DeVos to State
Chiefs: We Can, We Must Do Better for Students
WASHINGTON –
Addressing the nation's chief state school officers, U.S. Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos delivered some “tough love” regarding progress under the
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA
is the bipartisan education legislation passed by Congress in 2015 that
returned power over education back to states.
DeVos'
remarks came after her review and approval of a majority of states' ESSA plans.
The law requires a federal review to ensure compliance with the law but then gives
latitude to the states to determine how best to ensure educational success.
DeVos challenged the chiefs to embrace the flexibility afforded them by ESSA and
innovate on behalf of their students. “Just because a plan complies with the
law doesn’t mean it does what’s best for students,” said DeVos.
The following are highlights
of the Secretary’s speech, followed by the full text:
“Compliant” Is a Low
Bar
“Just because a plan
complies with the law doesn’t mean it does what’s best for students. Whatever
the reasons, I see too many plans that only meet the bare minimum required by
the law. Sure, they may pass muster around conference tables in Washington, but
the bare minimum won’t pass muster around kitchen tables.”
Multiple Governors
Shared Concerns About Plans
“Some of your own
governors – Republicans and Democrats -- didn’t like your plans either and
refused to sign off on them. …
“[One] warned his
state’s superintendent that ‘adding layers of bureaucratic paperwork does
little to help low-performing schools.’ …
“[A]nother governor
lamented that his state’s plan ‘stymies any attempt to hold schools accountable
for student performance and includes provisions aimed at preserving the status
quo in failing schools.’”
The problem is a
systemic culture of prioritizing compliance over creativity
“For too long, many of
you have operated – and in many cases, been forced to operate -- as if your
work was only accountable to folks in my office. As if all that mattered in
education was a sign-off from Washington… My predecessors, from both parties,
often fell into the trap of a top-down approach.”
The more important
judges of plans are students, families and educators
“The imperative to do something
shouldn’t have to come from Washington. It shouldn’t have to come from your
state capital. The imperative to do better comes from students. …
“ESSA plans aren’t a
ceiling. There is no ceiling. There is no ceiling on what students can achieve.
These plans merely establish the floor!
“ESSA plans are just
words on a page. Let me put it this way: We don’t evaluate football teams
solely on who has the better game plan on paper. We evaluate them by what happens on the
field! The real work of ESSA lies ahead.”
There’s still the
opportunity to innovate and improve
“We must pursue a
paradigm shift… a fundamental reorientation... a rethink…. Question everything.
At every school. In support of every student’s success. …So I ask each of you:
What are you going to do to rethink education in your state?”
We can, must and will
do better – for students and our future.
“Right now a student
is being bullied somewhere for only wanting to read, pay attention to the
teacher and learn. Right now a student is being told he can’t study a topic for
his dream job because the school building doesn’t have the teacher or the
technology. Right now a student at school is stepping over rats, breathing in
mold and dodging fists. …
“That child doesn’t
care about an ESSA plan. That student’s parents don’t care about my signature
on your piece of paper. They care about what you do….
“We can act
now. We must act now.”
CCSSO Legislative Conference
March 5, 2018
Thank
you, Carey, for that kind introduction. I want to thank each of the Chiefs, and
your teams, for everything you do to ensure the students you serve are
well-prepared for successful careers and fulfilling lives. And I also want to
thank you for your partnership over the past year.
Our
relationship will become even more important following the tragedy in Parkland,
Florida. No student, no parent, no teacher should ever have to experience what
many did at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Pam, we’ve already worked
closely in the wake of this tragedy and I appreciate your dedication and
strength.
We
must have an open and honest conversation about what went wrong, and what we
must do now to ensure our children are safe at school. I look forward to
hearing your ideas and working with you.
I
know we may sometimes differ on what policy levers to pull, as there is no
one-size-fits all approach for every state, or for every community. And there
will be varying solutions. I hope we can always stay focused on individual
students.
