U.S. Department of Education

Strategic Plan for 

Fiscal Years 2014 – 2018
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 1

U.S. Department of Education

Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2014–18

CONTENTS

MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY................................................................................................................2

DEPARTMENT’S MISSION STATEMENT............................................................................................ 5

Department of Education's FY 2014–15 Priority Goals.........................................................5-6

Department of Education's FY 2014–18 Strategic Goals.......................................................... 6

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S STRATEGIC GOALS FOR 2014–18 ................................................. 6

Goal 1: Postsecondary Education, Career and Technical Education, and Adult Education. 

Increase college access, affordability, quality, and completion by improving postsecondary 

education and lifelong learning opportunities for youths and adults.................................... 10

Goal 2: Elementary and Secondary Education. 

Improve the elementary and secondary education system’s ability to consistently deliver excellent 

instruction aligned with rigorous academic standards while providing effective support services to 

close achievement and opportunity gaps, and ensure all students graduate high school college- and 

career-ready...... ..................................................................................................................... 19

Goal 3: Early Learning. 

Improve the health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes for all children from birth through 

3rd grade, so that all children, particularly those with high needs, are on track for graduating from 

high school college- and career-ready.................................................................................... 26

Goal 4: Equity. 

Increase educational opportunities for underserved students and reduce discrimination so that all 

students are well-positioned to succeed................................................................................ 33

Goal 5: Continuous Improvement of the U.S. Education System.

Enhance the education system’s ability to continuously improve through better and more 

widespread use of data, research and evaluation, evidence, transparency, innovation, and 

technology.. ............................................................................................................................ 37

Goal 6: U.S. Department of Education Capacity.

Improve the organizational capacities of the Department to implement this strategic 

plan ......................................................................................................................................... 44
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 2

MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY

In today’s global economy, education is more important than ever before—both to individual success 

and to our collective prosperity. As a result, it is vital for the United States to provide all students with a 

well-rounded, world-class education that prepares them to thrive in college, careers, and an increasingly 

competitive and interconnected society. Our students need a blend of academic and technical skills that 

encompass critical thinking, collaboration, and communication if they are going to achieve this success. 

Students will need to be adaptable and keep up with ever-changing demands in diverse workplaces that 

often will incorporate the use of evolving and new technologies. These realities present challenges, but 

also great opportunities, in education; and they continue to shape the Obama Administration’s 

education agenda. The U.S. Department of Education’s Strategic Plan for 2014-18 offers a framework 

for the agency’s key policy and operational priorities, in line with President Obama’s vision for 

education. 

Over the last four years, the President’s vision has been guided by his goal that the United States will 

lead the world in the proportion of college graduates. A generation ago, America led all other 

industrialized nations in that area. Today, the United States has dropped from first place to 12th in the 

world. 1Regaining leadership in college completion remains our nation’s educational North Star, as well 

as the focal point of the Department’s work. 

Reaching the President’s goal will require a continued commitment to comprehensive education 

reforms, from cradle to career—beginning with children at birth, supporting them through K-12 and 

postsecondary education, and helping them to become lifelong learners. The Department’s strategic 

plan sets specific objectives and explains what the agency will do to support children, youths, adults, 

families, and educators in meeting them. 

At the start of the education pipeline, the Department is working to increase access to high-quality early 

learning programs and to improve the cognitive, health, and social-emotional outcomes of children from 

birth through third grade. Doing so will ensure that more children—particularly those with high needs—

are given an equal chance to thrive and graduate from high school ready for college and careers.

Right now, however, the majority of children in the United States do not have access to the kind of highquality preschool programs that will lead to their success in school and in life. Many families that could 

benefit from supports as they raise their children remain without these resources.

A continued partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services aims to dramatically 

improve coordination among early learning programs. The two departments jointly administer the Race 

to the Top - Early Learning Challenge program to help states build strong early learning systems that 

improve access to high-quality programs for the children who need them the most. Through this 

 

1 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Education at a Glance, 2013, 

http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag.htm
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 3

program, the two departments also are supporting the development of comprehensive early learning 

assessment systems that organize information about the process and context of young children’s 

learning and development. This information will help early childhood educators make informed 

instructional and programmatic decisions as well as inform parents about their children’s progress. The 

departments also are working with states to ensure that early learning professionals are equipped with 

the necessary knowledge and skills to provide children with a strong start and to put our nation’s 

youngest learners on the path to a bright future. 

For our elementary and secondary education system, the main objective is to ensure that all students 

graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and prepared for fulfilling careers. While the 

nation’s high school graduation rate has risen to an all-time high, the dropout rate remains 

unacceptable. Today, 80 percent of high school students earn a diploma. But there are stark 

differences in high school graduation rates by race. About 93 percent of Asian students and 83 percent 

of white students graduate on time. Those rates dip to 71 percent for Hispanic students and 66 percent 

for black students.2

We must work toward closing achievement gaps, holding the highest expectations for all students, and 

providing all learners with a world-class education that keeps them engaged and interested in school, 

while challenging them to learn more. These efforts are critical when one-third of students in their first 

or second year of postsecondary education reported having taken remedial coursework3, making up for 

content that they should have mastered in high school and spending college tuition on courses that may 

not count toward a postsecondary credential. 

The Department of Education is supporting state-led efforts to implement rigorous K-12 academic 

standards, aligned with the knowledge and skills that students will need once they enter postsecondary 

education. The Department also is working with states to promote differentiated systems of 

accountability, recognition, and support based on the collection and use of comprehensive performance 

data, including students’ academic growth. A focus on data and evidence of what works will help to 

inform education improvements that drive better outcomes for students. 

Finally, the Department is committed to supporting teachers and school leaders as they navigate a time 

of rapid change in teaching and learning and engage in the vitally important work of education reform. 

Educators need new tools and resources—including time for collaboration and professional 

development—now more than perhaps at any other time. The Department will continue to provide 

support to educators as they implement rigorous interventions, engage families and communities, and 

create positive learning climates—especially in our lowest-performing schools. 

 

2 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public School Graduates and 

Dropouts from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2009-10,” http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013309/

3 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), 2012. 

http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas/
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 4

In the area of higher education, we know that college is one of the best investments students can make 

for their future. Despite the Obama Administration’s historic investments and reforms, which have 

been aimed at ensuring that college is an affordable, secure investment, attending college has never 

been more expensive, and too many young Americans are burdened with debt. College cannot be a 

luxury that only a few students can afford. It should offer a high return on investment for every 

American who is willing to work hard, and it must provide preparation for a well-paying job and a strong 

future. 

The Department has created tools and resources that have helped to increase transparency about 

higher education options for students and to support student and family choice, including the Financial 

Aid Shopping Sheet, the Interactive Loan Counseling Tool, the College Scorecard, and an improved 

Federal Student Aid website. From 2008 to 2011, the number of Pell Grant recipients increased by 50 

percent—from 6.3 to 9.7 million students. We are also laying the foundation for a new paradigm in 

higher education, focused on value. Going forward, the Department is committed to strengthening its 

student aid programs and administering them both even more efficiently and in a manner that is 

responsive to customer needs. 

The Department continues to make significant progress in implementing its cradle-to-career agenda. 

The Race to the Top and Investing in Innovation programs, among other Department initiatives, have 

helped to establish the critical groundwork for increasing educational excellence, reducing inequity, and 

creating support for innovation and continuous improvement. Teachers and leaders across the country 

are on a path to being supported, recognized, and evaluated based—in part—on the effect they are 

having on student learning. New data systems are providing educators with improved insights into their 

schools and classrooms. As a nation, we have made a significant down payment on the commitment to 

transform our lowest-performing schools. And we have made college affordable for more low-income 

students.

Yet there is still much more to do to ensure that every student in America receives an excellent 

education. All of us—educators, families, local and federal leaders, and students themselves—must be 

partners in this significant effort. This strategic plan is designed to support a vision of shared 

responsibility so that, together, we can build the best educated citizenry in the world. 

-- Arne Duncan

Secretary of Education
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 5

DEPARTMENT’S MISSION STATEMENT

The Department of Education's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global 

competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’S FY 2014–15 PRIORITY GOALS

The Department of Education has identified a limited number of priority goals that will comprise a 

particular focus over the next two years. These goals, which will help measure the success of the 

Department’s cradle-to-career education strategy, reflect the importance of teaching and learning at all 

levels of the education system. These goals are consistent with the Department’s five-year strategic 

plan, which will be used to regularly monitor and report progress. To view information on all 

Department programs, please visit www.ed.gov.

The effective implementation of the Department’s priority and strategic goals will depend, in part, on 

the effective use of high-quality and timely data, including evaluations and performance measures, 

throughout the lifecycle of policies and programs. The Department is committed to increasing the 

number of programs and initiatives that are evaluated using methods that include those consistent with 

the What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards, and incorporating cost-effectiveness measures into 

evaluations and program improvement systems. 

For more information, go to http://www.performance.gov.

Department of Education’s FY 2014–15 Priority Goals

Increase college degree attainment in America

By Sept. 30, 2015, 45.6 percent of adults ages 25–34 will have an associate degree or higher, which will 

place the nation on track to reach the president’s goal of 60 percent degree attainment by 2020.

Support implementation of college- and career-ready standards and assessments

By Sept. 30, 2015, at least 50 states and territories4 will be implementing next-generation assessments, 

aligned with college- and career-ready standards. 

Improve learning by ensuring that more students have effective teachers and leaders

By Sept. 30, 2015, at least 37 states will have fully implemented teacher and principal evaluation and 

support systems that consider multiple measures of effectiveness, with student growth as a significant 

factor.

Ensure equitable educational opportunities

By Sept. 30, 2015, the number of high schools with persistently low graduation rates5 will decrease by 5

percent annually. The national high school graduation rate will increase to 83 percent, as measured by the 

Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate, and disparities in the national high school graduation rate among 

minority students, students with disabilities, English learners, and students in poverty will decrease.

 

4 In addition to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other territories are candidates for implementing these 

assessments. 

5 Consistent with the ESEA Flexibility definition, persistently low graduation rate is defined as a less than 60 percent graduation rate. 

Persistently low graduation rate high schools are defined as regular and vocational high schools with an average minimum cohort size of

65 or more, and an average ACGR of 60 percent or less over two years.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 6

Department of Education’s FY 2014–15 Priority Goals

Support comprehensive early learning assessment systems

By Sept. 30, 2015, at least nine states will be collecting and reporting disaggregated data on the status of 

children at kindergarten entry using a common measure.

Enable evidence-based decision making

By Sept. 30, 2015, the percentage of select new6(non-continuation) competitive grant dollars that reward 

evidence will increase by 70 percent.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’S FY 2014–18 STRATEGIC GOALS

The six Department strategic goals will guide the day-to-day work of the Department’s staff.

1. Postsecondary Education, Career and Technical Education, and Adult Education. Increase 

college access, affordability, quality, and completion by improving postsecondary education and 

lifelong learning opportunities for youths and adults.

2. Elementary and Secondary Education. Improve the elementary and secondary education 

system’s ability to consistently deliver excellent instruction aligned with rigorous academic 

standards while also providing effective support services to close achievement and opportunity 

gaps, and ensure all students graduate high school college- and career-ready.

3. Early Learning. Improve the health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes for all children 

from birth through 3rd grade, so that all children, particularly those with high needs, are on track 

for graduating from high school college- and career-ready. 

4. Equity. Increase educational opportunities for underserved students and reduce discrimination 

so that all students are well-positioned to succeed.

5. Continuous Improvement of the U.S. Education System. Enhance the education system’s ability 

to continuously improve through better and more widespread use of data, research and 

evaluation, evidence, transparency, innovation, and technology. 

6. U.S. Department of Education Capacity. Improve the organizational capacities of the 

Department to implement this strategic plan.

Notes: Per the GPRA Modernization Act requirement to address cross-agency priority goals in the agency 

strategic plan, the annual performance plan and the annual performance report, please refer to 

www.performance.gov for the agency’s contributions to those goals and progress where applicable. 

 

6

“New competitive grant dollars that reward evidence” includes all dollars awarded based on the existence of at least “evidence of 

promise” in support of a project, per the framework in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (34 CFR Part 

75). Consideration of such evidence appears through: eligibility threshold (e.g., in the Investing in Innovation program); absolute 

priority; competitive priority (earning at least one point for it); or selection criteria (earning at least one point for it). The percentage is 

calculated compared to the total new grant dollars awarded, excluding awards made by the Institute of Education Sciences, the

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, and technical assistance centers, with some exceptions.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 7

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’S STRATEGIC GOALS FOR FY 2014–18

As mentioned in the previous section, this plan links the Department’s day-to-day work to the 

Department’s goals. The day-to-day work is organized into six goals related to the organization of the 

Department. Priorities are not intended to signify their relative importance; success on each will be 

necessary to ensure that the Department is maximizing its impact on the education system.

This plan will help to align the administration’s yearly budget requests and the Department’s legislative 

agenda. Continuous improvement rests in large part on an ongoing cycle of assessing performance, 

examining data, and improving practices. Creating a culture of continuous improvement is at the heart 

of our efforts to work with and support elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educators and 

policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels.

Accomplishing all of this plan’s priorities will require strong coordination and collaboration from 

Department staff working with Congress, partners at the state and local levels, and all other 

stakeholders. This includes meeting numerous legislative challenges at the federal level, as well as 

continuing to work with national labor management partners to support districts and states in building 

the capacity to pursue reforms through active labor management collaboration. In addition, state and 

federal fiscal constraints may impact the Department’s ability to provide the necessary incentives and 

resources to increase quality, transparency, and accountability.

Goal 1: Postsecondary Education, Career and Technical Education, and Adult Education. Increase 

college access, affordability, quality, and completion by improving postsecondary education and lifelong 

learning opportunities for youths and adults.

Strategic Objective 1.1: Access and Affordability. Close the opportunity gap by improving the 

affordability of and access to college and/or workforce training, especially for underrepresented 

and/or underprepared populations (e.g., low-income and first-generation students, English learners, 

individuals with disabilities, adults without high school diplomas, etc.). 

