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© 2011 National Association of Secondary School Principals - All rights to the intellectual property contained herein, including copyrights, trademarks, and service marks, are reserved by NASSP.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Senate HELP Committee Hearing on ESEA Flexibility Waivers
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee kicked off its most recent attempt to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by holding a hearing in February to examine the state flexibility waivers that are available under the current iteration of the law, No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
Calling the ESEA waivers “Plan B,” US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan explained that the administration put forward a blueprint for ESEA reform in 2010 and only moved forward with the waivers after Congress was unable to reauthorize the law. He said that the guiding principle of ESEA flexibility is that it must first benefit students, and states must demonstrate a commitment and capacity to improve educational outcomes. Duncan also noted that the federal government does not serve as a national school board, but it does have a responsibility to set a high bar, especially for at-risk students. Duncan concluded by expressing a desire to partner with Congress to fix NCLB, which he called “fundamentally broken.”
The committee also heard from two chief state school officers whose states have received flexibility waivers: Kentucky Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday and New York Commissioner of Education John King. They discussed how the waivers have allowed them to enhance reforms already underway in their states, including a focus on student proficiency and achievement gaps, strengthening the accountability system, and improving teacher and principal evaluation. Nonetheless, both chiefs expressed their desire that state reforms developed under the waivers inform ESEA reauthorization and urged Congress to move forward. “Only reauthorization gives us long-term expectations for accountability and long-term capacity for implementation,” said Holliday.
Kati Haycock, President of The Education Trust, discussed the report her organization released the same day as the hearing, A Step Forward or a Step Back? State Accountability in the Waiver Era. She outlined four areas of concern in the waivers: 1) Although states were required to set ambitious goals for raising student performance and closing achievement gaps, these goals were not included in the school rating systems developed by many states; 2) Super subgroups that combine small subgroups of student populations are problematic in many states because they mask the true performance of some disadvantaged students; 3) Many states did not include multiple measures of student performance in their accountability systems, but instead chose to continue using only state assessments in math and English language arts; 4) Many states did not specify what districts need to do to turn around the lowest-performing schools.
Senate HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) closed the hearing with a reminder that the “federal role is to ensure that our nation’s most vulnerable children are not forgotten.” He also reaffirmed his commitment to work towards a comprehensive, bipartisan ESEA reauthorization in the next year.
Update from CQ Roll Call (3/19/13)
Despite the widespread belief that Congress has zero appetite for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act this year, leaders of the Senate education committee are testing the waters.
Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman and ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, met last week with Education Secretary Arne Duncan to discuss the prospects of crafting a bipartisan overhaul of the ESEA (PL 107-110), widely known as No Child Left Behind.
Education Department staffers are meeting with both Democratic and Republican education policy staffers on the committee to work out a potential foundation for a bill.
“Our staffs are going to be working very, very hard the next couple of weeks to see where and if there is common ground,” Duncan said Tuesday at the annual legislative conference for the Council of Chief State School Officers. “The real question is does Congress have the bandwidth, the capacity and the willingness to work in a bipartisan way? And if they do, we stand ready and able to help out any way we can. If they’re not, we’ll come back when they are ready.”
Harkin said Tuesday the three will meet again after the upcoming congressional recess to assess any paths forward.
“Our staffs are doing some work together now,” Harkin said. “We’ll just see what areas we need to work on a little bit more. It’s just trying to find a way of moving forward.”
Though moving forward could mean having to push a partisan bill through committee, Harkin said that is something he is not opposed to doing.
“I am reporting an ESEA bill out of my committee before summer,” Harkin said. “One way or the other, it’s coming out.”
Harkin and Alexander won’t be starting from scratch. They ushered a bipartisan rewrite of the law through committee last year, along with then-ranking member Michael B. Enzi, R-Wyo. But neither side was enamored enough with the bill to press Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to bring it to the floor, and so the effort expired along with the last Congress.
“In the Senate last time we started out with a lean bill and ended up with a really long bill and lots of senators had their ideas in it,” Alexander said. “I voted to get it out of committee, but I didn’t like it very much because it got too intrusive.”
The bill was sprinkled with sweeteners for both sides. For Democrats, it wrote into law the administration’s signature competitive grants, such as the Race to the Top program. It also expanded charter schools, a Republican priority.
But significant policy gaps existed: Democrats thought it lacked robust accountability standards, Republicans wanted to include language to limit federal authority over education policy, and a coalition of members from both parties wanted to include teacher evaluation requirements.
“Obviously, the current dysfunction in Washington makes me less optimistic that this can get done,” Duncan said. “But we’re going to provide whatever leadership we can do to help facilitate it.”
ESEA Waivers
Currently, thirty four states plus D.C. have been approved for waivers, and twelve states’ requests are still outstanding: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wyoming. And while California was denied its request for a waiver, 10 California school districts have applied for a customized waiver. Three states have yet to apply: Montana, Nebraska, and Vermont.
FY 2013 Appropriations/FY 2014 Budget
Sequestration
After months of anticipation and constant assurances that it would never happen, the sequester that triggers $85 billion in automatic spending cuts took effect on March 1st. Congress and the White House, in spite of reassuring the public for months that it was just too awful and they would never let it happen, failed to come up with an alternative. Because of a policy known as forward funding, most education programs will not feel the impact of the sequester until the fall. But not all programs. Headstart and Impact Aid will feel the cuts in the remaining months of this fiscal year.
For the Department of Education, the impact will be slow in coming on the one hand but fairly immediate given the constraints of teacher contracts. In total, the sequester will force cuts totaling $3 billion from education programs. That means 5.1% for every program and every activity. Because the year is truncated that 5.1% translates to something closer to a 9% decrease. Agency heads like Secretary Duncan have some limited flexibility in how the sequester is applied. If the Department were to enact furloughs they could only apply to career employees. If the Department were to prohibit all travel or cancel conferences that could reduce the overall percentage but the cuts would still have to be applied across the board.
The formula grants that include the majority of education funding that reaches states will be hard hit. Title I and IDEA grants will be reduced by $735 million and $600 million respectively. The Pell Grant program—the largest single expenditure at the Department– is exempt from the sequester this first year. Beyond specific cuts, if there are furloughs of career employees, grant reviews, release of RFPs and other services delivered by the Department are sure to be impacted.
Slowly but surely individual federal agencies are alerting their staff and grantees and the public about their sequester plans. These plans must be sent to the Congress by May 1st. Given that federal workers are in many instances unionized, negotiations between management and union leaders will also slow down the works and impact the way cuts are applied.
While it is too late for the President to negotiate changes for FY 2013, the $85 billion in sequester cuts are scheduled to occur every year over the next 9 years and total over a trillion in reduced federal spending. It is those out year cuts that he and others in Congress hope to address with a so-called grand bargain, which will only possible if Democrats agree to entitlement reforms and Republicans agree to revisit the tax code.
FY 2013 Appropriations
The FY 2013 continuing resolution (CR) for FY 2013 (HR 933) was signed into law on March 26th. The CR extends funding for education programs and other parts of the federal budget at Fiscal Year 2012 levels—minus $85 billion in automatic, across-the-board budget cuts, also known as the sequester—through September 30, 2013. The Department of Education’s share of the sequester is $2.5 billion. The CR also included an additional across-the-board budget cut of 0.2%, which works out to about $136 million of the agency’s $68 billion in discretionary funding. The CR requires all agencies to submit an operating plan to Congress showing the amounts for programs, projects, and activities by April 25.
FY 2014 Budget
Although the Executive Branch typically releases its budget proposal for the next fiscal year on the first Tuesday of February, this year’s budget was delayed while Congress finalized spending for FY 2013. President Obama recently announced that he will release the FY 2014 budget on April 10.
School Safety
In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, NASSP has been actively meeting with White House officials and members of Congress to share our recommendations on gun violence prevention and other school safety issues.
After Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) read the press statement issued by NASSP and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) opposing proposals to arm school officials, our executive directors and the leaders of the National Education Association and the National PTA met with him in January to discuss action items for the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. While the conversation focused on gun control proposals and other school safety issues, we were also able to offer recommendations on the vital need for mental health services in schools. Our organizations submitted joint recommendations to the Congressman that called for reinstating the assault weapons ban and strengthening background checks for all gun purchases; promoting access to mental health services; coordinating federal mental health, education, and justice programs; and providing school officials with the necessary skills and authority to strengthen partnerships with local social and health service providers. Click here to read the full letter.
NASSP and NAESP also submitted joint recommendations to Vice President Biden on how to prevent gun violence in schools and were asked to participate in a meeting today with senior officials from the White House, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Education. Because the principal’s responsibility is to foster a safe, orderly, warm, and inviting environment where students come to school ready and eager to learn, we urged policymakers to take preemptive measures to strengthen the ability of schools to provide coordinated services in mental health and school safety at all levels of government. We also encouraged coordination between education and health services agencies so that local communities could focus on schools as the “hub” for delivery of these services. Finally, we requested additional support for federal programs to prevent bullying and harassment in our nation’s schools, which we feel will have a dramatic impact in improving school safety and, correspondingly, student achievement for all students. Click here to read the full letter.
Legislation
Many of our recommendations on bullying prevention and mental health services in schools were reflected in legislation introduced during the 112th Congress: the Safe Schools Improvement Act, the Mental Health in Schools Act, and the Increased Student Achievement through Increased Student Support Act. NASSP has long supported these bills and expects them to be reintroduced later this year. NASSP was also pleased that Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced legislation in December to strengthen and expand the COPS Secure Our Schools program, which provides schools resources to install tip lines, surveillance equipment, secured entrances, and other safety measures. She also introduced a bill that would allow Governors to use their states’ National Guard troops to support local law enforcement in efforts related to school safety. NASSP feels that only appropriately trained law enforcement personnel should serve as school resource officers, so we would encourage states to use this flexibility in a way that would allow more local police officers to receive this training and work in schools.
