ECS – virtual schools policies
Counsel and Convene:
- Partnering for Success webinar series – Last Wednesday, Education Commission of the States hosted the first in our new monthly webinar series, Partnering for Success. This inaugural session was in conjunction with our release, Governors’ Top Education Priorities in 2021 State of the State (a partnership with our friends at NGA), and was hosted by our amazing Director of Policy, Jennifer Thomsen.
Coming up on May 5, Partnering for Success will take on Transforming Equitable High School Transitions. Speakers will be:
- Dr. Ernesto Matias, Chief Education Officer, Illinois State Board of Education;
- Dr. Susannah F. Craig, Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Innovation, Louisiana State Board of Regents.
There is no cost to attend, so please feel free to share with your staff and colleagues. You can register for the May 5 Partnering for Success session here.
- Data Privacy Lessons From the Pandemic virtual series – We’re excited to kick off this new virtual series, in collaboration with the Future of Privacy Forum. The first session, Protecting Student Privacy Through Data Governance, is set for May 20, from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. MT. This webinar will focus on how to protect students’ privacy without impeding data-driven decision-making.
Again, there is no cost to attend, so please feel free to share with your staff and colleagues. Additional information and registration can be found here.
Future sessions are:
- Protecting Students’ Privacy While Measuring Their Health and Well-Being, August 26
- Student Privacy and the Promise of Ed Tech, October 28
Report — Publications:
ECS has released five new resources since we last connected, including:
- 50-State Comparison: Private School Choice – This resource highlights the ways in which states approach private school choice policies specific to vouchers, education savings accounts and scholarship tax credits.
- Instructional Time Policy 101 – This Policy Outline provides an easy reference for top-level information on instructional time, including trends in policies and legislative examples.
- ArtScan at a Glance – This easy-to-reference one-pager provides an overview of arts education policies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It is updated annually, and new for 2021 is a metric on arts and STEAM diploma seals.
Research — Information Requests:
Since our last monthly update, the ECS Policy Team has responded to 49 requests for information from around the country. Some recent responses that we thought might have some universal interest include:
- How many states have universal pre-K programs?
- Which states have recently proposed or enacted legislation related to community college bachelor’s programs?
- What are some examples of state policies addressing summer learning opportunities to address unfinished learning caused by the pandemic?
Our team also shared 6 new posts on EdNote recently, so be sure to check out:
- Early Care and Education: 2021 State Legislation Update
- Our school accountability series, including The Every Student Succeeds Act: 5 Years Later and States Assess Accountability Requirements During COVID-19
Arts Education Partnership Updates:
- AEP launched a new blog ArtsEd Amplified with AEP Director Jamie Kasper’s welcome blog post followed by:
- Krystal Johnson’s “AEP Policy Briefing Shares Youth-Centered Policy and Strategies”
- Lucinda Presley and Tricia Shelton’s “Using STEAM to Promote Remote Learners”
- Synchrobox: An Innovation from Houston Ballet, an interview with Jennifer Sommers, Director of Education for Houston Ballet