Strategic Objective 1.2: Quality. Foster institutional value to ensure that postsecondary education 

credentials represent effective preparation for students to succeed in the workforce and participate 

in civic life.

Strategic Objective 1.3: Completion. Increase degree and certificate completion and job placement 

in high-need and high-skill areas, particularly among underrepresented and/or underprepared 

populations.

Strategic Objective 1.4: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Pathways. 

Increase STEM pathway opportunities that enable access to and completion of postsecondary 

programs.

Goal 2: Elementary and Secondary Education. Improve the elementary and secondary education 

system’s ability to consistently deliver excellent instruction aligned with rigorous academic standards 

while providing effective support services to close achievement and opportunity gaps, and ensure all 

students graduate high school college- and career-ready.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 8

Strategic Objective 2.1: Standards and Assessments. Support implementation of internationally

benchmarked college- and career-ready standards, with aligned, valid, and reliable assessments. 

Strategic Objective 2.2: Effective Teachers and Strong Leaders. Improve the preparation, 

recruitment, retention, development, support, evaluation, recognition, and equitable distribution

7

of effective teachers and leaders.

Strategic Objective 2.3: School Climate and Community. Increase the success, safety, and health of 

students, particularly in high-need schools, and deepen family and community engagement.

Strategic Objective 2.4: Turn Around Schools and Close Achievement Gaps. Accelerate 

achievement by supporting states and districts in turning around low-performing schools and closing 

achievement gaps, and developing models of next generation high schools.

Strategic Objective 2.5: STEM Teaching and Learning. Increase the number and quality of STEM 

teachers and increase opportunities for students to access rich STEM learning experiences.

Goal 3: Early Learning. Improve the health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes for all children 

from birth through 3rd grade, so that all children, particularly those with high needs, are on track for 

graduating from high school college- and career-ready.

Strategic Objective 3.1: Access to High-Quality Programs and Services. Increase access to highquality early learning programs and comprehensive services, especially for children with high needs.

Strategic Objective 3.2: Effective Workforce. Improve the quality and effectiveness of the early 

learning workforce so that early childhood educators have the knowledge, skills, and abilities 

necessary to improve young children’s health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes.

Strategic Objective 3.3: Measuring Progress, Outcomes, and Readiness. Improve the capacity of 

states and early learning programs to develop and implement comprehensive early learning 

assessment systems.

Goal 4: Equity. Increase educational opportunities for underserved students and reduce discrimination 

so that all students are well-positioned to succeed.

Strategic Objective 4.1: Equitable Educational Opportunities. Increase all students’ access to 

educational opportunities with a focus on closing achievement gaps and remove barriers that 

students face based on their race, ethnicity, or national origin; sex; sexual orientation or gender 

identity or expression; disability; English language ability; religion; socioeconomic status; or 

geographical location.

 

7 States with approved Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility requests are required to implement teacher and 

principal evaluation and support systems by 2014–15 or 2015–16, depending on the school year of initial approval. Under recently 

announced additional flexibility, personnel decisions based on those systems are not required until 2016–17.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 9

Strategic Objective 4.2: Civil Rights Compliance. Ensure educational institutions’ awareness of and 

compliance with federal civil rights obligations and enhance the public's knowledge of their civil 

rights

Goal 5: Continuous Improvement of the U.S. Education System. Enhance the education system’s ability 

to continuously improve through better and more widespread use of data, research and evaluation, 

evidence, transparency, innovation, and technology.

Strategic Objective 5.1: Data Systems and Transparency. Facilitate the development of 

interoperable longitudinal data systems for early learning through employment to enable datadriven, transparent decision making by increasing access to timely, reliable, and high-value data.

Strategic Objective 5.2: Privacy. Provide all education stakeholders, from early childhood to adult 

learning, with technical assistance and guidance to help them protect student privacy while 

effectively managing and using student information.

Strategic Objective 5.3: Research, Evaluation, and Use of Evidence. Invest in research and 

evaluation that builds evidence for education improvement; communicate findings effectively; and 

drive the use of evidence in decision-making by internal and external stakeholders.

Strategic Objective 5.4: Technology and Innovation. Accelerate the development and broad 

adoption of new, effective programs, processes, and strategies, including education technology. 

Goal 6: U.S. Department of Education Capacity. Improve the organizational capacities of the 

Department to implement this strategic plan.

Strategic Objective 6.1: Effective Workforce. Continue to build a skilled, diverse, and engaged 

workforce within the Department.

Strategic Objective 6.2: Risk Management. Improve the Department’s program efficacy through 

comprehensive risk management, and grant and contract monitoring.

Strategic Objective 6.3: Implementation and Support. Build Department capacity and systems to 

support states’ and other grantees’ implementation of reforms that result in improved outcomes, 

and keep the public informed of promising practices and new reform initiatives.

Strategic Objective 6.4: Productivity and Performance Management. Improve workforce 

productivity through information technology enhancements, telework expansion efforts, more 

effective process performance management systems, and state-of-the-art leadership and 

knowledge management practices.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 10

Dramatically boosting completion rates for bachelor’s and associate degrees is essential for Americans

to compete in a global economy. The president thus set a goal in 2009—that, by 2020, the U.S. will have 

the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. Meeting this goal will require millions of 

additional Americans to earn a bachelor’s or an associate degree or certificate by the end of this 

decade—a 50 percent increase nationwide. The president has also challenged every American to 

complete at least one year of higher education or career training—at a two- or four-year postsecondary 

institution, or through a career and technical training program or apprenticeship.

The president’s agenda for postsecondary reform calls for a spirit of shared responsibility in addressing 

college access, affordability, quality, and the imperative for students to complete their certificates or 

degrees. Neither the federal government alone, nor any other single sector, can make the investments 

or create the changes needed to move our country forward. This work requires unprecedented 

collaboration and innovation.

And, increased college enrollment is not enough. To advance the nation toward achieving the 2020 goal, 

institutions of higher education must ensure that students successfully complete their studies with 

degrees and certificates. In addition, as part of its career and technical education (CTE) transformation 

strategy, the Department must help support state- and industry-led efforts to introduce students to 

careers and provide them with the knowledge and skills to enter technical fields. Furthermore, to ensure 

a sustainable national economy, the Department should work with the National Science Foundation and 

other agencies to help colleges and universities increase the enrollment and completion rates of 

students with degrees and certificates in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and math 

(STEM).

The Department must ensure that all students—recent high school graduates and adult learners alike—

are well prepared for college and careers, help more of them enroll in postsecondary education, and 

increase the number of those who complete programs of study with a degree or certificate.

Prior to entering postsecondary education, prospective students need easily accessible information on 

the cost of attendance, career placement and graduation rates, college loan default rates, earnings of 

graduates, public-service and private-sector opportunities, loan management options, and other 

subjects crucial to understanding the affordability and value of the postsecondary institutions and/or 

programs of study that they are considering. Students deserve to know that, whether they enter a 

college, university, postsecondary career training program, or adult education program, the credential 

they earn will be affordable and its value will be recognized as an indication that they possess the 

necessary knowledge and skills for success in the workplace and in life.

Providing federal student aid in a simple, reliable, and efficient manner is the main way that the 

Department supports college access, affordability, quality, and completion. In FY 2013, the Department 

delivered nearly $138 billion in grants, work-study, and loan assistance to approximately 14 million 

postsecondary students and their families. These students attended approximately 6,200 institutions of 

postsecondary education accredited by dozens of agencies. In addition, the Department administers $2 

billion annually in grants to strengthen postsecondary institutions and promote college readiness, and 

GOAL 1: POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION, AND ADULT EDUCATION. 

Increase college access, affordability, quality, and completion by improving postsecondary education and 

lifelong learning opportunities for youths and adults.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 11

another $2 billion in grant funds for CTE, adult education (including literacy and citizenship education), 

and correctional education to help adults secure the skills that equip them for work, civic participation, 

and lifelong learning.

The Department has already taken significant steps to increase college access, affordability, quality, and 

completion. Through the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), passed as part of the 

Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HCERA), Congress ended student loan subsidies to 

banks, saving billions of dollars that are now used for financial aid through the Pell Grant program and 

for reducing borrowers’ monthly repayment amounts. Resources developed by the Department, such as 

the College Affordability and Transparency Center, the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet, the College 

Scorecard, and a consolidated student aid website from the Department’s Federal Student Aid (FSA) 

office (www.studentaid.gov), now provide students and families with better tools for informed decisionmaking. Additionally, as described in Federal Student Aid’s Five Year Strategic Plan for FY 2012-16, FSA 

recently launched two new products. The first product is the Financial Aid Toolkit, which provides free 

and ready-made resources online for organizations wishing to engage students about financial aid. The 

second is the Financial Awareness Counseling Tool (FACT), an online, interactive loan counseling tool 

that helps students and families better manage their finances and understand their financial obligations 

as borrowers. FSA initiated the Integrated Student Experience (ISE) initiative to establish an integrated, 

customer-focused Web experience for students, parents and borrowers to facilitate decision-making 

about funding postsecondary education. Finally, the Department has simplified the Free Application for 

Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) so it is easier and faster for students to apply for aid.

During the next four years, the Department will build on these efforts to ensure that all Americans, 

regardless of background, will have the opportunity to access and complete an affordable 

postsecondary degree or other postsecondary credential.

How will we measure success? 

The Department will use the following indicators to measure its success in improving college access and 

affordability, college completion, academic quality, and STEM pathway opportunities. 

Postsecondary Education, Career and Technical Education, and Adult Education Indicators of Success

 Reduce rate of increase in average net price of public two- and four-year institutions.

 Decrease number of low-performing institutions with high loan default rates and low graduation 

rates. 

 Increase degree attainment among the 25-34 year old age cohort.

 Increase retention rate of first-time degree-seeking undergraduates.

 Increase number of STEM postsecondary credentials awarded.

 Maintain percentage of high school seniors filing a FAFSA.

 Increase the national earnings of adults and transition-age youth with disabilities, including 

those with significant disabilities.

 Increase the number of stakeholders, including vocational rehabilitation state directors and 

other state vocational rehabilitation staff, who express knowledge of the National Institute on 

Disabilities and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) grantees’ research. 

 Increase the percentage of NIDRR projects that result in peer-reviewed publications. 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 12

What could hold us back? What’s beyond our control? (External Risk Factors)

The Department will encourage states and institutions of higher education to adopt policies and 

strategies to improve student outcomes and even out or minimize increases in the cost of tuition, books, 

and related items. Success will depend, to some degree, on the extent to which states and institutions 

(a) implement policies and programs to increase student retention and persistence to graduation, (b) 

accelerate college completion, (c) offer dual high school and postsecondary enrollments, (d) develop 

and use online, open-source materials, (e) better align high school completion and postsecondary 

entrance requirements, (f) better align transfer requirements that lead to baccalaureate degrees, and 

(g) invest in higher education at the state level. The Department has limited ability to influence such 

outcomes without new programs that are specifically structured to drive this kind of change. In addition, 

modifications to statewide longitudinal and other data systems are necessary to better track the 

nation’s progress in improving access to postsecondary education, completion of postsecondary degrees 

and certificates, and success in the workforce and society. Finally, high-quality technical assistance is 

needed to address the limited capacity of states and school districts to advance programs in high-need 

areas, such as STEM.

The nation also sorely needs the reauthorization of key federal legislation, including the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), the Higher Education Act (HEA), 

and the Career and Technical Education Act (CTEA), in order to support the implementation of more 

rigorous high school standards and postsecondary and adult education reforms that will increase 

student achievement and career and civic success. Moreover, postsecondary institutions must increase 

their capacity to serve the growing number of Americans who require education and/or training beyond 

high school to compete in the workplace, particularly the tens of millions of Americans who have basic 

literacy and workforce training needs. In an economy where state funding for higher education is 

threatened, institutions are struggling to serve more students with fewer resources. In addition, many 

students arrive at college unprepared for college-level work. This need for remediation diverts resources 

that would be better directed toward supporting students’ persistence in and completion of their 

education. To be effective in all of these areas, postsecondary institutions must continue to find ways to 

be innovative and productive in providing educational services—even as they collaborate with the pre-k 

– 12 sector to improve the college- and career-readiness of learners.

Historically, as unemployment rates decline, the number of young adults immediately pursuing a 

postsecondary education decreases. This, in turn, potentially decreases FAFSA completion rates. In 

addition, other economic factors contributed to the large and likely unsustainable increases in FAFSA 

submissions for several cycles through 2012. With a still-improving economy, completion rates have yet 

to stabilize and may affect overall FAFSA completion rates. To address these external factors, the 

Department and FSA will continue to focus efforts on increasing FAFSA accessibility and ease of use. To 

ensure a positive experience for users, FSA will enhance partnerships with states, federal agencies, 

nonprofits, and the private sector to ensure a positive experience for users. 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1.1: ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY. Close the opportunity gap by 

improving the affordability of and access to college and/or workforce training, especially for 

underrepresented and/or underprepared populations (e.g., low-income and first-generation 

students, English learners, individuals with disabilities, adults without high school diplomas, 

etc.).
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 13

Postsecondary education access—and success—can be achieved only if students complete high 

school or its equivalent, and postsecondary education and training are relevant and affordable. 

Today, too many of the nation’s students are ill-prepared for the academic rigor required for 

success at a postsecondary institution, with about one-third enrolling in remedial courses during 

their first or second year.8 Others lack the financial resources to pay for higher education. The 

average net price has risen at many two- and four-year institutions, particularly at public 

colleges and universities, widening the affordability gap.9 During the past 10 years, published 

college prices at public four-year institutions rose more rapidly than the cost of other goods and 

services.10 Over the past three decades, average tuition and fees at a public four-year college 

have increased 231 percent, while incomes for typical families grew only 16 percent11

By implementing a variety of measures, the Department can help keep postsecondary education 

available and affordable to the middle class, as well as to students from low-income families. 

