How Federal Funding Can Help Schools with Parent and Family Engagement

By Phillip Smith | March 11, 2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic, disruption to routines is occurring as schools blend remote and in-classroom learning. Schools can't always efficiently conduct learning assessments online; students are often less engaged with online learning and teachers are caught between two worlds, switching teaching methods for those in the classroom and online.

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Funding Options for Meeting ESSA School-to-Home Communication Requirements

By Paige Kummer | December 30, 2020

Effective school-to-home communication plays a vital role when it comes to achieving successful student outcomes. However, staying in compliance with Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirements when communicating with parents and family members can prove quite challenging for schools and districts, especially with the increases to Parent and Family Engagement requirements under ESSA.

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New Languages Available for ESSA Parent Notices

By Dr. David Holbrook | November 5, 2020

To meet federal and civil rights requirements, school administrators must provide parent communications in a language parents can understand. Administrators are specifically required to meet these communication requirements for the top 5 languages in their district.

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Using Some of the $13.5B in K12 CARES Act ESSER Funds to Support K12 Parent Engagement

By Dr. David Holbrook | April 9, 2020

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.

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Delivering Parent Communications in a Distance Learning Environment

By Dr. David Holbrook | April 3, 2020

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.

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Noteworthy Sessions at the 2020 National ESEA Conference

By Dr. David Holbrook | January 30, 2020

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. 

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Webinar: Changes to Requirements for Students in Foster Care under ESSA

By Alyssa Thornley | November 15, 2019

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) resulted in significant changes for requirements related to students in foster care in both the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and Title I of the ESEA/ESSA.  

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Changes to School Improvement Under ESSA

By Dr. David Holbrook | September 16, 2019

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) made some significant changes to how schools are identified as "in improvement."

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Webinar: Increases in Parent and Family Engagement Requirements

By Dr. David Holbrook | September 3, 2019

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) shifted the responsibility for some requirements of federal mandates to be determined in ESSA States plans.  

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Webinar - Funding Your TransACT Parent Notice Collection

By Dr. David Holbrook | June 12, 2019

This year, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) took full-effect, including the addition of monitoring visits by the federal government. It is imperative, not only to satisfy the legal requirements of ESSA, but also to fulfill the spirit behind the legislation: improving student outcomes for all learners.  

Your district can accomplish this by keeping the following items in mind:  

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