Federal Education Policy & the Importance of Grassroots Advocacy April 25, 2013 Amanda Karhuse

1. Federal Education Policy & the Importance of Grassroots AdvocacyApril 25, 2013 Amanda Karhuse

2. Why Should Principals Care about Advocacy? • Legislators make decisions every day that affect YOUR schools • Few policymakers have a background in education • Role of principals & APs has evolved • Only YOU can explain how policy affects YOUR school!

3. Federal Education Policy • NASSP serves as the “national voice” for ML and HS principals and APs • 2 staff members in Government Relations are registered lobbyists • NASSP Board Advocacy Committee • NASSP State Coordinators • Hill Days with NASSP honorees

4. Federal Education Policy • Role of federal government has evolved/continues to be questioned • Most federal programs created to serve disadvantaged students • Laws govern K-12 education, higher ed, special ed, career-tech, etc. • ESEA, No Child Left Behind

5. ESEA Reauthorization • ESEA (a.k.a. NCLB) was due for reauthorization in 2007 • House and Senate Ed. Committees approved very different bills in 2011 • Chairmen claim ESEA is a priority, but there is a lack of consensus • Administration support for waivers

6. ESEA Flexibility Waivers Status of Implementation • 34 states granted waivers • 9 states’ requests still under review (AL, AK, HI, IL, IA, ME, NH, ND, & WV) • 6 states have chosen not to apply (MT, NE, PA, TX, VT, &WY) • CA only state to be denied!

7. ESEA Flexibility Waivers Flexibility from NCLB • 2014 deadline for 100% proficiency • District and school improvement and accountability • Use of federal education funding

8. ESEA Flexibility Waivers State Requirements • College and career ready standards and assessments • Differentiated recognition, accountability, and support systems • Teacher and principal evaluation and support systems

9. NASSP’s Advocacy Agenda Key Issue Areas • School Leadership • Literacy • Education Technology • Middle Level Reform • High School Reform • Rural Education

10. School Principal Recruitment and Training Act • Focus on instructional leadership • One-year pre-service residency for aspiring principals • Ongoing mentoring & support for two additional years • Leaders commit to work in high-need schools for at least four years

11. LEARN Act (S. 758) • $2.5 B for state literacy plans developed under Striving Readers • Early childhood, grades K-5, and ML and HS • Literacy across content area • Targeted interventions for students

12. Transforming Education through Technology Act (H.R. 521) • $500 M for State Grants for Technology Readiness & Access • Use of ed tech to ensure college and career-readiness • “Digital Age” PD opportunities for school leaders and teachers

13. Success in the Middle Act(S. 708) • $1 billion for Middle Grades Improvement Fund • State plans for improving achievement in grades 5-8 • Early warning indicator and intervention systems • Strategies aligned w/Breaking Ranks

15. Early Identification of Dropouts The Primary Off-Track Indicators for Potential Dropouts: • Attendance - <80-90% school attendance • Behavior - “unsatisfactory” behavior mark in at least one class • Course Performance – A final grade of “F” in Math or English Sixth-grade students with one or more of the indicators have only a 10% to 20% chance of graduating from high school on time or within one year of expected graduation -Robert Balfanz and Liza Herzog, Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University

16. Graduation Promise Act • $2.4 B for HS Improvement and Dropout Reduction Fund • Resources for schools w/low graduation rates (below 60%) • Differentiated school improvement & evidence-based interventions • Strategies aligned w/Breaking Ranks

17. Rural Education • One-year reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools Act passed in July 2012 • Funds compensate revenue lost due to restrictions on harvesting timber • “Full funding” was reduced by 5% below FY 2011: $346.2 million • MT received $19.7 M in Jan. 2013

18. Rural Education • Office of Rural Education Policy Act, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) • REAP Reauthorization Act, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) – bill to reauthorize the Rural Education Achievement Program & the Rural and Low-Income School Program

19. Education Funding

20. Authorizations vs. Appropriations • Authorization: • Creates a specific federal program and sets the maximum amount of funds that can be provided for it • Authorization levels do notprovide actual money!