White House Recommendations
At an event surrounded by school children, victims of gun violence, local law enforcement officials, and education advocates on January 16, President Obama announced his plan to protect our children and our communities by reducing gun violence. Now is the Time offers proposals in four key areas: 1) closing background check loopholes to keep guns out of dangerous hands; 2) banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines; 3) making schools safer; and 4) improving mental health services.
NASSP was pleased to see that the President took a comprehensive approach to school safety that focuses on security, bullying prevention, and mental health services. His proposal calls for $150 million for a new Comprehensive School Safety program, which will help school districts hire school resource officers, school psychologists, social workers, and counselors. Funding could also be used to purchase school-safety equipment, develop and update public safety plans, conduct threat assessments, and train “crisis intervention teams.” The Department of Justice will also develop a model for using school resource officers, including best practices on age-appropriate methods for working with students, which is strongly supported by NASSP.
By May 2013, the Departments of Education, Justice, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security will release a model, high-quality emergency management plans for schools, houses of worship, and institutions of higher education, along with best practices for training school staff and students to follow them. President Obama has also called on Congress to provide $30 million in one-time grants to help school districts develop and implement emergency management plans. He also urged Congress to require that states and school districts receiving federal school safety funding to have comprehensive, up-to-date, emergency plans in all of their schools. The President also proposed a $50 million initiative to help 8,000 schools train their school leaders and other staff to implement evidence-based strategies to improve school climate and will require the Department of Education to collect and disseminate best practices on school discipline policies.
To address mental health issues, President Obama is calling for a new initiative Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education), which will include $15 million to train school staff to detect and respond to mental illness in children. The initiative would also include $40 million to help school districts work with law enforcement, mental health agencies, and other local organizations to assure students with mental health issues receive the services they need. In addition, $25 million would be proposed for innovative state-based strategies to support young people ages 16 to 25 with mental health or substance abuse issues.
NASSP on Capitol Hill
In January and February, NASSP staff met with other members of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and staff for House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline to discuss our recommendations on school safety. Conference calls were also organized for Chairman Kline’s staff and Ranking Member George Miller’s staff to speak to NASSP Specialist for School Safety Bill Bond. NASSP staff also met with staff for Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) to discuss various proposals related to the school-to-prison pipeline. Based on the conversation, staff forwarded NASSP’s position statement on corporal punishment and our general school safety recommendations.
In February, Bill Bond was invited to appear before the committee at a hearing on school safety that was prompted by the tragedy in Newtown, CT. Other witnesses included a school counselor from California, the director of the office of safety and security for a suburban Virginia school district, a researcher, an employee from a private security firm, and the executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers.
Bond spoke about the assistance he has provided to 12 other schools where students have died and how his role is to focus the principal on the decisions he or she will need to make to get the school back up and functioning. He also spoke more broadly about what a principal must do to prepare his or her school for a crisis, including meeting with local responders; defining people’s roles; examining how the traffic flows around the schools; and creating lockdown, evacuation, and reunification procedures.
One huge area where Bond feels that schools need to adjust their emergency plans is in the area of crisis communications. “Communicating with teachers, staff, and parents is the hardest part of a crisis, but it is extremely important and it’s the key to recovery,” he told committee members. He said that parents expect instant communication today, and if they are hearing nothing from the school they may fill the gap with information from news outlets, texts from their kids, the rumor mill, or social media. Bond said that parents only want to know two things: is my child OK? And when can I get him? “And the more parents can hear from the school that at least makes progress toward those answers, the more it relieves their emotions,” he stated.
Bond’s final point, and one that was shared with the other witnesses, is that school shootings can’t be prevented by more security alone. “Your best protection is a trusting relationship between adults and students that encourages kids to share responsibility for their safety and share information,” he said, explaining that kids very often know better than adults what’s going on in a school and what could cause a crisis.
While the hearing could have turned into a debate on gun violence, only one committee member asked whether teachers and school officials should be armed in schools. All witnesses voiced their opposition to such a proposal, and the conversation shifted to a discussion about the need for more school resource officers, counselors, psychologists, and social workers. Chairman John Kline (R-MN) was careful to not propose additional federal funding for schools to hire these professionals, but he did state that all educators could benefit from training on how to build trusting relationships with students.
Click here to view an archived webcast of the hearing.
School Principal Recruitment and Training Act
NASSP and NAESP have worked closely with staff for Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA) to update and improve the School Principal Recruitment and Training Act. Although the bill was not reintroduced during the 112th Congress, we expect the legislation to be introduced in the coming weeks. The bill would authorize a grant program to recruit, select, train, and support aspiring or current principals with track records of transforming student learning and outcomes and prepare these principals to lead high-need schools. Selected aspiring principals would be provided with a pre-service residency that lasts for at least one year as well as ongoing support and professional development for at least two years after they commence work as school leaders. Grant funds would also be used to provide mentoring and professional development to strengthen current principals’ capacity in the areas of instruction, supervision, evaluation, and development of teachers and highly effective school organizations.
NASSP and NAESP have organized a sign-on letter for national and state organizations in support of the bill, and we expect the 80+ members of the Coalition for Teaching Quality to include the bill as one of their top legislative priorities this year.
LEARN Act
Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) will soon be reintroducing the Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act. The bill would authorize $2.35 billion for comprehensive state and local literacy initiatives, building on the best components of the federal Early Reading First, Reading First, and Striving Readers programs. Districts would support school-wide literacy initiatives that include professional development for principals and teachers to incorporate literacy across the curriculum and targeted interventions for struggling students. NASSP has been working with its coalition partner, Advocates for Literacy, to ensure the bill’s reintroduction in the 113th Congress.
NASSP staff and other members of Advocates for Literacy also held a meeting in January with Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education Deb Delisle to discuss the LEARN Act and implementation of the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy program.
Transforming Education Through Technology Act
Since Congress eliminated funding for the federal Enhancing Education through Technology (EETT) program in FY 2011, schools have struggled to pay for new handheld devices, education software, and training for school leaders and teachers on how to use technology to personalize the learning environment for each student. As these skills become more important in our effort to graduate all students college and career ready, principals should be very pleased that House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA) has introduced the Transforming Education through Technology Act (H.R. 521). This is brand new legislation that NASSP has added to its advocacy agenda during the 113th Congress.
The Transforming Education through Technology Act would authorize $500 million for State Grants for Technology Readiness and Access. States would be required to provide technical assistance to school districts to help them address their technology readiness needs, deliver computer-based and online assessments, support principals in evaluating teachers’ proficiency in implementing digital tools for teaching and learning, and build capacity for individual school and district leaders. States would also coordinate with teacher and school leader preparation programs to align digital learning teaching standards and provide professional development that is aligned to state student technology standards and activities promoting college and career readiness.
Under the bill, subgrants would be provided to school districts to carry out “digital age” professional development opportunities for all school staff. Specifically, school leaders would receive ongoing professional development to promote: 1) the use of educational technology to ensure a digital age learning environment; and 2) the use of data in order to increase student access to technology and engagement in learning. School districts could also use the funding to hire technology coaches to work directly with teachers on integrating technology into their instruction.
NASSP staff was invited to a meeting with staff for Rep. Miller in February to discuss the strategy for getting more cosponsors on the bill and finding a Senate champion to introduce a companion bill on the Senate side. Congressman Miller also visited Coronado Middle School in San Diego, CA, and met with the school’s principal, Jay Marquand, who is an NASSP member.
The Transforming Education Through Technology Act has 5 House cosponsors.
Success in the Middle Act
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) will soon be reintroducing the Success in the Middle Act. Under the bill, states are required to implement a middle school improvement plan that describes what students are required to know and do to successfully complete the middle grades and make the transition to succeed in an academically rigorous high school. School districts would receive grants to help them invest in proven intervention strategies, including professional development and coaching for school leaders, teachers, and other school personnel; and student supports such as personal academic plans, intensive reading and math interventions, and extended learning time.
NASSP is leading the Middle Grades Coalition, which held a meeting in January with staff for Rep. Grijalva to discuss the bill’s reintroduction. The coalition also offered a number of recommendations to update and revise the bill, which were submitted to congressional staff.
Graduation Promise Act
Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) and Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) will soon reintroduce the Graduation Promise Act. The bill would support the development of statewide systems of differentiated high school improvement that focuses research and evidence-based intervention on the lowest performing high schools, and improves the capacity of the high schools to decrease dropout rates and increase student achievement. The bill would also provide competitive grants to states to identify statewide obstacles hindering students from graduating, and provide incentives for states to increase graduation rates.
NASSP and the US Department of Education
Secretary Duncan Announces Principal Ambassador Program
On March 1, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan took the stage at Ignite 2013 to a standing ovation by nearly 1,500 middle and high school principals. Duncan spoke about three priorities for the Obama administration during his second term – school safety and mental health, college and career readiness by transforming high schools, and principal preparation and professional development.
Duncan admitted that not enough has been done on principal preparation, evaluation and professional development and vowed to make it a priority in the department’s second term agenda. He announced his commitment to establishing a principal ambassadorship program similar to the one currently in place for teachers at the department to help shape policy. Such ambassadors would share their expertise with policymakers, offer insight into what is and isn’t working at the department, and help shape federal programs and policy.
Although the planning is still in its infancy, the department later announced that the program will roll out next fall. Some principals may be employed for a full year while others will consult from their schools on a part-time basis.
Meeting with Assistant Secretary Deb Delisle
NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti and NASSP government relations staff joined other association representatives from the Council of Chief State School Officers, the American Association of School Administrators, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals to meet with Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Deb Delisle in February as part of a series of regular bi-monthly meetings. The meeting focused on school safety and implementation of college and career-ready standards as required by the ESEA flexibility waivers.
