ESSA State Plans due April 3: amidst many requirements, SEAs and LEAs must provide effective ESSA compliant communications for parents, families, and communities

By Dr. David Holbrook | January 18, 2017

As deadlines approach for submission of State Plans under ESSA, the activities necessary to develop those plans are increasing. State Education Agencies (SEAs) are leaning into the details of their plans in preparation for submission to the U.S. Department of Education (USED) for review and using recently issued guidance for support.

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Congress paving the way to rescind recent regulations

By Dr. David Holbrook | January 17, 2017

Speculation abounds related to whether Congress will try to rescind recent regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Education (USED) and other agencies. The Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows for Congress to do just that, but the CRA only allows for one regulation to be addressed at a time.

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ESSA State Plan Development Activity Intensifying

By Dr. David Holbrook | January 11, 2017

As deadlines approach for submission of State Plans under ESSA, the activities necessary to develop those plans are increasing. State Education Agencies (SEAs) are fleshing out the details of their plans in preparation for submission to the U.S. Department of Education (USED) for review.

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3 Ways ESSA compliance helps close the multilingual communication gap

By Alyssa Thornley | January 10, 2017

Bridging the gap between teachers, students and parents presents a daunting proposition to many school districts, particularly those located in areas where many languages are spoken throughout the community.

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Former WIDA Chief Strategy Officer, Jesse Markow, joins TransACT – The leader in K-12 compliance and educational management software solutions

By Alyssa Thornley | December 16, 2016

TransACT Communications, LLC, provider of federal compliance and education
management software and services to the K-12 industry, announced today that Jesse Markow has joined their team.
As Director of Key Accounts and Partnerships, Jesse's addition reinforces TransACT’s commitment to provide districts and states with effective resources for parent and community engagement during the implementation of ESSA.

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ESSA & the presidential transition: A Q&A with Dr. David Holbrook about what to watch

By Alyssa Thornley | December 12, 2016

The election of Donald Trump and the presidential transition presents a number of unknown scenarios for school districts and educators across the country, with many questions surrounding education legislation, federal education funding, and immigration enforcement.

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ESSA: December 10, 2016 deadline for implementing Title I foster care requirements

By Dr. David Holbrook | December 12, 2016

The 2016-2017 school year is a transition year between the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which goes into full effect in 2017-2018. While most of the requirements for ESSA are scheduled to be implemented after July 1, 2017, guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (USED) indicates that the new requirements under Title I for students in foster care must be implemented starting December 10, 2016. 

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Infographic: Using Data & KPIs to Drive Informed Decisions

By Phillip Smith | December 11, 2016
Total suspension and expulsion rates in California decreased since the 12-13 school year, but not all districts saw a reductionRead More

Using Operations Benchmarks to Make the Right Budget Decisions for Your School District

By Phillip Smith | December 7, 2016

Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and using operations benchmarks to measure your district’s performance can yield meaningful results. Monitoring operational efficiency promotes student achievement and effective budgeting.

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How Operational KPIs Can Help Mitigate a Budget Crisis

By Phillip Smith | November 22, 2016

The value of tracking operational key performance indicators (KPIs) stretches beyond maximizing return on investment (ROI) or influencing student achievement. The effective tracking and use of KPIs can also help school districts mitigate an impending budget crisis by making strategic and logical staffing and budget cuts.

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