1. The National Voice for Music Education
Christopher Woodside
Assistant Executive Director

2. 3 Tenets of Advocacy The National Voice (Federal Lobbying)
Coalition Work
Capacity Building

3. The National Voice Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Higher Education Act (HEA)
Annual Appropriations Lobbying
*U.S. Department of Education Regulatory Lobbying*
Federal Education Funding, Generally
COMING SOON: State Level Lobbying!!

4. Coalition Work Music Education Policy Roundtable NAMM Partnership
Well-Rounded Education Partnership
National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS)
Committee for Education Funding (CEF)

5. Capacity Building Advocacy Leadership Force (ALF)
Advocacy crisis response
State and local level training sessions
Presentations to outside groups

6. What is the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA)?
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is the SAME legislation as “No Child Left Behind” and the “Every Student Succeeds Act.”
Originally signed into law in 1965, ESEA is the federal government’s most extensive statute addressing primary and secondary education.
The intent of the legislation is to provide supplemental funds and programs to serve low-income students and enable school districts to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education.
Every several years, Congress must reauthorize ESEA to meet changing needs in education.

7. What is No Child Left Behind (NCLB)?
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is the last reauthorized iteration of ESEA, which was signed into law in 2002 during President George W. Bush’s administration.
NCLB highly focused on exposing achievement gaps in traditionally underserved and vulnerable student populations through use of greater accountability measures.
The law officially expired in 2007 and stop-gap solutions were made until a new ESEA is passed.

8. 2015 ESEA Reauthorization Timeline
Introduction
Floor Action
Conference
H.R. 5 passed in July, 218 – 213
First considered in March
S passed in July,
ESEA Conference Committee votes 39-1 to approve a bicameral and bipartisan compromise to reauthorize ESEA. New bill is dubbed “Every Student Succeeds Act”
H.R. 5 - Student Success Act
S Every Child Achieves Act

9. 2015 ESEA Reauthorization Timeline Cont.
Back to the House
& Senate
President Signs into Law
Passes the House – 359 – 64
Passes the Senate Votes –
President signs ESSA into law on December 10, 2015

10. NAfME Action on ESEA Push
NAfME deeply involved in 2015 reauth push
Development of key legislative requests
Drafting of legislative language
Coordination with strategic advocacy partners
Support for bipartisan bill provisions
Letter writing campaigns (11,000+ sent to Capitol Hill)
Petition in support of “music and arts as core”
Lobbying of select Education Committee offices
Relentless monitoring and negotiating

11. The Every Student Succeeds Act
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), is an ENORMOUS opportunity for music education advocates.
The bill provides opportunities to use federal funding to increase access to music education for all students, especially the most vulnerable.
NAfME has highlighted SEVEN key takeaways most important for music education.

12. 1) New and Clear Intent to Support a Well-Rounded Education
1965 ESEA -Title I – Financial Assistance to Local Education Agencies for the Education of Children of Low Income Families
1981 ESEA – Title I - Financial Assistance to Meet Special Educational Needs of Children 
1994 ESEA – Title I - Helping Children in Need Meet High Standards
2001 ESEA (NCLB) Title I – Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged
2015 ESSA – Title I - Improving Basic Programs Operated by State and Local Educational Agencies
The change of language is important here. For the first time, Title I focuses on school programs instead of on disadvantaged children. It signals a change in the intent of Congress – and signals that Congress understands the need to support the entirety of schooling in order to create an improvement for children in poverty.
Does anyone know who is in the photo? Yup – it’s LBJ – President Johnson – at the signing ceremony for the first ESEA inn Sitting next to him is his childhood schoolteacher Ms. Kate Deadrich Loney. President Johnson returned to a small one-room school in Texas to sign the first ESEA into law 50 years ago. For those of you who haven’t read the LBJ biographies by Robert Caro (I’m on book 3!), President Johnson grew up in poverty in the Hill Country of Texas. He never forgot what it was like to be poor, and ESEA was one of his signature programs in his War on Poverty.

