In the age of accountability, school counselors are responsible for ensuring that their services are effective for all students by providing evidence of the impact of comprehensive school counseling programs (CSCPs) on student academic outcomes. Numerous studies provide empirical evidence of the impact of RAMP on student outcomes; however, none…

Beginning with the 2020/21 school year, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) began collecting literacy screening assessment data from schools and districts participating in certain state grants. Screening assessment benchmark scores were available for just over 35,000 unique students across 2020/21 and 2021/22,…

This article explores the nature of a federal intervention into teacher education through state policy making and problem framing. The authors examined the 16 comprehensive educator equity plans that were approved by the U.S. Department of Education in 2015 and surface four inadequacies the reports communicate about teacher education: (a) an…

Nebraska is committed to pursuing a new vision for science education based on "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC, 2012), that advocates for rigorous, high-quality science education for all students. Following an ambitious four year timeline, Nebraska is working to develop new assessments aligned to and designed for these…

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) research on historical flood risk, 98 percent of U.S. counties have been impacted by a flooding event. Not only do flood event occur in and impact all regions of the United States, but they are also costly, and so it is in the interest of communities for state education agencies…

State agencies provide for MTSS [multi-tiered systems of support] initiatives with the purpose of producing meaningful outcomes. The impact of MTSS is dependent upon the ability of educators to implement the practices correctly and consistently. A lack of implementation fidelity can result in a practice or program being less effective, less…

This report presents the findings of a survey of states that examined the policies, practices, and procedures State Education Agencies (SEAs) used to monitor IEPs for participation decision making in alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). It is imperative that only students with the most significant…

Learning Forward's Professional Learning State and District Planner is a guide to help state, district, and school leaders implement professional learning to support high-quality curriculum and instructional materials. Grounded in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) definition of high-quality professional learning as intensive, data-driven,…

Home Language Surveys (HLS) are widely used by states as an initial screening tool to determine whether students should receive English as a Second Language (ESL) services. Parents/guardians are asked to complete the surveys when enrolling a student into a school. We collected surveys from the 50 states and the District of Columbia. We completed…

This Louisiana Comprehensive Literacy Plan contains the following sections: (1) Louisiana's Literacy Pillars; (2) Literacy Data from the Fall 2020 Assessment Reports; (3) Literacy Mission and Goal; (4) Early Literacy Commission (ELC) Recommendations; (5) Louisiana Believes We Can Achieve Improved Literacy Outcomes; (6) Current Legislation…

The work of the National Forum on Education Statistics (Forum) is a key aspect of the National Cooperative Education Statistics System (Cooperative System). The Cooperative System was established to produce and maintain, with the cooperation of the states, comparable and uniform education information and data that are useful for policymaking at…

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented various challenges for education agencies and their whole school community partners. From creating plans to help ensure continuity of teaching and learning via in-person, virtual, or hybrid models to adjusting plans to help ensure that feeding and food distribution can continue, school…

As we move into the second decade of the twenty-first century, educational institutions and especially colleges of education have been under a lot of pressure to update, change, and relook at the way they deliver teacher educational practices. In the process, state departments of education (DOEs) are perceived to be micromanaging these…

This issue brief attempts to address the research-practice gap in the education space. First, it describes some challenges in applying research to educational practice. It then outlines research-practice partnerships (RPPs)--mutually beneficial collaborations between research scientists and education leaders that can narrow the gap between…

In Kentucky the school library is regarded as the hub of the school community and integral to teaching and learning. The power of the school library lies in the programming, resources, services, and instruction it provides educators and learners to support learning. Stakeholders come to appreciate Kentucky's school libraries because of their…