Giving Compass' Take:

• Linda Jacobson reports the results of an analysis of 17 states Every Student Succeeds Act plans to spend school improvement money.

• How can funders help states effectively spend their money under ESSA? 

• Learn about college and career readiness in ESSA plans. 

An analysis of 17 states’ plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides a glimpse into how those states intend to target federal funding to improve low-performing schools.

In four states — Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Tennessee — state education departments are taking a leading role in articulating a clear message regarding improvement and developing a system to monitor the process. Education agencies in five states — Connecticut, Idaho, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Nevada — are working in partnership with districts and taking more of a “how can we help” approach, the report says.

Finally, eight states have taken a district leadership approach, allowing districts to make decisions about interventions based on a local needs assessment. These states are Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New York, and Texas.

Read the full article about states' plans to spend school improvement money by Linda Jacobson at Education Dive.