Teacher Appreciation Month Resolution

National Teacher Appreciation week is May 8-12. Board members recognized all teachers for their hard work and dedication and voted for a resolution to make May Teacher Appreciation Month. Many teachers were invited to the meeting to accept the resolution on behalf of all Nebraska teachers.

Teacher Appreciation Month Resolution

The NeMTSS Coherence Project

Staff from the Nebraska Department of Education presented information on the Coherence Project. A cross-agency team from NDE began working in 2019 to update the NeMTSS framework to ensure Coherence at Every Level. The State Board invested statewide ESSER funds to develop the Nebraska Coherence Project. The belief with this work is that by aligning internal and external processes at the NDE, alignment of implementation support to the existing NeMTSS implementation supports, and the build out of additional supports district burden is reduced, and resources and processes are aligned to increase student outcomes.

Coherence Project Presentation

Early Childhood Education Support

Board members approved two grants aimed at supporting early childhood education. The first grant provides coaching consultations across the state through ESUs. The program will support early childhood professional development and infrastructure.

The second grant will help provide professional development through Early Learning Connection Partnerships. Coordinators lead partnership efforts at local levels to form networks of early childhood education and care providers, private and public agencies, planning region teams, representatives from Nebraska Extension, school districts and institutions of higher education to provide professional development opportunities for adults working with young children across Nebraska.

The third set of grants will provide training required in Nebraska for free to early childhood providers at ESUs across the state.

Early Childhood Coaching

Early Learning Connection Partnerships

Free Training Programs

Financial Assistance to Early Childhood Education

Board members approved assistance to early childhood educators through the renewal of the TEACH and WAGES programs. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Nebraska® is a scholarship program for low-income professionals working in early childhood education and care programs who want to continue their education. Nebraska T.E.A.C.H. scholars work to complete associate degrees in early childhood education and eventually may complete a bachelor’s degree and obtain a Nebraska teaching certificate with an Early Childhood Inclusive endorsement.

Child Care WAGE$® NEBRASKA is a program that provides education-based salary stipends to low-wage early care and education providers working with children ages birth-five in licensed family child care settings in Nebraska. This program is designed to increase retention, education, and compensation of the early childhood workforce.

TEACH Renewal

Child Care WAGE$ Renewal

Afghan Refugee Support

The Nebraska Department of Education received a two-year Afghan Refugee School Impact Federal Grant which requires the state education agency to build state capacity including support for communities and produce and secure educational resources ensuring full accessibility, including classroom materials, parent engagement resources, computers, digital services, and internet connections.

With this grant the contractor will provide culturally and linguistically appropriate support to Afghan refugee students and their families to survive and thrive in the state of Nebraska.

Afghan Refugee Support

Innovation Grant Program

The Nebraska Department of Education Innovative Grant Fund and the Innovation Grant Program provides resources and opportunities to support the development, expansion, and investment in innovative best practices that improve education outcomes for early childhood, elementary, middle school, or high school students, transitions between any successive stages of education, or transitions between education and the workforce. Board members approved a third group of Innovation Grants.
Innovation Grants

Support for Improvement funding for Comprehensive Support for Improvement (CSI) schools

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires that each state identify schools for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI). CSI schools are the lowest 5% of Title I schools, any public high school with a graduation rate lower than 67%, and any public school with at least one student group consistently performing at or below the lowest 5% of Title I schools.

CSI School Funding