Some measures include: providing more and better information about postsecondary 

institutions that offer good value, serve high-need students well, and put into practice cost 

containment strategies; furthering the Department’s usability and transparency efforts (through 

FAFSA enhancements, College Scorecard and other consumer tools, and related measures); and 

enhancing financial aid policies and regulations that address student loan modifications, 

income-based repayment, tax benefits, and campus-based aid. Other steps range from 

strengthening federal student aid accountability and compliance mechanisms that help keep 

students and families from assuming too much debt and that safeguard taxpayer investments in 

the student aid program, to holding institutions responsible as partners with states and the 

federal government for providing students with a quality education. The Department will also 

continue to strengthen the customer service provided by FSA to serve the interests of students 

and borrowers. 

FSA’s five-year strategic plan calls for enhancing customer-facing processes to improve the 

customer experience. FSA’s Awareness & Outreach Group will continue to improve and 

implement initiatives to dramatically change the process and approach to executing FSA’s 

legislative requirement to raise public awareness about the availability of FSA, the financial aid 

process, and the FAFSA; and to assist individuals with better understanding the financial aid 

lifecycle and their federal loan repayment options. 

The Department is further concerned about the sizable number of adults who lack foundational 

literacy and numeracy skills. Because of this, too many adults cannot enter or complete a 

postsecondary education or training program. Data on educational attainment and skills show 

that there are at least 36 million Americans without basic literacy skills in need of educational 

credentials for work.12 The social and economic consequences are severe for these adults and 

their families, as well as for their communities, where large numbers of low-skilled adults can 

limit economic development. The current adult education system is not equipped to handle this 

 

8 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study – NPSAS:12.

9 U.S. Department of Education, NCES 2013-170, March 2013: College Costs – A Decade of Change: 2002-03 to 2011-12

10 Ibid.

11 Trends in College Pricing 2013, The College Board; U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Mean Income Received by Each Fifth 

and Top 5 Percent of Families, 1982-2012 (in 2012 dollars).

12 U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, Organization for Economic 

Cooperation and Development (OECD), 2012 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC).
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 14

challenge, serving approximately only 5 percent of the need.13 The Department will work to 

transform this system and create an adult learning infrastructure that better meets the demand 

for high-quality English language, literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills. This 

infrastructure must accommodate the increased demand for skills from industry and business, 

as well as for services that may result from comprehensive immigration reform.

The Department will work with state vocational rehabilitation agencies to ensure individuals 

with disabilities, including transition-age youth, particularly those with the most significant 

disabilities, prepare for, obtain, or retain employment. Nationally, there are approximately 1 

million individuals with disabilities in various phases of the vocational rehabilitation process 

within the vocational rehabilitation system, about 93 percent of whom are individuals with 

significant disabilities. About 180,000 individuals with disabilities exit the vocational 

rehabilitation system each year with an employment outcome.14 The Department will work to 

transform this system to increase the number of individuals who achieve competitive 

employment outcomes, increase the average number of hours worked and, therefore, increase 

the wages earned by individuals in the vocational rehabilitation system. Furthermore, NIDRR will 

intensify its efforts at informing state vocational rehabilitation agency personnel of relevant 

research findings related to employment of individuals with disabilities. This structured 

approach will provide for translating knowledge gained from research into knowledge utilization 

in vocational rehabilitation service delivery settings. Additionally, NIDRR will increase training 

opportunities to ensure stakeholders are better informed of its research findings and take 

actions to measure and improve the perceived quality of its research. 

The Department will work with all stakeholders throughout the education and career pipelines 

to improve educational opportunity, including increasing the academic readiness of students for 

postsecondary education and employment. The Department will also support the adoption of 

internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards so that high school students 

graduate with the competencies needed for postsecondary success. In addition, the Department 

will provide useful information on financial aid and institutional characteristics to facilitate 

sound decision making by students and families.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1.2: QUALITY. Foster institutional value to ensure that postsecondary 

education credentials represent effective preparation for students to succeed in the workforce 

and participate in civic life.

For the United States to remain educationally and economically competitive, its institutions 

must exemplify and deliver a quality postsecondary education. They must also ensure that the 

degrees and credentials they confer meet the economic and social needs of individuals, 

communities, and the nation as a whole. An important part of the Department’s work must be 

to encourage the postsecondary community to focus on student learning that is transparent and 

validated through the assessment of actual learning outcomes. This will, in turn, encourage 

 

13 U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education, internal estimate based on number of adults served 

compared to target population.

14 RSA-113, information collection report, submitted to RSA by state VR agencies quarterly, consistent with requirements in the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, section 101(a)(10)—Reporting Requirements. 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 15

institutions and other education providers to use outcomes, rather than simply inputs, to 

measure and demonstrate quality and value. If the nation is to improve quality for large 

numbers of students, states and institutions of higher education must adopt instructional 

innovations that increase quality and affordability. The Department will foster such innovation 

by providing flexibility where appropriate, eliminating unnecessary regulations, establishing 

pilot projects and experimental sites, and supporting the use of technology in course redesign 

and student services. It will be critical to bolster improvements in how data are collected and 

used in postsecondary education, not only to accurately gauge quality learning but also to 

determine what strategies work best to increase educational attainment and completion. 

The Department has undertaken initial efforts to streamline the focused review process for 

accreditation, a voluntary peer review system that institutions use to ensure educational quality. 

The Department does not accredit institutions of higher education, but rather provides 

oversight by recognizing the agencies that accredit such institutions and ensuring that these 

accrediting agencies adhere to certain standards. President Obama has called for greater focus 

on affordability and value in quality assurance. The Department will therefore propose further 

enhancements to its accreditation oversight responsibilities and offer new pathways to ensure 

that learning outcomes leading to degrees and certificates are better documented and 

understood by the public.

The Department will continue to encourage the development and implementation of statewide 

longitudinal data systems that include postsecondary education and workforce information. It 

will also continue to develop and enhance the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System 

(IPEDS) to improve its data presentation and visualization functions. The aim is to improve 

access to the data and the ability to analyze changes to, and the diversity of, student 

populations.

The Department will also continue to fund and support teacher preparation initiatives to 

improve teacher quality—and student achievement—by furthering the transformation already 

under way in the recruitment, training, and professional development of teachers. The nation 

needs well-prepared teachers to educate all students, including those with high needs, such as 

English language learners, children who struggle with reading, and students with disabilities. 

With the Department’s support, teacher preparation programs will be held to clear standards of 

quality that include, but are not limited to, their records of preparing and placing teachers who 

deliver positive results for students.

In August 2013, President Obama outlined a new agenda to combat rising college costs and 

make college affordable for American families. His plan will measure college performance 

through a new ratings system so students have the information to select schools that provide 

the best value. These ratings will compare colleges with similar missions and identify colleges 

that do the most to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as colleges that are 

improving their performance. To develop this ratings system, the Department will widely solicit 

public and expert feedback, and consider a variety of measures to reflect college value and 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 16

affordability as effectively as possible. The development process will include establishing 

appropriate measures, designing the functionality, evaluating efficacy for users and federal 

purposes, and using evaluative feedback to make further improvements. 

Better and more transparent information, coupled with incentives to support the quality and 

validity of education at postsecondary institutions, will increase the confidence of students, 

families, and states in the value and integrity of these institutions. The Department will promote 

information about successful evidence-based programs and strategies, use its statutory and 

regulatory authority to strengthen program integrity, foster better use of data, and encourage 

states and institutions to set and monitor goals to improve student, institutional, and statewide 

performance in postsecondary education.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1.3: COMPLETION. Increase degree and certificate completion and job 

placement in high-need and high-skill areas, particularly among underrepresented and 

economically disadvantaged populations. 

The success of the American economy and culture—as well as our national security—depends 

on the talent of all Americans. The president is committed to increasing the number of students 

earning degrees and credentials through postsecondary education and has encouraged every 

American to complete at least one year of education or workforce training beyond high school. 

Slightly more than one-quarter of postsecondary students drop out within four years without 

completing a degree or certificate15, and more than 36 million adults function at low literacy 

levels that inhibit their ability to succeed in college and the workforce.16 Ensuring that all 

Americans have the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college and in the workforce 

will require higher standards of educational excellence, leading to dramatically improved high 

school and adult education outcomes, which, in turn, will lead to postsecondary outcomes that 

produce more graduates with certificates and degrees—and not only undergraduate degrees, 

but advanced degrees that are vitally important for a globally competitive workforce. One way 

the Department can impact better outcomes is to motivate states to fund postsecondary 

institutions based on performance.

To meet the needs of the labor market, where the demand for high-skilled workers in many 

fields is projected to outpace the number of qualified applicants, the Department will work to 

support the education and training of individuals in high-need and high-skill career fields, such 

as health care, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, information technology, and STEM. 

There is also a growing need to fill so-called “middle jobs”—jobs that require more than a high 

school diploma but less than a four-year college degree; provide a secure middle-class salary; 

and encourage continued education and career mobility, enabling workers to “learn as they 

 

15 U.S. Department of Education, National Center of Education Statistics, Beginning Postsecondary Students Survey – BPS:04/09. 

16 U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, Organization for Economic 

Cooperation and Development (OECD), 2012 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC).
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 17

earn.” The president is committed to leveraging these jobs to provide gateways to opportunity 

for more Americans.

High-quality CTE systems can help address these factors, by actively engaging students in 

learning; giving them an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in real-world contexts; and 

connecting them with the right menu of postsecondary options and high-demand occupations. 

Effective CTE programs allow students to master three types of skills: academic skills; technical 

skills in a given field; and the transferable career skills that characterize today’s knowledge 

worker, like critical thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, and teamwork. The 

Department will promote state and local CTE models that are well-aligned with college- and 

career-readiness standards, and with the needs of employers, industry, and labor.

The Department is particularly determined to have a significant impact on improving the 

educational performance of students most in need of help—e.g., those from underrepresented 

and economically disadvantaged populations, and first-generation students (that is, those who 

are the first in their families to attend college)—by working with stakeholders on programs that 

increase postsecondary persistence and completion. For example, the Department will provide 

funding for and disseminate information on strategies that foster successful transitions, 

including transitions between secondary and postsecondary education, two-year and four-year 

colleges and universities, postsecondary education and employment, and/or postsecondary 

pathways within or across career fields. Success will require better research and data analysis 

about effective persistence and completion strategies in postsecondary settings and strong 

communication efforts.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1.4: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS 

PATHWAYS. Increase STEM pathway opportunities that enable access to and completion of 

postsecondary programs.

The 2012 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report to the 

president, Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in 

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, calls for modernizing pathways to 

postsecondary completion that incorporate best practices in retention and persistence of 

students in STEM fields. In this report, it is estimated that almost half of all students who start 

their postsecondary degree in a STEM field will not finish there, either because they have 

dropped out (about 20 percent of all beginning STEM students) or switched to another major 

(about 28 percent). 

The Department will support the development of innovative solutions that encourage students 

to select and complete STEM majors once they get to college, including exposure to and 

preparation in STEM fields through investments in career and technical education, career 

pathways, and transition strategies (including from community colleges and certification 

programs).

Concomitantly, the Department will prioritize internal efforts that encourage clearer alignment 

between high school and college STEM fields of study and that improve retention and 

persistence to high school and college graduation. Toward this end, creating STEM pathway 

options for high school students seeking in-depth exposure to technical knowledge and skill 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 18

development can be accomplished by expanding successful models, including career academies 

and STEM-focused career and technical education, that help build both college and career 

readiness. Similarly, the Department will enhance STEM pathways for adults (first-time STEM 

workers, re-entry into the STEM workforce at all levels, veterans, etc.) by supporting the 

development of bridge programs with industry and partner agencies that will enable significant 

advancement toward the goal of increasing the number of STEM graduates.

STEM teacher preparation also needs dramatic improvement to increase the number and 

quality of K–12 STEM teachers as well as college and university STEM professors. STEM 

researchers have already identified a wide variety of best practices from universities and 

community colleges that can improve the pipeline to completion, and that can be replicated and 

scaled to increase STEM degree production by 2020.

In alignment with the five-year federal strategic plan on STEM education and the 

administration’s government-wide STEM education reorganization proposal, the Department 

will also leverage partnerships with other Committee on STEM (CoSTEM) agencies. These 

include the National Science Foundation, which has been designated the lead CoSTEM agency 

working on undergraduate STEM education. The goal is to leverage existing and proposed 

programs that support postsecondary STEM education, increasing the quality of STEM learning 

and making pathways in these majors more engaging and attainable. The Department will 

especially focus on investments that target underrepresented students to increase their 

recruitment, retention, and completion.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 19

The goal for America’s educational system is clear: every student should graduate from high school 

ready for college, careers, and life. Every student should have meaningful opportunities from which to 

choose upon graduation from high school. Over the past few years, states, districts, and schools have 

initiated groundbreaking reforms and innovations to meet this goal. For the first time, almost every 

state is supporting higher standards that will demonstrate that students are truly college- and careerready. States are also coming together to develop the next generation of assessments that are not only 

aligned with these more rigorous standards but also advance essential skills that promote critical 

thinking, problem solving, and the application of knowledge. At the same time, states, districts, and 

schools are working to meet the challenges of putting a highly-qualified teacher in every classroom and 

a strong and effective leader in every school; building local capacity to support successful school 

turnarounds; redesigning high school education by building stronger connections among secondary 

education, postsecondary education, and the workplace; and improving teacher preparation and 

classroom instruction in STEM education.

Although many schools are increasing the quality of instruction and improving academic achievement, 

there is also broad agreement that the U.S. education system fails to consistently provide all students 

with the excellent education necessary to achieve college- and career-readiness. The result is that too 

many U.S. students are failing to reach their full potential. Recent National Assessment of Educational 

Progress (NAEP) scores show that low-income students are “roughly two years of learning behind the 

average better-off student of the same age.” Also, according to the 2009 McKinsey report The Economic 

Impact of the Achievement Gap in America’s Schools, on average, “black and Latino students are roughly 

two to three years of learning behind white students of the same age.” 

Many children, particularly children from low-income families, students with disabilities, English 

learners, and children of color confront not only achievement gaps but also opportunity gaps. Today, a 

student in a school with high minority enrollment is much less likely to attend a school that offers 

calculus and physics than a student in a high school with low minority enrollment. According to the 

College Board, in 2013, African American students were the most underrepresented group in AP 

classrooms and in the population of successful AP exam takers.

17 Closing opportunity gaps will require 

school resources, talent, and spending to be targeted to the most vulnerable and traditionally 

underserved students. 

