Local Education Agencies Research Articles

Department of Education issues guidance on disability funds allocation

The United States Department of Education has issued guidance for better overseeing how students with disabilities are incorporated into postsecondary education, via a question‐and‐answer document. The document “describes how State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies may coordinate to assist students and youth with disabilities,” along with resources to help educational institutions support students with disabilities. The guide was issued specifically to combat confusion about allocation of funds that recently forced students with disabilities to withdraw from or forgo attending institutions of higher education.

A Review of State-Level Procedural Guidance for Implementing Multitiered Systems of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B)

Given the authority of state government over public education, one means of narrowing the best-practice to actual-practice gap in education is by putting forth clear state guidance and recommendations to schools. To date, however, little is known about the national landscape of procedural guidance that is readily available to practitioners looking to implement multitiered systems of support for behavior (MTSS-B). The purpose of the current study was to conduct a systematic review of state department of education websites to understand what guidance is afforded to local education agencies regarding MTSS-B. Results supported that roughly half of the states provided some form of procedural guidance for MTSS-B; however, both the type (e.g., what interventions to use, how often to progress monitor) and level of guidance varied widely. When states did provide behavior-specific guidance, documents were most likely to include specification of what types of interventions and measures to utilize; information less typically focused on assessment such as indications as to how often data should be collected and reviewed or what decision rule(s) should be used to determine student responsiveness. Implications for local implementation and strengthening future state-level guidance for MTSS-B are discussed.

Evolution of Technology-Enhanced Alternative Preparation for Special Education Teachers

In this article, we describe the evolution of a statewide alternative teacher preparation program for teachers of students with disabilities and explain current processes to revise and expand the program to increase accessibility to teacher candidates in rural schools. We will identify important features of the program including (a) significant collaboration with Local Education Agencies, (b) the combination of synchronous and asynchronous course delivery to increase accessibility, and (c) embedded supports for alternative preparation teacher candidates completing a distance learning program, as well as describe the process and collaboration involved in revising the program to increase accessibility and efficiency, while retaining quality. Ongoing challenges to delivering effective alternative preparation programs that are accessible to individuals in rural schools and potential solutions to these challenges are provided.

State Case Study of Computing Education Governance

High school computing education reform efforts have been ongoing across the United States, particularly in the past decade. Although national Computer Science (CS) for All initiatives are promising, states retain control over education policies. Recent computing education reform efforts in the state of Maryland (U.S.A.) focused on providing every public high school student with access to high-quality high school computing courses. Such access provides exposure to computing careers and better prepares a diverse pool of students for computing majors in college and the workforce. This comprehensive embedded multi-level case study examines the state’s computing education reform efforts from 2010 through 2016. The expansion of computing education indicates that while there was positive growth, the growth was not the same for all categories of public high school students. Top-down policies assist in providing leverage to elevate the need for CS; however, bottom-up efforts to support students and to enable teachers to retain autonomy and professionalism is also needed for CS expansion. Despite successes, barriers at the state, Local Education Agencies (LEA), school, and classroom levels persist and are discussed. The findings in this study can be applied to other states with similar governance structures and policies, and we provide specific recommendations.

P41 The Relationship Between Unpaid School Meal Policies and Debt in Child Nutrition Programs

Background Most local education agencies (LEA) report unpaid school meal debt. Starting July 2017, the USDA required LEAs to have an unpaid meal policy. The Food & Research Action Center released best practices for unpaid meal policies, including anti-shaming strategies. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the strength of unpaid meal policies and examine the relationship between the policy strength and amount of debt. Study Design, Settings, Participants In this cross-sectional, primary data collection study, Food Service Directors (FSDs) from five states were recruited to complete an online survey. FSDs submitted unpaid meal policies and reported debt from 2017-18. Policies were reviewed and scored for strength of anti-shaming statements (0 = not present, 1 = weak, 2 = strong; 25 items scored). Measureable Outcome/Analysis The main outcome was the amount of school debt from full-price and reduced-price meals. Variables examined included percent of students enrolled in free and reduced-price lunch (FRL), LEA size and classification (urban, suburban, rural). Univariate statistics were summarized, bivariate relationships were examined through chi-square analysis. Results The sample was 59 FSDs. The FRL rate across the schools was 50.1% (± 18.6); 75% were rural schools. Few schools had strong policies; almost 40% of the sample had a score less than five. The highest frequency of school meal debt (23.1%) from full price meals was between $1,001-$5,000; four schools reported > $30,000 in debt from full price meals. For debt from reduced-price meals, 46% reported $1-$500 in unpaid meals; 20% reported no debt from reduced-price meals. There were no significant relationships between the amount of unpaid meal and strength of policy. Conclusion Many schools did not have strong anti-shaming policies. Because there was no relationship between strength of policy and amount of debt, LEAs can create stronger policies without concern for its effect on increased debt. Funding None.

