Reauthorizing ESEA Maybe

AASA Advocacy ConferenceSeptember 22, 2010

There is consensus that NCLB needs revision, but not about what revisions should be made

• The House and the Senate both held a series of hearings over the last year.

• Progress in bipartisan discussions, but no draft bill language and we do not expect reauthorization until 2011.

• The Obama Administration released its Blueprint for reauthorization earlier this year.

• It remains unclear exactly how those proposals are integrated into Congressional efforts.

• The highly politicized environment in Congress, especially in the Senate, makes it very difficult to move legislation.

Lack of consensus means slow goingLack of consensus means slow going

• ESEA has been in the process of being reauthorized for more than three years. In that time, many education groups argued that ESEA should be refocused, reframed and renamed to supplement the improvement of educational outcomes for low income and minority students:

Competing Views in Reauthorization

• The old debate was between – Privateers and voucher proponents– Advocates for public education

• A new debate has emerged– School people and their advocates wanting

improvement

– “Reformers” wanting profound structural changes

Is there a New Education Establishment?Is there a New Education Establishment?

• Think tanks, privately funded advocacy groups and foundations– Democrats for Education

Reform– Education trust– Fordham foundation– Alliance for Excellent

Education– Aspen Group– Gates Foundation– Broad Foundation– Walton foundation

• Education Organizations– AASA– NSBA– NEA– AFT– CCSSO– PTA– NAESP– NASSP– NABSE– etc

“Reformers” Educators

Competing Views Use ESEA to:1. Force standardization of state and local policy2. Supplement efforts to improve outcomes

• Federal requirements & mandates

• State as federal enforcer • Diminished Local authority• Increased Local

Responsibility

• Federal Assistance for Students With Greater Needs

• Federal Funds to Help Address Systemic problems

• Balance local/state federal authority and responsibility

• Greater federal/state transparency in rule making

What v. How

• Historically the federal role, except in special education, has been limited to what schools are expected to accomplish• How the work was done was a

matter for state and local policy makers

Reauthorization IssuesReauthorization Issues Accountability: Accountability:

• Improvement of ESEA requires an accountability system that is fair, accurate valid and reliable.

• Those traits suggest that the new accountability system be: transparent; use multiple sources of evidence, measure growth as well as status; and is accessible to all students;

• However, some “reformers” and disability groups strongly support the current accountability language.

Reauthorization IssuesReauthorization Issues Standards: Standards:

• The 1994 reauthorization of ESEA required states to establish content and performance standards as a condition of receiving funds from Title I of ESEA.

• NCLB reinforced the and strengthened the requirements in Reading and Language Arts and Math.

• The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers have created a new set of core standards that are internationally benchmarked and fewer and clearer.

• Thirty seven states have signed up to implement the core standards. AASA urges that the new standards not made federal in this reauthorization.

Reauthorization IssuesReauthorization Issues Assessment: Assessment:

• Most scholars and educators and their organizations, including AASA, would like to move beyond the current generation of state tests.

• The biggest problem is that the tests were designed to show the distribution of achievement no hold schools and teachers accountable.

• Instead AASA would support the use of assessments designed to improve student achievement and systems of assessment and other data to hold schools accountable

Reauthorization Issues Special Learners:

• The progress of special education students would be more accurately measured using multiple measures including tests developed for students with disabilities,

• The progress of English Language Learners should be measured in a language they understand, with appropriate assessments based on proficiency level.

Reauthorization IssuesReauthorization Issues Teachers: Teachers:

• AASA believes that states should define highly qualified teachers and should provide incentives to teachers in hard to staff urban and rural isolated schools.

• AASA supports federal funding to supplement teacher’s salaries in hard to staff schools.

• We urge Congress to utilize the collective experience of districts, consortia of districts, and education service agencies when it comes to training prospective teachers and providing high quality professional development.

Reauthorization IssuesReauthorization Issues Serving the total child: Serving the total child:

• A clear consensus among the education groups and human service groups is a new emphasis on addressing the non-school barriers to learning.

• AASA is supportive of these efforts given the wide range of programs that they run to meet the needs of the total child.

• DIPLOMA

Reauthorization IssuesReauthorization Issues Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education:

• Support for children in their first five years of life, including social intervention and full funding for and alignment of Head Start to public education are widely supported ideas.

• The Obama administration has strongly supported state efforts to increase access to and the quality of early childhood programs.

Reauthorization IssuesReauthorization Issues Health: Health:

• The health programs that are in other agencies are not tied to public schools.

• The needed services and supports include– continued Medicaid reimbursements for school-

based administrative and transportation claims; – a health care system focused on low-income

families, including prenatal care and school-based, school-linked and community health clinics;

– and federal funding and access to mental health care and dental care.

Reauthorization IssuesReauthorization Issues Formula vs. Competitive: Formula vs. Competitive:

• The Administration, through both its Blueprint for Reauthorization and FY11 Budget Proposal, proposed a notable increase in the proportion of federal dollars that would move to school districts through competitive grants, not formula programs.

• Competitive grants put certain districts—especially small, rural districts, those lacking the administrative capacity, and/or ESAs at a disadvantage for securing funds

SummarySummary• Progress is being made toward reauthorization

just not this year• The debate is very contentious between

education groups and the “reformers”• The administration has sided entirely with the

“reformers”• The hill is open to educators• Some issues are very technical which

unfortunately leads to easy answers that are wrong but emotionally satisfying

Reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Programs

• Senate passed S. 3307 – 6 cent increase in reimbursement in 2013– Required staff development– Required certification of directors– New standards for food quality– New requirements for competitive foods– Fines for non compliance– Pilot to test using Medicaid for direct certification– Reporting progress implementing Wellness Policy– Secretary to issue guidance limiting indirect rates– Establishes a formula to set the price for paid lunches

Reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Programs

• HR 5504 awaiting House action this week or next– 6 cent increase in reimbursement in 2013– Required staff development– Required certification of directors– New standards for food quality– New requirements for competitive foods– Fines for non compliance– Pilot to test using Medicaid for direct certification– Reporting progress implementing Wellness Policy– Secretary to issue guidance limiting indirect rates

Reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Programs

• AASA does support– 6 cent increase– New standards– Direct certification tied

to Medicaid

• AASA does not support– Delaying the 6 cent

increase till 2013– Setting paid meal prices

nationally– Director certification– Limiting indirect– Fines for non compliance

JOIN THE GREAT EDUCATION CONVERSATIONJOIN THE GREAT EDUCATION CONVERSATIONAre you prepared to change the conversation on school reform to reflect our true successes? What does “reform” mean to you?

Attend AASA’s National Conference on Education to ensure you have all the information you need to discuss our progress so far and paint a clear picture of the future – join the Great Education Conversation!

February 17-19, 2011 • Denver, CO

REGISTER TODAY at www.aasa.org/nce and claim an active role in the conversation!