NASSP Board Position Statements
At the February meeting, the NASSP Board of Directors stated its intent to adopt two new position statements. They are now open for public comment through April 12, 2013. Please submit your comments to Patty Kreutz at kreutzp@nassp.org.
Federal Funding for Formula and Competitive Grants
The NASSP Board of Directors also approved revisions to the position statement on Safe Schools.
NASSP Federal Grassroots Network
As a reminder, Federal Grassroots Network members no longer participate in quarterly calls (they are now reserved only for the State Coordinators), but they continue to receive the weekly update summarizing the latest news and events in federal policy and funding. If you or your colleagues are not yet members of the Federal Grassroots Network and would like to join please email Jacki Ball at ballj@nassp.org. For an overview of what membership in the Network involves, please go here.
NASSP State Coordinators
NASSP welcomes several new coordinators to their roles: Tracey Lamb (KY), John Rogers (WV), Dave Powers (MI), and Dennis Barger (AZ).
The NASSP State Coordinators held their quarterly conference calls on February 13. The top issues were ranked in this order: state education funding, teacher evaluation (tied for #2), Common Core State Standards (tied for #2), school safety, federal education funding/sequestration, principal evaluation, and ESEA flexibility waivers.
The next quarterly conference calls will take place on (5/14) at 10 AM ET and (5/15) at 3:30 PM ET.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Status of ESEA Reauthorization
Congress wrapped up 2012 with no movement on ESEA reauthorization and begins the 113th Congress with no indication of addressing reauthorization anytime soon. The urgency of the “fiscal cliff” crisis consumed nearly all of the lame duck session, and the 113th Congress will be tasked with addressing legislation to avert sequestration and to raise the federal debt ceiling. The reelection in November of President Barack Obama means that we can expect states’ waivers from No Child Left Behind to move into the implementation phase, thus dimming a sense of urgency from Congress to reauthorize ESEA. Further, the 113th Congress brings significant turnover of education committee members in the House, with 13 new members on the committee all of whom must be brought up to speed on the key issues related to K-12 education. However, with enough pressure from the Chairmen of the House and Senate education committees and from the President and Secretary Duncan, ESEA reauthorization in the 113th Congress is not entirely out of the question, but still a long shot. NASSP will continue to push for a comprehensive ESEA reauthorization that includes a focus on our key issue areas: school leadership, literacy, middle level and high schools, and education technology. See attached issue sheets for more information on these key areas.
ESEA Waivers
Currently, thirty four states plus D.C. have been approved for waivers, and two states’ requests are still outstanding: Iowa and Illinois. In addition, California was recently denied its request for waiver. Six states have yet to apply: Montana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, and Wyoming. NASSP continues to monitor the waiver process as well as the content of waiver applications to ensure they align with our positions on relevant issues. We are particularly concerned about states’ targets for and weighting of graduation rates as part of their accountability systems. Some states’ waiver applications set graduation rate targets and weighting too low, while others set them so high that schools may be incentivized to “push out” students not ready for graduation in order to meet the high targets.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education in November released a document highlighting which states are using an extended-year graduation rate (e.g., a 5-year or 6-year rate). Most notably, it shows that several states are using an extended-year graduation rate without increasing their annual target. Under the Department’s initial implementation of the regulations, states were allowed to use extended year rates if they had increased annual targets for the extended year rate. The rationale behind this previous approach is that if a school has more time, more students should graduate. Unfortunately, several states maintain the same annual target even if they are using an extended year graduation rate.
NASSP has met with key Congressional staff on the House education committee to express our concerns, and will continue to monitor this issue as well as others contained in the approved waiver applications.
FY 2013 Budget/Appropriations
The federal government is currently operating under a 6-month continuing resolution (CR) which level-funds all programs from their Fiscal Year 2012 levels through March 27, 2013. At that point, Congress will need to agree on and pass a year-long CR to cover spending for the remainder of FY 2013. Agreement on spending levels now seems difficult, since the House and Senate appropriations committees in their allocations for education programs currently have a gap of $1.5 billion that the leadership in appropriations will have to reconcile. Complicating a year-long FY 2013 federal budget are the issues of sequestration (see below) and the federal debt ceiling that Congress must address prior to March. NASSP staff will continue to keep you updated on this messy and stressful situation!
Sequestration
Congress narrowly avoided sequestration by voting at the last minute (January 1) to delay the sequester for two months, or until March 1, 2013. As a result, though sequestration was temporarily averted, it is still a significant threat that could still occur. The Committee for Education Funding (CEF) now projects that the revised sequestration percentage for nondefense discretionary programs will be 5.9% instead of the 8.2% projected by Office of Management and Budget. This is due to the $24 billion reduction in the sequester total for FY 2013. Thus, the total sequester amount will be $85.33 billion, instead of $109.33 billion. The domestic sequester is half of that amount or $42.67 billion. After taking into account the sequester cuts from nonexempt mandatory programs, the CEF projection of the cut to non-defense discretionary spending is $27.44 billion, which would result in a 5.9% across-the board cut. For the Department of Education, that would result in a cut of approximately $2.95 billion.
If sequestration does occur, education funding would not be affected until the 2013-2014 school year, since education is forward-funded by the federal government and this school year’s funds would thus be exempt. However, a few programs would be cut right away (this school year), including the Head Start preschool program for low-income children, and the impact-aid program, which assists districts burdened with additional costs from a large federal presence, such as a military base.
NASSP Government Relations staff has met with Congressional offices this quarter specifically on the issue of sequestration to urge legislators to prevent sequestration and instead find a solution to deficit reduction that is balanced and responsible. We met with the following Congressional offices:House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX). . CEF has also organized meetings with several other Congressional offices this past quarter as well to deliver our unified message about education funding.
NASSP encourages you to tell your legislators that sequestration is unacceptable by sending an action alert to your legislators through NASSP’s Principals’ Legislative Action Center at www.nassp.org/plac. As of January 3, 1,514 letters have been sent to legislators on this issue using NASSP’s action alert. We also encourage you to access a toolkit of resources on sequestration available at http://cef.org/cef-grassroots-campaign-2/. Here you can access sample Tweets, letters to the editor, and action alerts to urge your legislators to stop sequestration. Thank you in advance for your advocacy!
School Principal Recruitment and Training Act
NASSP continues to advocate for the School Principal Recruitment and Training Act, although the bill was not reintroduced during the 112th Congress. The bill would authorize a grant program to recruit, select, train, and support aspiring or current principals with track records of transforming student learning and outcomes and prepare these principals to lead high-need schools. Selected aspiring principals would be provided with a pre-service residency that lasts for at least one year as well as ongoing support and professional development for at least two years after they commence work as school leaders. Grant funds would also be used to provide mentoring and professional development to strengthen current principals’ capacity in the areas of instruction, supervision, evaluation, and development of teachers and highly effective school organizations. This past quarter, NASSP and NAESP staff worked together to revise a draft bill, and both organizations are working collaboratively with staff of Sen. Franken (D-MN) and Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA) to prepare a bill for introduction in the 113th Congress.
LEARN Act
Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) reintroduced the Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act (H.R. 2272/S. 929) in 2011. The bill would authorize $2.35 billion for comprehensive state and local literacy initiatives, building on the best components of the federal Early Reading First, Reading First, and Striving Readers programs. Districts would support school-wide literacy initiatives that include professional development for principals and teachers to incorporate literacy across the curriculum and targeted interventions for struggling students. NASSP is working with its coalition partner, Advocates for Literacy, to ensure the bill’s reintroduction in the 113th Congress.
The LEARN Act had 15 House cosponsors and 6 Senate cosponsors at the end of the 112th Congress.
Success in the Middle Act
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) reintroduced the Success in the Middle Act (H.R. 1547/S. 833) in 2011. Under the bill, states are required to implement a middle school improvement plan that describes what students are required to know and do to successfully complete the middle grades and make the transition to succeed in an academically rigorous high school. School districts would receive grants to help them invest in proven intervention strategies, including professional development and coaching for school leaders, teachers, and other school personnel; and student supports such as personal academic plans, intensive reading and math interventions, and extended learning time. This past quarter, NASSP and NAESP staff worked together to revise a draft bill, and both organizations are working collaboratively to ensure the bill’s reintroduction in the 113th Congress.
The Success in the Middle Act had 17 House cosponsors and 8 Senate cosponsors at the end of the 112th Congress.
Graduation Promise Act
Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) and Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) reintroduced the Graduation Promise Act (H.R. 778/S. 1177) in 2011. The bill would support the development of statewide systems of differentiated high school improvement that focuses research and evidence-based intervention on the lowest performing high schools, and improves the capacity of the high schools to decrease dropout rates and increase student achievement. The bill would also provide competitive grants to states to identify statewide obstacles hindering students from graduating, and provide incentives for states to increase graduation rates. NASSP plans to work with other key organizations this upcoming quarter to ensure the bill’s reintroduction in the 113th Congress.
The Graduation Promise Act had 34 House cosponsors and 1 Senate cosponsor at the end of the 112th Congress.
NASSP on Capitol Hill
Principal Evaluation
NASSP and NAESP conducted a number of join meetings with congressional staff to discuss our recommendations on principal evaluation. Offices being visited this quarter included Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), House Education and the Workforce Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA), Senate HELP Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Michael Enzi (R-WY).
Coalition for Teaching Quality
NASSP staff and other members of the Coalition for Teaching Quality met with congressional staff to discuss implementation of reporting language on teachers in training who are currently labeled “highly qualified” even though they have not yet completed their preparation programs. Offices being visited this quarter included House Education and the Workforce Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).
