With our focus on state politics in Olympia, it’s easy to forget that more and more of our education policy is now being decided in the other Washington. I just returned from NSBA’s Federal Relations Network conference in Washington D.C., where we were briefed by Secretary Duncan and met with key members of Congress. Here are three of the most important messages we were sending on the hill:
1. Reauthorize ESEA!
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (a.k.a. "No Child Left Behind") has made great strides in accountability, measuring annual student progress in math and reading in every school across the nation. However, it’s punitive measures to turn around schools not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) have proven counterproductive and desperately need to be updated based on what we’ve learned since 2001. Currently, half of our districts in Washington state are in some form of "Improvement Status" and have Title 1 funding set aside to provide for transporting students to other schools…funding that won’t be returned if it’s not used. By 2014, the goals ratchet to 100%, ensuring that all schools are failing AYP and we have no easy means to identify the schools that really need help.
- Make AYP based on year-to-year growth, not absolute values. If test scores show a school is providing 2 year’s worth of improvement in one year, that program is working and should be celebrated, even if they’re starting with disadvantaged kids that are 3 years behind the national average. Eventually, they will close the gap.
- Broaden tests to include assessments of more than just math and reading. At a minimum, we need to evaluate science (promised, but not delivered) and writing (like the new SAT), but ideally this would include multiple measures of academic achievement reflecting the kind of well-rounded education necessary to be successful in a 21st century economy.
- Sanctions should only apply to schools and districts when the same subgroup fails to make AYP in the same subject for two consecutive years or more.
- Sanctions should be aligned with the need for improvement, targeting only the subgroup that fails to make AYP instead of the entire student population (many of whom end up transferring to schools with lower performance for their subgroup).
- Students belonging to multiple subgroups should be counted in each group as an equal fraction, totaling one student towards AYP.
2. Fully fund 40% share of IDEA!
Currently, Washington school districts spend an average of 8% of their local levy dollars backfilling unfunded requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, totaling $160M per year statewide. The federal government currently funds 17.2% of their promised 40%, resulting in a yearly national shortfall of $16B and a whopping total of $670B since its inception.
- Co-sponsor EDUCATE Act (H.R. 3578) and IDEA Full Funding Act (S.1652)
- If federal funds aren’t available, reduce local Maintenance of Effort requirements
3. Teachers and students are our most leveraged investment!
Thanks to the federal stimulus grants from last year, Washington state only lost 2,700 teachers. Without that safety net, things would have been much worse…and this year OSPI estimates that we’ll be losing 8,000 teachers due to budget cuts during this short session. Like jobs saved at Boeing and Microsoft, when we save a teacher’s job there are trickle down effects to the community that multiply its impact on Main Street. In addition, any investment we make in education at least prepares future generations to ultimately pay back the federal debt we’re incurring.
- Support the Jobs for Main Street Act, which provides a $23B Education Jobs Fund. (Senate version is pending, estimated at $18B for education.)
- Remember that the best jobs and anti-poverty program is a world-class education.
Please contact your U.S. Senators and local House representative to ensure they get these messages. With the President’s budget released, debates ensuing in both House and Senate, and new proposals being released daily from the Department of Education, now is the time to ensure those representing us in D.C. know where our priorities lie.