That
must be our aim every day, in everything we do. Accordingly, it must be at the
core of implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act.
When
this bipartisan bill was written, passed and signed, it signaled a shift in America’s
approach to education policy. Unlike prior efforts, ESSA was born of a
recognition that federal overreach had failed. Recall that when the U.S. Department
of Education was established, it was charged by Congress to “prohibit federal
control of education.”
That’s
a charge I embrace. And it’s one I directed my team to take seriously as we
continue to review your plans to ensure they comply with the law. Every plan
that I sign is a commitment to that, and only
that – the plan meets the requirements of the law.
I
didn’t write the law. It’s not a perfect law. But it’s the law.
I
have refrained from expressing my opinion, thus far, out of respect for the
process. But since we’re all in this room together now, I couldn’t pass up the
opportunity to share some candid thoughts. Around my house, we call it “tough
love.”
For
too long, many of you have operated – and in many cases, been forced to operate
-- as if your work was only accountable to folks in my office. As if all that
mattered in education was a sign-off from Washington. Or, perhaps worse yet,
fear of what would happen if an aptly-described “brutalist” building in
southwest D.C. didn’t like your ideas.
My
predecessors, from both parties, often fell into the trap of a top-down
approach, too often ignoring those who walk side-by-side with students every
day.
That’s
not to say I question their motives. Education is a unique issue in public
life…everyone agrees on the desired outcome. Everyone wants students to be
prepared for successful careers and fulfilling lives. And the truth is: we need
that to be the case.
Except
too many folks believe they should pursue that good end by centralizing federal
power and wielding it aggressively.
As
a result, you were threatened with inquiries, audits and even fines if you
didn’t comply with the politics of the day in this town.
I’m
committed to a different
approach.
We
won’t weaponize waivers to compel you to adopt this administration’s politics.
If we wanted to dictate from D.C., I’d claim the mantle of our nation’s “choice
chief” and reject plans because they don’t give parents more quality choices.
But I haven’t done that. And I won’t. The Department is not the national school
board.
This
administration is committed to our Nation’s founding idea of separation of
powers. The Department of Education doesn’t write laws, it implements them. Congress
did its job. We’re doing ours. And now, you get to do yours.
ESSA
was enacted partially in response to the widespread calls from state school
chiefs – including many in this room -- to give you the flexibility and opportunity
to address your state’s unique challenges. Well, this law gives you that chance.
The
trouble is… I don’t see much evidence that you’ve yet seized it.
At
least not in the ESSA plans I’ve thus far approved. Some have said that they
didn’t write their plans “to win an ESSA competition.” Other plans look as
though they were just written to get good grades from D.C. interest groups.
Still other plans seem like they were written only for one purpose: compliance.
Let
me be clear: just because a plan complies with the law doesn’t mean it does what’s
best for students.
Whatever
the reasons, I see too many plans that only meet the bare minimum required by
the law. Sure, they may pass muster around conference tables in Washington, but
the bare minimum won’t pass muster around kitchen tables. And I’m not alone in
this view.
Some
of your own governors – Republicans and Democrats -- didn’t like your plans
either and refused to sign off on them. Some were vocal about it.
One
was disappointed his state’s plan did “not take full advantage of the
opportunities for flexibility and innovation.”
Another
warned his state’s superintendent that “adding layers of bureaucratic paperwork
does little to help low-performing schools.” Still another governor lamented
that his state’s plan “stymies any attempt to hold schools accountable for
student performance and includes provisions aimed at preserving the status quo
in failing schools.”
And
by the way, I agree.
But
what do these perspectives say to teachers in your state? What do they say to
parents? What do these sentiments say to students?
ESSA
invites a different approach.
Let’s
start with ESSA’s “Annual State Report Cards,” one of the law’s calls for
transparency. Parents need to know – and have the right to know -- what is and
is not working about their children’s schools.
