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Strategic Objective

Turnaround Schools and Close Achievement Gaps

Strategic Objective

Accelerate achievement by supporting states and districts in turning around and closing achievement gaps in low-performing schools, and developing models of next generation high schools.

Lead Office: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

Themes:

Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services

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Overview
Progress Update

No Data Available

Progress Update

Turning around the lowest-performing schools, closing achievement gaps, increasing high school graduation rates, and decreasing disparities in graduation rates are critical to achieving the President’s goal of once again having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. States and districts have assumed the challenge of focusing on their lowest-performing schools, and directing significant resources and support in order to improve student outcomes dramatically. Since 2009, more than 1,700 schools have received up to $2 million per year for three years through the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program to implement rigorous intervention models intended to turn these schools around. Nearly two-thirds of the schools in the first two cohorts and over half of schools in the third cohort have made progress in improving student achievement in reading, and a similar percentage have shown improvement in math. However, some participating schools have also shown decreases in performance, and more work is needed to ensure that the progress is sustained. To assist states in this challenging work, the Department strengthened the SIG program in FY 2015 by, among other things, including three new models, including an evidence-based, whole school reform model, and allowing additional time for planning and implementation. The Department also continued to partner with the Corporation for National and Community Service to support the School Turnaround AmeriCorps program grantees, and partnered with the President’s Council on Arts and Humanities to support the Turnaround Arts Initiative, including expanding that initiative to incorporate early learning as a turnaround strategy.

In addition, the nation has made significant progress in increasing overall graduation rates, but gaps between rates for different student groups continue to persist. See also the Explanation and Analysis of Progress for objective 4.1 for additional information on the Department’s efforts to improve the national high school graduation rate and to close gaps between groups of students.

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Strategic Goals

Strategic Goal:

Elementary and Secondary Education

Statement:

Improve the elementary and secondary education system’s ability to consistently deliver excellent instruction aligned with rigorous academic standards while providing effective support services to close achievement and opportunity gaps, and ensure all students graduate high school college- and career-ready.

Strategic Objectives

Standards and Assessments

Statement:

Support implementation of internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards, with aligned, valid, and reliable assessments.

Description:No Data Available

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FY 14-15 Priority Goal: Support implementation of college- and career-ready standards and assessments

Statement:

By September 30, 2015, at least 50 states/territories[1] will be implementing next-generation assessments, aligned with college- and career-ready standards.

[1] In addition to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other territories are candidates for implementing these assessments.

Description:

GOAL OVERVIEW

The adoption of college- and career-ready standards is the foundation to improving educational outcomes for all students and a fundamental step toward meeting the President’s goal of once again having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. The college- and career-ready standards must be coupled with high-quality aligned assessments to measure the extent to which students are mastering the standards.

KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES

A key challenge facing the Department of Education (ED) over the next two years relates to the changes States may make to their currently adopted college- and career-ready standards due to changes from state leadership or the state legislature. Another key challenge is supporting states with the implementation of their college- and career-ready aligned assessments for all students, including English Learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged and low-achieving students to ensure that all students are prepared for post-secondary success.

ED is taking steps to address these challenges by developing and targeting technical assistance activities that will, in part, increase state capacity to leverage limited resources and continue to identify promising practices across multiple states. First, ED has released its Title I assessment peer review guidance, which highlights the requirements for a high-quality assessment to help support state assessment development; in FY 2016, ED will begin conducting peer review of state assessment systems, providing examples of promising and best practices in the field. ED will build also library of resources to assist SEAs in full and effective transition to college- and career-ready standards, leveraging work that has occurred during Race to the Top with other partner organizations such as Achieve, Student Achievement Partners, PTA, and others. In addition, ED is working internally to coordinate the provision of technical assistance across OESE, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and other related offices and programs. ED also funds a Center on Standards and Assessments Implementation (part of the ESEA Comprehensive Centers program) that helps build the capacity of State educational agencies to implement college- and career-ready standards.

Finally, ED is working with states to provide communication support and technical assistance to help states and LEAs reduce redundant and unaligned local assessments, as well as to help states develop a process and strategy to share state assessment results from 2014-2015 as scores are likely to drop due to increased rigor of the assessments. Among other activities, this includes assisting states in resetting baselines and annual goals related to student performance.

EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS

ED consistently engaged with Congress, advocacy organizations, education organizations, State educational agencies and other external stakeholders regarding Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility, including state plans for transitioning to and implementing college- and career-ready standards. ED has met with stakeholders to provide information on state plans, as well as to enlist external support and technical assistance for states and districts as they move forward with implementing the new standards.

