Using a zone of mediation framework, we explore how one school district designed a community-based accountability system (CBAS) reflecting community stakeholders' values, priorities, and goals. We collected rich data sets from a document analysis, focus group, and individual interviews. Our findings indicated a strong dissatisfaction with…

The problem addressed in this study was a lack of teacher confidence in implementing culturally responsive practice in early childhood classrooms leading to low academic achievement in minority students. Federal regulations, including the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), mandate that all students are given the support needed to succeed. PK-12…

Elementary music teachers are required to attend long-term, campus-wide professional development outside their content area. The purpose of this interpretive qualitative study was to better understand how elementary music teachers in a North Texas and a South-Central Colorado school district who have had five or more years of teaching experience…

The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program was reauthorized in 2015 in Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 21st CCLC programs provide academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students meet challenging…

Across the United States, state and local education agencies work to ensure equitable access to high-quality education for all students, including students who are experiencing homelessness. This barrier to academic success is, unfortunately, not unique. To equitably serve all students, states and districts must first identify students…

Educational leadership, including special education leadership, could benefit from learning sciences and advanced technologies used in other fields (e.g., psychology, medicine). Despite over 30 years of research, leadership preparation is not yet incorporating critical knowledge from the learning sciences to understand the expert versus novice…

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing lessons that is grounded in data and recognized as best practice under IDEA and ESSA. The use of the method allows for greater intervention with students socially, emotionally, and academically. UDL allows intentional and purposeful work with populations that are normally…

This paper examines different state approaches to educational accountability in response to the Every Student Succeeds Act. Cluster analysis reveals three groups of states with similar indicator weights and rating systems, and principal component analysis identifies two dimensions underlying these clusters. We find that state-level demographics…

Results-based school accountability has been the linchpin of education reform in the United States for at least two decades. But the COVID-19 pandemic led many schools, states, and districts to put their testing and accountability programs on hold. Chester E. Finn, Jr., argues that it is time for the accountability holiday to end and makes…

With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, as part of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), it prioritized schools to include families as collaborative partners in schools' improvement efforts. Minimal family voice existed at two elementary schools. Thus, this mixed-methods action…

Ohio policymakers have consistently voiced support for rigorous education standards and ensuring that all students have the knowledge and skills needed to succeed after high school. State leaders have a duty to step in when schools are falling far short of performance standards. Students receiving a substandard education are more likely to…

This research study examined creating and implementing a district-level strategic plan called the PROMISE to provide and tell its story. In June of 2014, the Palmdale School District Board Members directed the superintendent to create a new strategic plan to set a new direction and purpose for the school district. PROMISE was selected for this…

This non-regulatory guidance discusses provisions that govern within-district allocations under Title I, Part A (Title I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and accompanying regulations in 34 C.F.R. §§ 200.64, 200.77, and 200.78. It first addresses required and…

In this article, I analyze the interaction between America's federal Indigenous policy and music education as a distinct policy tool of Indigenous assimilation, tracing the transition from the Allotment and Assimilation Era to the modern Era of Self-Determination. Throughout United States history, music education has served the policy interests of…

A-F school letter grade systems, currently used in 13 states across the United States (U.S.), are one popular version of the systems required by federal policy to help states define, rate, and label school quality every year. In this study, we explored the extent to which such grades assigned to schools, as based on objective measures including…