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Superintendent Brownlee reports statewide school visits, tutoring and attendance efforts and flags federal changes
Summary
State Superintendent Brownlee told BESE members he visited districts across the state to review tutoring, differentiated pay and high school experience initiatives, described outcomes from the Fast Forward Summit and warned that potential federal changes to the U.S. Department of Education could shift responsibilities to states.
State Superintendent Brownlee told the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on March 12 that recent visits to school systems across Louisiana highlighted local efforts on tutoring, differentiated pay and high school experience policies.
"The highlights of the trip really for me were listening to the systems talk about their tutoring efforts, and how they were incorporating in practice the policies that you all have considered in the past," Superintendent Brownlee said. He told the board he visited systems in Vermilion, St. Martin, Lafayette, Shreveport, Bossier, Ouachita, West Carroll, Franklin, Catahoula and other parishes as part of a statewide listening tour.
Nut graf: Brownlee said the visits reinforced that many districts are implementing new tutoring programs and experimenting with pay incentives to attract teachers in high-need subjects. The superintendent also described a large professional convening and raised concerns about potential federal-level changes that could alter how education programs are funded and administered.
Brownlee described examples he heard on the visits, including districts using portions of funds for differentiated pay and merit pay to recruit and retain math teachers. He said insurance concerns that previously limited some internship opportunities have been resolved in some local partnerships after conversations between businesses and carriers. "I think the most rapidly improving indicator on the revised accountability will be that acceleration index," Brownlee said, referring to the board's revised accountability formula that now values credentials, internships and apprenticeships.
He also reported on the Fast Forward Summit organized by the college- and career-readiness team, saying the event drew about "700, 800 educators" and included sessions focused on high school experience and child welfare and attendance. Brownlee announced that regional finalists for student of the year were named and noted one recent winner, Zach Cryer, is serving as an intern at the department.
On federal policy, Brownlee cautioned the board about proposals in Washington that could reduce the role of the U.S. Department of Education. "I do think components of the agency will start being filtered out to other federal agencies," he said, adding that he expects states may see more block-granting of federal funds. He told the board he is confident in the board's ability to make student-centered policy decisions at the state level.
Ending: Board members responded with questions about local implementation and the outlook for the next 12 months; Mr. Appel and others said they expect the coming year could be pivotal for education funding and policy at both the state and federal levels.