13. 2) Enumeration of Music in Law
Title VIII, Section Definitions
‘‘(52) WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION.—The term ‘well-rounded education’ means courses, activities, and programming in subjects such as English, reading or language arts, writing, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, geography, computer science, music, career and technical education, health, physical education, and any other subject, as determined by the State or local educational agency, with the purpose of providing all students access to an enriched curriculum and educational experience.’’
Well-rounded education replaces the definitional term of “Core Academic Subjects” in this version of ESEA. The green highlighted subjects are the new ones added to well-rounded along with music.
Key here is that the intent is for ALL STUDENTS TO HAVE ACCESS to this subject areas, including music. This resonates with the new Strategic Plan for NAfME – our advocacy area – one of 4 strategic directions for the association, reads: “Inform, engage and activate the public, policymakers and educational leaders to promote and support music as an integral and core component of a comprehensive and balanced education accessible to all students.” This provision connects to a variety of other significant provisions throughout ESSA, which provides increased opportunities for the access of music education.

14. 3) Requirements for Well-Rounded Education
Under Title IV, schools will now be able to assess their ability to provide a well-rounded education, including music, and address any deficiencies using federal funds.
Sch
The definition for well-rounded education connects to ALL areas of the ESSA. No area is more important, I would argue, though, than Title IV – entitled 21st Century Schools. Title IV represents a NEW pot of federal funds to support schools in their use of technology, in creating safe school environments, and under Section 4107, to support Well-rounded educational opportunities.
Specifically, local educational agencies or districts (or charter holders) MUST assess if their schools are providing for a well-rounded education as spelled out in the definition seen in the previous slide, determine where access may be lacking in these areas for their students (all of their students) and create a plan to address those deficiencies. That plan becomes part of their funding ask, then, for Title IV funds for their school district.
THIS is an area where you as a music educator can get involved. Who in your district will determine what’s included in your Title IV well-rounded needs assessment? Can you help determine what the needs are for your district? This is an opportunity to provide better, more comprehensive, and/or more equitable access to music education for your district’s students.
And remember, you need to keep in mind that music is not the only area that can be supported with Title IV funds. Your needs in music education may not be as great as needs in other areas. Being a team player and helping to prioritize the needs for your students fairly across the district will help insure that you remain at the table for future discussions about funding.

15. 4) Flexibility of Title I Funds to Support a Well-Rounded Education
Section 1009 – Targeted Assistance Title I Schools
Section 1008 – Schoolwide Title I Schools (Poverty > 40%)
Music as part of whole school reform, including not just academic achievement but school culture/climate
Each Schoolwide school is encouraged to include activities in support of a well-rounded education in its schoolwide plan, which includes music
Targeted programming for identified students at academic risk, which may include:
“using resources under this part to help eligible children meet the challenging State academic standards, which may include programs, activities, and academic courses necessary to provide a well-rounded education” which can include music
An additional area of flexibility has been introduced into Title I. How many of you teach at a Title I school? Title I funds historically have gone to support academic interventions to support the tested subject areas of reading and math. In many schools, that will continue to be the norm; ESSA, however, creates flexibility in terms of how Title I funds can be utilized in a school based on a school’s plan (much like the plan development we saw for Title IV).
First – schoolwide Title I schools. Schoolwide Title I schools make the choice to embrace whole school reform to support children and their learning. That whole school reform can (and has been able to under both NCLB and ESSA) include music education as part of a school’s culture/climate or in support of student enagement. Under ESSA, schools are encouraged to include well-rounded educational activities in their schoolwide plan. If you teach at a Title I Schoolwide school, will music be included in your updated schoolwide plan?
And, for the first time under ESSA, Title I Targeted Assistance Schools are encouraged to utilize their federal dollars in support of a well-rounded education, which can include music. Traditionally, targeted schools identify students in academic need and funnel their Title I funds to support them in those areas – normally reading and math. Under ESSA, those funds can support all aspects of a well-rounded education for those targeted students. This is new. It’s very different. And we don’t know what this might look like on the ground. What could you do as a music educator to provide music education to your school’s most struggling students? Are they already in your program? If not, what would you develop for them? What additional supports might they need? And how would that connect back to their overall achievement in your school? I encourage you to imagine what this could look like if you are at a targeted assistance Title I school. Dream… and discuss ideas with your administrator!

