Addressing Barriers to Learning and Teaching to Enhance Equity of Opportunity. Report from the National Summit on ESSA and Learning Supports
Author: Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA
Date: 2017-01-23
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Barriers,Access to Education,Grants,Student Needs,Equal Education,Conferences (Gatherings),Educational Improvement,State Government,Government Role,School Districts,Program Implementation,Federal Government,Financial Support,Change Strategies,Student Personnel Services,Academic Support Services

Passage of the &quot;Every Student Succeeds Act&quot; (ESSA) provides opportunities to improve how schools address barriers to learning and teaching and re-engage disconnected students and families. Of particular relevance to these concerns, ESSA replaces what has been described as a maze of programs with a &quot;Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant&quot; that provides states and districts with flexibility in how students and families are assisted. Unfortunately, however, the legislation continues the piecemeal approach to providing student and learning supports. As states and districts pursue higher curriculum standards and transition to more local control, the challenge is to move forward with an agenda to transform student and learning supports. As stressed at the summit, this is a critical time for focusing stakeholder attention on this essential facet of school improvement. It is also important to underscore that the necessary systemic changes can be accomplished by redeploying existing resources and by garnering economies of scale. The Summit's focus was on the solid and substantial groundwork that has been laid for moving forward. To date, pioneering state and district initiatives are unfolding across the country--implementing learning supports as a third component of school improvement policy. These initiatives are using frameworks, prototypes, and resources developed by the Center at UCLA, and they are drawing on the Center and other sources for coaching and technical assistance. The Summit highlighted work accomplished to date, focused on next steps for moving forward, and shared resources to draw on in transforming student and learning supports. This report summarizes the event, suggests some next steps, and provides information and direct links to online resources. In addition to group discussions, presentations at the summit stressed: (1) Re-envisioning How to Address Barriers to Learning and Teaching at Schools; (2) Expanding School Improvement Policy to Make it Happen; (3) State Adaptation and Scale-up in Alabama; (4) A Georgia District's Implementation Experiences; (5) A Federal Perspective on ESSA and Learning Supports; (6) About Funding Stream Integration; and (7) About the Necessity of Implementing Essential Elements to Ensure Substantive and Sustainable Transformative Changes. There also was a three district panel discussing lessons learned during early implementation. The day ended with a discussion of Next Steps for Supporting Those Moving Forward. The following are appended: (1) Handouts from the Day's Introductory Presentation; (2) Links to Resources Distributed at the Summit; (3) Resources Answering Questions &amp; Requests; and (4) List of Respondents to Summit Invitation.