Educators

Georgia’s ESSA plan has been approved! (January 19) Here are the details:  U.S. Department of Education. Georgia Department of Education. Macon Telegraph. Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Georgia Department of Education submitted its ESSA plan to the U.S. Department of Education for approval (September 18).  Here is that plan. 

No one knows better than you that Georgia has been implementing higher standards in our classrooms for the past several years.  Now that we have moved beyond No Child Left Behind and have put the final touches on the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan, questions are being asked, “What does this mean for Georgia’s teachers and ultimately their students?” and “Will there be less federal government oversight and more local flexibility than we saw under NCLB?” Time will tell.

In the meantime, we want to be a reliable resource when it comes to the new Act and what it means for you.  For more news and resources, visit the General Resources and Latest News pages of this web site and the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education’s Every Student Succeeds Act page.  Here is a story in Education Week – Teacher:  A Teacher’s Advice for Making the Most of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Resources

• Teacher Engagement and Perspectives on ESSA: An Eagerness to Engage and Be Heard  – Educators for Higher Standards (March 29).  Relating:  It’s Way Past Time to Listen to Teachers – Collaborative for Student Success (March 30).
• Here’s what schools need to know about ESSA right now – eSchool News (February 2017)
• Understanding ESSA: 3 Tips for Educators to Help Shape Education Policy – Huffington Post (November 2016)
• Web Site – Educators for Higher Standards: Finally! ESSA Resources for Educators. (October 2016)
• Georgia Standards – Teachers:  Georgiastandards.org was created by the Georgia Department of Education.  It allows teachers easy access to information about the state’s curriculum standards. The web site also offers a variety of free resources including information about the standards, teaching frameworks, resources and videos.
• Teaching Channel:   The Teaching Channel is a video showcase—on the Internet and TV—of inspiring and effective teaching practices in America’s schools. It contains nearly 200 videos of teachers implementing higher standards in their classrooms.
• Council of Chief State School Officers: A Path of Progress: State and District Stories of High Standards Implementation – Introduction (July 2016)
• EducationNext: After Common Core, States Set Rigorous Standards (February 2016)

Other Topics of Interest

• Harvard Study:  Teaching Higher – Educators’ Perspectives on Common Core Implementation – Related article (February 2016)
• Achieve: Proficient vs. Prepared 2016: State Test Results are Getting Closer to Student Achievement on NAEP (February 2016)
• Thomas B. Fordham Institute:  Common Core Math in the K-8 Classroom – Results from a National Teacher Survey (June 2016)

Articles of Interest (please check the Latest News page for more stories):

Teachers Tweet: What State Policymakers Should Know (April 17)
Teachers Want to Be Heard (April 14)
High Comparable Standards Help Me in Supporting My Students (April 14)

Our goal is to provide the latest Every Student Succeeds Act information here that is of particular interest to Georgia educators.  We hope you will join us in informing citizens across the state.  If you would like to be notified when there are new developments, please provide your contact information below.  We welcome your ESSA thoughts.