Last week, NAESP joined fifteen members of the Learning First Alliance in urging the U.S.  Department of Education to consider issuing regulations to relieve states and local districts from unnecessary burdens authorized by No Child Left Behind, which was enacted in 2002. As Congress works to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which expired three years ago, states and local districts face burdensome and costly requirements under the law and must redirect scarce resources to avoid sanctions.

NAESP is advocating for the full reauthorization of ESEA by Congress this year and is urging a comprehensive overhaul of the law to best help teachers and principals meet the learning needs of students. As NAESP works with Congress to address key areas of federal education law through the reauthorization process, there are several unnecessary and counterproductive regulations that can be addressed through regulatory relief in the absence of a full reworking of the current statute. While regulatory action can ease troublesome burdens on local efforts to provide a high-quality education for every student, NAESP also believes that any regulation must be carefully considered through an inclusive and open process to avoid any unintended consequences. 

The letter to Secretary Duncan can be found at http://www.learningfirst.org/sites/default/files/assets/RegulatoryReliefLetterMay2011.pdf

In addition, the American Association of School Administrators and the National School Board Association joined together in support of a resolution calling for regulatory relief. To read the resolution and learn more about the online petition and campaign for regulatory relief, please visit http://aasa.org/aasablog.aspx?id=19084&blogid=286.