Principals Press on ESEA during National Leaders Conference
February 19, 2015
Next week, 200 principals from around the nation will visit Washington, D.C., just as the new 114th Congress settles in to take action on the long-overdue reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). What’s the occasion? NAESP’s annual National Leaders Conference (NLC), Feb. 22-24, which convenes principal leaders from NAESP state affiliates to engage with top education and policy thought leaders, as well as to receive leadership development and training focused on strategic advocacy in preparation for meetings with federal legislators.
During NLC, NAESP will roll out a comprehensive advocacy agenda that principals will take to their representatives on Capitol Hill. The messages include:
- Oppose efforts to include Title I public or private school “portability”—even if it limits portability to public schools.
- Support the Principal Training & Recruitment Act of 2015 (recently reintroduced in the House and Senate).
- Oppose the House ESEA bill (Student Success Act, H.R. 5), which NAESP does not support.
- Urge the inclusion of early childhood education and support for pre-K-3 alignment in the reauthorization of ESEA.
- Base accountability systems on student growth and include multiple measures, ensuring that new policies put an end to the overuse of standardized assessments.
- Set authorization levels that are consistent with the needs of schools and students.
NAESP is also urging principals to support the SMART Act, the Success in the Middle Act, the Education Technology (EETT Program) Act, the (Literacy) LEARN Act, and Great Teacher and Leaders for Great Schools Act.
Read the messages principals will take to the Hill on ESEA and the federal budget.
In addition to Capitol Hill visits, NAESP will offer NLC attendees a leadership development program with presentations from top thought leaders, including Newsweek and The Daily Beast contributing editor Eleanor Clift, columnist and chairman of the American Cause Foundation Pat Buchanan, and Jack Jennings, founder of the Center on Education Policy.
How to Take Action
Here are several ways that principals can add their voices to NAESP’s advocacy efforts on ESEA.
- Speak up on the House bill (Student Success Act, H.R. 5), which NAESP does not support.
- Contact your lawmakers through NAESP’s Legislative Action Center.
- Follow the #naespNLC hashtag on Twitter for updates from the National Leaders Conference.
- Read reflections from the National Leaders Conference in the forthcoming February issue of Communicator.
- Join the Federal Relations Network community on edWeb for our advocacy staff’s updates from Capitol Hill.
During the coming weeks as ESEA continues on its path toward reauthorization, NAESP will continue to stand for principals’ interests and will make sure school leaders have a seat at the federal policy table.