O4 Assessment of New York State Local Wellness Policies

Background Under the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, local educational agencies participating in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Program are required to establish local wellness policies (LWPs). LWPs aim to promote healthy nutrition and physical activity standards and programming in school districts. Objective To evaluate the strength and comprehensiveness of the LWPs of a representative sample of New York State public school districts. Study Design, Settings, Participants We used publicly available district-level data from the Common Core of Data and the American Community Survey. To select our sample, the Generalizer was used to generate six strata, using the following criteria: percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunch, English Language learners, identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian or White, and urbanicity. The Generalizer tool determined how many schools to select from each stratum to obtain a sample (n = 111 districts) that is generalizable to the entire state. Measurable Outcome/Analysis To assess LWPs, we utilized WellSAT. WellSAT is an evaluation tool that scores LWPs and identifies areas for improvement. WellSAT includes items that are required by federal law and items identified as best practices. With WellSAT, the LWPs of the selected districts were assessed using 67 items across six domains: Nutrition Education; Standards for USDA Child Nutrition Programs and School Meals; Nutrition Standards for Competitive and Other Foods and Beverages; Physical Education and Activity; Wellness Promotion and Marketing; and Implementation, Evaluation and Communication. Results The majority of LWPs included most federal requirements. However, many lacked items that are thought of as best practices, such as the incorporation of nutrition education into other subjects. Many policies included vague or weak language. Conclusion While many New York LWPs met federal requirements, they often lack clear language and best practices, which can make it challenging for school personnel to interpret and implement the policy. Additional research is needed to better understand what resources school districts need to strengthen their policies. Funding None.

Restructuring Local Education Agencies for School Innovation Initiatives

본 논문은 학교개혁의 모형으로 확산되고 있는 학교 혁신을 지원할 수 있는 방안 가운데 하나인 교육 행정기관, 특히 교육지원청의 학교 지원능력 강화를 위한 조직개편의 방향을 탐색하기 위함을 목적으로 한다. 단위학교 내에서 이루어지고 있는 민주적인 학교운영, 교육과정 및 수업방법의 혁신, 교사들의 전문적 학습공동체 확산, 그리고 학교 구성원의 자율 및 자치역량 함양을 특성으로 하고 있는 학교 혁신을 지원하기 위해, 17개 시도 교육청 가운데 5개의 시도교육청 차원에서 진행되고 있는 교육지원청 조직개편 사례를 분석하여 효과적인 학교지원이 이루어질 수 있는 시사점을 도출하였다. 조직개편의 방향은 다음과 같다. 첫째, 학교혁신의 핵심이라 할 수 있는 학교문화의 개선 시도는 개별학교의 특수성을 고려해야 한다는 점에서 교육지원청의 개편은 담당 학교를 구분하는 방식으로 이루어질 필요가 있다. 둘째, 교육지원청 수준에서 학교를 지원하는 조직은 기능상의 정체성-학교혁신의 과제 확산 중심 vs. 수요가 확대되고 있는 일반행정 지원 요구 중심-을 확립할 필요가 있다. 셋째, 교육행정기관이 지니는 관료적 규율과 전문적 지식 간의 딜레마를 고려한 조직개편이 필요하다.The purpose of this study was to explore potential organizational restructuring of local education agencies for support of school innovation initiatives. School Innovation movements heavily focus on implementing democratic school operation procedures, re-culturing professional communities in schools, improving curriculum and instruction methods, and establishing various autonomous governing bodies within each group of school members. Most central offices in Korea’s 17 metropolitan cities and provinces are giving to top priority to complete reorganization of wide-area education offices and local education service offices in order to expand school innovation initiatives. This study analyzed the efforts of restructuring within the city of Seoul, Kyung-ki Province, Kyung-nam Province, Sejong City, and Jeju Island education service offices. There are two types of reorganization of local education office implemented for supporting each schools in the governing areas. One is a campus-level education service center for providing resources relating to teaching and learning activities, professional learning communities, and schools governing bodies (Sejong City case). The other type is a school administrative service center under control of the public office in general services (Kyung-nam Province case). This center is supposed to alleviate burdens of school personnel issues, serious violence problems, and urgent legal issues among schools members. In conclusion, three implications were suggested in accordance to the restructuring education service centers. First, changing efforts should consider the uniqueness of each school’s level of innovation initiatives influencing effective school improvement. Second, the function of a new school service center is strategically pre-determined whether to support teaching and learning issues or to relieve administrative burdens in schools. Lastly dilemmas between bureaucratic regulations and professional knowledge emerging in renovation efforts should be reduced to better integrate educational policies that promote school innovation.