Educator Preparation Reform Act
NASSP, NAESP, the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education and other organizations met with staff for Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to discuss the Educator Preparation Reform Act. The primary focus of the legislation is on teacher and principal preparation and amends the Higher Education Act (HEA). It also improves Title II of the HEA—the Teacher Quality Partnership Grants Program—by expanding the residency programs to include principals and providing partnerships flexibility in meeting the instructional needs of local school districts.
Advocates for Literacy
NASSP and other members of Advocates for Literacy met with staff for Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) to discuss the LEARN Act and the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy program.
NCTET Briefing
Over 100 congressional staff and education advocates were able to witness firsthand how technology can be integrated into physics, literacy, and social studies lessons at an October event sponsored by the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training (NCTET). NASSP Director of Government Relations Amanda Karhuse serves on the NCTET board of directors.
To kick off the “pop-up” classrooms event, the principal of Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, VA, and NASSP member John Word and a physics teacher from Red Lion (PA) High School discussed how technology has changed their instructional practices. “The role of the school leader is to empower teachers to explore new technologies and new ways of teaching,” said Word. He also noted that technology has made his job as an administrator more manageable because he’s “mobile” and always able to access student and teacher data. Both panelists consider themselves lucky to work in school districts that have made technology a top priority, but they agreed there’s always a need for additional funding for professional development for school leaders and teachers. There’s also a concern that few schools are prepared for the new online Common Core assessments that will begin in 2014.
After the panel discussion, audience members rotated through four mobile classrooms. First was a history lesson on the 1860 election with two teachers from New Milford (NJ) High School where 2012 NASSP Digital Principal Eric Sheninger leads a schoolwide technology integration initiative. Attendees also participated in a hands-on physics experiment to measure the temperature of baking soda and vinegar and tracked the data on laptops. Classroom trends were also graphed on the teacher’s whiteboard, so students could understand in real time where they had performed the experiment correctly or not. Teachers from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia demonstrated adaptive curriculum and assessments, including an online essay writing program and interventions for high school students who are reading below grade-level. The final session with educators from Loudoun County (VA) Public Schools showed how gaming technologies can be used to teach special education students about teamwork and to express their feelings and stay in their personal space.
From the audience’s reaction, it was clear that their own education experience was really different than what was presented by these tech-savvy educators. NCTET hopes to plan similar events in the future and encourage Congress to invest in education technology programs so students in every school can have access to a rich learning experience.
NASSP and the US Department of Education
National Principals Month
During the week of October 8-12, officials from the U.S. Department of Education visited nearly 40 local schools, many of which are led by NASSP and NAESP members, to learn more about the daily life of a principal as part of National Principals’ Month. “Great school leaders are key to students receiving a high-quality education and teachers feeling supported and empowered in their work,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Outstanding principals build school cultures focused on learning and high expectations, where all students can reach their full potential. Every great school has a great leader.”
In addition to the visits to these schools, dozens of Education Department staff members visited schools in other parts of the country as part of an organized effort in which federal education officials shadowed school leaders. As a key component of National Principals’ Month, these shadowing visits offered Department staff a glimpse into the daily work of school leaders, while also providing principals with the opportunity to discuss how federal policy, programs, and resources impact their schools.
To complete the week-long partnership effort, on Friday, Oct. 12, principals and Department staff members who participated in the job shadowing engagements joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for a debrief discussion to reflect on their experiences and lessons learned.
Find the complete list of participating schools here: http://nasspblogs.org/principalspolicy/2012/10/us-department-of-ed-officials-to-visit-nearly-40-schools-to-learn-from-principals/.
Meetings with Assistant Secretary Deb Delisle
NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti and NASSP government relations staff joined other association representatives from the Council of Chief State School Officers, the American Association of School Administrators, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals to meet with Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Deb Delisle in October and December as part of a series of regular bi-monthly meetings. NASSP is pleased that Assistant Secretary Delisle has established these regular meetings as a means to share information and recommendations, and we hope that they will prove fruitful in terms of the specific recommendations NASSP has for the Department of Education as cited in our position statements and elsewhere
News from the White House and the US Department of Education
Principals to Play a More Prominent Role in Obama’s 2nd Term
In a speech before the Council of Chief State School Officers in November, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that principal preparation and evaluation will be two focus areas for the administration’s education reform agenda in the next Congress. The announcement corroborated what NASSP leaders had been told in private meetings with US Department of Education (ED) officials—there was an admission that teachers had dominated the “human capital agenda” and a promise that school leaders would play a more prominent role if President Obama won a second term. Duncan also supported the creation of a principal ambassador position at ED when the idea was suggested by one of the principals who had participated in the October principal shadowing visits.
Although no details have been released concerning the administration’s policy recommendations on school leadership, ED officials are expected to release a blueprint on the RESPECT proposal to transform the education profession. The $5 billion proposal was first announced during the January 2012 State of the Union address, and multiple drafts were circulated for public comment during the following months. NASSP also held a number of focus group sessions at our national conference in Tampa and with principals and assistant principals who were in Washington, DC, as part of our recognition programs. The overwhelming response was positive towards the administration’s recommendations for preparing, training, and rewarding teachers, but the education profession as a whole cannot be “transformed” without also focusing on school leaders was a recurring comment made by NASSP members.
NASSP and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) submitted joint recommendations on the RESPECT proposal to the Department in August 2012. In our letter, we called for principal preparation programs to select high-quality candidates who have demonstrated success as classroom teachers, demonstrate abilities related to effective school leadership competencies, and show prior success in leading adults. Aspiring principals should receive training during a year-long pre-service residency and induction for up to three years alongside a principal mentor. We also urged the inclusion of principal evaluation systems that would assess principal performance on the six domains of leadership responsibility within a principal’s sphere of influence and also take into consideration the context of the learning community and the level of authority afforded the individual principal. Our organizations also encouraged districts to provide opportunities for principals and assistant principals to engage in ongoing, sustained, job-embedded leadership development. We remain hopeful that our recommendations will be incorporated into the final version of the blueprint.
NASSP and NAESP have held a number of meetings with key staff on Capitol Hill to discuss our joint recommendations on principal evaluation that were released in September 2012. We are also working together to update the School Principal Recruitment and Training Act, which is expected to be reintroduced by Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA) early next year. The flagship bill on school leadership will focus on principal preparation, mentoring, professional development, and evaluation, and our hope is that it will serve as the basis for any language affecting school leaders in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Department of Education Awards 17 Promise Neighborhood Grants
On December 21, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced 17 winners of the 2012 Promise Neighborhoods $60 million grant. Promise Neighborhoods, according to the Department of Education, “is a community-focused program that funds local-led efforts to improve educational opportunities and provide comprehensive health, safety, and support services in high-poverty neighborhoods.”
These awards were split between 10 planning grants totaling more than $4.7 million and 7 implementation grants totaling nearly $30 million. The rest of 2012 funds will go toward second-year funding for the 5 implementation grantees awarded in 2011. According to the Department, “Planning grantees will each receive one-year awards of up to $500,000 to create targeted plans for combating poverty in the local community. Implementation grantees will receive awards up to $6 million to fund the first year of a 5-year grant to execute community-led plans that improve and provide better social services and educational programs.”
A complete list of 2012 grant winners can be found here: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/secretary-duncan-announces-seventeen-2012-promise-neighborhoods-winners-school-s.
Additional information on the Promise Neighborhoods program and 2012 winners is also available here: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/promiseneighborhoods/index.html.
Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the Newtown, Connecticut, School Shootings
“School shootings are always incomprehensible and horrific tragedies. But words fail to describe today’s heartbreaking and savage attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School. As the father of two children in elementary school, I can barely imagine the anguish and losses suffered today by the Newtown community.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to every parent, child, teacher, staff member, and administrator at Sandy Hook and the surrounding community. And our thanks go out to every teacher, staff member, and first responder who cared for, comforted, and protected children from harm, often at risk to themselves. We will do everything in our power to assist and support the healing and recovery of Newtown.”
Department of Education Awards 16 Race to the Top-District Grants
The U.S. Department of Education announced on December 11 that 16 applicants have won the 2012 Race to the Top-District competition, and will share almost $400 million in funds. The awardees’ plans will address the personalization of student learning, improved student achievement and educator effectiveness, closing achievement gaps, and preparing all students to succeed in college and their careers.
According to the Department of Education, “The 2012 Race to the Top-District grantees will receive four-year awards that range from $10 million to $40 million, depending on the number of students served through the plan. The winning applicants were the top scorers among the 372 applications the Department received in November, which were evaluated and scored by independent peer reviewers. Grantees represent a diverse set of districts, including applicants from both states that received a Race to the Top state grant as well as those that have not received Race to the Top state funding. Among the winners is a rural-area consortium representing 24 rural districts, which comprise 44 percent of the total number of districts that will benefit from the 2012 competition.”
To view a list of the grantees, go here: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-department-announces-16-winners-race-top-district-competition. For more information about the Race to the Top-District program, including a list of winners, requested award amounts and additional materials, visit the Department’s website: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-district/index.html.
NASSP Federal Grassroots Network
As a reminder, Federal Grassroots Network members no longer participate in quarterly calls (only state coordinators do), but continue to receive email updates twice per week summarizing the latest news and events in federal policy and funding. If you or your colleagues are not yet members of the Federal Grassroots Network and would like to become one, please email Amanda Karhuse at karhusea@nassp.org. For an overview of what membership in the Network involves, please go here: http://www.nassp.org/Legislative-Advocacy/NASSP-Federal-Grassroots-Network.
NASSP State Coordinators
NASSP welcomes several new coordinators to their roles: Lisa DeLong (HI), Stacy Johnson (MS), Gary O’Brien (NJ) and Robert Mars (NV).
