Looking Back on the Title II Day of Action–You Can Still Help!
Educators are always seeking new ways to improve themselves to help better their students. Title II is one of the unique federal programs that supports educators in this endeavor. It provides federal funds to recruit, retain, and train high-quality teachers, principals, and school leaders. Unfortunately, these incredibly important funds were cut by $294 million in the FY 2017 budget and proposed for elimination in President Trump’s FY 2018 budget.
On June 14, NASSP partnered with a number of other national organizations to hold a day of action for Title II of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The Title II Day of Action brought together educators across all spectrums from across the country to voice their support for keeping Title II funded at $2.295 billion for FY 2018, the authorized level under ESSA. Over 925,000 people were reached on social media and over 650 messages were sent to congressional representatives through NASSP on June 14 alone.
If you missed the day of action, there is still time for you to participate and support Title II! Send out a tweet or Facebook post using #TitleIIA. Or better yet, contact your legislators through NASSP’s Principal’s Legislative Action Center (PLAC) to make sure they’re aware of Title II’s importance when drafting the FY 2018 budget!
Countdown to the National Principals Conference
As a principal, you encounter obstacles in your position that many elected officials can’t imagine. However, it is important that you share your experiences with these representatives so they understand the support necessary to be successful in such a difficult occupation. At this year’s National Principals Conference, you can learn how to effectively craft your story in a way that is quick and impactful for your elected representatives. There will be a number of other sessions that can help your advocacy efforts as well, with topics such as influencing your state’s ESSA plan, how the federal education landscape has changed with President Trump and Secretary DeVos, and how to maximize your influence on legislators at all levels of government.
Don’t miss out on your opportunity to learn how you can make a difference for your state and school. Time is running out—register for the conference now!
Inside the Beltway
What’s Happening in Washington?
Last week, the Department of Education (ED) provided its first round of feedback for states’ ESSA plans. ED provided feedback for the plans from Delaware, Nevada, and New Mexico.
Why Should Principals Care?
The amount of feedback provided by ED regarding these plans is somewhat surprising considering concerns from education policy experts. Originally, there was fear that ED may just rubber stamp plans with no real oversight being conducted on the actual content within. However, the feedback provided from ED shows that there should be some fairly thorough examinations into the content of each state plan. These reviews also provide the first glimpse into how ED will review ESSA plans. This comes after Republicans eliminated an Obama administration regulation that laid out certain priorities and guidelines that ED would focus on when reviewing the plans.
In the Press
Using Data to Improve School Leadership, Wallace Foundation
The Wallace Foundation has recently released the latest report in its Principal Pipeline Initiative, focusing on using data to improve the principalship. The report offers a number of insights into how to develop leader tracking systems. One example is to form a development team headed by a single person with project management experience, working initially with data already in hand rather than gathering new data.
Examining Voucher Programs Across the Nation, Education Commission of the States
President Trump and Secretary DeVos continue to stress their support for voucher programs across the nation. A new report seeks to tell the real story about voucher programs by providing a comprehensive look at eligibility requirements, accountability, and funding for voucher programs across states. It also includes research and data findings related to vouchers as well.
Highlighting the Needs of Rural Education, The Rural School and Community Trust
Rural schools face a significant and unique set of difficulties in education. The new study, “Why Rural Matters,” looks at the different factors that influence rural education on a state-by-state basis, while also noting positive changes that can be made to help improve the growth of students in rural areas.
Assessing Equity in Education, Education Commission of the States
All students deserve the same opportunity to succeed and grow, and providing equity in the classroom is always the goal of a high-quality educator. A new report examines how to promote equity across four key state policy levers—teaching and leading; learning and transitioning; measuring and improving; and financing.