Directing the department of education to convene an achievement gap working group

Sponsored by the Senate Education Committee

Topics:K–12 education

Same legislation: SF 38

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Official bill page Lobbyist declarations One-pager to print

Where it is now

Done: IntroducedJanuary 10, 2023
Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 17, 2023
Done: Senate committeeFebruary 23, 2023
Stopped: Passes the SenateDied when the General Assembly ended
Next: House committee
Next: Passes the House
Next: To the Governor
Next: Signed into law

Died when the session ended The 2024 session adjourned on April 19, 2024, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?

What’s in it

AI summary The Iowa Department of Education will create a group of people to study why students of different races or ethnicities might have different levels of success in school. This group, which will include teachers and minority members, will look for the causes of these differences and suggest ways to fix them. They must then share a report with the state legislature containing their findings and recommendations.¹

Read the official explanation

This bill directs the department of education to convene an achievement gap working group. The bill requires the working group to study any disparities in academic performance between different racial or ethnic groups of students in grades kindergarten through 12. The bill establishes that if the working group determines that such disparities exist, the emphasis of the working group shall be to study potential causes of the disparities and what specific steps can be taken to reduce the disparities. The working group shall consist of not more than members, at least of whom shall be teachers who provide instruction to students enrolled in grades kindergarten through 12, and shall be bipartisan in its composition. The bill also requires minority persons to be represented in the working group. The bill prohibits the working group from meeting more than four times and allows the working group to meet either in person or by means of remote communication. The bill requires the working group to provide a report to the general assembly by December 31, 2023, detailing the working group’s findings and recommendations. The report must include recommendations on how to reduce any academic performance gap that exists between different racial or ethnic groups of students.

Full bill text²

Lobbying

12 for · 0 against · 2 undecided · Who →

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Tried before

SF 2358Cleared committee89th GA SF 2112Renumbered89th GA

90th General Assembly

SF 38Renumbered SF 389Cleared committeefrom SF 38

Earlier and later bills are matched by wording or an identical title.

Tried before

This idea has been filed in an earlier General Assembly. None got through a chamber.

SF 2358 Directing the department of education to convene an achievement gap working group
89th General Assembly · Approved by committee · same title
Cleared committee
SF 2112 Directing the department of education to convene an achievement gap working group
89th General Assembly · Renumbered as SF 2358 · same title
Cleared committee

Matched by wording or an identical title.