Earlier this year, the Excellent Schools Now (ESN) Coalition conducted a survey of its member organizations around their work and/or questions on the Common Core State Standards initiative. Thirteen organizations responded to the survey.

One of the organizations that responded, School's Out Washington, has partnered with community organizations and schools in South King County and Yakima to provide information and resources related to the Common Core State Standards, specifically in helping families advocate for their children with these new standards in place. Read more about their work supporting Common Core.

The ESN Coalition submitted public comment to the State Board of Education today in regards to the implementation of the College and Career Ready Diploma.

Read our letter or submit your own.

The Excellent Schools Now (ESN) Coalition is beginning the process to determine its 2015 policy priorities. Below is the timeline for the process. The ESN Steering Committee policy team is leading the priority selection process.

TIMELINE

• Monday, June 9: ESN Policy Questionnaire sent to all ESN members.
  The ESN policy team designed a short survey to learn more about what education policy priorities most interest our ESN Coalition members. The policy team will use the responses from this survey to serve as a starting point for ESN's 2015 policy priorities selection process. Responses to the survey are due by Friday, June 13.
  
• Wednesday, June 18: ESN Full Coalition Meeting.
  ESN policy team members Parasa Chanramy (Stand for Children Washington) and Linda Kennedy (Tabor 100) will present the findings of the survey to help frame the policy prioritization process.
• Friday, August 8: ESN Steering Committee Meeting.
  ESN policy team members will present the 2015 Policy Priorities to the Steering Committee for approval.
• Tuesday, September 16: ESN Full Coalition Meeting.
  The ESN policy team will present the final approved 2015 Policy Priorities to the ESN Coalition.

Please direct any questions about the timeline below to the ESN policy team: Amy Liu (League of Education Voters), Parasa Chanramy (Stand for Children Washington), and Linda Kennedy (Tabor 100).

Thank you for your work to pass the 24-credit Career and College Ready Diploma during the 2014 legislative session.

Now it's time to get to work. There are two ways to get involved in the rules process for the diploma:

1. Public forum on the rules, June 6: The State Board of Education is hosting a forum to give the public an opportunity to comment and ask questions about the proposed rules. The forum will be held on June 6, 3:00–4:30 p.m., in the Billings Conference Room (3rd floor), in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction building, 600 Washington Street SE, Olympia. To attend, RSVP via email to sbe@k12.wa.us. Those unable to attend in person may also join via webinar.
2. Public hearing on the rules, July 9–10: The State Board of Education (SBE) is holding a public hearing about the rules for the implementation of the new law on July 9–10. ESN Steering Committee member League of Education Voters (LEV) is organizing public comment on the rules.

To learn more ways to get involved in the rules process, please contact the League of Education Voters State Field Director, Kelly Munn, at kelly@educationvoters.org.

The members of the Excellent Schools Now coalition are disappointed in the U.S. Department of Education's decision today to revoke Washington state's waiver from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements. School districts in our state will now lose flexibility in the use of nearly $40 million in Title I funds that go toward low-income students who need it the most.

Our state Legislature failed to pass a bill during the 2014 session that would have prevented this from happening. Our state could have maintained its NCLB waiver with a one-word fix (from "may" to "must") on student growth scores being one of multiple measures of assessment in teacher and principal evaluations.

As a result of losing the NCLB waiver, the majority of the schools in our state will be listed as needing improvement or failing under NCLB requirements. And school districts will be required to send letters to parents explaining why their schools are not making measurable, annual progress in improving student learning.

Instead of using those valuable federal funds – in a strategic and timely manner – for such programs as early learning, intervention supports for struggling students or extended-day or after-school programs, our state’s school districts will now have to direct those monies to pay for such things as transporting students to other "non-failing" schools. This does not serve our state's students.

While this decision is disappointing and undeniably bad for our state's neediest students, it is not final. Excellent Schools Now will continue to advocate for Washington's neediest students through a fix in our state law during the 2015 legislative session so Washington state can reapply for and reacquire the valuable federal waiver from punitive, outdated NCLB requirements.

During the 2014 legislative session, the ESN Coalition Steering Committee led a coordinated, statewide advocacy campaign that organized thousands of parents, ran online and newspaper ads, and collected nearly 1,000 signatures through an online petition. The petition signatures were delivered to Washington legislators in the form of "diplomas."

Read about ESN's efforts on the campaign and about the final "diploma" delivery!

Update: Read the proposed rules for the implementation of the College and Career Ready Diploma.

Passage of new College and Career Ready Diploma ends 8-year effort to strengthen Washington's diploma

OLYMPIA -- With overwhelming bipartisan support, the Washington legislature approved a new high school diploma designed by the State Board of Education to better prepare students for college and career. It goes to Governor Inslee next, who is expected to sign the bill into law.

The new diploma, which adds additional credits in science, art, world language, and career and technical education, will ensure that students graduate from high school prepared to meet expectations of Washington colleges and employers.

Thank you to those who were able to join us yesterday at our annual legislative luncheon!

