To accomplish this, NASBE will work with state-level education policymakers by raising their awareness of the need for deeper learning in preparing students to be college- and career-ready and by creating a national coalition partnership to serve as an expert think tank especially focused on state-level policy and deeper learning, among other actions.

“In addition to mastery of academic content, deeper learning emphasizes skills in critical thinking, problem solving, effective communication, collaboration, and self-awareness,” said NASBE Interim Executive Director Brad Hull. “These have always been hallmarks of an educated person, and fortunately these educational goals are once again entering the conversation as we prepare our students for college, career, and civic readiness in the 21st century.”

Through the length of the grant, NASBE will also build policymaker skills to help them better understand deeper learning and apply that learning to their policymaking, especially regarding assessment, accountability, teacher professional development, curriculum and instructional methods. To assist boards with this, NASBE will produce a deeper learning discussion guide, host conference calls and webinars, and sessions at its annual conferences.

Further, NASBE will award stipends to six states during the project’s second and third years with the intent of raising the visibility of deeper learning as an issue in each state, as well as capacity building. Additionally, NASBE staff and subject-matter experts will conduct in-state policy workshops in each state that receives a grant.

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The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. NASBE exists to strengthen state boards as the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for citizens and students. For more, visit www.nasbe.org.

Arlington, VA — U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan spent an unprecedented hour responding to questions from state board of education members on issues ranging from waivers and sequestration to the Department’s use of competitive grants. The discussion took place last Friday, March 15 as part of NASBE’s Annual Legislative Policy Forum. Presiding with Duncan were NASBE President Patrick A. Guida (RI) and Elaine Gantz Berman (CO), chair of NASBE’s Governmental Affairs Committee.

During the meeting, held at the U.S. Department of Education, Secretary Duncan urged state board members to make their collective voice heard in fighting the $1.3 billion in funding cuts to Title I and special education budgets that resulted from the recent sequestration. In his opening remarks, he also noted that if the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is indeed reauthorized this year, drawing on the best policies and practices now being implemented in the states would make for a “great” bill.

In addition, Duncan lauded states’ work in implementing the Common Core, but also urged board members to do more to support educators during the transition as they adapt to the changes. During a lengthy and free-flowing Q & A session, the Secretary assured attendees that the Department’s support for the major assessment consortia – PARCC and Smarter Balanced – will not fade. “We’re in for the long haul,” he said.

In answer to a question about the chances for ESEA reauthorization, Duncan admitted he was not optimistic, but said he and his staff continued to work closely with Senators Tom Harkin (IA) and Lamar Alexander (TN) on development of a bipartisan bill. Again, he said it was critical for members of Congress to hear from state board members on the importance of reauthorization.

As far as providing additional flexibility within federal funding, Secretary Duncan repeatedly said he was committed to “setting the bar high” while giving states and districts significant leeway in figuring out the best ways to reach the goals. But one exception to his own rule, he said, was in defining the parameters for turning around the poorest-performing schools. “Too often in the past, states checked ‘other’ when it came to choosing their primary strategy for turnaround. But kids in these schools can’t wait for ‘other’ to happen,” he said, which too frequently meant little actually changed.

The Secretary was joined by the assistant secretary for planning, evaluation and policy development, Carmel Martin, who advised board members that the Department will soon challenge them to implement accountability systems for teacher preparation programs linked to outcomes.

(March 6, 2013) – Hope Street Group and the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) have released a Common Core Playbook-Toolkit that both offers specific recommendations for state boards of education and highlights areas of potential concern that may require attention in coming months and years. This resource was created to provide additional support and guidance for state boards of education as they implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Among the recommendations, the Playbook-Toolkit suggests:

• State boards of education focus their role in CCSS implementation on ensuring that supportive board policies are in place and that state board policies which impede or complicate CCSS implementation are eliminated or changed;
• State boards should work to communicate to the public and educators what CCSS implementation means and how they plan to support implementation, alignment of other key areas, and address the issues that arise as a result of implementation;
• To help with the transition, state boards should work with their departments to ensure that the state has an up-to-date technology plan and policy;
• State boards should consider teacher input in planning and decisionmaking for educators’ professional learning.

“The critical role of state boards of education around CCSS becomes even more important as we move forward,” said NASBE Deputy Executive Director Brad Hull. “We know the standards by themselves are not likely to result in higher student achievement without concurrent state efforts that include improved teacher development, induction, and evaluation processes, aligned instructional materials, and robust student intervention systems for those struggling to meet standards. At NASBE we are committed to ensuring policymakers have the best resources available to help them in CCSS implementation, and we are pleased to join Hope Street Group in working to fulfill that goal.”

The Playbook-Toolkit developed by Hope Street Group and NASBE helps state boards of education think about how state board policy can help educators and administrators prepare students for college and careers. Using research, best practices, and lessons learned from across the country, this online toolkit, found on both the Hope Street Group Teacher Evaluation Playbook and the NASBE Common Core State Standards website, provides resources for implementation and promising practices from around the country.