Some
parents want to be equipped to make a different choice for their child, and
others want to know where their child’s current school needs to get better.
Parents
need information that is accessible, relevant and actionable. But too many
parents who read their state’s plan would have every right to think much is
obfuscated….As if their state doesn’t want anyone to know how their students
are really doing.
Some
states proposed accountability schemes that were so complicated, schools would be
accountable to no one. Another state took a simple concept like a color-coded
dashboard and managed to make it nearly indecipherable.
We
must do better for parents. For students. For our country. Louisiana, for
example, uses an understandable A through F grading system with some pretty
clear consequences for “F” schools, including making other options available to
parents whose children are assigned to those schools.
We
also should be able to clearly gauge the progress of all our nation’s students.
That, too, hasn’t been a simple task over the years. Previous efforts focused
on a goal – such as higher graduation rates -- and if you didn’t meet it, you’d
face the ire of “Big Ed.”
While
that goal might have been laudable, we’ve seen what happens. Just look at the ongoing
scandal right here in our Nation’s capital, where school administrators fudged the
rules and graduated kids who otherwise wouldn’t have been eligible – all in
response to top-down pressure.
Under
ESSA, states must measure students annually in reading and math, but the law invites
you to determine the standards, determine the instruments and find solutions
for the rest.
Parents
and teachers alike agree that education should move away from simply “teaching
to the test.” We all know we need new solutions.
I’ve
heard many complaints about how inadequate current testing regimens are, but
only four states have shown interest in applying for ESSA’s Innovative
Assessment Pilot – inspired by New Hampshire’s performance-based assessment.
The
Granite State reduced standardized testing and enhanced locally-developed
common performance assessments. They were designed to support deeper learning
and to be more integrated into students’ day-to-day work.
Assessing
the average assesses no one. Because there is no average student.
New
Hampshire’s is but one new approach, but there are many other approaches that
have yielded promising results for students. So, explore them!
Title
I, as you all know, was established to assist students who come from low-income
families. These students need your creative thinking, but too many plans are
short on creative solutions.
“Direct
Student Services” is one vehicle you can use to better serve these students.
You have the option to set aside up to three percent of Title I funds to
provide students with learning opportunities that would otherwise not be
available. We actually asked Congress to raise that to 5 percent in our 2019 budget
proposal.
But
to date, only two states – New Mexico and Louisiana – have sought that
flexibility.
Louisiana
will use its 3 percent -- nearly 9 million dollars -- to expand its course
choice program, offering new options to students. I’m encouraged that Louisiana
is doing something, but ESSA encourages all states to use Title I funds
creatively. Because today too many students are told “no.”
A
student is bored in her math class and would be more challenged in an AP
course? “Sorry, we don’t have AP here,” the system says. A student wants to
learn a skill like welding because she wants to work for the advanced
manufacturer in town? “Nope,” the system tells the student, “we don’t have that
available either.”
I’m not comfortable with settling for those answers. I hope you aren’t either.
Course
choice is but one way a state can embrace the law’s flexibility in the interest
of students. States could also use their 3 percent to incentivize enrollment in
public schools of choice.
ESSA
also enables you to take an additional 7 percent of Title I funds and use them
to empower local educators and districts to experiment with new approaches. For
example in Nevada, 30 Clark County schools work together in what the state
calls a “Partnership Network.” The network teams with local leaders who have
fresh perspectives.
Nevada
boasts this is not a “set it and forget it” approach. Instead, they are
constantly evaluating to ensure the funds are spent in the most productive way.
Responsible
use of taxpayer funds is important. That’s why the law requires the public
disclosure of how resources
flow down to the school level. States like Georgia, Rhode Island and Colorado
have already been doing so for years. And I applaud them for that. Next year, all states will need to show
hard-working families how their money is being spent.
But
I’d encourage you to go even further. Why not show how much money is being
spent on each student and why? Is that different from the school down the street? And if so, why?
