Congress has finally taken significant action to enact a full reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) – also known as the No Child Left Behind Act – that will provide teachers and principals with the support they need to offer a high quality education for every student.

This afternoon, the Senate will vote on final passage of the Every Child Achieves Act (S.1177). We are asking you to send an email to your senators now to let them know that you support S.1177 because it will ensure that students and all educators will be better off than under the current No Child Left Behind-test-and-punish laws and regulations.

While the bill is not perfect, it represents a bipartisan comprised renewal of the law that is important for the nation’s education system. NAESP, in collaboration with the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the American Federation of School Administrators, were pleased to see several of our recommendations included in the bill the Senate will vote on:

• The elimination of Adequate Years Progress (AYP) measures and the 100 percent proficiency requirements
• Clarification of the term “School Leader” as the principal of an elementary, middle, or high school
• Inclusion of use of funds in Title II for a “School Leader Residency Program”
• Updated school leadership focused activities to improve the recruitment, preparation, placement, support, and retention of effective principals and other school leaders in high-need schools
• The removal of the unworkable school turnaround models that are required under the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program regulations
• The continued disaggregation of subgroup data and reporting
• Allowable use of local Title II funds to develop induction and mentoring programs that are designed to improve school leadership and provide opportunities for mentor principals and other educators who are experienced, effective, and have demonstrated an ability to work with adult learners, as well as provide “personalized” professional development for educators
• Includes coordinated services and alignment with early childhood education, as well as use of funds to support professional development for principals in leading Pre-K-3 alignment in their learning communities

As a leader in your school and in your community, your voice is extremely powerful in this debate. Please take a moment to take action and send an email to your senators in Congress to urge them to vote YES on passage of S. 1177, the Every Child Achieves Act. While a sample letter has been provided for you, we strongly urge you to personalize the letter where possible.

Click here to send a letter to your senator.

Thank you for your leadership and advocacy in improving public school education for all children.

Sincerely,

The NAESP Advocacy Team