More than 1,000 Individuals Participate in Public and Individual Meetings as Year-long Process Launches
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Education released today an Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Statewide Listening Tour Report [link] detailing feedback collected this summer through 12 statewide meetings and dozens of individual meetings hosted by Superintendent John White and Department staff from June through August. The report captures input received from more than 200 school systems, advocacy groups, community organizations, professional associations, institutions of higher learning, and other stakeholder groups on the educational opportunities afforded to Louisiana by ESSA, the newly passed federal education law. All told, more than 1,000 individuals participated in the process.
Superintendent White first met with school system administrators and educators in June at the Teacher Leader Summit in New Orleans to begin the conversation. In July, he hosted a two-week, statewide listening tour in nine cities to engage parents, educators, and other stakeholders on Louisiana’s long-term plan for elementary and secondary education. These discussions were recorded through videos which are available on the Department’s ESSA website. Throughout the summer, the Superintendent and Department staff also held additional meetings with education, community and business leaders.
“Louisiana’s ESSA plan must continue our students’ progress and address our greatest challenges,” said Superintendent White. “We can create an inspiring vision for our students when we bring many voices and many perspectives to the table. We are a long way from the finish line, but I am proud of the diverse views represented in the report released today.”
The initial round of public input launches a one-year process of developing Louisiana’s plan to comply with ESSA.
The Department will use the feedback received to draft a framework of Louisiana’s ESSA plan that will be released to the public for review in late September. After a period of public comment on the framework, the Department will then work with the state’s Accountability Commission and other legally established advisory bodies to draft the state’s full plan for review by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education this winter and spring. The plan will ultimately be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education for approval in the spring of 2017, in the hopes that it will be approved in time for the start of the 2017-2018 school year.
The public is encouraged to visit the Department’s ESSA website to stay abreast of plan development, and email any comments to essalouisiana@la.gov. Additionally, stakeholders can attend any public meeting held on ESSA to share their feedback on how to improve Louisiana’s education system. All public comments received in meetings, and through email, will be reviewed and shared with Department staff and the Accountability Commission as they draft and finalize the state’s plan.
Louisiana’s ESSA Plan Timeline
| Timeline | Phase of Work |
| September-October | - Release of draft framework of Louisiana’s plan (late Sept)
- Continuation of stakeholder engagement and advisory council meetings to discuss Louisiana’s plan
Advisory Meetings: - Accountability Commission (9/12)
- Superintendent’s Advisory Council (9/21)
- Special Education Advisory Panel (10/3)
- BESE (10/11-10/12)
- Accountability Commission (10/17)
|
| November | - Release draft of Louisiana’s ESSA plan for feedback
Advisory Meetings: - Accountability Commission (11/1)
- Superintendent’s Advisory Council (11/2)
- Special Education Advisory Panel (11/16)
- Early Childhood Advisory Council (11/16)
|
| December 2016-February 2017 | - Louisiana’s ESSA plan is finalized by appropriate bodies
Advisory Meetings: - Accountability Commission (12/5)
- BESE (12/6-12/7)
- BESE (1/17-1/18)
- Superintendent’s Advisory Council (2/16)
- BESE (3/7-3/8)
|
| Spring 2017 | - Louisiana submits ESSA plans to the USDOE
- Corresponding state policy adjustments made
Advisory Meetings: - BESE (3/7-3/8)
|
| 2017-2018 | - Implementation of Louisiana’s ESSA plan
|
Related Links:
Overview of ESSA
Full Timeline for Development of Louisiana’s ESSA Plan
Louisiana’s Plan
Video from Monroe Listening Tour Meeting
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