Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Not Just a Box Checking Exercise: Disaggregated Data is More than a Federal Requirement




New Brief from Data Quality Campaign, Learning Heroes and National PTA highlights how to more effectively report data on student groups

WASHINGTON (October 29, 2019) – Families and communities deserve to know whether their local schools are serving the needs of every student. But 41 states failed to include student performance information for at least one federally required student group on their report cards, and many did not include contextual language necessary for users to understand why the data is useful and how to use it. Without access to disaggregated data – information about student performance broken down by different student groups – that is easy to access and interpret, families and parents can’t understand how different groups of students are being served or act on that information.

A new brief from the Data Quality Campaign (DQC), Learning Heroes and National PTA, “Disaggregated Data: Not Just a Box Checking Exercise,” underscores that disaggregated data is not only essential for understanding how schools serve different groups of students, but also key to identifying opportunity gaps and confronting persistent barriers to student success. State leaders must make sure that families have the data they deserve to ensure that their students get a high-quality, equitable education.

“States must recognize that publicly sharing this information isn’t just a federal requirement, it’s a moral imperative. It shouldn’t fall to parents to find and decipher this information about how schools are serving their children,” said DQC President and CEO Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger. “Families and communities deserve this information – and failing to publicly share it represents a fundamental lack of transparency. As states continue to improve their state-level report cards, they have an obligation to show families and communities that state leaders know this information is valuable and that they want to share it with those who need it to make the right decisions for students.”

State leaders also need to consider their audience when talking about school and student data, as terms like “disaggregation” and “subgroup” can be unfamiliar and even offensive. The brief urges state leaders to consider replacing the outdated term “subgroups” with “groups of students” and defining disaggregation as information broken down by different student groups.

"From our extensive research among a diverse set of parents and guardians, we’ve clearly heard that disaggregated data without specific context around the purpose and intended use is often misinterpreted by parents as an exercise in shaming," said Learning Heroes Founder and President Bibb Hubbard. “The purpose behind the data is to ensure all student groups' needs are being met, and that context is critical. We've been encouraged by the states that have already led the way and look forward to many more to follow.”

State leaders can communicate the value of disaggregated data by:

·       making the data easier to find on school report cards – their most public-facing resource on school quality; and 
·       adding context for the data, including more complete explanations so that users understand why it is being shared and how they could use it to advocate for their students and schools.

“Parents want and deserve meaningful data and transparency on how schools are educating students like theirs. Being empowered with this information is critical to ensure their child is provided a high-quality education and opportunities to reach their full potential,” said National PTA President Leslie Boggs. “It is essential that states make sure report cards and data are accessible and understandable to parents and ensure that schools are held accountable for providing all students with the high-quality education they deserve.”

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About the Data Quality Campaign
The Data Quality Campaign is a nonprofit policy and advocacy organization leading the effort to bring every part of the education community together to empower educators, families, and policymakers with quality information to make decisions that ensure that students excel. For more information, go to www.dataqualitycampaign.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@EdDataCampaign).

About Learning Heroes
Learning Heroes informs and equips parents to support their children’s academic and developmental success. Through unprecedented parent research, development of research-based communications, and partnerships with local and national organizations (including local and state education agencies, civil rights organizations, parent organizations, and more), we work to give parents a more accurate and complete picture of their child’s achievement so they can better advocate on behalf of their child. For more information, visit www.bealearninghero.org.

About National PTA
National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health, and welfare of children and youth. For more information, visit PTA.org.








Recruiting Parents and Caregivers for the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement State Advisory Council Deadline Extended!

Head Start Collaboration

Recruiting Parents and Caregivers for the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement State Advisory Council Deadline Extended! 

Applications are due by November 15, 2019.

The Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center is recruiting parent and caregiver members for our State Advisory Council.  We are seeking a diverse group of parents and caregivers of children birth to Grade 12 from all regions of Ohio (particularly rural regions).
Individuals are invited to apply to be a part of this wonderful opportunity to share your ideas about how Ohio families and schools can work together to support the education of all children.  Applications are limited to parents and caregivers who are not professional educators or administrators.

Please click below for more information and to apply today!
https://ohiofamiliesengage.osu.edu/state-advisory-council/








Monday, October 21, 2019

Interpreting Data Report Card Workshop




Friday, October 18, 2019

K-12 Health Standards in Ohio???