The Common Core State Standards are based on research thoroughly vetted by a host of educators. They indicate what is expected of students at each grade level and advocate teaching core concepts beginning in kindergarten. Forty-five states, five territories, and the Department of Defense Education Agency have adopted both the English language arts (ELA) and math CCSS.  The state boards of education played a significant role in the adoption, or recommendation of adoption, in all of these states. With the adoption and implementation of these research-and-evidence based, internationally benchmarked standards, states nationwide have taken the necessary steps that will better prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college and the workforce in this 21st century global economy.

Says Dan Cruce, Vice President of Education, Hope Street Group, “Partnering with NASBE to bring the CCSS Playbook-Toolkit allows us to take the best practices and lessons learned which Hope Street Group offers in teacher evaluation implementation and extend it to Common Core.  CCSS is an education reform that will dramatically impact every facet of teaching and learning, and state boards need to be informed, engaged and at the table every step of the way. This toolkit will help make board members more educated participants.”

Hope Street Group has identified CCSS implementation and effective teacher supports as its next areas of work after extensive conversation with a wide variety of stakeholders. It was through these conversations that the enormous impact of CCSS on public education was better understood, as well a clear connection between CCSS implementation and the need to ensure that teacher supports are developed and refined in regard to these issues. National Association of State Boards of Education has long been studying CCSS implementation and its effects on students, educators and policymakers. In “Implementing the Common Core,” the September 2012 issue of NASBE’s award winning journal, The State Education Standard, the organization looked at how states are moving from adoption to implementation. Now, partnering with Hope Street Group on the Playbook-Toolkit, they are able to offer tools, techniques and best practices for implementation.

Hope Street Group works to strengthen the foundational underpinnings of our economy—education, healthcare and jobs—by identifying and promoting rational methods of incentivizing better outcomes. We are fiercely bipartisan and relentlessly results-oriented. We bring together a variety of experienced practitioners, including creative business minds, nonprofit leaders and visionaries in government of all political stripes to collaborate in the pursuit of policy innovation. We then use our findings as a megaphone to influence and inform policy, and help to implement and spread the ideas that are working on the ground. www.hopestreetgroup.org

The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. NASBE exists to strengthen State Boards as the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for citizens and students. For more, visit www.nasbe.org.

NASBE has been a leader in the effort to assist states as they adopt and implement the Common Core State Standards, and it will apply that experience to help state board members understand the development, history, and future of the Next Generation Science Standards. The development of the science standards – now in their second draft, with a final version expected in March – is being spearheaded by Achieve in conjunction with the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

“State education policymakers, like many others, are working hard to answer the national call for greater emphasis on science, and the Next Generation Science Standards will provide them with a critical tool to do this,” said NASBE Deputy Executive Director Brad Hull. “But the existence of the NGSS is just a first step. The state board members who must adopt them need targeted resources and opportunities to discuss the meaning, content, and policy implications of the standards in order to effectively do their jobs. NASBE, in partnership with other education stakeholders, including those involved in the NGSS development as well as other state-level policy organizations, is uniquely positioned to provide this assistance to state boards.”

The NGSS are focused on four areas: physical science; life science; earth and space science; and engineering, technology, and practical applications of science. The standards, which were built upon on a vision for science education established by the Framework for K-12 Science Education, published by the National Academies’ National Research Council in 2011, seek to move science instruction from an inch-deep, mile-wide approach to one that is centered on deeper learning and helping students grasp concepts that stretch across traditional scientific disciplines.

During the year, NASBE will host regional symposia at which state board of education members can develop adoption plans and conduct policy audits to identify other policy areas affected by the NGSS, such as assessments, teacher professional learning, and educator licensure. In addition, NASBE staff will provide state board members with online and print resources, webinars, and toolkits – all with a special emphasis on communications – to help inform policymakers and other local, district, and state-level stakeholders.

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The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. NASBE exists to strengthen state boards as the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for citizens and students. For more, visit www.nasbe.org.

“It was gratifying to hear the President stress the desire of the Administration to work with states in growing preschool programs nationwide. NASBE members recognize that high-quality preschool programs have significant long-term benefits for learning, and NASBE positions have long called for increasing standards for teachers of young children, equal access for all children to quality early childhood programs, and accountability for preschool programs based on a continuous improvement approach.

“NASBE also appreciates the President’s emphasis on ensuring that high schools better equip graduates for careers in a high-tech economy. All of us in the states are working hard to ensure our students are college- and career-ready. As always, we look forward to working with the Administration on finding new and innovative ways to develop partnerships that will continue to help public school students be prepared for life after high school.”

The new NASBE initiative will focus on strengthening state boards’ capacity to investigate the next generation of discipline policies that limit the use of suspension, expulsion, and criminalization of students and instead emphasize supportive climate-building practices and more positive disciplinary measures. The need for discipline reform has recently been highlighted by the Supportive School Discipline Initiative, a joint project of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education; the Council of State Governments 2011 Breaking School Rules report, which found, among other facts, that 60 percent of middle and high school students were suspended or expelled at least once; and the U.S. Department of Education 2012 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) report that discovered minority and special education students face tougher disciplinary consequences than their peers.

