Giving Compass' Take:

• Carolyn Phenicie reports that states' ESSA school improvement plans vary dramatically - and some are failing to hit key notes such as improved equity.

• How can funders help states improve their plans? How can donations help schools and districts go beyond the plans? 

• Learn about college and career readiness under ESSA


Now that all state plans to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act have been approved, it’s on to the next — and potentially trickier — step: identifying chronically underperforming schools and working to improve outcomes for the primarily low-income children and students of color who attend them.

Some states, though, are falling short of making real change, according to a new analysis.

Less than half of the 17 reviewed states’ plans “promote equity as a clear focus” in their school turnaround plans, only two require districts to show how they’ll address the achievement gap, and just four ask districts to tackle inequitable distribution of key resources, such as challenging curriculum and well-qualified teachers.

The plans weren’t given an overall rating, but rather were assessed on eight components, using a five-part scale ranging from “weak” to “exemplary.” Only two of the 17 states received “exemplary” ratings in any area: Tennessee, for having a “coherent and aligned vision for improving outcomes,” and Louisiana in four categories.

Tennessee, for instance, provided helpful guidance to school districts applying for turnaround grants, said Dale Chu, a peer reviewer and education consultant who has worked in education in Indiana and Florida.

By contrast, Texas, one of the lower-rated states, is leaning heavily on districts to lead the turnaround work, without much guidance to districts that may desperately need it, Chu said.

Florida had the worst ratings overall, receiving “weak” marks in six areas, with reviewers noting that there was so little mention of evidence-based interventions or community engagement that the state got “not applicable” ratings in those areas.

Advocates have raised alarm about the state’s overall ESSA plan, for what they described as failures to appropriately account for results of students of color and English language learners. It was the last of the 52 plans (the 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia) to be approved.

Read the full article about equity in ESSA plans by Carolyn Phenicie at The 74.