Dear Friends and Members:

As you may know, NAESP has assembled the most compelling lineup of speakers and thinkers available anywhere to give you the most the powerful national conference possible.

A few days ago, I read a blog from one of our conference keynoters, Diane Ravitch, certainly one of the most controversial figures in education today. She wrote a sharp analysis of current federal education policies' impact on your school and thousands of schools like yours. Here’s a brief excerpt in which she compares NCLB to President Obama’s Race to the Top program:

“He’s a smart man. I can't believe that he really doesn’t know that Race to the Top is no better, and in some ways is even worse, than No Child Left Behind. NCLB holds schools accountable; Race to the Top holds individual teachers accountable. Does he know that almost one of every three principals in the state of New York has signed a letter of protest against the test-based evaluations that Race to the Top imposes?”
(She’s got plenty more to say. Read her whole post here.)

Trust me—NAESP is neutral on the politics of federal education discussions. We are solely interested in the policies of federal education discussions, with the goal of protecting your interests in Washington, D.C.

Here’s my point in sending you this email: You can’t afford to pass up the chance to join this critically important discussion about the future of education and hear Ravitch speak in person. Her message will be forceful in her advocacy for you, authoritative in her analysis of federal education policy, and plain speaking in her defense of public education.

This is a once-in-a-career opportunity. Join us at our Annual Conference in Seattle, March 22-24! Have you already registered? I strongly encourage you to forward this to a friend.
      

Thanks for all you do,

Mike Schooley
NAESP Deputy Executive Director