“Before a student is suspended or expelled, we as educators must ask ourselves, ‘Who pays the cost when students are banned from school?’” said NASBE Executive Director Jim Kohlmoos. “More recently, examination of the school-to-prison pipeline has highlighted the necessity of creating a supportive, positive climate for schools and communities in order to encourage students to make positive life choices. Further, zero-tolerance policies and out-of-school suspensions disproportionately affect minority students. NASBE’s national presence and experience place it in a position to aid policymakers as they examine existing policies and create new guidelines that help all students.”

In the two-year period, NASBE will create momentum for reform among both board members and other policymakers who work with state boards through analyzing research, producing resources to increase knowledge and raise awareness, and by identifying effective policy alternatives. Additionally, NASBE will award competitive grants to six states (three in each year of the project) to convene statewide task forces and conduct workshops on school discipline policy reform.

Follow this link for more about the project and its plans.

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The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. NASBE exists to strengthen state boards as the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for citizens and students. For more, visit www.nasbe.org.

Other parts of the package include updated nutrition standards for federally subsidized school meals that provide children more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; additional funding for schools to support improved meals; and guidance on stronger local wellness policies, according to the USDA website.

For many years NASBE’s nutrition projects have fostered strong state policies in healthy eating for students across the country. While these recently released standards are meant to be a floor rather than a ceiling, many states currently have strong rules in place regarding competitive foods, as can be seen in NASBE’s School Health Policy Database. NASBE welcomes the release of these standards and looks forward to working with its membership and the USDA toward their implementation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released Competitive Foods and Beverages in U.S. Schools: A State Policy Analysis, which reported that 39 states have laws, regulations, or policies related to competitive food and beverages in schools, while 11 states have none. The report, which cites NASBE’s school health database as a primary source, points to the effective work of West Virginia.

Gayle Manchin, vice president of the West Virginia State Board of Education said, “Prior to these regulations, the West Virginia State Board committed itself to having strong standards and implementing them with fidelity, and our students have benefitted greatly as a result. I applaud the USDA’s efforts, and I am excited to see that strong competitive food standards will be implemented nationwide.”

“NASBE has awaited the release of these standards with great anticipation, knowing the importance of nutrition to the health and academic achievement of students in every state,” said NASBE Deputy Executive Director Bradley Hull. “NASBE and state board members nationwide recognize the importance of this work and look forward to a successful and effective collaboration to put strong policies in place for our nation’s students.”

The draft standards are expected to be published in the Federal Register the week of February 4, and will be available at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cga/020113-snacks.pdf. The public may provide comment for 60 days after the posting at www.regulations.gov.

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The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. NASBE exists to strengthen state boards as the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for citizens and students. For more, visit www.nasbe.org.

NASBE will base the new web portal on AEP’s Arts Education State Policy Database and ArtsEdSearch, through which state board members will be able to easily access educational information about how the arts can support general education policy goals. For instance, if a state board is working on new high school graduation requirements, members and staff can use the web page to find research and policies that include the arts as a critical part of a student’s education.

“The arts not only enrich our social and emotional lives, they provide rare and special avenues to develop skills we need and use every day,” said NASBE Executive Director Jim Kohlmoos. “As state boards develop new and innovative evidence-based education policies, it is incumbent on them to consider every avenue to student success. We are excited to partner with AEP to help make arts education part of those efforts.”

“Evidence and action – within policymaking – is a powerful combination in ensuring the arts remain an essential part of a complete education for every young person in America,” said AEP Director Sandra Ruppert. “AEP and NASBE’s collaboration comes at an exciting crossroads in education reform, and we look forward to helping state boards understand the role of the arts as a gateway to learning and student success.”

The webpage will be hosted on NASBE’s website, and will also be linked to AEP’s site. When the portal is completed in the second quarter of 2013, NASBE and AEP will host a webinar open to all to guide potential users through the webpage and the two databases.

The initiative is made possible by funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to NASBE.

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The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. NASBE exists to strengthen State Boards as the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for citizens and students. For more, visit www.nasbe.org.

AEP, www.aep-arts.org, is a national coalition of more than 100 education, arts, business, cultural, government, and philanthropic organizations. AEP was established in 1995 through a unique interagency agreement between the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Education.

“At NASBE, our hearts are breaking with the news from Connecticut today, and our deepest sympathies, and I know those of state board members around the country, go out to the victims and their families. As we and so many others promote policies and values to help make schools safe places for children to learn and thrive, we are sometimes reminded that so much more needs to be done.

“And now, stunned by these senseless acts of violence against children and their teachers, we will mourn, we will do what we can to help those affected, and we can’t help asking ‘why has this happened?’ But we must also move forward to do our best—with others in the education community—to prevent incidents like this from happening again.”

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The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. NASBE exists to strengthen State Boards as the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for citizens and students. For more, visit www.nasbe.org.