1. ESEA Reauthorization Update Mary Kusler Director of Government Relations, NEA

3. Brown v. Board of Education
“Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments … it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.” — Unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision, 1954

4. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Higher Education Act, and the Voting Rights Act into law the same year.

5. LBJ on Signing ESEA into Law
“As a son of a tenant farmer, I know that education is the only valid passport from poverty.
“As a former teacher — and, I hope, a future one — I have great expectations of what this law will mean for all of our young people.
“As President of the United States, I believe deeply no law I have signed or will ever sign means more to the future of America.”

6. NEA’s Core Goals for Next ESEA
New accountability system with an opportunity dashboard as its centerpiece
Less testing to give students more time to learn & decoupling high-stakes testing and accountability
Ensuring qualified educators, empowering them to lead

7. NEA Members Testify on ESEA
Rachelle Moore, a National Board-certified teacher and mentor in the teacher residency program in Seattle, Washington, stressed the need “to ensure all students have equal educational opportunities” and “provide the resources necessary to support and retain teachers, such as investing in residency models and mentoring programs.” 
Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, a National Board-certified teacher and president of the Utah Education Association: “We don’t spend enough time figuring out how to support teachers in difficult circumstances.”
Michael Towne, a high school teacher in Mead Valley, California: “As part of ensuring equal opportunity, we need to address the under-representation of racial and ethnic minority students in STEM-related fields like physics and engineering, the subjects I teach.”

8. Major Shifts in Testing Debate
Student Testing Improvement and Accountability Act (H.R /S. 1025) — Introduced by Reps. Chris Gibson (R-NY) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Sen. John Tester (D-MT)
“Grade-span” testing — once in elementary school, once in middle school, and once in high school
Opt out movement has impacted national narrative
For the first time since NCLB, testing was even a part of the conversation

9. Where Are We? 2007: No Child Left Behind expires
2011/2013: Senate HELP Committee approves bills to reauthorize ESEA
July 2013: House passes NEA-opposed Student Success Act (H.R. 5)
February 2015: House education committee approves Student Success Act (H.R. 5) in party-line vote
April 2015: Senate HELP Committee approves Every Child Achieves Act (S ) unanimously
July 2015: S and HR. 5 pass Congress
October 2015: Speaker Boehner announces resignation jumpstarting conference negotiations

10. Every Child Achieves Act (S. 1177)
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) eliminated—no more one-size-fits-all
Decision-making by people who know their students by name
Incentives for supports and interventions tailored to local needs
Communities, parents, educators encouraged to work together
Multiple measures of student success
Indicators of school success or student support required for the first time
Pilot program for state-designed assessments driven by teaching and learning
Audits to help eliminate unnecessary state and local tests
Testing time must be limited by states
Students can opt out of state standardized tests where local law allows; districts must notify parents of testing policies
Early childhood education more accessible

11. Student Success Act (H.R. 5)
Opposed by NEA due to lack of attention to students most in need
Originally pulled from House floor in February due to lack of support
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) eliminated—no more one-size-fits-all
More flexibility in testing
Audits to help eliminate unnecessary state and local tests
Opt-out: Parents must be informed of policies and have right to opt children out of statewide standardized tests; schools protected from 95% participation rule
Collective bargaining protections now in the law restored
Paraeducator qualifications now in the law restored

12. Defensive Wins: What’s NOT in the Bills
Senate: Rejected reinstatement of NCLB-style AYP that determines school intervention from the federal level
Senate and House: Bipartisan votes to reject vouchers and block-grant approach

14. Unprecedented Member Activism
233,000 s to Congress
33,000 tweets to Congress
26,000 signatures on “Get ESEA Right” petition
2,600 postcards to Congress
2,300 face-to-face meetings with members of Congress

15. Priorities for Final ESEA Bill
Include student and/or school supports in state accountability plans to create an opportunity “dashboard”
Reduce the amount of standardized testing in schools, decouple high-stakes decision making and statewide standardized tests
Empower educators by ensuring their voices are part of decision making at federal, state, and local levels

16. Conference Key Pressure Points
Finding a middle ground on “accountability”
Bottom 5%, address subgroups
Inclusion of resource equity
Will they restrict secretarial authority?
Level of program consolidation & flexibility
Intersection of IDEA and ESEA
How do all parties sell the deal to their respective caucuses?

17. What are the next steps?
“The Big 4” (Kline, Scott, Alexander, Murray) have had several formal meetings
House and Senate staff have been negotiating on a daily basis
Conferees are likely to be appointed the week of Nov 16th with the first (and potentially only) conference meeting that week
Votes as early as late the week of Nov 16th but all votes will likely occur before December 11th (or 18th – target dates of adjournment)
Will need to keep the pressure on Congress to ensure that they #getESEAdone

18. Getting a bill to the President’s Desk
All state affiliates were asked to send out a message to their membership this week.
Promoting s to Congress
Social media (tweets, facebook and instagram)
10 minute meetings in buildings
Using ESEA as an opportunity to engage and organize our members
Joint advocacy among all of the major education organizations
Urging all to Take Action at

19. Hand off coming to states…..
After 13 years of asking for more state decision making… it is here…are you ready?
Many opportunities to engage at the state and district level.
Multiple decision points, such as:
Multiple indicators in state accountability plans (how much should tests count, what school or student supports should be included.)
Opportunity for local assessment pilot
Participation on committee of practitioners
How can NEA support you in your efforts?
What resources will you need to be successful?