needed most. Ignored need for better school leaders Invest in preparing and improving better leaders.