The Georgia ESSA Plan, submitted to the U.S. Department of Education on September 18, 2017, has become embroiled in politics as expected.  When the plan was submitted, Governor Nathan Deal refused to sign Georgia’s plan to comply with federal law, indicating to State School Superintendent Richard Woods that the plan does not set high expectations for Georgia students and is too restrictive. In his letter to Superintendent Woods, Governor Deal indicated that he refused to sign the state’s plan and that he would communicate directly with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

In a recent critique of the Georgia ESSA Plan, a U.S. Department of Education team indicates that the Georgia Plan has proposed nine  indicators of school quality and student success but lacks sufficient explanation of how the indicators will be measured and how they will be differentiated in the various schools.  In essence, the Department of Education questions whether Georgia is following ESSA’s rules.  Further, Sid Chapman, President of the Georgia Association of Educators, recently toured the state indicating his opposition to Governor Deal’s request for changes in the state’s ESSA; and Chapman, a Democrat, has also indicated that he plans to challenge Republican State School Superintendent Richard Woods in the next election.

For further information, see:

“Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal Rejects state’s Education Plan,” Atlanta Journal and constitution, September 28,2017; “Betsy DeVos Team Critiques ESSA Plans for Georgia, Utah,and Puerto Rico”, Education Week, December 15, 2017″