Blog

Dear Colleagues, The fun of summer has ended and the excitement of a new school year has taken its place. I hope that you had time to recharge and relax over the summer and are ready to welcome your [...]

Dear Colleagues: I trust that each of you has had a time to rest and recharge this summer.  It’s hard to believe the new school year is upon us!  And with the new school year comes a renewed push [...]

Dear Friends, I hope that the conclusion of the school year has been smooth and rewarding for you and your staffs—and that the summer holds some time for relaxation and rejuvenation.  In the world of federal programs, your LEA [...]

Dear Colleagues, I hope that many of you—and your building level administrators—were able to participate in the virtual Equitable Services Institute earlier this month.  It was well-attended and the questions asked were thoughtful and indicative of the involvement of [...]

Dear Colleagues, I last wrote to you in anticipation of the 11th annual Equitable Services Institute (ESI22).  It was great to see so many of you in person.  At that time, I also noted that 2023 was going to [...]

One of the key aspects of being prepared for consultation is how to define and focus on the needs of the students who you hope will be positively impacted by the infusion of federal education program services.  Keep in [...]

Many of you could probably write the book on the consultation process based on your experiences. For others, the process is new and perhaps a bit daunting. But for everyone, the consultation process is a real-time activity, changing and [...]

Consultation must include a discussion of the funding available and how this determination of the proportional share was made.  One way to help ensure transparency in funding discussions during consultation is to use worksheets that are completed together or [...]

The U.S. Department of Education released draft guidance for ESEA Title VIII Equitable Services on March 29, 2022. The guidance is open to comment and suggestions through April 29, 2022. This guidance governs all programs that require the equitable participation [...]

Dear Colleagues: As many of you may have seen or heard, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has released final regulations for the EANS program authorized by the American Rescue Plan (EANS II).  These final regulations follow a period of [...]

Dear Colleagues: Most states are in the final stage of application for EANS funding—Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools.  This is the first phase of EANS and a second EANS, authorized by the American Rescue Plan—will follow in late summer or [...]

Dear Colleagues: The theme for today is SO.MUCH.MONEY!  When do we ever hear that in private education?!?!  A total of three COVID relief bills have been signed into law and each of them has benefits for private school students.  The [...]

Dear Colleagues: It’s a big week in the middle of February!  We started the week off with Valentine’s Day, followed by Mardi Gras, and pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Hopefully, this finds all of you safe and snug [...]

Dear Colleagues: Let me start by telling you there’s been a change in the timeline for the implementation of EANS.  Previously, the applications from the Governors to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) were due on February 8.  There has [...]

Dear Colleagues: Today I will continue adding to the information I’ve shared regarding the Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools (EANS) program.  As you’re aware, this is a program specifically to benefit private schools and their students through services provided by [...]

Dear Colleagues:   Last week I wrote about the broad outlines of the EANS program that is providing assistance to private schools in their efforts to meet the needs of their students due to the pandemic.  Today I’d like to continue with that topic but focus on [...]

Dear Colleagues: It’s been some time since I’ve written a blog to the field and SO much has happened!  We have a new COVID relief program with benefits for private school students, there is new IDEA draft guidance out for [...]

Dear Colleagues: It was great that many of you were able to join me for Catapult Learning’s 9th annual Equitable Services Institute (ESI20).  Whether you were able to attend or not, I wanted to make you aware of some new [...]

Dear Colleagues: I hope this note finds you and your loved ones happy and healthy during this crazy time we call the year 2020. You may have already received an invitation from Catapult Learning to attend the VIRTUAL Equitable Services [...]

Dear Colleagues: I hope this finds each and every one of you safe and healthy.  I am sure you are in the midst of planning for the 2020-21 school year, including the equitable participation of private school students in federal [...]

Dear Colleagues: Today I am continuing the series of support documents that are combined around ESSA programs, IDEA, and the CARES Act.  All programs that require equitable participation require timely and meaningful consultation, and the foundation of the program development [...]

