On July 24, 2023, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of Education (US ED) released a Dear Colleague letter (DCL) and lengthy guidance related to the responsibilities states have to oversee the education of students with disabilities in their schools and to ensure that those students are afforded all of their…

The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) is the third piece of legislation Congress has enacted to provide economic relief in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. The first two pieces of legislation provided relief for small businesses, money for COVID-19 testing, funding for unemployment benefits, and nutritional assistance.…

The objective of this audit was to determine whether the Department of Education (Department) is providing adequate oversight of grantee performance and funds awarded under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) program and is ensuring that State educational agencies (SEA) are meeting reporting requirements as established by the Every…

The purpose of this document is to answer Frequently Asked Questions about how funding under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund, including the American Rescue Plan ESSER (ARP ESSER) program, and the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund may be used in response to the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019…

The purpose of this document is to answer Frequently Asked Questions about how funding under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund, including the American Rescue Plan ESSER (ARP ESSER) program, and the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund may be used in response to the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019…

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) funds and administers education programs for a variety of purposes and recognizes and rewards excellence and improvement by students, schools, and communities. As publicly funded schools, charter schools are eligible to apply for federal formula grants as well as discretionary grants administered by various ED…

Rapid adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the Race to the Top (RTTT) competition, and backlash around these policies created widespread uncertainty among state educational agencies (SEAs). SEAs may have not had a clear direction about how to support standards implementation in a new context, and therefore, may have looked to their…

Because the needs of homeless children and youths are so extensive and varied, State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) must become part of a system of services to ensure that these vulnerable children and youths can receive the support they need to attain an education. The McKinney-Vento Act, the Federal law that…

The Council of Chief State School Officers' (CCSSO's) commitment to equity is rooted in the belief that all students--across race, ethnicity, gender, language, disability, sexual orientation, or family background or income--deserve an education that prepares them for success in college, careers, and life. One of the actions that state education…

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) funds and administers education programs for a variety of purposes and recognizes and rewards excellence and improvement by students, schools, and communities. As publicly funded schools, charter schools are eligible to apply for federal formula grants as well as discretionary grants administered by various ED…

This brief case study shows how one State--Delaware--identified priority goals and reforms and plans to sustain them. The case study outlines Delaware's involvement in the Reform Support Network (RSN) Sustainability Work Group and three sustainability lessons learned by the State Education Agency (SEA): focus on what works, establish proof points…

Many districts and states have begun implementing incentives to attract high-performing teachers to low-performing schools. Previous research has found that these incentives are effective. However, effects on the schools and students these teachers leave behind has not been examined. This study focuses on the general equilibrium effects of…

This report introduces systems for approving professional development providers as they currently operate in two State education agencies (SEAs) and two professions outside of education. It derives from a request that officials with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) made to the Reform Support Network (RSN)…

Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane have gathered a diverse group of scholars to examine the shifting federal role in education across the presidential administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. While the administrations were vastly different, one thing remained constant: an ongoing and significant expansion of the federal role in…

Principals are positioned at the center of school improvement. In the United States, current turnaround reforms target the principalship as a key lever for change. This article uses institutional theory to explore the logics of turnaround leadership that steer principals and their work. Specifically, we draw on qualitative interview data from a…