The
student-centered funding pilot takes us in that direction. This competitive
grant enables money to follow children based on their needs – not buildings or
systems.
So
as I’ve pointed out, there are some bright spots among the plans. But even the
best plan is short on the meaningful solutions that the law encourages. Even
the best plan doesn’t take full advantage of the law’s built-in flexibility.
And
launching a PR push to defend these plans doesn’t change that. It misses the
point.
Because
our children deserve better than the 19th century assembly-line approach. Or
the “NCLB” approach. Or the “RTTT” approach. The “Washington knows best”
approach.
So,
don’t you think it’s time to do something different? To try something new that
enhances student achievement?
ESSA
doesn’t stand in your way. Our department won’t stand in your way either.
States are better equipped to find answers to their unique questions than
Washington is. But states should always look for ways to pass down flexibility and
empower teachers and parents – those closest to students.
Even
though I’ve not yet had the opportunity to approve California’s plan, its
governor was spot on when he said: “This is not going to be solved in
Sacramento. Kids learn at home and in the classroom…People who really want to
help in a school that is not performing should go to the principal and find out
what they need. Local empowerment. That’s what it’s all about. The age of micro-management
from Washington or Sacramento is over as far as I am concerned.”
Governor
Brown is right!
Because
the imperative to do something
shouldn’t have to come from Washington. It shouldn’t have to come from your
state capital. The imperative to do better comes from students. We are accountable to them!
Better
to try something new than to just hope for a better result.
Because
hope alone is not a strategy. Students don’t have time to wait while adults hope
plans will work.
That’s
why your ESSA plans aren’t a ceiling. There is no ceiling. There is no ceiling
on what students can achieve. These plans merely establish the floor!
ESSA
plans are just words on a page. Let me put it this way: We don’t evaluate football
teams solely on who has the better game plan on paper. We evaluate them by what happens
on the field!
The
real work of ESSA lies ahead.
Because
there is much work to be done. We must all
do better to prepare our students for success in the 21st century and beyond.
Students
need learning environments that are agile, relevant and exciting. Every student
deserves a customized, self-paced and challenging life-long learning journey.
But
when you picture most of today’s classrooms, does the word “agile” leap to mind?
What about “customized”? “Relevant”?
That’s
why we must pursue a paradigm shift… a fundamental reorientation... a rethink.
I’ve
called for this nation to rethink school, and I want to make sure you’re clear
what I mean.
“Rethink”
means we question everything
to ensure nothing limits a
student from pursuing his or her passion, and achieving his or her potential.
So each student is prepared at every
turn for what comes next.
Question
everything. At every school. In support of every student’s success.
So
I ask each of you: What are you going to do to rethink education in your state?
What
are you going to do to serve students in your state? Students! Not graduation
rates, not a lobbyist’s latest ranking, not a lawmaker’s pet project…no.
These
are our children we’re talking about. These are their futures…and ours.
Right
now a student is being bullied somewhere for only wanting to read, pay
attention to the teacher and learn. Right now a student is being told he can’t
study a topic for his dream job because the school building doesn’t have the
teacher or the technology. Right now a student at school is stepping over rats,
breathing in mold and dodging fists. These could be any of your students. All
they want to do is learn. All their parents want is something better.
And
what will you say? What do your plans say? What will you do?
Will
you look into those students’ eyes and settle for only what’s required, nothing
more? Will you sit across from that student stepping over rats and say, “But
our ESSA plan complied with the law!”
That child doesn’t care about an ESSA plan. That student’s parents don’t care
about my signature on your piece of paper. They care about what you do.
We
can act now. We must act now.
Students’
dreams, their hopes, their aspirations, their futures don’t wait… and neither
can we.
Our
health, our economy, our continued security as a nation depends on what we do
today for the leaders of tomorrow.
We
can do this. We must do better for our teachers,
for our parents, for our students…for our country.
Thank
you, God bless you, and God bless our future—America’s students.
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