Health Education


This spring, Sen. Vernon Sykes (D) and Sen. Stephanie Kunze (D) co- sponsored SB 121, a proposed piece of legislation that would lead to the development of K-12 Ohio Learning Standards for Health.  On October 1, the Ohio Senate Education Committee heard proponent testimony around the bill. Currently, Ohio is the only state that does not have K-12 Health standards. It is the only subject area that does not have associated learning standards. The bill allows for local Boards of Education to implement the standards.  

Spotlight Resources:











Advocacy Awards!

Advocacy Awards








Nominations for National PTA’s 2020 Advocacy Awards are now being accepted! National PTA’s annual Advocacy Awards recognize outstanding youth, individual PTA advocates, and local unit and state PTAs that have done great advocacy work. Winners will be announced in January and will receive their awards at the 2020 Legislative Conference in Alexandria, VA. If you know of an outstanding youth or individual PTA advocate, or know of a local unit or state PTA that has done great advocacy work, please nominate them at www.PTA.org/AdvocacyAwards.
As many of you may already know, our four advocacy awards are the Shirley Igo Advocate of the Year Award, the Outstanding Youth Advocate of the Year Award, the Outstanding State PTA Advocacy of the Year Award, and the Outstanding Local PTA Advocacy of the Year Award. The deadline to submit a nomination is Wednesday, December 18 at 11:59 ET. You can find the nomination forms for all four awards as well as a list of the nomination requirements and rubric for each award at www.PTA.org/AdvocacyAwards.

We are counting on you to both nominate strong advocates in your states and promote the awards while nominations are open. Attached you will find a social media toolkit designed to provide sample social media and newsletter messages that can be used to share the Advocacy Awards opportunity with PTA leaders in your states.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Government Affairs at LegCon@PTA.org.













Wednesday, October 16, 2019

PTA Advocacy Spotlight Presentations


LegCon Photo Collage

We know that every day, State, regional and local PTAs across the country and around the world go above and beyond to advocate for children. Their efforts have made real, tangible improvements for children, families and communities. At this year’s Legislative Conference, we want to take the opportunity to showcase their efforts – and learn from them.

To achieve this objective, National PTA is proud to announce that this year’s Legislative Conference will feature PTA Advocacy Spotlight presentations. This is an opportunity for State, regional or local PTAs to share stories of an issue that inspired them to take action for kids. Presentations should focus on issues included in National PTA’s Public Policy Agenda and include strategies and tactics that other PTAs could emulate.

We are currently accepting proposals for PTA Advocacy Spotlights. The application and additional information about PTA Advocacy Spotlight presentations can be found here. This link will take you directly to the application. The LegCon web page (www.PTA.org/LegCon) will be updated next week and will include a link to the application as well as the scoring rubric.

We encourage you to consider submitting a proposal and to share this opportunity with your members.  We appreciate your support in making your members aware of this unique opportunity.

Applications for PTA Advocacy Spotlight close on November 12 at 11:59 pm ET.


If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Government Affairs staff at LegCon@PTA.org






Monday, October 14, 2019












Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Data and Student Privacy

    • Join National PTA on October 22 at 8:00 pm ET for an informative webinar on education data and student privacy. Brennan McMahon Parton from Data Quality Campaign (DQC) will discuss what parents need to know about education data, its uses and why it’s important. Then Amelia Vance from the Future of Privacy Forum will provide an explanation of federal privacy laws, how they protect student data, and what parents should know about their rights and responsibilities.

To register, go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7335565949430892556.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
















Friday, October 4, 2019

NOTES FROM THE BACKPACK / A PTA PODCAST




National PTA has launched a new podcast that benefits parents regardless if they’re a part of PTA or not. This podcast will cover relevant topics like does recess even matter anymore, the transition to middle school and how to ask the right questions at parent-teacher conferences. Each episode is an in-depth conversation with education experts and influencers that’s still relatable and easy to follow.









Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Membership Matters

Join the Ohio Partnership PTA and/or your local area PTA! For the cost of a fancy cup of coffee, you can join millions of PTA members across America as we support and advocate for ALL CHILDREN! A one-year membership is only $5. JOIN NOW!