Project Activities
Research question
- What strategies did states and districts use to help students meet state content standards?
- What types of assessments did states and districts use to assess student and school performance, and how were those assessment and other data used?
- How did states and districts identify and support their lowest-performing schools?
- How did states and districts support the educator pipeline, and what supports were provided to improve educator effectiveness?
Structured Abstract
Design
National data were collected at the end of school years 2013–14, 2017–18, 2020–21, and 2021–22. These data included surveys of all state Title I and Title II coordinators and nationally-representative samples of districts, and in some of the data collections, surveys of schools and teachers within those districts. The evaluation also drew on existing data, such as state-level student achievement data from Department data sources as well as information from ESSA state plans. Responses to survey questions were tabulated into descriptive statistics (such as percentages) and simple statistical tests (such as tests for differences between percentages) for the first three timepoints and would have been tabulated for the fourth timepoint. These tabulations provided a snapshot at the first three timepoints and described aggregate changes over time.
Key findings
From the second report based on data collected during the 2017–18 school year (transition to ESSA):
- Most states had not significantly changed their content standards by 2017–18, and districts increasingly provided supports to implement them. By 2013, all but 4 states had adopted the Common Core standards. Although many states subsequently renamed their standards, only 14 reported making major changes to them by 2018. A larger share of districts reported assisting implementation of state standards in 2018 compared to 2014, for example by using textbooks aligned with state content standards (80% of districts in 2014 vs. 94% in 2018).
- States broadened the measures they used to identify struggling schools, and more districts reported specific improvement activities at these schools. Between 2014 and 2018, more states held schools accountable for students' attendance, achievement growth, and test scores in subjects beyond reading and math (14, 20, and 9 more states, respectively). Districts increasingly reported that their struggling schools implemented improvement strategies such as providing professional development to teachers on working in teams (61% of districts in 2014 vs. 93% in 2018).
- States and districts increasingly used performance data as a means to support effective teaching. Between 2014 and 2018, 9 more states used measures of teacher performance — such as their evaluation ratings or students' achievement growth — to assess whether students have equitable access to high-quality teaching. Districts increasingly used teachers' evaluation ratings to identify and support low performers between 2014 and 2018, for example with individualized professional development that included coaching, mentoring, or peer assistance (84% of districts in 2014 vs. 95% in 2018).
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
The first report, titled Implementation of Title I and II-A Program Initiatives: Results from 2013–14, was released in January 2017.
A snapshot, titled How States and Districts Support Evidence Use in School Improvement, was released in June 2020.
The second report, titled The Transition to ESSA: State and District Approaches to Implementing Title I and Title II–A in 2017–18, was released in December 2020.
A snapshot, titled State and District Strategies to Reduce Dropouts, was released in September 2021.
A supplemental volume, titled Implementation of Key Federal Education Policies in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic: State and District Actions During the 2020–21 School Year, was released in October 2024.
A supplemental volume, titled The Implementation of Title I and Title II-A Program Initiatives: Compendium of Survey Results From 2021–22, was released in October 2024.
Restricted-use files containing de-identified data from the 2013–14, 2017–18, and 2020–21 data collections are available for the purposes of replicating study findings and secondary analysis.
The contract for this study was canceled in February 2025. NCEE is evaluating what additional publications, if any, may arise from this work.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
