For Immediate Release: April 7, 2015
Contact: Renée Rybak Lang, 703.740.4841, renee.lang@nasbe.org

NASBE Announces 2015 Stipend Grantees to Advance Policy Work in School Leadership, Common Core, Deeper Learning, and Next Generation Science Standards

Alexandria, Va. — The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) has awarded stipends to five state and territorial boards of education—Delaware, Guam, Kansas, Virginia, and Wyoming—to advance state education reform in School Leadership, Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and Deeper Learning. The grant awards will support policy efforts in these states through December 2015. The stipends, which total $58,500, are part of NASBE’s ongoing efforts to strengthen state boards of education in their efforts to ensure that every student is prepared for college, career, and civic success. NASBE awarded grants to states and territories whose plans cover strategies for gathering knowledge and raising awareness; creating, implementing, and evaluating policy; building boards’ leadership capacity; and strengthening partnerships and communications efforts. NASBE also encouraged states to develop “connected” plans for multiple stipends, enabling award winners to leverage increased funding for their work while promoting greater coherence across policy areas.
  • Delaware, a second-year grantee, will enhance its state board’s ability to advance policies that encourage Deeper Learning and college, career, and civic success. Delaware will conduct webinars, workshops, retreats, and other events on CCSS and NGSS standards implementation, state accountability, assessments, high school graduation requirements, and superintendent evaluation systems.
  • Guam, also a second-year grantee, will use its stipend for work in NGSS, CCSS, and School Leadership. Specific to NGSS, the funds will update science curriculum and resources. The Guam Board of Education will use a mix of tools to raise awareness about college, career, and civic readiness and school leadership issues, including workshops and student college and career fairs. The board will also create an online archive of leadership best practices for educators seeking professional development.
  • Kansas has been awarded a School Leadership stipend. The Kansas State Board of Education will support the professional growth of rural administrators, with an eye toward bolstering retention. Raising awareness at the statehouse around the unique needs of rural school leaders and districts is also a key focus.
  • Virginia’s stipend supports work in Deeper Learning. The Virginia State Board of Education will expand its knowledge of deeper learning practices, review relevant policies, and consider changes to the state standards of accreditation for schools, the state report card, and high school graduation requirements. The board will assess how these policy levers can best be used to ensure students graduating from the state’s schools are prepared for college, career, and civic success.
  • Wyoming will use its stipend for work in NGSS, CCSS, and School Leadership.  The Wyoming State Board of Education will develop a comprehensive, inclusive process to review and adopt science standards, and it will craft a communications plan to ease the transition to new standards and clarify the importance of higher standards and increased accountability. Partnering with Wyoming Center for Educational Leadership at the University of Wyoming (WyCEL), the board will also implement a comprehensive school leadership training program.

“One of NASBE’s primary roles is helping state boards of education be more effective in policy development and implementation,” says NASBE Executive Director Kristen Amundson. “These stipends are an opportunity for five state and territorial boards of education to not only strengthen their internal capacity but to model what they learn for all states to follow.”NASBE’s work in CCSS, NGSS, School Leadership, and Deeper Learning, is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Wallace Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, respectively. NASBE’s state stipend project is funded as a part of these grants. The state grants were awarded on a competitive basis.

The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. Our principal objectives are to strengthen state leadership in education policymaking, advocate equality of access to educational opportunity, promote excellence in the education of all students, and ensure responsible lay governance of education. Learn more at www.nasbe.org.

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