Thought Leadership Forum Brief: Evidence-Based Improvement Under ESSA
The Center on School Turnaround (CST) at WestEd is hosting a series of online Thought Leadership Forums for state education agency (SEA) officials who are members of the Leadership Council of the Network of State Turnaround and Improvement Leaders. The forums are intended to highlight the major considerations of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for students in chronically low-performing schools and explore how turnaround plans impact SEAs’ broader improvement efforts and ESSA implementation efforts.
The initial forum, held on December 19, 2016, focused on the definition and application of evidence-based criteria within the context of ESSA. The forum featured presentations from Sylvie Hale, Director of Program Development and Strategic Planning for WestEd’s Innovation Studies program, and Rebecca Herman, Senior Policy Researcher and Distinguished Chair in Education Policy at the RAND Corporation (RAND).
This brief describes the resources shared during the December 19 forum, summarizes key ideas, and concludes with recommendations to help inform the ongoing work of SEA officials on identifying evidence-based strategies and interventions in compliance with ESSA evidence requirements.