4 Ways to Support Student Success Initiatives by Bridging the Gap between School and Home

By Dr. David Holbrook | November 7, 2023

The gold standard of a thriving educational environment is one in which parents and teachers work towards aligned goals, the students have the latest technology at their fingertips at school and home, and communication between parties is welcomed and encouraged.

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Federal Education Funding 101: Everything You Need to Know

By Dr. David Holbrook | June 16, 2023

Published on June 16, 2023 and updated on November 9, 2023

How the Debt Ceiling Deal Could Impact Future Federal Education Funding

The U.S. Congress passed, and President Biden signed legislation to avoid defaulting on the U.S. government’s loans. Congress nearly failed to raise the debt limit, which is the amount of money the government can borrow. The U.S. actually reached the debt limit in March; however, the U.S. Treasury had been doing some fiscal juggling to avoid defaulting on the U.S. debt. If the U.S. were to have defaulted on its debt (not pay its bills), it could have had a devastating impact on both the U.S. and the world economy.

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ParentNotices | Updates and Notifications

By Dr. David Holbrook | May 23, 2023

In this blog post, you will find everything related to TransACT's ParentNotices and our ESSA ParentNotices Collection. Find all of the monthly updates below:

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Documenting Independent Student Status of Unaccompanied Youth Experiencing Homelessness for FAFSA

By Dr. David Holbrook | March 8, 2023

When the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law on December 10, 2015, it included changes to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. One of those changes required every School District to appoint a District Homeless Liaison.  

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Hidden Translation Risks: Limitations of School Notification Translators

By Dr. David Holbrook | December 1, 2022

As an education professional, we understand that you are committed to communicating effectively with your students and their families to support student success. Not only that, you’re aware of the legal obligations of presenting information in a language that all parents understand, including the parents of English learner (EL) students. After all, your goal is to build trust, share information, and show that you care about all students in your district  — regardless of which language they speak.

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NAELPA Publishes White Paper on Having an Asset-Based Mindset Toward Multilingual Learners

By Alyssa Thornley | September 22, 2022

The National Association of English Learner Program Administrators’ (NAELPA) Advocating for Multilingual Learners Committee recently posted a brief white paper, The Importance of an Asset-Based Mindset and Using Asset-Based Terminology when Referencing the ESSA Subgroup – ELs. The white paper summarizes the results of the committee’s research on this topic.

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Private School Consultation and Tribal Consultation Notices Updated

By Dr. David Holbrook | August 16, 2022

In response to guidance released by the U.S. Department of Education (USED), TransACT has updated documents in its ESSA ParentNotices Collection in two content categories:

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Pandemic Disruptions to Indian Education and Indian Health Care Concerns and Solutions

By Dr. David Holbrook | May 19, 2021

By David Holbrook, Keja Whiteman, with contributions from Jenn Runs Close To Lodge 

As part of our commitment to provide school district administrators with resources and guidance on federal program compliance and administration, we regularly publish blogs featuring guest writers. We are honored to feature a co-written article between TransACT Executive Director of Federal Programs and State Relationships, Dr. Holbrook, and his colleague Keja Nokomis Whiteman of KW Consultants LLC, with contributions from middle school educator Jenn Runs Close To Lodge. 

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Spring 2021 Release: Advanced Reporting for Easier Parent and Family Engagement Compliance in TransACT ParentNotices

By Alyssa Thornley | May 11, 2021

TransACT ParentNotices is parent engagement software that is used by school districts and state departments of education to support compliant and equitable parent engagement. Subscribers of ParentNotices have access to over 200 different expertly written and translated notices that have been legally reviewed where applicable for compliance with federal education laws. ParentNotices supports administrators in a compliant parent engagement plan and can serve as evidence of implementation in the event of a state monitoring visit.  

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$20 Billion Increase for ESSA Title I in Biden Administration’s FY2022 Proposed Budget

By Dr. David Holbrook | April 9, 2021

Every year, in order to inform the U.S. Congress of the presidential administration’s priorities, the White House releases a proposed budget for the next fiscal year (FY). The U.S. Congress is the legislative body that creates the federal law that designates the amount of funding available for the federal government and can confirm or ignore the White House’s proposed budget.

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