The Department’s elementary and secondary education reforms focus on the building blocks needed for 

schools, school districts, and states to more consistently deliver excellent classroom instruction for all 

students. The foundation of these reforms is a system for improving learning and teaching that aligns 

with internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards, high-quality formative and 

summative assessments, and engaging and effective content. Ensuring that U.S. students have the 

critical thinking skills and other essential tools needed to be effective in the 21st-century economy 

means improving teaching and learning in all content areas—from literacy, science, technology, 

 

17 10th Annual AP Report to the Nation, The College Board, 2014.

GOAL 2: ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION. Improve the elementary and secondary education 

system’s ability to consistently deliver excellent instruction aligned with rigorous academic standards while 

providing effective support services to close achievement and opportunity gaps, and ensure all students 

graduate high school college- and career-ready.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 20

engineering, and mathematics to history, civics and government, geography, world languages, the arts, 

economics, financial literacy, environmental education, and health education - and ensuring that 

students understand the connectedness of knowledge across disciplines. 

Highly important to the design of engaging and supportive learning environments is the creation of a 

sustainable collaborative relationship between labor and management. Increasing student achievement 

and improving student outcomes, while effectively implementing college- and career-ready standards, 

can be a direct result of effective labor-management collaboration. Since 2009, the Department has 

worked closely with national labor-management partners to support states and districts in building their 

capacity for collaboration in an effort to enhance teaching, learning, and content. Strong labormanagement collaboration must be a bridge to success rather than a barrier. 

A strong reauthorization of the ESEA that reinforces and extends the progress already being made to 

strengthen the quality of elementary and secondary education would further these goals. 

How will we measure success? 

The Department will use the following indicators to measure its success in helping states and school 

districts deliver excellent instruction that is aligned with rigorous standards while ensuring effective 

support services to help all students graduate college- and career-ready. 

Elementary and Secondary Education Indicators of Success

 Increase number of states that are implementing college- and career-ready standards.

 Increase number of states that are implementing next-generation assessments, aligned with 

college- and career-ready standards.

 Increase number of states that are fully implementing teacher and principal evaluation and 

support systems that consider multiple measures of effectiveness, with student growth and 

learning as a significant factor.

 Reduce disparities in the rates of out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and alternative school 

placements applied to students with disabilities and youths of color. 

 Decrease number of high schools with persistently low graduation rates 

 Increase the percentage of priority and focus schools that meet their state’s exit criteria and exit 

priority and focus school status.

 Increase percentage of teachers who teach STEM as their main assignment and who hold a 

corresponding undergraduate degree.

 Increase number of public high school graduates who have taken at least one STEM Advanced 

Placement exam.

What could hold us back? What’s beyond our control? (External Risk Factors)

States are moving forward in implementing important reforms to increase student achievement, close 

achievement and opportunity gaps, and improve the quality of instruction. Yet, efforts to implement 

college- and career-ready standards and new, aligned assessments; to effectively acquire and use

higher-quality instructional materials, and to develop and implement teacher and school leader 

evaluation and support systems have been hindered by resource limitations. Developing and 

administering the next generation of assessments and supporting teachers and leaders through training 

related to the new standards requires continuing financial support, in addition to expert technical 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 21

assistance, in order to help states tackle these new and complex reforms in a manner tailored to their 

unique needs. Similarly, states face challenges in turning around a large number of our lowestperforming schools, and in sustaining growth and improvement as grant funding declines. Finally, the 

pace of reforms may be dictated in part by individual state legislation as well as future Congressional 

appropriations and the extent to which the reauthorization of ESEA requires rigorous interventions in 

each state’s lowest-achieving schools.

In the current economic climate, students’ needs are growing while school budgets are contracting. 

Expanding services and supports to address students’ mental, emotional, and behavioral health, and to 

create positive school environments where all students can learn and excel will be a continuing 

challenge. Cross-agency collaboration helps to connect agency programs and leverage community 

assets, but additional resources are needed to bring to scale effective school-based practices that 

support students who struggle with debilitating issues such as trauma and poverty, and also focus on 

the improvement of student behavior and campus safety.

To achieve the STEM goals, there needs to be improved coordination among federal agencies. In 

addition, high-quality, STEM-specific technical assistance is needed to address the limited capacity of 

some states and school districts to lead STEM-related programs. Finally, more states and districts must 

adopt rigorous STEM standards that will prepare students to succeed in these fields at the 

postsecondary level.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2.1: STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS. Support implementation of 

internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards, with aligned, valid, and 

reliable assessments. 

Clear, high expectations for what students need to know and be able to do, and high-quality 

assessments that accurately measure student performance against those expectations, are 

essential for the nation to ensure high student achievement and prepare a skilled workforce. 

States have recognized the need to improve the rigor and quality of their standards and 

assessments. Since 2009, 45 states and the District of Columbia have partnered in a states-led 

effort to develop common, internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards in 

English/language arts, and mathematics. In addition, three states are implementing their own 

college- and career-ready standards that have been approved by their state’s network of 

institutions of higher education. With such standards in place, educators are designing 

instructional strategies to engage students and implementing support systems to strengthen 

college- and career-ready skills for all students, including those with disabilities and English 

learners. The Department will leverage federal investments, including Titles I, II, and III of the 

ESEA, as well as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and provide guidance and 

technical assistance to states to ensure that teachers and principals are well prepared and 

students have the resources and supports needed to graduate from high school ready for 

college, careers, and life.

The college- and career-ready standards must be coupled with high-quality formative and 

summative assessments to measure the extent to which students are mastering the standards. 

The assessments must also provide students, families, and educators with timely, relevant, and 

actionable information about student learning over time. This approach will improve teaching 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 22

and learning and will create more transparent systems of accountability. To this end, the 

Department is funding consortia of states to develop the next generation of standardized 

assessments in English/language arts, and mathematics, alternative assessments for individuals

with severe cognitive impairments, and assessments of English language proficiency.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2.2: EFFECTIVE TEACHERS AND STRONG LEADERS. Improve the 

preparation, recruitment, retention, development, support, evaluation, recognition and the 

equitable distribution18 of effective teachers and leaders. 

It is well established that teacher effectiveness contributes more to improving student academic 

outcomes than any other in-school characteristic. It is also widely recognized that a strong 

school leader influences a positive and nurturing learning community in which students and 

teachers thrive. 

In light of the importance of teachers and school leadership for student success, the nation must 

do more to ensure that every student has an effective teacher in every classroom, every school 

has an effective leader, and every teacher and leader has access to the high-quality preparation, 

ongoing support, recognition, and collaboration opportunities he or she needs to excel. The 

Department will help strengthen the profession by supporting efforts that focus on actionable 

feedback, support, and incentives at every stage of a career, based on fair evaluation systems 

that consider multiple measures, including student growth and learning. The Department will

support state and district efforts that provide time for educators to collaborate, on-the-job 

learning opportunities, and professional advancement. 

The Department will also focus on ensuring that students in low-achieving and high-need 

schools, students with disabilities and English learners are taught by highly qualified and 

effective teachers in schools designed for success and led by effective leaders. While public 

schools hire thousands of teachers each year, almost half of teachers leave teaching within five 

years.19 For this reason, the Department will pay special attention to teacher recruitment, 

preparation, and induction as critical levers to improve the overall effectiveness of the teaching 

workforce and the retention of greater numbers of teachers. When effective teachers and 

leaders work collaboratively in focused learning communities, they can make dramatic 

differences in closing achievement and opportunity gaps. Thus, the Department will increase its 

efforts to strengthen school leadership and place a special emphasis on creating conditions for 

collective success, especially in low-achieving and high-need schools.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2.3: SCHOOL CLIMATE AND COMMUNITY. Increase the success, safety, 

and health of students, particularly in high-need schools, and deepen family and community 

engagement. 

 

18 States with approved Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility requests are required to implement teacher and

principal evaluation and support systems by 2014-15 or 2015-16, depending on the school year of initial approval. Under recently 

announced additional flexibility, personnel decisions based on those systems are not required until 2016-17.

19 Ingersoll, Richard and Merrill, Lisa (May 2012). Seven Trends: The Transformation of the Teaching Force. University of Pennsylvania 

and Consortium for Policy Research in Education. 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 23

Students can succeed despite being born into the most difficult of circumstances, be it 

community and domestic violence, high rates of poverty, or other challenges. For these youths 

to have the best chance for academic success, it is imperative to create safe school climates that 

support active academic engagement through comprehensive, evidence-based supports for 

students’ physical, mental, and behavioral well-being. Too many students, including traumatized 

youths and students with disabilities, suffer from troubling rates of school violence and 

exclusionary discipline practices (e.g., suspension, expulsion, referral to law enforcement). 

Preparing students for success is made easier when they have access to trained school staff who 

can help them develop effective social, emotional, and behavioral skills, and address trauma and 

challenges to their mental and physical health. It is also made easier when students are well fed 

and have regular opportunities for physical activity. 

Success requires consistent assessment of the extent to which students are safe, healthy, and 

engaged in school; a comprehensive set of supports matched to students’ needs, and a 

deliberate effort to maintain campus security. The Department will support efforts to accurately 

monitor and improve school climate, especially in high-need schools, by providing templates 

and technical assistance for school climate assessments and by helping districts to bring the 

implementation of multi-tiered behavioral frameworks, such as positive behavioral 

interventions and supports (PBIS), to scale. Equipped with reliable information on school 

climate, states and districts can implement supports to improve students’ behavior while also 

reducing school violence and school discipline practices that unnecessarily remove students 

from the classroom. While supportive school climates are a school’s first line of defense against 

traumatic events, the Department will also provide guidance, technical assistance, and financial 

support to help states and districts develop high-quality emergency management plans that can 

be implemented with confidence and fidelity.

To address the diversity of students’ academic, behavioral, and mental health needs, schools 

need strong partnerships with the families and communities they serve. In high-poverty 

neighborhoods, the Department will support community-wide, place-based, data-driven 

approaches that address interrelated barriers to learning and provide comprehensive supports 

for students and their families to increase socioeconomic mobility. This can be achieved by 

building a cradle-through-college-to-career continuum of academic programs, and family and 

community supports, which engage a broad set of community partners, including housing 

authorities, law enforcement, and local health agencies, with strong schools at the center. This 

type of comprehensive approach can improve the educational and developmental outcomes of 

children in the most distressed communities. Further, the Department will develop a capacitybuilding framework for family-school partnerships with recommendations on how to increase 

family and school staff capacity to engage in ongoing, effective partnerships–to guide the 

Department’s efforts to improve family engagement policies and practices. 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2.4: TURN AROUND SCHOOLS AND CLOSE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS. 

Accelerate achievement by supporting states and districts in turning around and closing 

achievement gaps in low-performing schools, and developing models of next generation high 

schools. 

Far too many of the nation’s children attend schools that fail to provide them with a high-quality 

education year after year. National attention and support focused on these persistently lowest-
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 24

achieving schools in each state—the bottom 5 percent of all schools—can help ensure that all 

students in these schools are receiving the education they deserve. These schools, which are in 

urban, rural, and suburban communities, have patterns of extremely low achievement rates, 

have shown no improvement over multiple years, and have unacceptably low graduation rates. 

For example, at the high school level, there are over 750 schools from which 60 percent or 

fewer of entering freshmen actually graduate.

Examples of successful turnarounds suggest that low-achieving schools that dramatically 

improve student outcomes rely on proven strategies, including building a positive culture of high 

expectations; ensuring strong leadership and staff who are committed to dramatically increasing 

student achievement; supporting effective instructional teams through focused and intensive 

professional development; strengthening the instructional program; extending learning time; 

engaging families and communities, and changing governance to provide flexibility for needed 

reforms. Through School Improvement Grants (SIG) and other Department programs, states and 

districts now have significant resources to dramatically improve these schools by implementing 

intensive intervention models that employ proven strategies. By working with the SIG grantees, 

the Department will identify schools demonstrating improvement on leading indicators so they 

may help inform school improvement efforts in other persistently low-achieving schools.

Recognizing that too often a student’s zip code predetermines the quality of the education he or 

she receives, it is vital for states and districts to disaggregate performance data by income status 

to ensure that all students are receiving a high-quality education as evidenced by their 

performance. In schools with large and persistent achievement gaps, states and districts will 

identify and implement targeted interventions and supports to turn around performance, close 

persistent achievement gaps, and substantially improve student learning outcomes—for all 

students and for identified subgroups. The Department will track the progress of these schools 

and subpopulations, and hold states accountable for their commitment to closing achievement 

and opportunity gaps. 

Improving its high schools is a critical step for ensuring that America remains competitive in 

today’s global economy. Today’s high school students are tomorrow’s engineers, 

entrepreneurs, and civic leaders who must be critical thinkers and able to find solutions to 

complex and emerging challenges. High schools must provide them with a rigorous and relevant 

education that prepares them to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world. 

Yet many of America’s students are not meaningfully engaged or motivated in their academic 

experiences while in high school, and many who graduate lack exposure to the relevant learning 

that bridges their classroom work with future college experiences and careers. To provide 

students with challenging and relevant academic and career-related learning experiences that 

prepare them for postsecondary education and careers, the Department will reemphasize its 

commitment to ensuring that all graduating students are ready for college and careers by 

supporting innovative high school designs focused on this goal.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2.5: STEM TEACHING AND LEARNING. Increase the number and quality 

of STEM teachers and increase opportunities for students to access rich STEM learning 

experiences.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 25

In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama announced the goal of preparing 

100,000 excellent STEM teachers over the next decade and encouraged partners from across 

the country to come together to improve STEM teaching and learning. The recommendation of 

focusing on STEM teachers was drawn from the 2010 PCAST report to the president, Prepare 

and Inspire: K–12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) for America’s 

Future. According to this report, “... the most important factor in ensuring excellence is great 

STEM teachers, with both deep content knowledge in STEM subjects and mastery of the 

pedagogical skills required to teach these subjects well.” More and higher quality STEM training, 

for both pre- and in-service teachers, will provide a stronger support system for STEM teachers 

to increase their effectiveness and retention. Developing new STEM teachers and implementing 

ways to retain highly-effective STEM educators are critical components of how the Department 

will work to improve STEM teaching and learning. As the need for high-quality STEM courses 

proliferates, opportunities for hiring and placing highly effective STEM teachers will increase. 

