This week the State Education Department presented revisions to the draft Every Student Succeeds Act plan (revised summary available here) to the Board of Regents. Since releasing the draft plan in May, the Department received more than 1,070 public comments, both in writing and verbally at the 13 public meetings held across the state, and made revisions to the draft plan in response to those comments.

 

The revised draft plan continues to emphasize fostering equity in education for New York's students; expands measures for school support and accountability and student success; and requires school-level improvement plans for the lowest performing schools overall as well as schools with the lowest performance for certain student populations. The plan also includes strategies for supporting the professional growth of educators and ensuring that all students have access to a well-rounded, culturally responsive education that supports their academic and social-emotional development. 

The plan will next be submitted to the governor, who has 30 days to review the plan. Following the governor's review, the Board will be asked at its September meeting to take action to approve the ESSA plan so that on September 18, 2017 the State Education Department can submit the plan to the United States Department of Education (USDE) for review and approval. 

After the plan is approved by the USDE, the Department will work with BOCES District superintendents, superintendents, the ESSA Think Tank and other stakeholder groups to develop and provide guidance on implementing the ESSA plan. Further, NYSED is developing summary documents for parents and teachers to explain the changes in the ESSA plan. 

For more information on changes to the plan, view our news release and the  Department's ESSA webpage . 

It's summer reading time! Over 1,000 public libraries across the state are offering free summer reading programs to children and families this summer. Last year, more than 2.1 million students and children statewide participated in a summer reading program. 

Visit the Summer Reading at New York Libraries website for more information about the program, including reading lists and to find a summer reading program in your community. 

The Summer Food Service Program is up and running at more than 3,000 sites across New York.

Each day this summer, approximately 400,000 free meals will be served to children. The interactive USDA online map has been updated this year to provide an easy-to-use tool for families to find a meal site by address, city or zip code. 

You can read more about free summer meals here.