Add as a preferred source on Google

Secretary DeVos Releases Guide to Help Families Understand School Report Cards

  • 11/07/18

Washington, D.C. – Building on her commitment to empower parents and guardians with relevant, transparent information on their local schools, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos released today a resource guide to understanding state and local report cards required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

ESSA directs states and districts to publish report cards that show important measures of state, district and school performance, and progress. Specifically, states and districts will report on graduation rates, student achievement, school climate, state accountability, teacher qualifications and other key indicators. For the first time ever, states will be required to report funding from federal, state and local sources, and how much money is spent per pupil. Parents will be able to utilize this valuable information to make informed decisions about their child’s current education, as well as future learning pathways.

“Parents deserve to know what is happening in their child’s school,” said Secretary DeVos. “They should not have to parse through a 500-page legal document to understand how a law or policy affects their children’s education. This guide demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing parents with user-friendly tools and the information necessary to make informed decisions. Informed parents become empowered and engaged parents who are able to better advocate on behalf of their children.”

For more information on ESSA report cards, please see the parent guide that is available here. ESSA requires that report cards be concise, understandable and accessible to the public.

Featured

  • classroom with crystal ball on top of a desk

    Call for Opinions: Spaces4Learning 2026 Predictions for Educational Facilities

    As 2025 winds to a close, the Spaces4Learning staff is asking its readers—school administrators, architects, engineers, facilities managers, builders, superintendents, designers, vendors, and more—to send us their predictions for educational facilities in 2026.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.

  • Geometric abstract school illustration

    How Design Shapes Learning and Success

    Can the color of a wall, the curve of a chair, or the hum of fluorescent lights really affect how a student learns? More schools are beginning to think so.

  • Los Angeles City College Breaks Ground on New Administration, Workforce Building

    Los Angeles City College (LACC) in Los Angeles, Calif., recently broke ground on a new $72-million administrative facility, according to a news release. The Cesar Chavez Administration and Workforce Building will stand four stories, cover 67,230 square feet, and play home to a wide variety of the school’s educational and administrative services.

Digital Edition