Rethinking Teacher Retention In Hard-To-Staff Schools

National, state, and local educational agencies identify teacher retention as an issue of continuous importance and concern. This report addresses the issue of teacher retention through the lens of administrative effectiveness and involvement, as well as teachers’ intrinsic motivations. Relevant findings include structural framing of the educational environment, student behaviors, school district demands for improvement, and teacher perspectives on administrative support. The report iterates that teacher retention does not have a one-size-fits-all solution, and that each school division and individual school must work purposefully to devise plans to retain its most effective teachers.

Case Study: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and National Service – A Review of Educational Support Needs and Curricula Development

Beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, public schools across the United States were subject to a change in the nation’s primary educational legislating power with the effective repeal of 2002’s “No Child Left Behind” Act with the enactment of the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA). States have been, and will continue to be, required to develop new “basic programs operated by state and local educational agencies” to “provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps.”In conducting a case study on the legislation, the author set out to thoroughly understand the priorities of the law, identify gaps between what the law intends for state to state educational goals and what schools can realistically provide, and then to identify existing nonprofit programs that can act as supplemental interventions to meet the goals ESSA emphasizes. case study also was able to identify some gaps in existing programs and considers some important implications of ESSA that should be taken into account when looking at state educational standards and closing respective achievement gaps, including what was referred to as The Skewed Value Hypothesis, which relates closely to the concept of standardized test score pollution.

Data competence maturity: developing data-driven decision making

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to lay out the data competence maturity model (DCMM) and discuss how the application of the model can serve as a foundation for a measured and deliberate use of data in secondary education.Design/methodology/approachAlthough the model is new, its implications, and its application are derived from key findings and best practices from the software development, data analytics and secondary education performance literature. These principles can guide educators to better manage student and operational outcomes. This work builds and applies the DCMM model to secondary education.FindingsThe conceptual model reveals significant opportunities to improve data-driven decision making in schools and local education agencies (LEAs). Moving past the first and second stages of the data competency maturity model should allow educators to better incorporate data into the regular decision-making process.Practical implicationsMoving up the DCMM to better integrate data into their decision-making process has the potential to produce profound improvements for schools and LEAs. Data science is about making better decisions. Understanding the path laid out in the DCMM to helping an organization move to a more mature data-driven decision-making process will help improve both student and operational outcomes.Originality/valueThis paper brings a new concept, the DCMM, to the educational literature and discusses how these principles can be applied to improve decision making by integrating them into their decision-making process and trying to help the organization mature within this framework.

Addressing and Preventing Disproportionality in Exclusionary Discipline Practices for Students of Color With Disabilities

Historically, schools across the nation have struggled to address significant racial or ethnic disproportionality, including overrepresentation in exclusionary discipline practices, special education identification, and restrictive educational placements. The federal government has mandated that local education agencies monitor and address disproportionality but has provided little guidance on how to begin. This current topics column discusses this moral and ethical issue and provides ways schools can begin to address or prevent disproportionality in disciplinary practices.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 2017.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 2017.

School practices to promote social distancing in K-12 schools: review of influenza pandemic policies and practices

BackgroundDuring an evolving influenza pandemic, community mitigation strategies, such as social distancing, can slow down virus transmission in schools and surrounding communities. To date, research on school practices to promote social distancing in primary and secondary schools has focused on prolonged school closure, with little attention paid to the identification and feasibility of other more sustainable interventions. To develop a list and typology of school practices that have been proposed and/or implemented in an influenza pandemic and to uncover any barriers identified, lessons learned from their use, and documented impacts.MethodsWe conducted a review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature on social distancing interventions in schools other than school closure. We also collected state government guidance documents directed to local education agencies or schools to assess state policies regarding social distancing. We collected standardized information from each document using an abstraction form and generated descriptive statistics on common plan elements.ResultsThe document review revealed limited literature on school practices to promote social distancing, as well as limited incorporation of school practices to promote social distancing into state government guidance documents. Among the 38 states that had guidance documents that met inclusion criteria, fewer than half (42%) mentioned a single school practice to promote social distancing, and none provided any substantive detail about the policies or practices needed to enact them. The most frequently identified school practices were cancelling or postponing after-school activities, canceling classes or activities with a high rate of mixing/contact that occur within the school day, and reducing mixing during transport.ConclusionLittle information is available to schools to develop policies and procedures on social distancing. Additional research and guidance are needed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of school practices to promote social distancing.