The NASSP State Coordinators held its quarterly call on November 13 and a make-up call on November 14. The five “hot topics” the Network reported on in their states and that NASSP Government Relations staff created action items on, in order of importance to members, were: teacher evaluation, state education funding, implementation of common core state standards, a tie between principal evaluation and federal education funding, and finally, No Child Left Behind waivers. Fact sheets have been developed on each of these topics.
The quarterly call dates for the remainder of 2012-2013 are the following (members will choose one date/time per quarter):
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Status of ESEA Reauthorization
Although both the Senate and House education committees passed bills within the past year to reauthorize ESEA, none of those bills were considered in their respective chambers. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and his staff said for months that the two bills passed by the committee in February 2012 would be considered on the House floor before the August recess, but a legislative agenda for the remaining weeks released by Speaker of the House John Boehner included no education legislation. On the Senate side, HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) had previously announced that the Senate would not bring his bill to the floor until the House passed a “bipartisan” bill. With few legislative days remaining before the looming November elections and a number of appropriations bills still to pass before the fiscal year ends on September 30, there’s slim-to-no-chance ESEA will be completed this year. While waivers and Race to the Top seem like the law of the land for principals and assistant principals in some states, the presidential and congressional elections will have a HUGE impact on whether they remain in place beyond 2014.
NASSP will continue to push for a comprehensive ESEA reauthorization that includes a focus on our key issue areas: school leadership, literacy, middle level and high schools, and education technology. See attached issue sheets.
ESEA Waivers
The U.S. Department of Education announced June 29 that they approved 5 more states for NCLB waivers: Arkansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Utah and Virginia. This makes 24 total states with waivers, and leaves 13 applications still under review, whose decisions may come out over the course of the summer. To date, Iowa is the only state to have been denied a waiver, and Round 3 applications are due on September 6.
Says Secretary Duncan about the approved waivers: “These states have joined in a nationwide movement toward state-led education reform now embraced by 24 states,” said Secretary Arne Duncan. “Their plans are the product of bold, forward-thinking state and local leaders who have moved beyond the tired old battles and partisan bickering to roll up their sleeves and start working together.”
Duncan pointed out that many of the new state-created accountability systems capture more students at risk, including low-income students, students with disabilities, and English learners, adding, “States must show they are protecting children in order to get flexibility. These states met that bar.” Read more about these states’ waivers here: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/06/five_more_states_get_nclb_waiv.html.
NASSP on Capitol Hill
During this quarter, NASSP staff participated in a number of meetings with congressional staff to discuss our recommendations for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), including key bills to improve school leadership and provide additional resources for middle and high schools. Offices being visited during this time period include: Senate HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), and House Education and the Workforce Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA).
FY 2013 Budget/Appropriations
In June, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Senate FY 2013 Labor-HHS-Education bill, which allocates funding levels for various federal education programs for FY 2013. Though we have heard that this bill will not reach the Senate floor and that we are almost certain to start off FY 2013 with a Continuing Resolution (CR) which largely level-funds programs from the current fiscal year, this bill is still important to show us where the Senate is at in terms of spending on education programs.
The full Committee approved the bill on a party line vote of 16-14 (with all Democrats voting yes and all Republicans voting no). Republicans opposed the bill largely over objections to funding for the Affordable Care Act. Overall, discretionary (non-mandatory) funds for education increased by $408 million (+0.6%). NASSP is happy to see an increase of $100 million each to Title I grants and to IDEA state grants, as well as level-funding for the School Leadership Program ($29 million) and the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Program ($159 million). Most education programs were level-funded, but others received increases, including:
- Race to the Top
- Advanced Placement
- Promise Neighborhoods
- IDEA Grants for infants and families
- International education and foreign language studies domestic programs
- Research in special education
- Statewide data systems
Funding for other programs was decreased, including for:
- Mathematics and Science Partnerships
- Transition to teaching
- Safe and drug-free schools and communities national programs
- National assessment (NAEP)
- National Assessment Governing Board
NASSP Government Relations staff heard this week that the long-awaited House appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education will hold its markup the week of July 9. This subcommittee will determine funding levels for education programs for FY 2013 appropriations. At that point, the House and Senate are supposed to “conference” their bills to agree on one final appropriations bill, but this hardly ever happens due to disagreement and this year it is especially likely not to happen because it’s an election year. So, it is nearly certain that we will begin FY 2013 with a continuing resolution, or CR, that largely extends funding levels from the previous year (FY 2012), and will likely last through December. In January, it is more likely we will see a year-long CR that sets different funding levels for FY 2013. Stay tuned for news on the upcoming subcommittee markup!
NASSP Government Relations staff has met with several Congressional offices that sit on this subcommittee to advocate that education funding not be cut more than it already has the past few years, and we also reiterated the point that sequestration would be untenable for education funding and urged Congress to find another way to reduce the deficit responsibly. We are hopeful that our message will make an impact for FY 2013 education funding. NASSP Government Relations staff met with the following Congressional offices on the Senate subcommittee: Sen. Shelby (R-AL) and Sen. Inouye (D-HI); and the following Congressional offices on the House subcommittee: Rep. Jackson (D-IL) Rep. Lee (D-CA); and Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA). NASSP’s coalition partner, the Committee for Education Funding, has organized meetings with several other subcommittee offices this past quarter as well to deliver our unified message about education funding.
Sequestration
(As a reminder, sequestration is the drastic, across-the-board cuts to education that are scheduled to occur on January 2, 2013. These across-the-board cuts will occur-unless Congress acts to stop it-as stipulated in the August 2011 Budget Control Act. Congress put this measure of sequestration in place in case a 12-member Congressional committee was unable to approve a plan to reduce another $1.2 trillion from the federal deficit; this committee failed, triggering sequestration.
Sequestration would impose the largest education funding cuts ever, chopping funding for programs in the Department of Education by roughly $4 billion, or 8.4%, which would have a devastating impact on state and district budgets.)
In May, the House passed H.R.5652, the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012 in a near party-line 218-99 vote. The bill was supported by nearly all Republicans — only 16 opposed it, and no Democrats supported it.
As The Hill explains in a May 10 article, “The House voted Thursday to override steep cuts to the Pentagon’s budget mandated by last summer’s debt deal and replace them with spending reductions to food stamps and other mandatory social programs.
While doomed in the Senate and opposed by the White House, the legislation, which would reduce the deficit by $243 billion, is a Republican marker for post-election budget talks with the White House.”
NASSP is strongly opposed to this bill and feels that this legislation does not come anywhere near the balanced deficit reduction approach we must take to address our federal deficit.
NASSP encourages you to tell your legislators that sequestration is unacceptable by signing this online petition at www.cef.org/action. Join with thousands of other education stakeholders and sign this petition! NASSP Government Relations staff is also leading the efforts around grassroots activism to urge Congress to not let sequestration occur, and will be implementing key grassroots activities in the next quarter to attempt to stop the sequester. Please look for our emails in the coming months on ways we ask you to advocate against sequestration, and we thank you in advance for your participation.
School Principal Recruitment and Training Act
NASSP continues to advocate for the School Principal Recruitment and Training Act, although the bill was not reintroduced during the 112th Congress. The bill would authorize a grant program to recruit, select, train, and support aspiring or current principals with track records of transforming student learning and outcomes and prepare these principals to lead high-need schools. Selected aspiring principals would be provided with a pre-service residency that lasts for at least one year as well as ongoing support and professional development for at least two years after they commence work as school leaders. Grant funds would also be used to provide mentoring and professional development to strengthen current principals’ capacity in the areas of instruction, supervision, evaluation, and development of teachers and highly effective school organizations.
LEARN Act
Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) reintroduced the Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act (H.R. 2272/S. 929) in 2011. The bill would authorize $2.35 billion for comprehensive state and local literacy initiatives, building on the best components of the federal Early Reading First, Reading First, and Striving Readers programs. Districts would support schoolwide literacy initiatives that include professional development for principals and teachers to incorporate literacy across the curriculum and targeted interventions for struggling students.
As a member of Advocates for Literacy, NASSP staff participated in meetings with key congressional staff to discuss the LEARN Act and the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Program. Offices visited this quarter include Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA).
The LEARN Act currently has 15 House cosponsors and 6 Senate cosponsors.
Success in the Middle Act
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) reintroduced the Success in the Middle Act (H.R. 1547/S. 833) in 2011. Under the bill, states are required to implement a middle school improvement plan that describes what students are required to know and do to successfully complete the middle grades and make the transition to succeed in an academically rigorous high school. School districts would receive grants to help them invest in proven intervention strategies, including professional development and coaching for school leaders, teachers, and other school personnel; and student supports such as personal academic plans, intensive reading and math interventions, and extended learning time.
In June, NASSP cosponsored a congressional briefing on middle level education and early warning indicators with the Alliance for Excellent Education, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, and the National Middle Schools Association.
The Success in the Middle Act currently has 18 House cosponsors and 7 Senate cosponsors.
Graduation Promise Act
Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) and Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) reintroduced the Graduation Promise Act (H.R. 778/S. 1177). The bill would support the development of statewide systems of differentiated high school improvement that focuses research and evidence-based intervention on the lowest performing high schools, and improves the capacity of the high schools to decrease dropout rates and increase student achievement. The bill would also provide competitive grants to states to identify statewide obstacles hindering students from graduating, and provide incentives for states to increase graduation rates.
The Graduation Promise Act currently has 34 House cosponsors and 1 Senate cosponsor.
National Assistant Principals Week Resolution
On April 19, newest member of the House Education and Workforce Committee Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) introduced a Congressional resolution (H.Res.626) officially recognizing the week of April 16-20, 2012 as National Assistant Principals Week.