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Effective Teachers and Strong Leaders

Statement:

Improve the preparation, recruitment, retention, development, support, evaluation, recognition, and equitable distribution of effective teachers and leaders.^{^[1]}

[1] States with approved ESEA Flexibility requests were initially required to implement teacher and principal evaluation and support systems by 2014–15 or 2015–16, depending on the school year of initial approval. Through ESEA Flexibility renewal in fall 2014, the Department committed to working with states that need to make adjustments to implementation timelines or sequencing through the ESEA Flexibility renewal process.

Description:No Data Available

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FY 14-15 Priority Goal: Improve learning by ensuring that more students have effective teachers and leaders

Statement:

By September 30, 2015, at least 37 States will have fully implemented teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that consider multiple measures of effectiveness, with student growth as a significant factor.

Description:

GOAL OVERVIEW

The goal is based on the premise, supported by abundant research, that teachers are the single most critical in-school factor in improving student achievement. Principals are often cited as the second most influential in-school factor. Teacher and principal evaluation and support systems supported by the Department of Education's (ED) contributing programs enable the development and identification of effective educators and provide needed information to improve the educator workforce. Teachers and principals often lack meaningful evaluation, feedback, and support for professional growth. Indeed, teachers are often dissatisfied with their preparation programs and their opportunities for professional development and advancement. Too often, effective teachers and leaders are not recognized, rewarded, or asked to share their expertise with colleagues. Most teacher compensation systems do not recognize effectiveness or provide incentives to teach in challenging schools or shortage areas. And race and family income too often predict a child’s access to excellent educators. In light of the importance of teachers and school leadership for student success, the nation has to do more to ensure that every student has an effective teacher, every school has an effective leader, and every teacher and leader has access to the preparation, on-going support, recognition, and collaboration opportunities he or she needs to succeed. ED will help strengthen the profession by focusing on meaningful feedback, support, and incentives at every stage of a career, based on fair evaluation and support systems that look at multiple measures, including, in significant part, growth in student learning. ED will support state and district efforts that provide time for teacher collaboration, personalized on-the-job learning opportunities, and professional advancement. Targets are based on state implementation timelines provided through original Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility requests. These timelines indicated that 37 states expected to implement the systems by September 30, 2015. “Fully implemented” is defined as the school year in which teachers and principals receive effectiveness ratings. However, as states and districts are moving forward, they are also encountering challenges with implementation of these systems, and are making adjustments to timelines, sequencing, and implementation steps that may not follow their original plans but will ultimately result in high-quality teacher and principal evaluation and support systems.

KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES

ED will support states in the development and adoption of state requirements for comprehensive teacher and principal evaluation and support systems and in district development and implementation of comprehensive educator evaluation and support systems. Providing additional support to teachers and principals, as well as educator evaluators regarding these new evaluation and support systems is necessary so they are able, for example, to use and develop learning objectives to measure growth in student learning and to implement new classroom observation tools. However, providing this level of support is also resource-intense at both the state educational agency (SEA) and local educational agency (LEA) level. Additional challenges center on maintaining momentum for reform, given districts’ and states’ current political situations, potential changes in leadership, ongoing development of valid and reliable measures of growth in student learning in non-tested grades and subjects, and the scaling up of systems in a relatively short time frame.

EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS

Engagement of external stakeholders is regular and ongoing. Program staff have regular contact with SEA staff through monitoring, technical assistance, and other outreach. Policy and program staff regularly hold calls and travel to the Hill to brief member and committee staff. ED has also engaged with and provided briefings for key external educational organizations, including the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Governors Association, National Education Association, and American Federation of Teachers. Ongoing outreach further involves a wide range of professional and content organizations, national community-based organizations, and foundations.

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School Climate and Community

Statement:

Increase the success, safety, and health of students, particularly in high-need schools, and deepen family and community engagement.

Description:No Data Available

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Turnaround Schools and Close Achievement Gaps

Statement:

Accelerate achievement by supporting states and districts in turning around and closing achievement gaps in low-performing schools, and developing models of next generation high schools.

Description:No Data Available

Learn More

STEM Teaching and Learning

Statement:

Increase the number and quality of STEM teachers and increase opportunities for students to access rich STEM learning experiences.

Description:No Data Available

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Agency Priority Goals

FY 14-15: Support implementation of college- and career-ready standards and assessments

Statement:

By September 30, 2015, at least 50 states/territories[1] will be implementing next-generation assessments, aligned with college- and career-ready standards.

[1] In addition to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other territories are candidates for implementing these assessments.

Description:

GOAL OVERVIEW

KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES

EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS

Learn More