Recruitment and retention efforts that attract the best talent into STEM teaching and support 

our best STEM teachers must ensure that STEM teachers have adequate content and 

pedagogical knowledge of the subjects they’re teaching and that STEM teachers are both 

professionally supported and equitably distributed so that all students are exposed to rich STEM 

learning opportunities. 

In addition to supporting our nation’s STEM teachers, schools and communities must also give 

students every opportunity to explore science with their hands and minds both inside and 

outside of the classroom. In particular, efforts must be made to broaden participation in STEM 

to include minorities, women and girls, and other underrepresented populations. Preparing all

students to be both successful in and inspired by STEM requires hands-on experience with 

engaging and meaningful projects, including STEM competitions and science fairs exhibiting 

original student research. Addressing both achievement gaps and opportunity gaps will be 

necessary in order to ensure that underrepresented students engage in STEM in both formal 

and informal settings. Nearly every national report on improving STEM learning calls for 

expanded opportunities for students to apply mathematics to important problems, invent and 

make things using science, and create new works using technology and engineering skills. As 

students become inspired in their studies of STEM fields, the nation must also increase 

opportunities for them to pursue advanced STEM coursework and have rigorous STEM-based

research experiences prior to entering postsecondary study or the workforce. 

In alignment with the five-year federal strategic plan on STEM education and the 

administration’s government-wide STEM education reorganization proposal, the Department 

will also leverage partnerships with other Committee on STEM (CoSTEM) agencies to leverage 

federal assets. This will improve the assets’ reach and increase the quality of STEM teaching and 

learning through such strategies as building networks among school districts, postsecondary 

institutions, and other STEM content providers, and aligning in-classroom and out-of-classroom 

STEM experiences. The Department has been designated the government-wide lead agency on 

improving P-12 STEM instruction.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 26

The foundation of a thriving middle class is a strong education. But millions of children in this country 

can’t reach the first rung on the ladder of opportunity because they are cut off from access to highquality early learning experiences. The first years of a child’s life are the most critical for brain 

development,20 and strong and consistent evidence from research and evaluation demonstrate that 

participation in high-quality early learning programs can lead to both short- and long-term positive 

outcomes for children from both low-income and middle-class families.21, 22 Research finds that highquality preschool programs can serve as effective early intervention programs for children with special 

needs23 and provide significant benefits to English Learners.24 Study after study shows the benefits of 

high-quality early learning, including increased school readiness, lower rates of retention and special 

education placements, improved high school graduation, and higher rates of college attendance and 

completion.25

Children from low-income families, on average, start kindergarten 12 to 14 months behind their peers in 

pre-reading and language skills.26 Results from the “Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten 

Class of 2010–11,” indicate scores on reading and math were lowest for kindergartners in households 

with incomes below the federal poverty level and highest for those in households with incomes at or 

above 200 percent of the federal poverty level.27 Additionally, children with a primary home language of 

English scored higher in reading and math than those coming from homes with a primary home 

language other than English. High-quality early learning provides the foundation for children's success 

in school and helps to mitigate educational gaps that exist for children with high-needs before they 

enter kindergarten. By increasing access to high-quality early learning programs and services, the 

country can work to close, or even prevent, the achievement gap.

The Obama administration is committed to closing that unjust gap through one of the boldest proposed 

expansions of early learning opportunities in a generation. The signature program in this effort is 

Preschool for All, a groundbreaking new federal-state partnership that would provide voluntary, highquality preschool to all 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families. The program would also 

 

20 Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2007). A Science-Based Framework for Early Childhood Policy: Using Evidence to 

Improve Outcomes in Learning, Behavior, and Health for Vulnerable Children. http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu

21 Center for Public Education (2008). The Research on Pre-K., Alexandria, VA: Author.

22 Bartik, Timothy J., William Gormley, and Shirley Adelstein (2011). "Earnings Benefits of Tulsa's Pre-K Program for Different Income

Groups." Upjohn Institute Working Paper 11-176. Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

http://research.upjohn.org/up_workingpapers/176/.

23 Phillips, D. A. and Meloy, M. E., (2012). Exceptional Children, Council for Exceptional Children, Volume 78, Number 4. 

24 Galindo, Claudia (2010). “English Language Learners’ Math and Reading Achievement Trajectories in the Elementary Grades” in Young 

English Language Learners: Current Research and Emerging Directions for Practice and Policy, ed. Eugene E. Garcia and Ellen C. Frede. 

(New York: Teachers College Press), 42–57.

25 Barnett, W. S. (2008). Preschool Education and Its Lasting Effects: Research and Policy Implications. Boulder and Tempe: Education and 

the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit. Retrieved Aug. 12, 2013 from 

http://epicpolicy.org/publication/preschooleducation/.

26 Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development (2000). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early 

Childhood Development. Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, eds. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Commission on Behavioral 

and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

27 Mulligan, G.M., Hastedt, S., and McCarroll, J.C. (2012). First-Time Kindergartners in 2010-11: First Findings From the Kindergarten 

Rounds of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) (NCES 2012-049). U.S. Department of 

Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved Aug. 12, 2013 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/.

GOAL 3: EARLY LEARNING. Improve the health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes for all children 

from birth through 3rd grade, so that all children, particularly those with high needs, are on track for 

graduating from high school college- and career-ready.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 27

create incentives for states to expand publicly funded preschool to middle-class families above 200 

percent of the federal poverty level, and promote access to high-quality full-day kindergarten and early 

learning programs for children under the age of 4. In addition, the administration is proposing Preschool 

Development Grants to support state and local efforts to establish the program infrastructure for highquality preschool as well as to scale-up model programs. This will enable more states and communities 

to be ready to provide high-quality preschool through the Preschool for All program.

President Obama’s Preschool for All proposal is a key part of the administration’s overall strategy to 

provide all children with the high-quality foundation that will prepare them for success in school and in 

life. As part of this strategy, the administration is also proposing Early Head Start-Child Care partnerships 

in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve the quality of early learning 

programs for infants and toddlers, and expanding HHS’s voluntary evidence-based home visiting 

services. In addition, the administration has proposed an increase in funding for the IDEA Part C program 

to continue to support high-quality services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. 

These quality early learning efforts build on significant work from the administration’s first term and 

ongoing federal investments in programs serving young children, including over $5 billion invested in 

early childhood programs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), as well as Race 

to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC), a program jointly administered by ED and HHS. The 

program has rewarded states that have agreed to raise the bar on the quality of their early learning 

programs, establish higher standards, and provide critical links with health, nutrition, mental health, and 

family support. RTT-ELC states serve as model early learning and development systems, and are part of 

a national technical assistance strategy to reach all states. Only by coordinating the patchwork of early 

learning programs and services, and better integrating them with the elementary and secondary 

education system, can an integrated early learning system be built that improves health, socialemotional, and cognitive outcomes for children from birth through third grade. A high-quality, 

coordinated early learning system includes program standards, comprehensive assessment systems, 

workforce and professional development systems, family and community engagement, health 

promotion, and data systems.

In supporting the alignment of these systems, the administration will focus its efforts on improving 

outcomes for children with high needs by ensuring that they have access to high-quality early learning 

programs with demonstrated success in closing achievement gaps and reducing grade retention rates in 

later years. To enhance the quality of these programs and services, and improve outcomes for children 

from birth through third grade, including children with disabilities and those who are English learners, 

the Department will promote initiatives that increase access to high-quality, effective programs, 

improve the quality of the early childhood workforce, and support comprehensive assessment systems.

How will we measure success? 

The Department will use the following indicators to measure its success in improving the health, socialemotional, and cognitive outcomes for all children from birth through third grade, particularly those 

with high needs, to ensure they are on track for graduating from high school college- and career-ready. 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 28

Early Learning Indicators of Success

 Increase the number of states with Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) that meet 

high-quality benchmarks for child care and other early childhood programs.

 Increase the number of states and territories with professional development systems that 

include core knowledge and competencies, career pathways, professional development capacity 

assessments, accessible professional development opportunities, and financial supports for child 

care providers.

 Increase the number of states collecting and reporting disaggregated data on the status of 

children at kindergarten entry using a common measure.

What could hold us back? What’s beyond our control? (External Risk Factors)

The president’s proposal would provide the biggest increase for early education in this century. But it 

will require a bipartisan commitment from Congress to invest in our future and a belief by all Americans 

in the urgency of acting now. In 1971, Congress passed a bill that would have provided free, universal 

access to early childhood services and child care for children from low-income families. President Nixon 

vetoed that bill. In the 42 long years since then, the evidence that high-quality early learning works has 

multiplied many times over. But the U.S. meanwhile has fallen far behind high-achieving countries in the 

provision of high-quality early learning. 

Our plan to expand access to high-quality programs and services, improve the competencies of early 

childhood educators, and promote statewide comprehensive assessment systems will require a bold 

commitment from the federal government with additional authorization and appropriations from 

Congress. Additionally, significant coordination with HHS, state and local agencies, schools, communitybased providers, early childhood stakeholders, postsecondary institutions, and other professional 

development providers will be required. But the investment in high-quality early learning can 

fundamentally change the outcomes in children’s lives. Those who attend such programs have fewer 

special needs as they move through school; they get better jobs; they achieve better health; they 

commit fewer crimes. In turn, our nation will benefit, becoming more prosperous and globally 

competitive. 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3.1: ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. Increase 

access to high-quality early learning programs and comprehensive services, especially for 

children with high needs.

A major obstacle facing families with young children is the lack of access to and knowledge 

about high-quality early learning programs and services. High-quality early learning programs, 

based on nationally recognized standards such as those established by the National Association 

for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), include the following elements: High staff 

qualifications, including a Bachelor of Arts degree for teachers; professional development for 

teachers and staff; low staff-child ratios and small class sizes; a full-day program; 

developmentally appropriate, evidence-based curricula and learning environments that are 

aligned with states’ early learning standards; an inclusive program; employee salaries that are 

comparable to those for k–12 teaching staff; ongoing program evaluation to ensure continuous 

improvement; strong family engagement, and onsite comprehensive services for children. 

Children who attend such early learning programs, and receive evidenced-based instruction that 

is individualized to their learning needs, do measurably better in school than their peers who do 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 29

not attend such programs. However, there is a large gap in access to these opportunities 

between children from low- to moderate-income families and those from higher-income 

families, with a disproportionately high gap for children with disabilities and Hispanic children.28

For children with disabilities, individualized accommodations or adaptations may be needed to 

ensure that they have access to and full participation in high-quality early learning programs. 

Families and children with disabilities may have difficulty accessing and participating fully in 

high-quality inclusive programs because of the shortage of appropriately trained staff; 

transportation and other logistical problems; and difficulties coordinating early intervention and 

child care services.29 Between 2009 and 2011, about 63 percent of Hispanic children did not 

attend preschool, compared with 50 percent of white children.30 According to data from the 

National Center for Education Statistics, less than a third of children in poverty attend highquality preschool programs. In addition, in the 2011–12 school year, only 15 percent of 3-yearolds and 42 percent of 4-year-olds attended state-funded preschool, Head Start, or preschool 

special education programs.31 Moreover, state early learning program standards continue to 

vary widely, and only four states meet all 10 benchmarks for high-quality standards, as defined 

by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). These states represent only a 

small percentage of the children enrolled in state-funded preschool, with the vast majority of 

children served in programs that may be inadequate for providing a high-quality education.32

The Department can address the challenge most families face in accessing high-quality early 

learning programs by helping to increase the availability of these programs and by promoting 

the transparency of information around enrollment opportunities and the quality of programs. 

Many families—especially those in rural and urban communities and those with children with 

disabilities—often do not have the information necessary to identify or distinguish high-quality 

programs from those that are not. In order to be successful later in school and in their careers, 

children need high-quality early learning experiences that focus on all the essential domains of 

school readiness: Language and literacy development, cognition and general knowledge 

(including early mathematics and science development), approaches toward learning, physical 

well-being and motor development (including adaptive skills), and social and emotional 

development.33

Any discussion of the quality and effectiveness of an early learning program must include the 

transparency provided, such as that reflected in a state’s Quality Rating and Improvement 

System (QRIS) or Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System (TQRIS) as promoted through 

the ED and HHS jointly administered RTT-ELC program. This systemic approach to assessing, 

improving, and communicating the level of quality in early learning programs should include 

some indication of how children are progressing across multiple domains of learning. Twentythree states have begun to develop and implement a TQRIS, and many other states are in the 

 

28 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2007). School Readiness Survey of the National Household 

Education Survey (NHES).

29 Jack P. Shonkoff & Deborah Phillips, eds.(2000). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early

Childhood Development. Washington, DC: National Academy of Science, pp. 324.

30 The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2013). 2013 KIDS COUNT Data Book. www.aecf.org.

31 Barnett, W. S., et al. (2012). The State of Preschool: 2012 State Preschool Yearbook. Rutgers, N.J.: The National Institute for Early 

Education Research, Rutgers University.

32 Ibid.

33 These five domains of early learning are adopted from those identified by the National Education Goals Panel. Sharon Lynn Kagan et al. 

(1995). Reconsidering Children's Early Development and Learning: Toward Common Views and Vocabulary. Washington, DC: National 

Education Goals Panel. 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 30

process of designing and piloting one.34 However, the quality of these systems varies widely, and 

many states lack robust tools for monitoring quality and providing feedback to providers and 

families. The Department and HHS are working together to support states in their TQRIS efforts 

as they define program standards and levels of quality; monitor program outcomes through 

continuous feedback with data, including child outcome data; and link the TQRIS to state 

professional development systems. The TQRIS will give administrators and policymakers the 

information they need to make informed programmatic decisions and will inform families and 

the public about the quality of early learning programs.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3.2: EFFECTIVE WORKFORCE. Improve the quality and effectiveness of 

the early learning workforce so that early childhood educators have the knowledge, skills, and 

abilities necessary to improve young children’s health, social-emotional, and cognitive 

outcomes.