Other Bills
College and Career Ready Classrooms Act
As part of major legislation to create jobs and improve the nation’s economic competitiveness, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) has introduced a proposal to assist schools in preparing all students to be college and career ready.
NASSP strongly supports the Common Core State Standards, and the board of directors recently approved a position statement offering recommendations on their successful implementation. We call on Congress to fund ongoing, professional development about these new standards to build the capacity of principals, assistant principals, and teachers. School leaders are also encouraged to provide professional development opportunities to instructional staff members to help them teach to higher standards and provide students with the supports they need to achieve them.
The College and Career Ready Classrooms Act would authorize a competitive grant program to support local school districts in the successful implementation of college- and career-ready standards. In providing professional development opportunities for teachers and other school staff, NASSP is pleased that the bill would require in-service activities for school administrators that support instructional leadership around the implementation of these standards and ensure coordination with pre-service teacher preparation programs. Local implementation strategies would also support the use of technology to personalize instruction and to enhance educators’ own professional learning.
The bill was introduced as one provision in the Rebuild America Act (S. 2252), which would provide investments in job training, manufacturing, and the transportation infrastructure; increase overtime benefits and establish a fair and equitable minimum wage; and make changes to the tax code. While not taking a position on the entire legislation, NASSP also strongly supports a provision that would authorize $20 billion in formula grants for the modernization, renovation, and repair of early learning facilities, K-12 public schools and community colleges.
American Dream Accounts Act
In an effort to expand college access for underserved students, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) has introduced the American Dream Accounts Act (S. 2194) to link college savings accounts to an online database that tracks college readiness. A companion bill (H.R. 4207) was also introduced in the House by Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA).
“One of the lessons we’ve learned from the recent recession is that unemployment has remained very low among those with a college degree,” said Sen. Coons in a press release. “Now more than ever, amid intensifying global competition and rapidly changing technology, it’s critical that young people not only finish high school, but pursue some kind of education after high school. American Dream Accounts are a way to strengthen the ability of teachers, parents, mentors, and students to work together to make sure that young people, throughout their entire education experience, prepare for, save for, train for, and then fulfill a vision for their own future—a dream for their life after high school.”
The American Dream Accounts Act would authorize $3 billion from existing U.S. Department of Education (ED) funds for competitive grants to school districts, charter schools, or nonprofit organizations to establish an administer American Dream Accounts, which are personal online accounts for low-income students that monitor college readiness and include a college savings account. Grantees would monitor student progress data, including grades and course selections, progress reports, and attendance and disciplinary records. They would also provide opportunities for students to learn about financial readiness and the college enrollment process and to identify their skills and interests.
While NASSP supports efforts to increase college access for underserved students, we are concerned that the American Dream Accounts Act does not authorize new federal funding for these competitive grants. Formula programs such as Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have been woefully underfunded for years, and we are concerned that ED would target those resources or other vital education programs to pay for the bill.
Sen. Coons has created a Web page where anyone can post comments about their thoughts on the America Dream Accounts Act. For more information, go to: http://www.coons.senate.gov/issues/dreamaccounts/.
Student Loan Interest Rates
As reported by Education Week on June 29, 2527425274 Congress acted just under the wire Friday to save college students from paying more for student loans. The legislation will freeze interest rates on federally subsidized Stafford loans at 3.4 percent, avoiding a scheduled increase on July 1 to 6.8 percent.
Hours after Congress passed the measure, President Obama signed it into law—temporarily—effective through July 6. He is expected to make it permanent before the stopgap measure expires at the end of next week.
The measure was part of a bill to fund construction and federal flood insurance. On Tuesday, U.S. Senate leaders announced they had agreed on a plan to come up with $6 billion to cover the cost of the lower student loan interest rates. The bill passed on a 74-19 vote in the Senate and a 373-52 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Most of the money is expected to come from raising premiums for federal pension insurance. But students also will help foot the bill. Congress is looking to get $1.2 billion in savings from changing eligibility for student loans. It limits loan eligibility to 150 percent of a program’s time to degree — or six years for a bachelor’s degree and three years for an associate degree.
The move to stop interest rates from doubling is expected to affect 7.4 million students, saving each an average of $1,000 in extra financing fees.
Student groups have been actively lobbying Congress to keep interest rates down. On June 28, students and graduates carried banners to Capitol Hill and delivered a petition with 1 million signatures calling for action to freeze interest rates.
NASSP on Capitol Hill
Literacy
NASSP Associate Director for High School Services Mel Riddile served as moderator at a congressional briefing on April 17 hosted by Advocates for Literacy, a coalition of over 40 national organizations that support a comprehensive and systemic approach to improving literacy for students from birth through grade 12.
State Assistant Principals of the Year
The 2012 State Assistant Principals of the Year spent an entire day on Capitol Hill on April 19 meeting with their Congressional offices to have a significant collective impact on the federal conversation around secondary schools and school leadership. Besides effectively advocating for the issues that they are most passionate about, some assistant principals mentioned that they had already convinced their legislators to visit their schools to see their work in action and gain an even greater perspective on this incredibly difficult but rewarding job. The NASSP/Virco National Assistant Principal of the Year and finalists also spoke at a congressional briefing where they addressed hot topics in school reform.
MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools
On April 26, the 2012 MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools winners visited their Congressional offices for their Capitol Hill Day. These exemplary principals visited a total of approximately 40 Congressional offices to deliver their invaluable stories and perspective as school leaders to build upon the great advocacy that our 2012 Virco/NASSP Assistant Principals of the Year conducted last week for their Capitol Hill Day. There’s no doubt that dozens of legislators now have a much better sense of the critical role of school leaders for student success as a result of this collective advocacy. Finally, four of the 2012 MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools winners participated in a Capitol Hill briefing on Thursday in which they each spoke of their use of the NASSP Breaking Ranks framework to bring about significant school improvement, as well as their use of other strategies and their leadership skills to change the trajectory of their schools. To review quotes by the panelists that NASSP tweeted during the briefing, look under the hashtag #AEENASSP on Twitter.
NASSP Board of Directors
On May 3, the NASSP Board of Directors participated in a roundtable discussion with Congressional staff on the Senate and House education committees and visited their Congressional offices while in town for their spring Board meeting. This marks the 3rd straight week that NASSP had a group of its members on Capitol Hill to deliver their stories and impart their passion for their work. There’s no doubt that dozens of legislators now have a much better sense of the critical role of school leaders for student success as a result of this collective advocacy.
NASSP State Coordinators and Presidents-Elect
On June 27, nearly 100 NASSP members-state coordinators and presidents-elect-convened on Capitol Hill for a day of advocacy. This Hill Day marked the second year the state coordinators participated in a Hill Day in their new role as federal advocacy liaisons. Our members had very effective visits and most got a chance to meet with their legislators who listened to their perspectives and input as school leaders. NASSP Government Relations staff is excited to see these principals build on the success of their Hill Day and develop relationships with their Congressional offices, and we will continue to support them and advocate on their behalf on Capitol Hill. If you are on Twitter, you can read about their Congressional meetings and their impressions of Hill Day by searching for the hashtag #nasspdc. Congratulations to the state coordinators and presidents-elect!
Congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus
Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), who is a former teacher and principal, recently established the Congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus to address federal anti-bullying efforts, and NASSP is proud to endorse and support the work of this new caucus. “As an educator of more than 30 years and a member of Congress who was bullied as a child, I am inspired to help craft solutions that stop bullying in communities everywhere, both online and offline,” Honda told Education Daily®. “The bipartisan Anti-Bullying Caucus will give a voice to the voiceless by providing a premier forum to develop legislative solutions to stop bullying.” The caucus already has 20 members and Honda said that many other Democratic and Republican Representatives have also expressed interest in joining the caucus.
Rep. Honda says that he will introduce anti-bullying legislation this summer. As noted by Education Daily, “Anti-bullying measures already introduced include the Safe Schools Improvement Act, S. 506 and H.R. 1648 [which NASSP supports], the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act, H.R. 83, and the Anti-Bullying and Harassment Act, H.R. 975.
As part of the launch of the Congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus on June 28, NASSP President-Elect Denise Greene-Wilkinson participated in a panel discussion on bullying at the US Department of Education.
News from the White House and the US Department of Education
Department of Education Releases Perkins Act/Career and Technical Education Blueprint
On April 19, the Department of Education issued its blueprint for reauthorizing the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. The blueprint is based on 4 key principles:
Alignment: Ensuring that the skills taught in CTE programs reflect the actual needs of the labor market so that CTE students acquire the 21st century skills necessary for in-demand occupations within high-growth industry sectors.
Collaboration: Incentivizing secondary schools, institutions of higher education, employers, and industry partners to work together to ensure that all CTE programs offer students high-quality learning opportunities.
Accountability: Requiring CTE programs to show, through common definitions and related performance measures, that they are improving academic outcomes and enabling students to build technical and job skills.
Innovation: Promoting systemic reform of state-level policies to support effective CTE implementation and innovation at the local level
In addition, ED will be holding a Perkins Blueprint webinar. Please see the “Events” section below for this information.
For more information, go to: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/cte/transforming-career-technical-education.pdf.
U.S. Department of Education Seeks Input on “RESPECT” Project to Transform the Teaching Profession
From a Department of Education press release: “A vision document for reforming the teaching profession created by active classroom teachers working temporarily for the U.S. Department of Education was posted for public comment on the Department’s website as part of Teacher Appreciation Week. The 14-page document reflects input from more than 2,500 teachers across the country who participated in approximately 200 roundtable meetings over the past six months.
NASSP worked with ED to hold 4 focus group sessions with principals and assistant principals to discuss RESPECT. These sessions were conducted at the NASSP annual conference in Tampa (March), and here in Washington, DC, with the State Assistant Principals of the Year (April), the MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools (April), and a group of local principals from DC, Maryland, and Virginia (May).