16. 5) More PD for Music Educators
Funds from Titles I, II and IV of ESSA, may support professional development for music educators as part of a well-rounded education.
Titles I, II and IV include funds that can be used for professional development by all content teachers included in the well-rounded education definition (like music educators!). How will the needs of you and your colleagues be heard as your district determines what professional development to support with federal education dollars from ESSA? Is your music supervisor or program leader part of the team making these choices? Can a music educator such as yourself be part of the committee? And, what ARE your professional development needs? Do you know what would best support your work as a music educator – to bring to the table as a request?
ESSA speaks to the need for strong content-knowledge for educators, so this does NOT mean that you solely get professional development in Common Core. It’s about high quality professional development based on the needs you have as an educator.

17. 6) Flexible Accountability Systems
States choose multiple progress measures for schools
Music education-friendly measures such as student engagement, parental engagement and school culture/climate can be chosen
AYP
Under ESSA, AYP or Adequate Yearly Progress, with its multiple measures per school, ends. No more AYP!
Instead, states are given flexibility to design their own accountability systems. Tested subject area performance must be included, but states must add in other measures. Some of the possible measures include ones friendly to music education such as parent engagement, or student engagement, or school culture/climate.
NAfME is working with state MEAs to see if we can influence state choices in this area. Will music-friendly measures be included? Who gets to decide – and when will these decisions be made? How can state music education leaders be included in this decision-making process?

18. 7) Protection from “Pull Outs”
The new ESSA discourages removing students from the classroom, including music and arts, for remedial instruction.
Section 1009 (Targeted Assistance Programs) - (ii) “minimize the removal of children from the regular classroom during regular school hours for instruction provided under this part”
Identical to NCLB, ESSA retains language requesting that schools build their Title I programs without disrupting the school day (and learning!) for students receiving support under Title I. Believe it or not, the law has frowned upon, and continues to frown upon, removing children from one subject to receive remedial instruction in another. If this is happening now in your school, share this section of the law with your administrator. Schools are meant to think innovatively about scheduling and services, including utilizing after-school, before-school, weekend and summer school time to provide interventions for students. Not having them miss art, music and physical education for their additional math study.

19. Other highlights and changes
“Highly-Qualified Teacher”– ESSA does NOT contain a highly- qualified teacher definition or requirement. The law does state, however, that teachers need to meet the credentials set forth by their state AND should have academic content knowledge for the content they teach if they are funded by ESSA.
Highly Qualified Teacher is a provision listed in Title II of NCLB.
The provision defines a “Highly Qualified Teacher” as one who meets applicable State certification and licensure requirements, holds a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, and has demonstrated in a manner of competency in each of the academic areas in which the teacher teaches.
ESSA does not utilize this term, but mentions appropriate certification and credentialing for teachers funded under federal law

20. USDE Regulatory Lobbying
ESSA will not be in effect until the next school year and does not affect the current school year.
NAfME begins work in the “regulatory” policy environment with the U.S. Department of Education
How states and schools can best implement ESSA, and foster a more inclusive and “well-rounded” education that includes music.
Comment period: 12/18 USDE issued request for recommendations from states, educators, advocates on regulations under Title I of ESSA.
USDE plans to hold two public hearings on implementing the new law on January 11 (DC) and January 19 (LA, CA)

21. We Need YOU!! Visit nafme.org and click on “Everything ESSA”
Comment period: 12/18 USDE issued request for recommendations from states, educators, advocates on regulations under Title I of ESSA.
USDE plans to hold two public hearings on implementing the new law on January 11 (DC) and January 19 (LA, CA)