TransACT Blog

TransACT hosts as Carol Salva presents "Success for SLIFE!" A webinar that shares strategies and techniques for creating success with a a sub-population of ELs, S(L)IFE students, and offers techniques that allow for capitalization on promising trends for educating this already at-risk group of students. This webinar was recorded on Tuesday May 19th, at 9 am PT / 10 am MT / 11 am CT / 12 pm ET. 

COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus, has shuttered schools across the nation and forced the education of students to move to an online or distance learning methodology, endangering equitable access to educational programs for many students, especially English learners. This pandemic has caused disruptions in many areas, including meeting compliance requirements related to communicating with parents found in federal education laws, including the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Congress passed the staggering $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that includes the authority for the Secretary of Education to waive certain federal requirements. It also includes about $38 billion in funding for higher education and K-12 education. The Elementary and Secondary School Relief (ESSER) Fund portion of the CARES Act includes $13.5 billion for K-12 education.

The onset of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused school closures across the nation. The response for many districts is a move to an online or distance learning environment, but the elimination of face-to-face interaction between teachers and students is creating new challenges in parent communications and exacerbating gaps in equitable access for all students, especially those that do not have access to laptops and those that are English Learners.

On April 15, 2019, TransACT published a letter to help states and districts communicate about the federal Public Charge Policy Final Rule, and is currently in the process of making amendments and updates to the free public charge Information letter.

TransACT Communications, a leader in providing school districts and State Departments of Education with guidance and resources to support authentic family engagement in compliance with federal law, also provides resources for parent communication related to pertinent, urgent current events.  Our “Free Public Letters” are available to educators, regardless of their subscription status with TransACT^® ParentNotices. 

(Seattle, WA, February 21, 2020) TransACT Communications, LLC (“TransACT”), a leading SaaS provider of engagement, compliance and payment solutions for the education market, has received a strategic growth investment from the Polaris Growth Fund (“PGF”). PGF is a software-focused, specialized affiliate fund of Polaris Partners, a Boston-based private investment firm with two decades of technology investing experience.

Supporting parent and family engagement compliance with a mobile-centric, secure, trackable, integrated, and inclusive update to our software. 

We are launching significantly enhanced features and capabilities to the TransACT^® ParentNotices interface. This is the next step in our overall mission to provide state departments of education, school district administrators, and local teachers with the latest technology to help manage compliance with parent and family engagement laws under ESSA, Section 504, and IDEA, as well as in service to students and families throughout our communities. 

Just before the holidays, the US Congress passed, and Trump signed an appropriations bill into law that funds education for the 2020-2021 school year. The funding for education includes increases for many programs with a $1.3 Billion increase overall. School districts that receive Title I, Title III, or other federal education program funding will likely see an increase in per-pupil funding in the 20-21 school year. More information about funding levels for specific programs can be found in this Education Week article.

Student achievement is the goal of any effective parent-school communications plan. Students perform better when parents and families play an active role in their education, and student outcomes across the district improve as a result of increased parent and family engagement. In an increasingly digital world, the method of delivery for parent communications (paper, email, portal, native apps, or text messaging) can have a surprising impact on parent engagement, and also equity initiatives within the district.

TransACT’s Parent Notices team looks forward to the National ESEA Conference every year. It gives us the opportunity to meet with and learn more about our current customers as well as stay up to date on the topics that are at the forefront for educators working in ESEA (ESSA) programs across the country. We’ve poured over the schedule and wanted to provide you with some presentations that we think would be worth checking out at the National Association of ESEA State Program Administrator's Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, February 4-7, 2020.