The RESPECT Project, which stands for Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence and Collaborative Teaching, is the Obama Administration’s effort to honor and elevate America’s educators. The administration’s proposed 2013 budget seeks $5 billion for a new competitive program to support states and districts working to reform the teaching profession.
RESPECT explores transformative ideas for improving classroom instruction, making the most of the school day and year, strengthening the relationship between principal and teachers, and distributing talent to high-need schools and subjects. In addition, it discusses effective methods for recruitment, training, development, and creating career pathways that encourage talented teachers and leaders to maintain professions in education.
For more information, go to: http://www.ed.gov/teaching/national-conversation/vision.
Department of Education Announces District-Level Race to the Top Applications
In May, the US Department of Education released the draft guidelines for a district competition for Race to the Top funds. For more information about the draft guidelines and NASSP’s comments, read this article in Education Week: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/05/department_announces_game_plan.html
To read the draft guidelines, visit the Department’s Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/race-top/district-competition.
Obama Announces Plan to Halt Deportation of Illegal Immigrant Youths
The Obama administration announced that it will start granting work permits to illegal immigrant youths (instead of deportation) who meet the following criteria: they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are younger than 30; they have been in the country for at least five continuous years; have no criminal history; graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED; or served in the military.
As Education Week notes, “The election-year initiative addresses a top priority of an influential Latino electorate that has been vocal in its opposition to administration deportation policies.
The policy change, described to The Associated Press by two senior administration officials, will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation. It also bypasses Congress and partially achieves the goals of the so-called DREAM Act [strongly supported by NASSP], a long-sought but never enacted plan to establish a path toward citizenship for young people who came to the United States illegally but who have attended college or served in the military.
NASSP Board Position Statements
In May, the NASSP Board of Directors gave final approval to a position statement on Charter Schools: http://www.nassp.org/Content.aspx?topic=47108
NASSP Federal Grassroots Network
The Federal Grassroots Network held its quarterly call on May 8 and a make-up call on May 10. The five “hot topics” the Network reported on in their states and that NASSP Government Relations staff created action items on were: teacher evaluation, principal evaluation, implementation of common core state standards, No Child Left Behind waivers ,and state education funding. If you are not yet a member of the Federal Grassroots Network and would like to become one, please email Mary Kingston at kingstonm@nassp.org. For an overview of what membership in the Network involves, please go here: http://www.nassp.org/Legislative-Advocacy/NASSP-Federal-Grassroots-Network.
The quarterly call dates for 2012-2013 are the following (members will choose one date/time per quarter):
- August 2012: Tues Aug 21 2012, 10 am EST; Wed Aug 22 2012, 3:30 pm EST
- November 2012: Tues Nov 13, 10 am EST; Wed Nov 14 2012, 3:30 pm EST
- February 2013: Tues Feb 12, 10 am EST; Wed Feb 13 2013, 3:30 pm EST
- May 2013: Tues May 14, 10 am EST; Wed May 15 2013, 3:30 pm EST
NASSP Advocacy in the States
NASSP Director of Government Relations Amanda Karhuse was in Harrisburg, PA, on April 13 to speak to the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals.
NASSP Manager of Government Relations Mary Kingston was in Yukon, Oklahoma on June 23 to present the platforms of the presidential candidates as part of a mock presidential election to student council members for the National Association of Student Councils conference.
Alliance for Excellent Education
Association for Middle Level Education
National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform
with
Honorary Co-hosts
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (AZ-7)
INVITE YOU TO
A SPECIAL BRIEFING
Early Warning Indicator Systems:
A Tool for High Performing Middle Grades Schools
This briefing will discuss the impact of using early warning indicator systems—which identify students at high risk of dropping out as early as sixth grade—to keep students on track for graduation and accelerate successful student progress. Hear from representatives from a middle school, the research community, and Congressional staff.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
HC-8 in the Capitol
*Please bring identification for entrance via the House side of Capitol *
Presenters Include
Bob Wise, President
Alliance for Excellent Education
Bob Balfanz, Co-director, Everyone Graduates Center
Johns Hopkins University
Catherine Miller, Teacher and Data Specialist
MS 244, The New School for Leadership and the Arts
Bronx, NY
Regan Fitzgerald, Legislative Counsel
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
|
RSVP to: Ellen Fern – efern@wpllc.net
Renewing an effort to strengthen middle level education as a way to increase high school graduation rates, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have reintroduced the Success in the Middle Act (H.R. 1547/S. 833).
“This bill recognizes the role of the middle grades as a tipping point in the education of many of our nation’s students, especially those who are at risk of dropping out,” said Sen. Whitehouse in a statement on the Senate floor upon the bill’s introduction. “Success in the Middle invests much-needed attention and resources in middle grades education, requiring states to create plans to specifically address the unique needs of students in the age group, and focusing on schools that feed into some of our country’s most dropout-prone high schools so they are ready for the curriculum and the unique social pressures they will encounter there.”
NASSP worked with the National Middle School Association, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform, and a number of other education groups to draft the Success in the Middle Act, and the bill incorporates many of the recommendations outlined in Breaking Ranks in the Middle. Specifically, the bill would:
In an effort to improve high school graduation rates, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) and other Democratic leaders have introduced legislation aimed at turning around the nation’s “dropout factories” and their feeder middle schools.
“We are failing our students, failing our communities and failing our nation if we allow this dropout crisis to continue,” said Miller in a press release about the Graduation for All Act (H.R. 4122). “Ending this epidemic is a civil rights imperative, a moral issue and an economic necessity. This bill says that it is no longer acceptable to let an at-risk student fall through the cracks and empowers schools to make changes needed to help at-risk students thrive in school, earn a diploma and go on to college or a good job.”
Under Title I, the bill would authorize a $2 billion competitive grant program for districts to support high schools with a graduation rate of 65 percent or lower and their feeder middle schools. Specifically, participating districts would implement a “Model of Success” in secondary schools similar to the four school intervention models outlined in the School Improvement Grants program:
Transformation Model, which includes increasing teacher and school leader effectiveness through mentoring and induction programs and career-ladder opportunities;
Turnaround Model, which includes 1) replacing the principal if student achievement has declined during his or her tenure; and 2) replacing or reassigning teachers who do not have subject-matter expertise in the subjects they teach or are not highly qualified
Restart Model, which includes closing a school and reopening it under a school management organization or charter management organization; and
Close-Down Model, which includes closing a school and re-enrolling students in other, higher-achieving schools in the district.
The legislation would require districts to implement an early warning system to identify students at risk of dropping out and provide them with academic and social supports to help them succeed—a concept endorsed by NASSP and embodied in the Success in the Middle Act and the Graduation Promise Act (GPA). Finally, districts would provide school leadership teams with more operating flexibility with respect to staffing, budgets, scheduling, and use of school-time decisions; establish credit-recovery programs; and enhance college and career counseling in secondary schools.
Title II of the bill would authorize $150 million for schools districts to partner with local colleges or universities in establishing an early college high school or other dual enrollment program; and Title III would facilitate research on effective best practices to improve student achievement in the middle grades.
“While NASSP is pleased that Congress is focusing attention on middle level and high schools as part of its reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we are concerned that the Graduation for All Act emphasizes four school reform models whose success remains untested and unproven,” said NASSP Executive Director Gerald N. Tirozzi. “We will continue to advocate for legislation that promotes genuine school improvement and encompasses the Breaking Ranks framework, including the Success in the Middle Act and GPA.”
Renewing an effort to strengthen middle level education as a way to increase high school graduation rates, Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) have reintroduced the Success in the Middle Act (H.R. 3006/S. 1362). Although there was strong support to pass the legislation as part of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, action on all education bills was postponed during the 110th Congress.
“Middle schools are a forgotten area,” said Congressman Grijalva. “We need to invest in the most crucial years of the education pipeline to ensure our students succeed. Middle school students are faced with many changes in their personal life and the pressures of adjusting into teenagers. Our schools need to invest in this transitional period, to create the support mechanism these students will need to continue through high school and on to other higher education opportunities.”
“There has been significant focud during K-12 reform discussions regarding high school reform, and while there is no doubt that this is an essential component of improving our education system, addressing dropout prevention must begin earlier,” said Sen. Reed in a statement on the Senate floor. “As one of the leading experts in the area of middle and high school reform, Robert Balfanz has stated, middle schools are the ‘first line of defense’ in identifying at-risk students and then effectively intervening to prevent them from dropping out.”
NASSP worked with the National Middle School Association, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform, and a number of other education groups to draft the Success in the Middle Act, and the bill incorporates many of the recommendations outlined in Breaking Ranks in the Middle. Specifically, the bill would:
- Authorize $1 billion annually for grants to local school districts to improve low-performing schools that contain middle grades.
- Require states receiving grants to implement a plan that describes what students are required to know and do to successfully complete the middle grades and transition to and succeed in an academically rigorous high school that prepares them for postsecondary education and the workplace
- Require states to develop early warning and intervention systems to identify those students most at-risk of dropping out and intervene appropriately to help them succeed.
- Encourage states and districts to invest in proven strategies, such as: 1) Providing professional development and coaching to school leaders, teachers and other school personnel in addressing the needs of diverse learners and in using challenging and relevant research-based best practices and curriculum; 2) Developing and implementing comprehensive, school-wide improvement efforts in eligible schools; and 3) Implementing student supports, such as extended learning time and personal academic plans that enable all students to stay on the path to graduation.
- Authorizes an additional $100 million to facilitate the generation, dissemination, and application of research to identify promising practices in middle grades education, as well as review existing research on middle grades education practices.
