June 2016 State Policy Recap
Ed Prep Matters is pleased to bring you this special feature on state policy and AACTE state chapter activity. For a summary of the year prior to June, see this article.
Overview of State Policy Activity
In June, state policy activity slowed down to a crawl, as more than 30 state legislative sessions have adjourned for the year. Currently, only nine state legislatures are in their 2016 session, while three state legislatures are in a special session.
Nine education-related bills in four states–Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania–were introduced in June. These bills covered issues including offering loan forgiveness for educators employed in “failing schools,” expanding pathways into the teaching profession by modifying certification requirements for substitute teachers, and creating a tiered licensure structure for educators.
Also during June, 11 state regulations were adopted in six states–Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia. These regulations’ topics include modifying program approval standards for educator preparation programs, changing licensure requirements, and implementing rules for teacher candidate scholarship programs. Furthermore, seven state regulations were proposed in four states–Georgia, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. These proposed regulations focused on topics such as loan forgiveness for teacher candidates and changing the weight of student test scores in a teacher’s evaluation.
State Advocacy Activities
Over the past several months, states have begun the process of implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and engaging stakeholders, including educator preparation programs. The wide range of convening activities includes these examples:
- Kentucky: 11 education town hall meetings have been held by the Kentucky Department of Education.
- North Carolina: The Department of Public Instruction released a timeline of all ESSA-related activities and engagement opportunities.
- Montana: Created an ESSA Workplan Group to develop the state’s ESSA implementation.
- Oregon: The Department of Education held 12 community forums to inform stakeholders on the ESSA implementation process.
- Vermont: Compiled a list of 40 decision points for stakeholders to consider.
- Washington, DC: The Office of the State Superintendent of Education released a set of principles for an accountability system.
If your state chapter has convened any recent state advocacy efforts, please let us know so we can share your story.
If you have any questions related to how AACTE can support your state advocacy efforts, contact me at agoldstein@aacte.org or (202) 478-4504.
Tags: state affiliate, state policy
