The Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), formerly known as the Elementary and Secondary School Civil Rights Survey, is a part of the U.S. Department of Education's (ED's) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) strategy for administering and enforcing civil rights laws in U.S. public school districts and schools, including Puerto Rico.The CRDC collects a…

The purpose of the National AEM Center's Quality Indicators with Critical Components for K-12 is to assist State and local education agencies with planning, implementing, and evaluating dynamic, coordinated systems for providing accessible materials and technologies for all students who need them. The ultimate goal of an AEM provision system is…

The "Forum Guide to Data Literacy" is designed to help education agencies understand and build data literacy skills among various stakeholder groups such as administrators, teachers, students, parents and other caregivers, school board members, legislators, and community groups. This resource defines and discusses the importance of data…

State education agencies (SEAs) are working to deliver equitable education opportunities to every student, and that can require a hard look at how the agency is managing capacity, coherence, and equity in pursuit of this work. To build capacity, SEAs are taking stock not only of how they are allocating existing resources but also examining how…

The purpose of this document is to provide timely and useful best practice information to help education agencies proactively prepare for, appropriately mitigate, and responsibly recover from a cybersecurity incident. This resource reflects lessons learned by the education community and provides recommendations that will help agencies protect…

Most state departments of education across the United States recommend or require that districts use a home language survey as the first step in a multistep process of identifying students who qualify for English learner student services. School districts typically administer the home language survey to parents and guardians during a student's…

The Forum Guide to Reporting Civil Rights Data presents a variety of effective methods through which local education agencies (LEAs) report civil rights data to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. In addition, the guide provides examples of how state education agencies can voluntarily help their LEAs with Civil Rights Data…

This document, created by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), provides guidance for newly opening charter schools. This guide can be used to keep track of MDE deadlines, access the reporting calendar and follow the steps necessary to ensure the utilization of all the resources and revenue available from the state. This guidance document…

The National Comprehensive Center's (NCC's) Native Education Collaborative developed resources to build the capacity of state education agencies (SEAs) in collaboration with tribes and local education agencies (LEAs) to enhance the learning lives of Native children and youth. The Native Education Collaborative developed the Circles of Reflection…

The goal of safely and sustainably reopening K-12 school buildings for in-person learning is widely recognized as critical to minimizing the impact of academic, social, emotional, and mental strains brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order for in-person learning to succeed on an ongoing basis, schools must be able to offer safe…

Nearly half of students who drop out do so as a result of adverse conditions in the school, while 37% of dropouts are pulled out of school by challenges like financial worries, family needs, or employment. Only 14% of dropouts did so for reasons that can be described as failing out of school due to a lack of interest or academic progress (Doll,…

School Improvement Grants (SIGs) are authorized under section 1003(g) of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The grants are made to state education agencies (SEAs), and the SEAs award competitive subgrants to local education agencies (LEAs) that demonstrate: (1) the greatest need for the funds; and (2) the strongest…

In transforming education, well-designed leadership coaching and mentoring can make a critical difference in effectively building capacity for systemic change. Both internal and external coaches and mentors play key roles. Over time, the aim is to prepare a cadre of internal leaders so they become the primary system change agents and capacity…

This guide is designed to help State Education Agencies (SEAs) conduct self-studies to identify interventions that may be implemented in schools needing improvement or that require comprehensive or targeted support. The interventions selected should be those that are most relevant and appropriate based on the needs of schools, with the strongest…

State and local education leaders implementing new college- and career-ready standards (CCRS), next-generation assessments and updated educator evaluation and support systems are turning attention to cohesion--or integration--of these three reforms as a top priority for supporting educators and for increasing the number of students graduating high…