Take action! As a school leader, you are in a prime position to educate your members of Congress about the needs of middle level schools and their students. Please visit the Principal’s Legislative Action Center and urge your representative and senators to cosponsor the Success in the Middle Act.
The level of academic achievement that students attain by eighth grade has a larger impact on college and career readiness than anything that happens academically in high school, according to a report released in December by ACT. The Forgotten Middle examines the specific academic and nonacademic factors that influence postsecondary success and how these factors have a greatest impact during a student’s educational development.
“NASSP has long recognized the important role middle level education plays in preparing students for their future, and this report should serve as a call to action for national attention and a national initiative to support students in the middle grades” said NASSP Executive Director Gerald N. Tirozzi. “We believe that The Forgotten Middle, especially when coupled with the early identification and effective intervention research done at Johns Hopkins University, sends a clear and urgent message to policymakers that the middle level can no longer be ignored. If we want to improve the graduation rate in our nation and give all students an opportunity for postsecondary education, we cannot wait until high school to begin that work.”
The ACT report analyzed data from approximately 216,000 students in the 2005 and 2006 high school graduation classes who had taken all three programs included in the longitudinal assessment component of the ACT College Readiness System: EXPLORE (grades 8-9), PLAN (grade 10), and the ACT test (grades 11-12). By measuring the four EXPLORE scores in English, mathematics, reading, and science, the study shows that “eighth-grade achievement displays a stronger relationship with eleventh- or twelfth-grade ACT scores, and therefore with college and career readiness, than does any other factor—more than students’ family background, high school coursework, or high school grade point average.” Similar results were found for racial/ethnic minority students and also when data was analyzed by students’ annual family income level.
ACT also collected data from students at 24 middle level schools throughout the nation to examine the role that academically related psychosocial factors play in predicting course failure in the eighth grade and high school grade point average in the ninth grade—two important indicators in predicting future academic success in. The ten factors were academic discipline, commitment, family attitude, family involvement, optimism, orderly conduct, relationships with school personnel, school safety, steadiness, and thinking before acting. The findings showed that academic discipline and orderly conduct both had a “substantial impact” on course failure in the eighth grade, and the same factors combined with having positive relationships with school personnel greatly impacted grade point average in the ninth grade.
The Forgotten Middle outlines 55 nonnegotiable knowledge and skills that all eighth-grade students must have in order to be on target for college and career readiness: 7 in English, 26 in mathematics, 6 in reading, and 16 in science. According to the report, the standards serve as instructional links and “should be used to articulate skills and courses among elementary school and middle school and between middle school and high school.”
Finally, ACT offers recommendations to improve academic achievement and college and career readiness for all middle level and high school students:
- Focus K-8 standards on the knowledge and skills that are essential for college and career readiness, and make these knowledge and skills nonnegotiable for all students
- Monitor student progress in becoming ready for college and career, and intervene with students who are not on target to becoming ready, beginning in upper elementary school and continuing through middle school
- Improve students’ academic behavior
- Increase federal and state support for schools to implement intervention programs that help all students become ready for college and career
The Forgotten Middle clearly points to the need for a federal investment in middle level education as outlined in the Success in the Middle Act, a bill introduced last year by President-Elect Barack Obama (D-IL) and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ).Outlining many of the policy recommendations made in Breaking Ranks in the Middle, the legislation would authorize $1 billion to support states in creating middle school improvement plans, implement early warning identification systems for students most at risk of dropping out, and invest in proven interventions to help all middle level students succeed.
To read the full ACT report, go to www.act.org.
Middle schools are garnering national attention and could become a key issue in the 2008 presidential election now that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has introduced the Success in the Middle Act (S. 2227). The legislation is nearly identical to a bill (H.R. 3406) introduced by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) in September.
“For far too long, our education system has overlooked our nation’s middle schools and failed to provide them the resources they need for our kids to succeed,” said Sen. Obama. “The middle school experience is vital to success in high school and college, and the lack of attention to middle school on a federal level is reflected in the rising high school dropout rate…We need to do more to invest in these schools, and this legislation will invest in a new generation of leaders by strengthening our middle schools, teachers, and students. If our country wants to remain competitive in math and science on a global level, we must break down any barriers that are preventing our kids from getting the world-class education they deserve.”
NASSP joined forces earlier this year with National Middle School Association, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, and a number of other education associations to form the Middle Grades Coalition on NCLB. The coalition promoted joint recommendations for NCLB reauthorization and drafted the Success in the Middle Act, which reflects NASSP Policy Recommendations for Middle Level Reform. Specifically, the bill would:
- Authorize $1 billion for formula grants to states to help local school districts improve low-performing schools that contain middle grades
- Require states receiving a grant to implement a statewide plan for improving student achievement in the middle grades
- Ensure that statewide plans describe what students are required to know to successfully complete the middle grades and make the transition to succeed in an academically rigorous high school
that prepares students for postsecondary education and the workplace - Require states and districts to develop an early identification data system to identify those students most at risk of dropping out, and to help school districts provide proven interventions to help all middle level students succeed
- Ensure that states and districts invest in proven intervention strategies such as 1) providing professional development and coaching to enable school leaders, teachers, and other school personnel address the needs of diverse learners and use challenging and relevant research-based best practices and curriculum; 2) developing and implementing comprehensive, schoolwide improvement efforts in our nation’s lowest-performing schools; 3) and implementing student supports, such as extended learning time, personal academic plans, and intensive reading and math instruction that enable all students to stay on the path to graduation
- Authorize an additional $100 million for research to identify and implement effective practices that lead to student learning and success at the middle level
“Students in grades 5 through 8 represent 57% (14 million) of the nation’s annual test takers under the No Child Left Behind Act, but middle schools are not receiving adequate federal funding and support to help these students succeed,” said NASSP Executive Director Gerald N. Tirozzi. “The Success in the Middle Act would provide the support necessary to turn around our nation’s lowest-performing middle schools and give our struggling students the help they need to achieve in high school, college, and beyond.”
Patti Kinney, the recently appointed director of NASSP’s National Center for Middle Level Leadership said, “It is very exciting and gratifying to see that Congress is finally beginning to realize the importance of middle level education. Without programs and support directed specifically toward this level, our nation will be unable to meet the provisions of No Child Left Behind and provide all young adolescents with a challenging, engaging education that prepares them for a successful future.”
The House and Senate sponsors of the Success in the Middle Act are working diligently to incorporate the bill into NCLB, but reauthorization will likely be postponed until spring 2008 at the earliest.
Take action! As a school leader, you are in a prime position to educate your members of Congress about the needs of middle level schools and their students. Please visit the Principal’s Legislative Action Center and urge your senators to cosponsor the Success in the Middle Act.
Nearly 500 principals descended on Washington, DC, in late July to lobby policymakers for changes to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and advocate for legislation to improve middle level and high schools. The principals, members of NASSP and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and participants in the annual NAESP-NASSP National Leaders’ Conference (NLC), spent a day visiting their state legislators and encouraging them to make key changes to NCLB.
Participants urged legislators to refocus provisions for accountability, assessments, English language learners and students with disabilities, school improvement, and teacher and principal quality, reflecting the recommendations developed by NASSP, NAESP, the American Association of School Administrators, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and the National School Boards Association (www.nassp.org).
The annual theme of the conference is “Principals Changing Schools Through Leadership and Advocacy,” and participants took this message to heart. The principals also advocated for legislation to improve middle level and high schools, including the Striving Readers Act (H.R. 2289/S. 958) to assist struggling readers in grades 4–12; the Success in the Middle Act (H.R. 3406), to support our nation’s lowest-performing middle level schools; and the Graduation Promise Act (H.R. 2928/S. 1185), to create a $2.4 billion High School Improvement and Dropout Reduction Fund. As always, federal funding was a major topic of concern at NLC, and Title I, special education funding, and support for school leaders were all highlighted during congressional visits.
In addition to meeting with legislators, participants heard from U.S. Department of Education (ED) Deputy Secretary Raymond Simon, who opened his session by ringing an old-fashioned school bell to signify how much education has changed since the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed in 1965. He said that the “first period” of NCLB, the current iteration of ESEA, produced impressive gains in student achievement, increased elementary scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and narrowed the achievement gap. Simon highlighted the department’s blueprint reauthorization or “second period” of NCLB, which includes:
- Growth models to measure student progress from year to year
- Differentiated consequences and additional funding for schools in need of improvement
- Enhanced tutoring options for struggling students
- Alignment of high school standards with college and workforce expectations
- Expansion of Striving Readers
- Placement of highly effective teachers and highly effective principals in the neediest schools.
A lively question-and-answer session followed the secretary’s remarks, with a number of participants requesting more information about the highly effective principal provision. Simon responded that the key to being an effective principal is to have more autonomy over hiring teachers, and if a school does find itself in restructuring, any union contract or declaration about teacher hiring should be overridden. He also noted that Title II of NCLB provides support for highly effective principals, but NASSP Executive Director Gerald N. Tirozzi pointed out that most states allocate their Title II funds for teachers. Tirozzi requested a dedicated stream of funding for principals and additional funding for the School Leadership program, to which Simon responded that he would “take the message back” to ED.
Immediately following the session with Simon, NASSP attendees heard from Gerald Bracey, an associate of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, a fellow at the Education Policy Studies Laboratory at Arizona State University, and a fellow at the Education and the Public Interest Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who debunked the department’s claim that NCLB should be praised for gains made in student achievement. He said that schools are often “the scapegoat of choice,” but in reality, U.S. students perform as well as their peers in other industrialized nations.
Bracey also demonstrated where U.S. students succeed at higher levels: in the workplace—because U.S. schools teach students the skills an employer values: attendance, articulation, interpersonal skills, work ethic, the ability to work in teams, and communication and observation skills. “It’s not enough to be academically strong,” he concluded.