Creating high-quality early learning programs depends in large part on having a high-quality 

early learning workforce. Unfortunately, far too often, such professionals are not sufficiently 

prepared, supported, or compensated. Qualifications, including education level, required for the 

workforce vary greatly by state and program. For example, only 58 percent of state-funded 

preschool programs require that all lead teachers have a bachelor’s degree and less than onethird require that assistant teachers have at least a Child Development Associate (CDA) 

credential.

35 In many preschool settings, the only educational requirement to enter the field is a 

high school diploma and a few early childhood classes. Teacher preparation programs and 

professional development often lack training in common high-quality professional 

competencies. The result is that not all members of the early learning workforce are adequately 

trained on the full range of developmentally appropriate, evidence-based practices that are 

proven to improve the health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes of all young children. 

The federal government can address these workforce challenges by supporting more robust 

early learning workforce preparation and professional development efforts, and promoting 

common, statewide workforce knowledge and competency frameworks designed to support 

children’s learning and development, and to improve outcomes. Developing and advancing state 

workforce frameworks will help states build unified professional development systems and 

concentrate their training efforts around what matters most. Building statewide early learning 

workforce data systems that include information on aggregated data for workforce 

development, education, credentials, professional development, advancement, and retention 

could help states and districts improve the effectiveness and retention of the workforce. 

The Department can also play an important role in encouraging states and districts to focus 

components of K–3 teacher preparation and professional development on evidence-based, 

developmentally appropriate approaches. These are not always emphasized in teacher 

preparation programs and in joint professional development opportunities for K–3 and 

preschool teachers, including professionals from community-based early learning programs. 

 

34 Kauerz, K. & Thorman, A. (March 2011). QRIS and P-3: Creating Synergy Across Systems to Close Achievement Gaps and Improve 

Opportunities for Young Children. Boston, MA: Build Initiative. 

35 Barnett, W. S., et al. (2012). The State of Preschool: 2012 State Preschool Yearbook. Rutgers, N.J.: The National Institute for Early 

Education Research, Rutgers University. 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 31

High-quality preschool programs are not a “magic bullet”; they must be followed by strong 

elementary school programs. Strategies to improve the quality and effectiveness of the birthto-third-grade workforce will have a significant impact on children’s success in school and in life.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3.3: MEASURING PROGRESS, OUTCOMES, AND READINESS. Improve the 

capacity of states and early learning programs to develop and implement comprehensive early 

learning assessment systems. 

Early childhood professionals, like other education professionals, need information about the 

process and context of young children’s learning and development in order to make informed 

instructional and programmatic decisions that improve educational outcomes. This data is 

generated through a comprehensive early learning assessment system, a coordinated and 

comprehensive system of multiple assessments that organizes information about the process 

and context of young children’s learning and development. This system includes, at a minimum, 

a coordinated screening and referral system, ongoing formative assessments, measures of 

environmental quality and adult-child interactions, and a kindergarten entry assessment (KEA). 

Screening measures are age and developmentally appropriate, valid, and reliable instruments 

that are used to identify children who may need follow-up services to address developmental, 

learning, or health needs in, at a minimum, the areas of physical health, behavioral health, oral 

health, childhood development, vision, and hearing. Formative assessments are specifically 

designed to monitor children’s progress in meeting the Early Learning and Development 

Standards, and to link directly to the curricula, and are used to guide and improve instructional 

practices. Measures of environmental quality are indicators of the overall quality of the early 

learning environment. Measures of the quality of adult-child Interactions are used in observing 

how teachers and caregivers interact with children and promote child learning, and then identify 

strengths and areas for improvement for early learning professionals. 

A KEA is an assessment administered to children during the first few months after kindergarten 

enrollment; covers all essential domains of school readiness; and is aligned to the state’s early 

learning and development standards. A high-quality KEA, one which is used in conformance with 

the recommendations of the National Research Council36 reports on early childhood, provides 

critical information about children's learning and development at kindergarten entry. Families 

use this information to provide support for children at home. Teachers use this information to 

modify instruction, adapt curricula, and focus professional development needs. In addition, a 

high-quality KEA should provide information to support effective programmatic decisions and 

better target investments in the years before kindergarten. Results of the assessment should be 

used to inform efforts to close the school readiness gap during kindergarten and support 

success in the early elementary school grades. This assessment should not be used to prevent 

children’s entry into kindergarten.

Through the Race To The Top-Early Learning Challenge program, the Department collaborates 

and coordinates with HHS to promote the development and implementation of comprehensive 

 

36 National Research Council (2008). Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, and How. Committee on Developmental Outcomes and 

Assessments for Young Children, C.E. Snow and S.B. Van Hemel, eds. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Board on Testing and 

Assessment, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council of the National Academies. Washington, 

DC: The National Academies Press. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12446/. WHEN I CLICK ON THIS I GET THE MESSAGE 

“INVALID RECORD”
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 32

early learning assessment systems, and to ensure that their implementation includes 

professional development for teachers and other administrators; to promote the use of 

appropriate tools, each of which is valid and reliable for its specified purpose and for the 

population with which it will be used; and to promote a method for conveying assessment 

results to families. Collecting, organizing, and understanding evidence of young children’s 

progress across a range of domains through a comprehensive assessment system, and 

integrating this evidence into a P–12 data system, can ensure that all children are on the path to 

success in school and in life. 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 33

President Obama and Secretary Duncan have both recognized the critical importance of educational 

equity.37 While equity-related objectives are infused throughout the Department’s comprehensive 

programs and reform initiatives, the purpose of this goal is to coordinate and promote the pursuit of 

educational equity across the Department and its programs, using all the levers within the Department’s 

power to close opportunity gaps; to get the right resources to the students who need them the most; to 

end discrimination, harassment, bullying, and other barriers to education; and to buttress these and 

other equity-related efforts through civil rights enforcement and public engagement.

The Department is committed to pursuing equity at all stages of education, from birth through 

adulthood, in institutions of early learning, k–12 schools, career and technical and postsecondary 

education, as well as in adult education, workforce development, and independent living programs. The 

Department’s goal is to ensure that all—not just a subset—of the nation’s children, youths, and adults 

graduate high school and obtain the skills necessary to succeed in college, in the pursuit of a meaningful 

career, and in their lives. This includes racial, ethnic, and religious minority students; low-income 

students; English learners; students with disabilities; girls and women; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and 

transgender students; and students who live in geographical locations with the greater barriers to or 

fewer opportunities for an equitable education.

The Department also recognizes the need to systemically increase educational opportunities for 

underserved populations, including by exploring ways to increase equitable access to resources and 

effective teachers within states and districts. While the federal government is not the primary supplier 

of school funding—contributing only roughly 10 percent of the total education cost at the school level—

the Department is committed to exploring ways to encourage states and districts to act more vigorously 

to close funding and resource gaps. Moreover, studies show that having a strong teacher is the single 

most important in-school contributor to a student’s success.38 Because of this, and regardless of how 

teacher effectiveness is defined, it is critical that the nation eliminate disparities between the 

effectiveness of teachers who serve high-need students—including low-income students, English 

learners, and students with disabilities—and those who do not. By fostering improved teacher 

evaluation systems and talent pipelines from recruitment to retention, the Department aims to elevate 

the teaching profession as a whole while also working to ensure that all students—no matter their zip 

codes— have equitable access to effective teachers. 

Finally, civil rights enforcement is pivotal to ensuring that recipients of federal financial funding at the 

preschool, K–12, and postsecondary levels eliminate acts of discrimination that, left unchecked, would 

otherwise negatively impact students’ achievement and access to educational opportunities. The 

Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) uses a variety of tools to ensure compliance with federal civil 

rights laws, including issuing detailed policy guidance; conducting vigorous complaint investigations; 

procuring strong systemic remedies; pursuing aggressive monitoring of resolution agreements; 

 

37 Helene Cooper, “Obama Takes Aim at Inequality in Education, “ The New York Times, April 6, 2011; Abby Phillip, “Education reforms 

spark 'quiet revolution,'” Politico, July 27, 2010.

38 Linda Darling-Hammond (2010). The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Nation’s 

Future. Steven G. Rivkin, Eric A. Hanushek, and John F. Kain, “Teachers, Schools and Academic Achievement,” Econometrica 73, no. 2 

(March 2005).

GOAL 4: EQUITY. Increase educational opportunities for underserved students and reduce discrimination 

so that all students are well-positioned to succeed.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 34

launching targeted and proactive compliance reviews and technical assistance activities; collecting and 

publicizing school-level data on important civil rights compliance indicators; and participating in intraand inter-agency work groups to share expertise and best practices. OCR also engages students, 

parents, recipients of federal funding, and other stakeholders to inform them about applicable federal 

civil rights laws and policies so that they are equipped to identify and address civil rights issues at the 

earliest stages. 

How will we measure success? 

The Department will use the following indicators to measure its success in increasing educational 

opportunities for underserved students and reducing discrimination so that all students are wellpositions to succeed. The Department’s work related to equity is pervasive, and, as a result, measures 

related to equity are in both this section and every other section.

Equity Indicators of Success

 Increase the national high school graduation rate, including for poor and minority students, 

English learners, and students with disabilities.

 Increase the number of states that use effectiveness data from educator evaluation systems to 

ensure that poor and minority students, as well as students with disabilities and English 

learners, are not taught by ineffective educators at higher rates than other students.

 Increase the percentage of proactive civil rights investigations launched annually that address 

areas of concentration in civil rights enforcement.

 Increase the percentage of proactive investigations resolved annually that address areas of 

concentration in civil rights enforcement.

What could hold us back? What’s beyond our control? (External Risk Factors)

Equity-focused efforts could be held back because of differences in availability of funding and resources 

at the state and local levels, some preexisting contractual obligations, the fact that state and local 

resources are often not targeted at the highest-need students, and the lack of necessary capacity among 

schools and districts to close achievement or opportunity gaps and provide needed supports for all 

students. The ability to foster more equitable distribution of resources may be more difficult because of 

the decentralized and multi-tiered school finance system in the United States. Further, delays in the 

development and implementation of high-quality educator evaluation systems could hinder the 

Department’s efforts in ensuring the equitable distribution of effective educators within and across 

schools and districts. In addition, advancing education reform depends, in part, on the strong 

reauthorizations of the ESEA and other important equity-focused statutes—e.g., Perkins CTE, IDEA, and 

HEA.

Continuing budget cuts and reduction in staffing levels, coupled with an increase in the volume of civil 

rights complaints received, could compromise OCR’s ability to perform labor-intensive proactive 

activities—i.e., preparing compliance reviews, providing technical assistance and outreach, and issuing 

important policy guidance, all of which help produce the greatest systemic change for students.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4.1: EQUITABLE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. Increase all students’ 

access to educational opportunities with a focus on closing achievement gaps, and remove 

barriers that students face based on their race, ethnicity, or national origin; sex; sexual 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 35

orientation; gender identity or expression; disability; English language ability; religion; 

socioeconomic status; or geographical location.

Just as the Department is leveraging its resources to close achievement gaps between students 

in different subgroup populations, it is also committed to closing the opportunity gaps at every 

level of the education system, from preschool and K–12 to postsecondary, that present barriers 

to learning or achievement. Such barriers include lack of access to challenging courses, effective 

teachers and school leaders, sufficient resources and other supports, and safe and healthy 

learning environments. The Department recognizes that these barriers may, depending on their 

nature, disproportionately affect one or more student subpopulations, including racial, ethnic, 

and religious minority students; low-income students; students of faith; English learners; 

students with disabilities; girls and women; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students; and 

students who live in geographical locations with greater barriers or fewer opportunities. The 

lack of student diversity may perpetuate inequitable access to opportunities and fail to prepare 

students for an increasingly diverse workplace and society.

Therefore, as the Department pursues programs and activities designed to serve all students, it 

must also ensure that the specific needs of these underserved student subpopulations are being 

met. The Department also recognizes the need to foster student diversity and to systemically 

increase educational opportunities, including by exploring ways to better research, measure, 

and support the efficient use and equitable distribution of resources within states and districts 

based upon what each student needs in order to achieve at a high level. 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4.2: CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLIANCE. Ensure educational institutions’ 

awareness of and compliance with federal civil rights obligations and enhance the public's 

knowledge of their civil rights.

To raise levels of achievement in an increasingly diverse nation, all students must be free from 

discrimination. OCR is charged with the vitally important task of ensuring that recipients of 

federal funds comply with the federal civil rights laws, and that beneficiaries, including students 

participating in education programs offered by federally funded schools and colleges, are free 

from discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gendernonconformity and sex-stereotyping), disability, or age. This mandate embodies the nation’s 

commitment to equality and educational opportunity, and is central to its long-term prosperity. 

Through complementary activities that include proactive technical assistance, complaint 

investigations, targeted compliance reviews, strong systemic remedies, aggressive monitoring of 

resolution agreements, policy guidance, intra- and inter-agency sharing of best practices, OCR is 

using, and will continue to pursue in FY 2014–18, an integrated approach to civil rights 

enforcement to address key civil rights areas. Areas of concentration in FY 2014–18 will include 

ensuring equitable access to effective teachers and school leaders, and equitable resources for 

students regardless of race, color, or national origin; reducing disparate discipline regardless of 

race, color, national origin, or disability; and fostering voluntary and lawful efforts to reduce 

racial isolation in k–12 schools and to achieve racial diversity in pre-k, k–12, and postsecondary 

schools. 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 36

In addition to the above areas of concentration, OCR will continue its work in other, equally 

important civil rights areas, including ensuring equitable access to college- and careerpreparatory programs (including STEM courses and curricula) regardless of race, color, national 

origin, sex, or disability; requiring equitable student participation in athletics regardless of sex, 

race, color, national origin, or disability; and reducing acts of discriminatory bullying, 

harassment, and violence that are motivated by students’ race, color, national origin, sex, or 

disability.