Addressing the Practice-to-Research Gap: A Rigorous Evaluation of Local Education Agency–Based Interventions for Struggling Readers in Sixth Grade

We present the results of a study of local education agency (LEA)-based interventions to improve the reading outcomes of struggling readers in sixth grade. The sample included 1,076 intervention students and 3,644 comparison students. Regression discontinuity was used to evaluate intervention impact. The study contributes to the field by demonstrating (a) the importance of conducting rigorous evaluations of existing school interventions to understand the true impact of evidence-based practices when implemented under local circumstances and constraints, and (b) the use of regression discontinuity as an evaluation design is feasible within typical school settings. Implications for the study are discussed, especially in terms of providing a model for evaluation of LEA-driven interventions in the middle grades.

Ten Years of Response to Intervention: Trends in the School Psychology Literature

With the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education (Improvement) Act (IDEA) in 2004, local education agencies (LEAs) were no longer required to employ an IQ-achievement discrepancy model in the identification of a specific learning disability (SLD). Rather, districts were permitted to use data from a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework in determining a student’s eligibility for special services under the SLD classification. Because this change in legislation has the potential to impact the ways in which schools provide services to students, it is important to review the research base that informs practice. This review of the trends in the RTI literature examines the frequency and type of published research in the 10 years that followed the changes to IDEA. Results indicate that further research is warranted, particularly in the areas of procedural integrity and full model implementation.

COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION: ONLINE CONTENT MODULES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SECONDARY TEACHERS IN WEST TENNESSEE – A CASE STUDY

With ongoing efforts in the United States to further develop the availability of computer science education in the public schools, federal, state, and local educational agencies are increasing efforts to encourage and promote the inclusion of computer science and programming skills in the middle school curriculum (Grover and Pea in Comput. Sci. Educ. 25:199–237, 2015) [1]. The goal for the Online Content Modules: Computer Science in the Middle Grades project was the development of five online content modules with a focus on computer science instruction in three public school districts in West Tennessee, and disseminated through a week-long professional development summer institute.

Transition Practices of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors Serving Students and Youth With Disabilities

Purpose:The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 mandates vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselors play a greater role in providing transition-related services for students and youth with disabilities, such as pre-employment activities and increased collaborative efforts with state and local education agencies and American Jobs Centers to improve employment outcomes.Method:We surveyed 538 VR counselors in 13 high performing State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies to rate the importance of transition-related skills and their preparation to undertake these activities.Results:Overall, VR counselors rated the importance of all transition-related items highly, but rated their preparation to perform these practices significantly lower. Job exploration counseling was cited as the most important skill. In terms of preparation, working with employers was rated the lowest. In terms of barriers to serving youth, time and case management were cited most frequently. Implications for caseload specialization and preparation of VR counselors are discussed.Conclusion:The results of the study have implications for preparing VR counselors to comply with the WIOA mandates regarding transition services for students and youth with disabilities.

A Study on the Organizational Analysis and Diagnosis of Local Educational Agencies and the Improvement Strategies

A Study on the Organizational Analysis and Diagnosis of Local Educational Agencies and the Improvement Strategies

There's a New Alphabet in Town: ESSA and Its Implications for Students, Schools, and School Nurses.

The 2015 passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides state education agencies with more local control over educational planning, requires development of state accountability plans, and provides opportunities for advocacy surrounding school nursing-sensitive indicators of student success. Federal Title I, II, and IV funds are available for state and local education agency utilization in meeting educational needs of impoverished students and for development of high-quality instructional and support personnel. As Specialized Instructional Support Personnel, school nurses can utilize ESSA Title funding to positively impact chronic absenteeism, school climate, and school nurse staffing. ESSA can be a resource for funding school health services and professional education. This article will assist school nurses in better understanding ESSA and how funding is allocated to states and local education agencies.

Early Outcomes of State Public Health Actions' School Nutrition Strategies.

IntroductionSince 2013, the State Public Health Actions to Prevent and Control Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity and Associated Risk Factors and Promote School Health (State Public Health Actions) program has been implemented to support and reinforce healthy choices and healthy behaviors among the US population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Population Health’s School Health Branch has been a critical component, ensuring that state health departments support schools in adopting nutrition standards and creating a supportive nutrition environment. The objective of this article was to describe early outcomes of the school nutrition strategies of State Public Health Actions.MethodsWe examined the extent of progress for short-term performance measures and for school nutrition evaluation questions, using data secured from 51 grantees through the performance measures database and state evaluation reports.ResultsDuring the first 4 years of the cooperative agreement, grantees demonstrated significant progress compared with year 2 for school nutrition performance measures. Collectively, grantees provided professional development and technical assistance to staff in 7,672 local education agencies and reached more than 29 million students. Success was also noted for several nutrition practices in schools.ConclusionThese early outcomes suggest that State Public Health Actions has had a positive impact on the nutrition environment of US schools. Systematically addressing areas for improvement could further expand the reach of these efforts during the remainder of the cooperative agreement.