Title II funds: teachers MUST be involved:

ADE talk at ASU by Steve Larson

on June 22, 2016 (notes by Jane.Jackson@asu.edu. updated in February 2019)

Contact information: Steve Larson M.Ed., Director - Effective Teachers and Leaders,

Arizona Department of Education, 1535 West Jefferson Bin 45, Phoenix, AZ 85007.

Ph - 602-542-3532 Fax - 602-542-5010 Steve.Larson@azed.gov

Steve Larson, the ADE Director of the Federal TItle II program, gave an insightful talk on Wednesday, June 22, 2016 to ~60 physics and chemistry teachers at ASU. He talked on Title II in ESSA, the re-authorization of "No Child Left Behind". I posted his Powerpoint presentation at

http://modeling.asu.edu . Scroll down to the bottom of the page, in the section called "Arizona Community".

My notes:

ESSA = Every Student Succeeds Act (passed in Dec. 2015).

LEA = local education agency (i.e., a school district or a charter school)

ADE= Arizona Department of Education

EFFECTS OF ESSA ON HIGHLY QUALIFIED (HQ) REQUIREMENTS:

* No effect on Arizona teachers in district schools.

* Teachers in charter schools need to be HQ this year, but not next year and beyond.

* Teachers in private schools are not subject to ESSA.

HOW TITLE II FUNDS ARE DISTRIBUTED TO LEAs:

(In NCLB, the allocation was 65% determined by poverty, 35% determined by population.)

In ESSA, the allocation is 80% determined by poverty, 20% determined by population.)

Thus Arizona will get MORE Title II funds, because it has more poverty than most states.

TITLE II FUNDS ARE FOR TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, not students. * The key word is effective; funds are to improve effectiveness.

* Professional development must be research-based, involve data, and be ongoing (ex. follow-up in the LEA to benefit other teachers).

* Examples: Funds can be used to build capacity of teachers to teach physics (by a biology teacher re-training in physics), or to become qualified by the Higher Learning Commission to teach Dual Enrollment physics. For Modeling Workshops, funds can pay ASU tuition/fees or registration for ASU Continuing Education. Ask your principal to support you, Steve said.

* Better yet, get on the committee that decides the top 3 priorities each year, for use of Title II funds. (Steve added this advice in fall 2018.) To do this, ask your district Title II coordinator.

* Retention stipends for teachers must show learning gains. (Typical stipend is $1500 to $2000.)

* It can pay teachers to prepare & deliver professional development that is research-based.

* Funds cannot be used for food!

* A two-year college can act only through a LEA and must benefit K-12 teachers, as Title II is a K-12 program.)

HOW LEAs APPLY to the ADE each year:

* The deadline is MAY 1 [as of 2018: it used to be October 1] The ADE prefers that LEAs apply earlier than May, so that ADE Title II staff can help them. Most LEAs submit something by the deadline, and then submit an amendment later. – JJ] (A district is likely to submit similar applications in succeeding years. Most districts spend all their Title II funds; they have 27 months to spend it, or it goes back to the Feds.)

* Each LEA has a Title II coordinator. This person might be called a Federal Programs Officer, or Grants and External Projects Director.

* Ask NOW to your LEA Title II coordinator. Say, “I want to be part of the process.”

HOW YOU CAN FIND OUT HOW MUCH TITLE II FUNDS YOUR LEA CAN GET in ESSA: e-mail Steve.Larson@azed.gov

ADDENDUM: see how much Title II funds your LEA got in Fiscal Year 2013, and what they spent it on, and how much is left. It is public knowledge: visit

https://www.ade.az.gov/gme/ProjectSummary/ProjectSelect.asp

Choose: 2013

Title II Improving Teacher Quality

[your school district]

Click on SHOW PROJECTS.

The school district has 27 months to use the yearly funds. If unused, they go back to the Feds.

[You can click on the Project Number, to see more. And then click at the BOTTOM of the next page, to explore PROJECT DETAIL. It shows how much Title II money the LEA gave to PRIVATE SCHOOLS in its boundaries, as required by Federal law.]

In 2013, funds were determined by poverty (65%) and population (35%).

ex. Phoenix UHSD got ~ $1,364,000

Arizona School for the Arts: none (didn't apply, apparently)

Paragon Science Academy (in Chandler): $2,300

Sonoran Science Academy (in Phoenix): $4,200

Tolleson UHSD: $248,000

Tempe UHSD: $373,000