Shoshone Business Council Meeting - Wyoming Department of Education

Dear Superintendents,

Several members of the WDE staff and I had the opportunity to spend time in Fremont County this week. The main purpose was to talk with the Shoshone Business Council about ESSA. We also held listening sessions, participated in a tri-district discussion about the implementation of the Indian Education for All bill, met with Fremont #1 leaders, and spoke about education with community groups.

ESSA requires deliberate and formal consultation with tribal governments and we were able to “mark that box.” More importantly, the discussion was part of an ongoing dialogue about Native American learners and schools. At the forefront of our conversations was school improvement.

ESSA gives states the latitude to tailor school and district improvement strategies more so than under NCLB. The SIG program no longer exists, and instead there is a 7% state set-aside under Title I for school improvement activities (which is an increase from the 4% required by NCLB and is intended to offset the elimination of SIG). ESSA is prescriptive about identifying schools for the most comprehensive and targeted interventions and support but specific evidence-based strategies are left up to states. As we move closer to implementing our ESSA state plan, we will work together to build out specific needs, evaluation, and incentives for school improvement.