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| Issue #217--August 6, 2015 |
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House and Senate leaders prepare for ESEA conference committee
Following the historic passage of ESEA reauthorization bills in both the House and Senate in July, Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate education committees met on July 30 to plan for a conference committee aimed at reconciling the two versions. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Senate Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), and House Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) provided optimistic comments on the process in a press release on the day of the meeting. "Fifty million children and 3.5 million teachers deserve to get a result, and we should be able to achieve that this fall," said Alexander.
Commenting on the meeting, NEA President Lily Eskelsen García commended the four leaders for quickly moving the conference process forward in a bipartisan and bicameral way, and highlighted the bipartisan effort that went into the Senate bill:
The Every Child Achieves Act is proof that members can and should work across political party lines to enact student-centered policy that will improve public education, especially for those students most in need. We urge Congress to continue to stay the course as the conference negotiations advance. We remain committed to helping move the legislative process forward to improve this already strong legislation in conference, and we will not rest until a final bill has the President's signature.
Rev. Barber: ESEA should focus on resources, not high-stakes testing
Civil rights leader Rev. William J. Barber II wrote an op-ed in The Hill calling on Congress to use the reauthorization of ESEA to help end the under-resourcing of schools. Barber, an NAACP leader and founder ofMoral Mondays in North Carolina, said that everywhere he goes he encounters underfunded schools and overworked teachers:
The seeds of justice and love that we try to sow have a hard time taking root, when they land on hungry stomachs and hopeless hearts. Kids are born as hungry to learn as they are to eat. All of them need learning environments that help them thrive and live purposeful, prosperous lives. Educational opportunities and qualified, caring teachers make this dream possible. But as we under-resource our public schools, we are not just deferring dreams, we are shriveling and stomping on them.
Barber said that the Moral Monday Movement is focused on stopping the "tea party extremist attack on our teachers, our schools, and our children. If we sit back and watch extremists destroy our University and public school systems, we are discredited before our children . . . ." Barber also criticized NCLB's test-based system of labeling and punishing schools, and called upon Congress to "fix the high stakes testing regime that has failed" and "deliver on its promise of educational opportunities for all students."
Waiver renewals continue to roll in
The Department of Education (ED) announced this afternoon that Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Wisconsin were granted NCLB waiver renewals, following a July 23announcement that Alaska, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah received renewals.
Earlier waiver renewal announcements included: Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. More renewals are expected soon.
Administration shares tools to help rethink school discipline
The White House hosted a Rethink School Discipline conference, bringing together groups of superintendents, principals, and teachers to explore ways to reduce unnecessary suspensions and expulsions and to advance safe and productive school learning environments. The conference, coordinated by ED and the Department of Justice, shared several important tools:
- A map and data table showing the percent of students who have received one or more out-of-school suspensions by district, showing significant regional differences.
- A map and data table showing the percent of students with disabilities who have received one or more out-of-school suspensions by district.
- An educator's action planning guide to addressing the root causes of disciplinary disparities.
- A resource guide for superintendent action on rethinking school discipline.
NEA and partner materials on stopping discipline practices that lead to the school-to-prison pipeline can be found here. NEA also published a related policy brief, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: A Multi-tiered Framework that Works for Every Student.
ED releases Title I schoolwide program guidance
ED sent a letter and detailed guide to chief state school officers promoting the use of Title I schoolwide program funding flexibility to improve student achievement. According to ED, the guidance "highlights specific advantages and flexibilities in schoolwide programs, identifies common misunderstandings about schoolwide programs that may persist in some LEAs [local education agencies] and schools, and serves as a resource tool for SEAs [state education agencies], LEAs, and schools." ED said that more than 70 percent of Title I schools operate schoolwide programs, but that program flexibilities are underutilized.
Take Action
For information on how you can help ensure that Congress crosses the finish line with a final ESEA bill that promotes opportunity for all students, visit NEA's Legislative Action Center. |
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| | Questions or comments?
Contact the Education Policy and Practice Department at ESEAinfo@nea.org. |
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