Dear Colleagues: Happy Memorial Day!  Although this was a holiday weekend unlike those in the past, I hope it was a good time for each and every one of you to re-boot and re-focus. Last week I sent you by [...]

Dear Colleagues: First and foremost, I hope that this letter finds you and your families safe and healthy.  As the school year begins to wind down in much of the country, the work of federal programs may actually increasing.  Over [...]

Dear Colleagues, Thank you to those who able to attend either of the webinars last week on Equitable Services and the CARES Act. A special thank you to Catapult Learning for sponsoring these webinars. Today’s mailing includes a PDF of the slides used [...]

Dear Colleagues in Private Education: Peace and all good things! I hope, first and foremost, that all of you are well and that your family and friends are safe and healthy. Today, I am writing a preliminary summary of the [...]

Those of you that tuned into the March 12 webinar were among the first to experience a basic explanation of the new Title I guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education on March 11. We switched gears slightly to [...]

The final webinar in the 2018–19 Consultation Series was focused on safeguards and strategies. I hope that those of you who joined me found the information helpful! If you missed the webinar, you can view it here. We are still planning [...]

Thank you to those who joined my January 29th webinar, The Consultation Process: Developing and Using a Needs Assessment Effectively. During the webinar, we focused on Titles I, IIA, III, and IVA—examining the program purpose, the services that can be [...]

Thank you to those who joined my December 19th webinar, The Consultation Process: Getting a Handle on Funding, on the topic of funding for equitable services. The goal—and I hope it was accomplished—was to focus just on the funding aspects [...]

In the webinar, The Consultation Process: A Review, I review the consultation process as it pertains to the equitable participation of private school students, teachers, and parents in programs authorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Many of you [...]

The next webinar focuses on Title II, III, and IV, so I want to highlight funding and fiscal data to help you to obtain this information from your district. This will directly apply to the content we will cover in our final [...]

This is the second blog in my Spring 2018 Blog & Webinar Series on ESSA implementation. Today’s topic is the Title I program and its expansion of services under ESSA.   Title I is the largest federal elementary and secondary education [...]

This time last year, I wrote a series of blogs about the ESSA consultation process. I hope that the information and consultation tips I provided were helpful and made your experience consulting with the public school district productive for you [...]

Today is the final in this series of emails on the consultation process. I hope you have found them useful and can refer to them in preparation for your consultation meetings with public school officials. As I mentioned in my [...]

Today I am continuing this series of consultation tips by focusing on the Title III program for English Learners and Immigrant Children and Youth. This is a program that does not see a great deal of participation by private school [...]

The last few emails have focused on the Title I program. Today I'm switching gears just a bit and moving into the Title IIA program. Title IIA for professional development has many additional uses under ESSA, and perhaps significantly more [...]

Today's email topic for consultation is services under Title I. ESSA provides a great deal more flexibility in the use of Title I funds than was previously allowed under No Child Left Behind. As you enter into consultation with your [...]

This email continues the tips for making consultation the best it can be for your students. One of the most important issues regarding Title I that you can initially concentrate on is the count of low-income students. As you're aware, [...]

Today I am continuing a series of "consultation tips" emails on the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In the last email for consultation tips, I explained the new funding method for determining the amount of funds available for equitable [...]

This email continues a series of consultation tips and techniques designed to help you make the most of your opportunity for timely and meaningful consultation with your public school counterparts. Today's consultation focus is on the determination of funds under [...]

Last week I began a series of emails to you about consultation and the current state of ESSA. I hope you are finding the information helpful as you prepare for consultation. One topic that I want to cover for you [...]

Questions about ESSA implementation as it applies to equitable services began surfacing when the U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, issued a letter in early March indicating that the U.S. Department of Education would rescind regulations promulgated during the previous [...]

It's that time of year when we are coming into a new season. Spring? Well, yes and very welcome, but not what I had in mind. Baseball? Spring training is in full swing, but as much as I enjoy baseball, [...]