21. Authorizations vs. Appropriations Appropriation: Provides the actual amount of federal dollars to a specific program Appropriations levels do provide actual money!

22. Sequestration & FY13 CR Budget Control Act of 2011 charged a “Supercommittee” to cut $1.2 trillion from federal deficit “Supercommittee” failed, triggering across-the-board cuts of $85 billion Sequestration went into effect March 1 FY13 CR passed in late March Education funding for 2013-2014 school year is cut by 5.23% ($3.1 billion)

23. Key Programs for NASSP Title I IDEA State Grants School Leadership program Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy (SRCL) program Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program Rural Education

24. Title I Cornerstone of ESEA Formula grants to states & districts based on the # of low-income children served by schools Contains all accountability provisions and subprograms, including HS Graduation Initiative, Advanced Placement, etc.

25. Title I (cont.) FY 2013: $14.5 billion, $13.8 billion President had proposed to flat-fund Title I in his budget proposal, but Congress has consistently supported the program Flat-funding is actually a cut in services when factoring in rising student enrollment and the impact of inflation!

27. IDEA FY 2013: $11.6 billion, $11.0 billion President had proposed to flat-fund IDEA in his budget proposal, but again there is strong support in Congress NASSP strongly supports the IDEA Full Funding Act, which will be reintroduced later this year

28. School Leadership Program Only dedicated funding stream in ESEA for the training, mentoring, and PD for school leaders Critical program since <5% of Title II funding is spent on principal PD Bulk of Title II goes to class-size reduction and teacher PD

29. Funding History FY 2006-2008: about $14.5 million FY 2009: $19.2 million FY 2010-2012: $29.2 million FY 2013: $29.1 M, $27.8 M President’s FY14 Request: $98 M School Leadership (cont.)

30. Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Program First Funded in FY 2010 at $250 M Supports statewide, state-driven, research-based literacy instruction and interventions for children from birth-grade 12 6 states have received grants: GA, LA, MT, NV, PA, and TX

31. Striving Readers (cont.) Montana Striving Readers Project MT received $7.6 million for 2011-12 school year; grants were renewed for 2012-2013 school year Subgrants were awarded to 10 school districts (29 schools) and 5 Head Start and preschool programs

32. Striving Readers (cont.) FY 2012: Funding restored to $159.7 M after elimination in FY 2011 FY 2013: $159.6 M, $152.6 M President has proposed consolidating Striving Readers into a larger funding stream for literacy education

33. Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) Only federal program dedicated to ed tech investments in K-12 education and PD for teachers & leaders FY 2002-2004: ~$700 million FY 2010 (ARRA): ~$100 million Funding was eliminated in FY 2011!

34. Rural Education Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) assists small & low-income rural districts to raise student achievement FY 2011: $174.53 million FY 2012: $179.19 million FY 2013: $169.82 million $179.19 M proposed in FY 2014 budget

35. FY 2013 Budget/Appropriations

36. The Importance of Grassroots Advocacy

37. What Can Principals Do? Make Yourself an Expert: NewsLeader Principal’s Update Principal’s Policy Blog www.nasspblogs.org/principalspolicy Twitter@NASSP, @akarhuse, @balljacki

38. What Can Principals Do? Contact Your Legislators: Principal’s Legislative Action Center www.nassp.org/PLAC Respond to NASSP action alerts Request a meeting at the district or state office during the congressional recess Invite your legislators to visit your school

39. Join the Federal Grassroots Network: Over 200 education advocates Commit to regular meetings with members of Congress and correspondence w/their staff To join, e-mail Jacki Ball at ballj@nassp.org What Can Principals Do?

40. Amanda Karhuse NASSP Director of Government Relations karhusea@nassp.org 703-860-7241 @akarhuse Questions?