Information Bulletin

Using Data to Make Parents Partners in School Improvement Efforts

ESSA requires states and districts to rate schools based on multiple data points (measures) that collectively comprise a state’s “accountability system.” What does it mean when a school is rated as “low performing”?

This short blog emphasizes the importance of parents being informed about and understanding the data measures used to rate schools, so that they can be partners in school improvement activities. The blog also connects you with a 2019 report, which takes a look at how many schools were identified as “struggling” based on ESSA’s requirements. Read the blog and access multiple related resources on school data, report cards, and the value of parent involvement.

The Science of Motivation and Its Implications

What’s the best way to motivate children? The motivation to learn about the world around us begins in infancy. This motivation can either be encouraged or suppressed by the experiences adults provide for children. Psychological research points to a set of promising approaches that parents and practitioners can use to promote positive motivation and learning during development.

The Center on the Developing Child offers several resources on the science of motivation that parents, schools, and policy makers will find both interesting and useful. You may want to start with Five Facts About Motivation That Are Often Misunderstood, then move on to How to Motivate Children: Science-Based Approaches for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers. There’s even an interactive graphic that will show you the brain regions involved in motivation and how they work together.

Access these (and additional) resources here.

Quality Counts | Annual Report

(Published annually) | Useful to Parent Centers seeking data and perspectives on the current state of U.S. education and state efforts to improve public education. Quality Counts is Education Week’s annual report on state-level efforts to improve public education. Of late, the report has been issued in 3 installments across the year. The first installment of Quality […]

One-Stop List of Recent Guidances from the U.S. Department of Education

July 2017 Looking for a one-stop list to the guidance and resource packages that came out of the U.S. Department of Education in 2016 (there were so many!)—and now in 2017? (For your easy identification, we’ve marked what’s new in 2017 with the word New!) Here you go! Our list is organized by topic, as follows: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity […]

Webinar | Using Data for Collaboration and Advocacy

This webinar will help Parent Centers hone their skills in finding, understanding, and using data to make sure that the needs and interests of students with disabilities and their families are addressed in decision-making discussions about how states will implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

CCSSO Guide for Stakeholder Engagement in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

(June 2016) The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) offers states an opportunity to develop or refine a strategic vision for education to chart their own path forward. It also requires extensive outreach and engagement efforts, and CCSSO has released a stakeholder engagement guide, Let’s Get this Conversation Started, to help states engage with stakeholders to […]

Parent Engagement from Preschool through Grade 3: A Guide for Policymakers

(Published September 2013) | Useful to Parent Centers in advocating for effective parent engagement policies at the state and local levels. This guide provides a discussion of research, policy, and practice regarding the role of parental involvement in children’s early education and schooling. In addition to overviews of several promising initiatives from across the country, this report from the […]