We enjoyed an engaging discussion about ESN's legislative priorities with approximately 80 luncheon attendees, including representatives from ESN Coalition members America's Edge, Afrique Service Center, Black Collective, Black Education Strategy Roundtable, College Spark, Democrats for Education Reform, eMode, League of Education Voters, Parents for Student Success, Partnership for Learning, Schools Out Washington, Stand for Children, Tabor 100, Teach for America, Teachers United, Technology Alliance, Umoja Peace Center, Vibrant Schools, and Washington State PTA.

We were pleased to welcome State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn; Representatives Kristine Lytton and Chad Magendanz; Washington State Board of Education Member Tre Maxie; and Senior Education Policy Advisor for Governor Jay Inslee, Marcie Maxwell. In addition, staff from the offices of Senators Bruce Dammeier, David Frockt, and Bob Hasegawa attended the luncheon.

Following up on the meeting, please join ESN in our call for a College and Career Ready Diploma. Only 4 in 10 graduating high school seniors meet the basic admissions requirements to get into a public university in Washington. As a state that prides itself for an innovative, entrepreneurial, and intellectual spirit, we need to be sure that all of our kids are ready for college and career.

There are two ways to show your support:

1. Sign our petition, which we will deliver to legislators: http://bit.ly/college-and-career-ready 
2. Attend the House Education Committee meeting tomorrow, 1/23. HB 2181 on "Authorizing and supporting career and college ready graduation requirements adopted by the state board of education" will be discussed.

The Excellent Schools Now Coalition is holding our annual Legislative Luncheon on Tuesday, January 21, 2014, in the General Administration Building Auditorium in Olympia.
 
Legislators will have the opportunity to join constituents, parents, education advocates, businesses, and community organizations from across Washington to discuss progress on A+ Washington, our five-year roadmap to transforming education, and what we can do together to improve public education opportunities and outcomes for all our students.Legislators will have the opportunity to join constituents, parents, education advocates, businesses, and community organizations from across Washington to discuss progress on A+ Washington, our five-year road map to transforming education, and what we can do together to improve public education opportunities and outcomes for all our students.

• WHEN: Tuesday, January 21, 2014
• WHERE: General Administration Building Auditorium, 210 11th Ave SW, Olympia

AGENDA 
11 a.m. – Welcome & Social
Dave Powell, Stand for Children

11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – Review of 2014 Priorities & Advocacy Training
Chris Korsmo, League of Education Voters
Kelly Munn, League of Education Voters
Kevin Washington, Tabor 100

12:00 to 12:45 p.m. – Lunch and Table Discussion with Legislators

12:45 to 1:00 p.m. Reflections on Table Discussion & Closing
Jana Carlisle, Partnership for Learning
Lynne Tucker, Schools Out Washington

1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Voluntary Activities
Tour of the Capitol building
Visits to key legislators' offices

Each ESN member organization is strongly encourages to participate. Please RSVP by Thursday, January 16, with who from your organization will attend to Kim Martinez, kim@partnership4learning.org.

If you need transportation to and from the event, please contact Kelly Munn, kelly@educationvoters.org, by Wednesday, January 15. Please also note that reimbursement for mileage and parking is available for ESN members.

SEATTLE -- The Excellent Schools Now (ESN) coalition, which released the widely endorsed A+ Washington plan in 2012, continues its vision for a better state education system by pursuing and encouraging legislation in 2014 that will help prepare all students for college, work and life.

ESN is a coalition of nearly 40 education, business and community-based organizations in Washington state working to achieve meaningful education reform that increases student achievement. ESN’s steering committee is comprised of the League of Education Voters, Partnership for Learning, Schools Out Washington, Stand for Children Washington and Tabor 100.

The 2014 policy priorities for Excellent Schools Now are as follows:

• Career- and college-ready diploma: Authorize the State Board of Education’s 24-credit “Career- and College-Ready Graduation Requirements,” beginning with the class of 2019. This change would more closely align high school graduation requirements with college admission requirements.
  
  
• Teacher Principal Evaluation Program (TPEP): Require all districts in Washington to use state test scores when calculating student growth for use in teacher and principal performance evaluations. This change would allow school districts to maintain local control over nearly $40 million in federal Title I funds.
  
  
• Closing opportunity and achievement gaps: Further examine and prioritize strategies that address extended learning opportunities, academic supports, partnerships, summer learning loss and culturally responsive instruction.
  
  
• Early learning: Create an integrated and a high-quality early learning system.

Excellent Schools Now has scheduled its annual legislative day for Jan. 21 where members will meet with state lawmakers and leaders to discuss the coalition’s 2014 policy priorities.

ESN formed as a coalition in 2010 and released A+ Washington in 2012, providing a framework for Washington state’s public P-12 education system to serve and improve learning for all students, especially students of color and low-income students. From 2010-13, ESN has helped shape statewide education policy to better prepare students for college and career.

Learn more: ESN 2014 Policy Priorities (PDF)
Making an impact: ESN Accomplishments 2010-13 (PDF)
Media contact: Chris Barron, (206) 625-9655, chris@partnership4learning.org
Contact ESN: info@ExcellentSchoolsNow.org
Twitter: @ESNCoalition