FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. Secretary of Education Approves Montana’s ESSA Plan
January 19, 2018
HELENA—U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today that she has given her approval to Montana’s state plan under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Superintendent Arntzen spoke on the phone with Secretary DeVos this afternoon about Montana’s plan.
“I want to recognize all of the Montana parents, educators, and business, tribal, and community leaders who helped create Montana’s ESSA plan,” Superintendent Arntzen said Friday. “Now that Montana’s plan has been approved, I look forward to working with communities to fully implement it and ensure that all Montana students have the opportunity to succeed.”
Montana’s ESSA plan will:
- Support academic growth in all of Montana’s unique student populations
- Engage families and communities in positive academic transitions
- Promote local control and flexibility
- Raise mental health and suicide prevention awareness
- Drive focus on STEM and CTE education at earlier ages
- Increase student awareness of opportunities to be community, career, and college ready
- Help recruit and retain high-quality teachers, especially in our rural communities
Montana’s ESSA plan has received support from diverse stakeholders across the state, including:
U.S. Senator Steve Daines
Governor Steve Bullock
The Montana Parent Teacher Association
The Montana Rural Education Association
The Montana School Counselors Association
The Montana School Boards Association
MEA-MFT
School Administrators of Montana
The Montana Quality Education Coalition
Montana’s approval letter is attached. The Department of Education’s press release can be found at: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases
More information about Montana’s ESSA plan can be found at: http://opi.mt.gov/Leadership/Academic-Success/Every-Student-Succeeds-Act-ESSA
###
CONTACT: Dylan Klapmeier
Director of Communications, Montana Office of Public Instruction
dylan.klapmeier@mt.gov
406-444-3559