OCR will actively engage students, parents, and educational institutions so that they know their 

rights and responsibilities—and so that educational institutions can prevent, and if necessary, 

identify and remedy potential civil rights violations at the earliest stages, before they require 

OCR involvement. This will provide faster relief to impacted individuals and enable OCR to 

allocate its resources more effectively. OCR will enhance public engagement by revamping its 

website to be more informative to educational institutions, complainants, and the public; 

expanding the Civil Rights Data Collection (www.ocrdata.ed.gov) to include a wealth of new data 

to aid OCR in its own work and to assist the Department, states, districts, teachers, 

administrators, researchers, students, and parents in identifying civil rights trends and issues at 

the local, state, and national levels; and engaging key stakeholders at the school and district 

levels to increase civil rights awareness and compliance.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 37

Achieving the president’s 2020 college attainment goal will require better and stronger systems, 

powered by reliable and usable information for decision making, as well as by innovation. Through this 

strategic plan, the Department aims to foster a culture of continuous systems improvement at the 

national, state, and local levels. To achieve this goal, the Department will support robust and 

comprehensive data systems that produce timely, relevant, and understandable information while 

properly protecting student privacy; strategic use of research, evaluation, and evidence in decision 

making at all levels; increased innovation; and effective and systemic use of technology. 

The foundation for improving systemic capacity is an infrastructure that supports data-driven decision 

making. Stakeholders must have access to relevant, useful data in a timely fashion, and the skills to 

better understand and make use of the data. With relevant and actionable data and the ability to use it, 

policymakers and educators will be able to appraise how states, districts, schools, and students are 

currently performing; measure progress; pinpoint gaps; improve practice; better address student needs; 

and make sound decisions. States are developing systems that will yield the valid, reliable data that are 

essential to achieving these purposes, but there is much more work to do. The Department will 

continue helping states develop effective statewide longitudinal data systems, design voluntary 

common data standards to increase interoperability, and develop the capacity of institutions and staff to 

utilize data to improve teaching and learning. These activities will help to generate an accurate picture 

of student performance and other critical elements, from early learning programs through 

postsecondary institutions and the workforce. At the same time, the Department will work through the 

government-wide Open Data Initiative to ensure that its own information and data are accessible to and 

useable by researchers, analysts, and developers in the general public. 

Of course, the collection and use of data must be responsible and must appropriately protect student 

privacy. Stewards and users of data must remember that data describe real people and ensure that 

systems protect the rights of those people. But there is no need to sacrifice data-driven decision making 

to protect student privacy, and the Department will help practitioners in the field ensure they are 

properly protecting privacy, and communicating with parents and students about the proper use and 

management of student data. 

Systemic improvement also requires research and evaluation so that decision makers at the national, 

state, and local levels have reliable evidence to inform their actions. The Department aims to support 

research that will make a difference by giving states, districts, and schools the information and evidence 

they need to identify the effective practices they need to adopt. This research will also help them focus 

scarce resources on the investments most likely to have the greatest impact and help them become 

more dynamic learning organizations. In service of this, the Department will use its programmatic and 

research activities to incentivize the creation and use of evidence by stakeholders in the field. In 

addition, the Department will use evidence to inform its own policymaking and program development, 

and will work to communicate the findings of its research and evaluation activities to the field in an 

engaging and relevant way, further increasing their impact.

The goals and actions in this strategic plan sharpen the focus on the need to generate bold and creative 

solutions, and aim to support innovation in partnership with other federal partners and private 

GOAL 5: CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE U.S. EDUCATION SYSTEM. Enhance the education system’s 

ability to continuously improve through better and more widespread use of data, research and evaluation, 

evidence, transparency, innovation, and technology.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 38

organizations with related missions. The Department will continue to stimulate innovations in 

education and provide funds needed to accelerate their design and adoption. It also will work with 

Congress to fill a gap in the research and development landscape by beginning work to establish an 

advanced research projects agency for education to pursue breakthrough developments in ways not 

possible using existing Department mechanisms. 

The Department’s vision for 21st-century learning also requires that schools have a 21st -century 

technology infrastructure, anchored around high-speed Internet. States, districts, and schools must have 

such infrastructure to incorporate cutting-edge methods for strengthening curriculum quality and 

delivery to meet more rigorous college- and career-ready standards; improving student access and 

engagement; developing comprehensive, formative, and summative assessment systems; and 

enhancing data management systems. 

How will we measure success? 

The Department will use the following indicators to measure its success in enhancing the U.S. education 

system’s ability to continuously improve through better and more widespread use of data, research and 

evaluation, evidence, transparency, innovation, and technology.

Continuous Improvement of the U.S. Education System’s Indicators of Success

 Increase number of states linking k–12 data with early childhood data.

 Increase number of states linking k–12 and postsecondary data with workforce data.

 Increase number of high-value data sets published through Data.gov or ED.gov websites.

 Decrease average time to close matters for the Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) and 

Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO).

 Increase number of new peer-reviewed, full-text resources added to the Education Resources 

Information Center (ERIC).

 Increase number of reviewed studies added to the What Works Clearinghouse database.

 Increase the percentage of select new 39(non-continuation) competitive grant dollars that 

reward evidence.

 Increase percentage of schools in the country that have actual Internet bandwidth speeds of at 

least 100 Mbps.

What could hold us back? What’s beyond our control? (External Risk Factors)

Efforts to ensure that robust, integrated data systems are linked with early childhood, 

postsecondary, and workforce-level data will be constrained by the amount of time, financial 

resources, and support available to states to carry out this work. State and local funding for 

data systems may be reduced due to continued budgetary pressures at all levels. Moreover, 

wide variations in the various data systems present unique challenges for each state. Some 

district data systems, for example, far surpass their own state’s data system. Efforts to ensure 

 

39 “New competitive grant dollars that reward evidence” includes all dollars awarded based on the existence of at least “evidence of 

promise” in support of a project, per the framework in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (34 CFR Part 75). 

Consideration of such evidence appears through: eligibility threshold (e.g., in the Investing in Innovation program); absolute priority; 

competitive priority (earning at least one point for it); or selection criteria (earning at least one point for it). The percentage is calculated 

compared to the total new grant dollars awarded, excluding awards made by the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Institute on 

Disability and Rehabilitation Research, and technical assistance centers, with some exceptions.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 39

that data systems lead to data-driven decision making may also encounter obstacles around 

privacy concerns that will need to be addressed.

The implementation of these strategies depends on the availability of resources for evaluation 

and research, which are typically more difficult to obtain than resources for services and 

program implementation. In addition, many of the activities supporting this goal will be carried 

out by contractors and grantees, and thus are, in part, dependent on the capacity and quality of 

research expertise that exists outside the Department. This variance in capacity may be more 

pronounced when it comes to interpreting and using evidence to drive decision making. 

Similarly, the evidence base regarding interventions in some areas is more robust than in others. 

And some grant programs focus on areas with less-developed evidence bases. At least in the 

short term, this could affect the amount of Department funding tied to the existence of certain 

levels of evidence for projects. Additionally, there are the perceived and real challenges states 

and districts face in implementing programs in ways that can support the strongest possible 

studies and evaluations of those programs. Some of these challenges can be addressed through 

Departmental technical assistance, but others may arise. 

As reflected by Strategic Objective 5.2 below, one ongoing challenge is to protect privacy while 

increasing accessibility to relevant information. For its part, the Department will continue to 

vigilantly safeguard all personally identifiable information while also helping education agencies 

make useful information available. The Department also will help stakeholders develop best 

practices in protecting privacy while still moving data-driven decision making forward. But no 

system is perfect, and concerns about privacy may deter stakeholders from embracing the use 

of data, regardless of the actual level of risk presented. Another risk lies in finding the right 

balance of information, as too much information could make it nearly impossible to find 

meaning within data. To avoid this problem, the Department must work with stakeholders to 

prioritize information and to determine what is most likely to help families make choices for 

their children, help teachers improve student learning, and enable decision makers to improve 

education institutions. 

Education funding faces tremendous budgetary pressure across the country, putting investment 

in new programs, strategies, or processes at risk. In this time of decreasing budgets, technology 

infrastructure and other innovations might be seen as luxuries rather than as mission critical. 

Because the private sector currently does not find investment in education innovation as 

attractive as investment in innovation in other sectors, there is limited private funding to help 

bridge the gaps. And the promise of technology might be affected by variance in the capacity of 

states, districts, and schools to plan, implement, and support modern technology networks.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 5.1: DATA SYSTEMS AND TRANSPARENCY. Facilitate the development 

of interoperable longitudinal data systems for early learning through employment to enable 

data-driven, transparent decision making by increasing access to timely, reliable, and highvalue data. 

To bring about a culture of continuous improvement, teachers, leaders, and other stakeholders 

in the education community need timely access to high-value data that will enable them to see 

and understand the factors related to student achievement, child development, and equity. 

However, for many, the infrastructure for this kind of data-driven decision making is not readily 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 40

accessible. While states are making significant progress in developing data systems, too often 

data are maintained in a system particular to only one sector of the education community or are 

not shared in a timely manner with policymakers and practitioners. Time lags, data gaps, and 

difficulty accessing the information make it challenging for schools and districts to identify best 

practices, measure growth in student performance, and improve teaching and learning. Even 

when data are available and widely shared, in many cases they are not used to drive 

instructional practices or decision making. For these reasons, the Department will continue to 

assist states in developing longitudinal data systems capable of sharing key data elements across 

the education continuum from early learning to the workforce. Through these systems, for 

example, secondary schools can know how many of their students are enrolled in a 

postsecondary program, how many require remediation before actual courses for credit can be 

taken, and how many students persist in postsecondary coursework and obtain a postsecondary 

degree or credential. The Department will also continue to administer the Civil Rights Data 

Collection in elementary and secondary schools nationwide to provide schools, districts, and the 

public with vital information related to educational equity and access. 

Data are valuable only if they are usable and used. Thus, the Department will also provide 

support to the education community, including teachers and administrators, on how to 

understand and appropriately use data to inform transparent policies, instructional practices, 

and decision making. Currently, there is a lack of information on best practices for the use of 

data to improve instructional systems. While there is some capacity for using longitudinal data 

to improve outcomes for students, this capacity needs to be expanded. The Department will 

continue to invest in research and technical assistance designed to increase this capacity. 

Furthermore, the Department will continue to work with stakeholders—from early learning to 

workforce—to develop voluntary, common data elements and definitions for longitudinal data 

systems. The goal here is to enhance interoperability both vertically—across levels of 

education—and horizontally—across state lines.

The Department is also committed to increasing access to its own data resources to ensure that 

policy analysts, researchers, and developers of the next generation of software applications 

have access to the Department’s considerable range of data. The Department also wants to 

ensure that stakeholders and the general public are informed about the scope and content of 

these data holdings. A primary mechanism for ensuring this access is through leadership in the 

government-wide Open Data Initiative.

Leadership is essential to ensure that innovative applications are disseminated and brought to 

scale.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 41

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 5.2: PRIVACY. Provide all education stakeholders, from early childhood 

to adult learning, with technical assistance and guidance to help them protect student privacy 

while effectively managing and using student information. 

High-quality data helps educators at all levels better serve the specific needs of their students, 

and public access to education data helps families and students make informed educational 

choices. Appropriate use of education data can allow stakeholders to assess what works and 

what does not; and the data can be used to fine-tune education programs, and to personalize 

and improve the delivery of education services. Stewards and users of education data, however, 

must always remain mindful of the need to protect the privacy of the people whom the data 

describe. To protect students’ privacy while promoting legitimate and appropriate uses of 

students’ data, the Department must help states, districts, schools, and institutions of higher 

education not only to achieve compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

(FERPA) and other privacy statutes, but also to adopt privacy best practices.

The Department will provide guidance and technical assistance to the field on topics related to 

data stewardship and management, as well as transparency. It is important for education 

agencies, schools, and institutions to communicate effectively and clearly with parents and 

students about how their data are used and protected. To encourage meaningful conversations 

about the collection, use, and management of student data, the Department will provide states, 

districts, schools, and institutions of higher education with technical assistance on best practices 

for transparency in their data policies. 

Additionally, the Department will itself respect individuals’ privacy in its data releases and 

practices, including in its public release of information to inform the evaluation of education 

programs. Department data releases also serve to reduce any burden on states and districts by 

proactively providing useful, privacy-protected data. 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 5.3: RESEARCH, EVALUATION, AND USE OF EVIDENCE. Invest in research 

and evaluation that builds evidence for education improvement; communicate findings 

effectively; and drive the use of evidence in decision making by internal and external 

stakeholders.

During the past decade, the Department has made significant progress in this area by supporting 

rigorous, independent evaluations of education initiatives; defining and promoting standards for 

research on effectiveness; funding long-term research projects in education, as well as shortterm work in response to immediate practitioner needs; investing in a variety of types of 

research, ranging from design and development to large-scale impact studies; using innovative 

models for tiered-evidence grant-making; and promoting the use of evidence to drive decision 

making. 

Going forward, the Department will build on this foundation. It will continue to develop and 

enhance the Department-wide evidence planning process so that it becomes the standard, 

expected mechanism through which Department officials identify priority needs for evidence,

and plan data analyses, technical assistance, research, and evaluations to address those needs. 

Over time, this process will align with and inform the Department’s budget requests to Congress 

and its spending plans. 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 42

Through its mix of grants, contracts, and internal analytic work, the Department will support a 

balanced portfolio of research and evaluation on longer-term, complex issues in education, and 

short-term studies and analyses that address the needs of the Department’s leaders and 

managers, and policymakers and practitioners in the field. In this work, the Department will 

support the use of research methods and designs that provide evidence that is as robust as 

possible and fit for the purpose. The Department will continue to engage practitioners and

policymakers external to the Department in its research. 

The Department will use evidence to inform its policymaking and program development. 

Furthermore, it will provide incentives and support external stakeholders in using evidence for 

their own policymaking and program development, as well as to inform instructional practice. 

The Department will also encourage the recipients of its funds to rigorously evaluate their 

efforts and programs to generate more evidence about the effectiveness and functioning of 

programs.

The Department will seek to communicate findings from analysis, research, and evaluation—

including those developed by grantees—in a clear and engaging way that is appropriate to the 

intended audience. This will require attention to traditional and emerging media; to supporting 

the development of models of clear writing, graphics, and presentation for practitioners; and to 

supporting and investigating how practitioners understand and use education data and 

research.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 5.4: TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION. Accelerate the development and 

broad adoption of new, effective programs, processes, and strategies, including education 

technology. 

