These reflections have been prepared by the staff of the Next Generation Accountability Learning Community (NGALC). The NGALC is a group of roughly two dozen New England educators interested in the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) from the perspective of small-to-midsize urban districts. In the pages that follow, we summarize foundational questions that this learning community is confronting for the benefit of readers concerned about the future of accountability in the small-to-midsize city context. This dispatch is the first in a series of texts that will document the learning community’s progress and engage a wider group of stakeholders in our timely dialogue.
The NGALC gathered recently in Boston for the first of three summer meetings. Members in attendance included state agency officials, classroom teachers, superintendents, principals, and union representatives. Many of these participants wear several hats as education leaders at school, district, and state levels, within professional associations, and across realms of policy and practice. They were joined by project advisors and staff.
The first session focused on opportunities and challenges ESSA presents small-to-midsize urban districts with a deep dive look at measures of academic achievement and student growth.