National and State Organizations Call for Equity and Transparency in CARES Act Education Funds

On March 31, 2020, the Collaborative for Student Success joined 11 education and civil rights organizations in calling on Secretary DeVos and the Department of Education to ensure that funding included in the recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act reaches students with the highest need.

For more information, and to read the letter in full, click the button below.

Collaborative for Student Success Urges Congress to Prioritize Students in Stimulus Package

On March 20, 2020, Collaborative for Student Success Executive Director Jim Cowen issued a statement urging Congressional leaders to prioritize students with the highest need in developing stimulus packages, with a focus on ensuring access to meals, increasing internet access, and investing in extended learning opportunities.

Read the Collaborative’s statement on stimulus funding here.

ESSA Turns 4 Summit

On December 10, 2019, Collaborative for Student Success hosted an afternoon Summit with thoughtful discussion on implementation of the Every Student Succeed Act. Co-hosted with Education Week and moderated by Alyson Klein, Evie Blad, Andrew Ujifusa, and Daarel Burnette, the event featured conversations with ESSA’s congressional authors, plus discussions on equity and school improvement, accountability and testing, school finance data, and the Military Student Identifier.

More information and resources will be forthcoming, but be sure to check out a recap of the day on Capitol Hill.

Faltering Reading Results from Latest NAEP Release Spur Action

Last month, there was disappointing news in the education world. The 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) release showed a decrease across 17 states in 4th grade reading and 31 states in 8th grade reading as well as a widening of the achievement gap over the last decade between the highest performing and lowest performing students. While the results show that high performers continue to grow, they also highlight the fact that not every student has access to a high-quality education. In efforts to improve conditions for mastering reading, Collaborative for Student Success announced a collective effort with 11 organizations representing the education and civil rights communities to address the NAEP reading outcomes.

A new tool for student proficiency data

Assessment HQ is a unique online platform that takes the guesswork and risk of misinformation out of state annual assessments by providing transparency on student proficiency and state testing decisions. For the first time, student proficiency data for more than half of states in grades 3-8 will be publicly available online, and in one location, for anyone to view and use.

How are states addressing the needs of their lowest-performing schools?

We partnered with HCM Strategists to find out how states were approaching school improvement.

See how your state measures up

The Check State Plans project is based on the belief that states need to embrace the flexibility ESSA offers them, and that their plans should implement strong state-level accountability systems. See what’s in your state’s plan.

Steps every military family should know before moving

Moving to a new post can spark anxiety in military families, but families with children in preschool through high school can take certain actions to mitigate these concerns and help their children transition effectively to a new school.