Transparency in "Per-Pupil Spending" Is Not as Simple as It Seems
How the right data can drive equity for all students

ESSA intends to promote equity by requiring district s  and states to report per-pupil spending at the school level. But calculating  accurate, comparable school-level per-pupil spending numbers ca n be challenging, and interpreting them can be even harder. 

We are please d to report that the U.S. Department of Education's current draft regulations begin to address some of the potential areas of confusion with calculation. This month, we hosted two events to support district leaders and discuss how they can continue to use financial reporting as a tool for equity, regardless of how ESSA regulations change in the future.
 

Three Big Lessons 

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the Every  St udent Succeeds Act (ESSA) , the latest Programme on International Studen Asse ssment (PISA) results  offer insight on how well we are educati ng our students, especially those facing the greatest disadvantages. 

While the overall results reinforce the  challenge s  we face, the data also highlighted significant progress and led us to reflect on the big lessons from year one of ESSA:
  1. Our focus on supporting our neediest students may be paying dividends.
  2. We must continue to raise standards for all students. 
  3. Redesigning our education systems must remain a top priority. 

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Highlights the Talent Decision Map Tool

"Great staff development can't reliably happen thro ugh  lucky late-August hires, haphazard career paths, or adhering to flawed policies and procedures out of a sense of tradition or routine.

And not all principals can effectively manage their talent  alone.  Fortunately, school systems now have some powerful guidance to help school leaders become skilled talent managers - tools such as the Talent Decision Planner that can help them map out the who, what, when and where of the most critical decisions of the year."

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WHY NOW? 
Because our children deserve more than a few great schools.

Ensuring college and career readiness for all students, especially lower-income students and students of color, requires redesigning school systems to enable new ways of organizing schools for student and teacher learning. School System 20/20 is our vision for transforming school systems so every school succeeds for every student, because of the system - not in spite of it.

                   



      

Education Resource Strategies (ERS is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming how urban school systems organize resources - people, time, and money - so that every school succeeds for every student.



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