Implementation of Title I and Title II-A Program Initiatives: Results from 2013-14. Executive Summary. NCEE 2017-4015
Author: Troppe, Patricia
Date: 2017-01-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Program Implementation,Educational Legislation,Elementary Secondary Education,Federal Legislation,Federal Programs,Federal Aid,Low Income Students,Academic Achievement,Teacher Effectiveness,Educational Policy,State Standards,Academic Standards,Mathematics Tests,Reading Tests,Accountability,Teacher Evaluation,Administrator Evaluation,Principals,National Competency Tests,Graduation Rate,Test Use,Graduation Requirements,Disadvantaged Schools,Teacher Distribution

This report describes the implementation of policies and initiatives supported by Title I and Title II-A of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) during the 2013-14 school year. Title I is one of the U.S. Department of Education's largest programs, accounting for $15 billion in the 2016 federal budget. Historically, Title I has provided financial assistance to schools and districts with a high percentage of students from low-income families to help increase these students' achievement. Title II-A of ESEA (Improving Teacher Quality State Grants) likewise provides substantial federal resources to support the education of low-income students, focusing specifically on improving educator quality. Title II-A funds may be used for teacher recruitment and retention, professional development, mentoring, induction, or class-size reduction. State grants under Title II-A amount to over $2 billion in the 2016 federal budget. This report uses nationally representative data collected during the 2013-14 school year to examine the implementation of policies promoted through Title I and Title II-A of ESEA. Using surveys of states, districts, principals, and teachers alongside extant data and documents, this report describes trends in student achievement as well as policy and practice in 2013-14 in three core areas: (1) state content standards and assessments in math and reading/ELA, (2) school accountability, and (3) teacher and principal evaluation and support. Several prior studies have examined one or more of these areas (Hyslop 2013; Rentner 2013; Achieve 2015; Pennington 2014; Doherty &amp; Jacobs 2015); however, these studies use data collected only from states, or in one case from a non-nationally representative sample of schools. This report provides policymakers with detailed information on how ESEA provisions in these three areas have been playing out in states, districts, schools, and classrooms across the country. Prior to examining implementation, the report describes trends in student outcomes, particularly on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), to provide context for the implementation findings. Key findings include: (1) Proficiency rates on the NAEP slightly increased from 2005 to 2015; (2) Most states adopted and most principals and teachers reported implementing state standards that focused on college- and career-readiness in 2013-14; (3) Many state assessments incorporated more sophisticated response formats to better assess students' college- and career-readiness; (4) States used ESEA flexibility to move away from the 100 percent proficiency goal required under the 2002 reauthorization of ESEA (known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)) and to target a narrower set of schools--those with persistently lowest performance or substantial student achievement gaps--for additional support; and (5) Almost all states adopted new laws or regulations related to educator evaluation systems between 2009 and 2014, and 60 percent of districts reported full or partial implementation in 2013-14. [For the full report, &quot;Implementation of Title I and Title II-A Program Initiatives: Results from 2013-14. NCEE 2017-4014,&quot; see ED572281.]