To achieve the president’s 2020 college attainment goal, the nation’s education system will 

need to graduate many more college-ready students from high school, ensure they have access 

to postsecondary education, and support them as they complete their degrees—all while facing 

resource constraints. When other sectors of the economy need to become better, faster, or 

more productive, they innovate, often relying on technology for help. The education sector is no 

different, and the need for innovation—and its benefits—spans grade levels, curricular areas, 

and student needs.

A 21st-century infrastructure that harnesses modern technological advances and provides easy 

access to high-speed Internet can serve as a platform for greater innovation in education. 

Accordingly, the Department will continue to focus on ways to improve schools’ technology 

infrastructure and effective use of technology. It will also continue to work with Congress to 

establish a new advanced research projects agency for education that will use directed research 

and development activities to pursue breakthrough technological innovations in teaching and 

learning.

Technology holds the potential to expand all students’ opportunities to learn, including by 

supporting personalized learning experiences, providing dynamic digital content, and delivering 

more meaningful assessments. Technology can also help districts and schools support teachers 

in becoming more effective and better connected to the tools, resources, and expertise students 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 43

need, and help them meet more rigorous college- and career-ready standards. Technology can 

also help schools by providing students and school library media specialists with increased 

access to academic tools and other resource-sharing networks. Technology-enabled 

instructional and assessment systems will be pivotal to improving student learning and 

generating data that can be used to continuously improve the education system at all levels. 

Innovative technology must be matched by innovative educational practices to maximize its 

potential to improve learning and instruction for all students, and it must be accessible to all 

students, including students with disabilities. Leadership is essential to ensure that innovative 

applications are disseminated and brought to scale.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 44

To successfully implement this strategic plan, the Department must retool its organizational capabilities 

and areas of expertise. In particular, transforming the Department means developing a new approach to 

workforce and succession planning, and raising the competency levels of the employees using a 

strategic, disciplined, and structured approach. To ensure the achievement of mission-critical objectives, 

grants and contract management will be a strategic focus for improvement in long- and short-term 

initiatives. These initiatives will strive to better support grantees in achieving their educational goals 

while also continuing to hold grantees accountable for meeting financial requirements and legal 

obligations. To do so, the Department will continue to build the skills and knowledge of its workforce, 

rethink how it monitors and intervenes with high-risk grantees as well as contractors, enhance 

workforce productivity through improvements in information technology, telework expansion efforts, 

and better performance management, and transform the way the Department interacts with states, 

districts, institutions of higher education, and other grantees across the country. The transformation will 

result in improved performance results, increased stakeholder collaboration, and higher employee 

engagement.

How will we measure success? 

The Department will use the following indicators to measure its success in building the organizational 

capacities needed to implement this strategic plan.

U.S. Department of Education Capacity Indicators of Success

 Decrease staffing gaps percentage.

 Increase the Employee Viewpoint Survey’s employee engagement index rating.

 Increase the Employee Viewpoint Survey’s performance culture index rating.

 Increase the Employee Viewpoint Survey’s leadership and knowledge management index rating.

 Decrease percentage of A-133 single audits overdue for resolution.

 Increase compliance rate of contractor evaluation performance reports.

 Increase percentage of states that annually rate the Department’s technical assistance as 

helping build state capacity to implement education reforms.

 Decrease number of ED IT security incidents.

 Decrease time to hire.

 Increase effective communication index rating.

 Decrease ED’s space footprint across the real property portfolio.

 Reduce ED’s total usable square footage.

 Decrease ED’s rent costs.

What could hold us back? What’s beyond our control? (External Risk Factors)

To be successful, these human capital initiatives will require support from the Department’s supervisors, 

managers, and senior leaders. It will also require updates to internal policies and a strong, productive 

collaboration with the employees’ union. In addition, the Department will need to improve upon its 

commitment to meaningful professional development and succession planning programs, and to

GOAL 6: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CAPACITY. Improve the organizational capacities of the 

Department to implement this strategic plan.
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 45

implement new technology to support improved collaboration among staff as well as with our grantees 

and partners.

Risk is inherent in the grants as well as contract management processes; therefore, no amount of 

improvement will completely eliminate risk. Risk is greater in areas of innovation, where there are 

fewer precedents, proven strategies, or track records upon which to draw in the assessment and 

management of risk. Data limitations and lack of timeliness can impede the Department’s efforts in 

managing risk. Implementing unprecedented reform efforts will require states to develop new capacities 

that support effective teaching, school turnarounds, college- and career-ready standards, and effective 

use of data. In addition, states must develop new capacities to communicate and collaborate with each 

other to share effective practices. As with many other efforts, states’ abilities to develop and implement 

these systems may be in jeopardy given the budget environment impacting states and districts.

Maximizing the impact of the Department’s human capital and funding resources may be limited by 

several factors, including the lack of timely data for analysis. Additionally, a lack of resources to leverage 

new technologies and integrate data may limit the Department’s and its grantees’ ability to improve 

productivity. These limitations can create challenges for the pace at which new innovations, both 

technological and others, can be developed and deployed.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 6.1: EFFECTIVE WORKFORCE. Continue to build a skilled, diverse, and 

engaged workforce within the Department. 

The agency’s strategic goals must support postsecondary education, career and technical 

education, adult education, elementary and secondary education, early learning, equity, and 

continuous improvement of the U.S. education system. To accomplish this, the Department’s 

workforce must be in the right position, at the right time, with the right skills, and at the right 

cost, led by skilled and engaging supervisors and managers. Visionary leaders, managers focused 

on improvement, and engaged employees are key drivers of organizational performance and 

results. The Department’s sustained success in implementing this strategic plan will rely heavily 

on the knowledge, skills, expertise, and continual development of its employees, and an 

effective performance management program. The Department will focus its workforce 

effectiveness and planning efforts on all employees and principal offices, with a priority on 

mission-critical occupations and competencies required to achieve the strategic goals. The most 

urgent need for intervention is in the grants management and human capital occupations, 

leadership and supervisory skills, strategic performance management, employee engagement 

initiatives, quality hiring strategies, the development of foundational competencies, increased 

retention rates, and the implementation of strategic diversity workforce plans. 

Furthermore, the Department must focus on ways to thrive in an operational climate that is 

significantly resource-constrained. This will spur opportunities to involve employees in thinking 

differently and smartly about strategies to reengineer, streamline, or even eliminate work that 

does not serve the efficiency of the Department in achieving its strategic goals and desired 

outcomes. This outcome is dependent on a human capital strategic plan, workforce and 

succession planning, and implementation strategies that ensure the Department has a premier 

consultative group of human capital professionals. This group should be adept at advising and 

providing guidance and support to customers on human capital initiatives, and delivering

strategic human capital solutions that are aligned with the goals of the Department and that 

meet the needs of the customers. 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 46

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 6.2: RISK MANAGEMENT. Improve the Department’s program efficacy 

through comprehensive risk management, and grant and contract monitoring.

To support the president’s education goals and ensure the prudent use of public dollars, the 

Department has enhanced its approach to measuring, identifying, and mitigating fiscal and 

programmatic risk through increased oversight and support of grantees and contractors.

Risk management plays a critical role in enhancing the capacity of grantees to implement 

needed reforms. It helps assess the ability of applicants to fulfill grant requirements, focus grant 

monitoring efforts, and identify performance challenges that can be addressed through 

measures such as enhanced technical assistance. Risk management is also an essential aspect of 

contract monitoring, achieved by actively assessing program and performance risk inherent in

contracts through oversight and support, and issuance of policy and guidance to program and 

contract officials.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 6.3: IMPLEMENTATION AND SUPPORT. Build Department capacity and 

systems to support states’ and other grantees’ implementation of reforms that result in 

improved outcomes, and keep the public informed of promising practices and new reform 

initiatives. 

The country has responded powerfully to the president's call to action for the United States to 

once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. Nationally, 

there is recognition of the urgency of improving education and its importance for international 

competitiveness. The Department has an unprecedented opportunity and responsibility to 

demonstrate how federal investment in and support of education lead to improved outcomes 

for students. There are ongoing, positive implications from the last four years of investment 

focused on four key reform areas and comprehensive reform. 

Emboldened by the need, the aspirations, and the opportunities for resources and flexibility, 

states have a renewed focus on raising the bar and closing achievement gaps, and are executing 

plans to seize this opportunity. For example, 42 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto 

Rico are moving forward with ground-breaking reforms and innovations under ESEA flexibility; 

19 states have received Race to the Top state grants; 20 states have received Race to the TopEarly Learning Challenge grants; 26 districts have received Investing in Innovation grants; and all 

states have received School Improvement Grant funds. To build on this momentum and to 

produce transformative, sustainable improvement in student outcomes, states and districts will 

have to focus on and commit to building expertise, skills, and systems that live well beyond any 

particular program or funding stream. 

The Department has an important role to play in providing differentiated support and technical 

assistance to those pursuing this challenging work–even while continuing to improve the quality 

and reduce the burden of its fundamental stewardship function. To do so, the Department is 

moving from being an organization narrowly focused on one-size-fits-all compliance monitoring 

to an organization dedicated to progress and outcomes, and adept at both differentiating 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 47

support to states and holding them accountable for meeting their programmatic, financial, and 

legal obligations. 

To successfully scale up reforms, the Department needs to build capacity at all levels, from 

federal to state to local. The most effective approach for doing this is building “communities of 

practice” designed to accelerate problem solving, identify effective practices, and replicate them 

more efficiently. The Department is working diligently to build its capacity to lead such 

communities of practice, and to help states and districts do the same. Race to the Top provides 

an opportunity for the Department to pilot a performance management structure with a set of 

reform-focused states and to use lessons learned to expand this approach to all states. ESEA

flexibility creates a new relationship with states, and the opportunity for the Department to 

create state-focused support and management structures that are differentiated to states’ 

individual contexts and needs.

Realizing the opportunities to build new relationships with states and stakeholders who are 

affected by Department reforms and grants requires a vibrant outreach and external affairs 

effort. The Department will have continuous communication with stakeholders and grantees to 

share lessons learned across grantees and non-grantees, as well as with the general public. The 

Department will use its communications channels, such as its printed publications, the 

Homeroom blog site, YouTube videos, and speeches to tell the stories of success so that the 

public can learn from reforms being implemented at the state and local levels. 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 6.4: PRODUCTIVITY AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT. Improve 

workforce productivity through information technology enhancements, telework expansion 

efforts, more effective process performance management systems, and state-of-the-art 

leadership and knowledge management practices.

Similar to states and districts responsible for managing education systems, the Department 

must also continue to focus on ways to increase productivity, especially in this time of severely 

constrained resources. The Department is focusing on enhancing employee productivity and 

aligning performance management practices with departmental strategic objectives by aligning 

priorities and goals at every level in the organization. The Department will introduce additional 

productivity and performance analytics and reporting techniques, and continue to use tools,

such as quarterly operational reviews, to ensure progress toward achieving the goals and 

outcomes in this plan. The Department is updating strategic goals to ensure alignment with 

government-wide goals and priorities. To translate these broader aspirations to specific 

organizational goals, the Organizational Performance Review will continue to be a paramount 

process for setting goals at the principal office level, assessing workforce, resourcing, and 

infrastructure needs, and building and leveraging critical organizational capacities. These goals 

will be cascaded down to the individual employee level through Senior Executive Service plans 

and through the Department’s individual performance plans and metrics.

The Department must continue to prioritize and support the learning and development of its 

leaders. They should become more adept at assessing employee competency gaps and 

developmental needs, distinguishing performance versus conduct issues, and providing 

meaningful and ongoing feedback and coaching to achieve planned outcomes. The goal is to 

ensure that employees better understand and fulfill their roles, and be accountable for 
Strategic Plan, FY 2014-2018

Page | 48

producing the expected results. To support the tracking and reporting of progress against all 

these goals, the Department has created and is developing its data profile on 

http://www.performance.gov for key policy and programmatic topics. It is also creating a set of 

information dashboards and data analysis tools to provide more relevance and context for 

senior leaders working to gauge the impact of individual and collective performance, and to 

carry out overall strategic decision making. 

To foster a higher level of productivity and performance, and assure alignment among the 

strategic goals, more robust development and use of information technology are essential. The 

Department is improving technologies that directly affect productivity catalysts, such as 

collaboration, a flexible and mobile workforce, transparency across the organization, analytics, 

cyber-security, rapid data archiving and retrieval, and streamlined document management and 

clearance processes. Furthermore, the Department is integrating these information technology 

enhancements, agency-wide space planning, and telework expansion efforts to reduce ED’s 

footprint and costs associated with rent, furniture, and other real property expenditures. To 

improve employee collaboration, for example, the Department will leverage the engagED 

platform, which is an internal initiative that allows employees to suggest innovations, 

collaborate to develop those ideas, and elevate them to leaders for decisions and 

implementation. Similarly, key programs will be used strategically, such as Idea Engine and 

SharePoint, which both encourage online knowledge management and collaboration. Other key 

collaborative tools are document sharing and management tools that help develop and support 

communities of practice among internal offices and colleagues. The Department will also seek 

greater productivity and improved performance by developing efficient and effective processes 

and capabilities that are among the best in the public and private sectors, by utilizing better 

business process management strategies and tools, and by encouraging employees to help 

identify smarter and more efficient ways to work.

The Department is creating an interactive internal communications system that spans across all 

its principal office components and business units. The goal is to provide accurate information 

about the Department’s priorities to employees, as well as forums and feedback opportunities 

for them to share ideas and lessons learned to improve execution on those priorities. 

Productivity and performance will be enhanced because employees will receive the relevant 

content knowledge they need to be effective ambassadors for and partners in delivering on and 

achieving the mission of the Department. The Department believes that acting strategically to 

enhance clarity and openness in its communications will also strengthen its internal 

infrastructure, and benefit its key stakeholders, grantees, and others through improved results. 
OUR MISSION IS TO PROMOTE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND PREPARATION FOR GLOBAL 

COMPETITIVENESS BY FOSTERING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND ENSURING EQUAL 

ACCESS. 

WWW.ED.GOV