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, ÒI want to be part of the
process.Ó
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