Conducted with the input of 24 peer reviewers, such as former state superintendents, district leaders and school improvement experts, the report focuses on how states will use the flexibility to choose school improvement models allowed under ESSA. Author Liz Ross of HCM Strategists also references the Obama-era School Improvement Grant program, which researchers found largely unsuccessful.
“Given the lessons learned from the SIG program, it is fair to ask: how can we be sure that districts will not continue to take the path of least resistance when provided with more flexibility under the law?” she writes.
