Harkin ESEA reauthorization bill approved by HELP committeeA comprehensive ESEA reauthorization bill introduced last week by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, was approved on a party-line committee vote Wednesday. "I am pleased that the HELP Committee has passed this critical bill to replace the failed tenets of NCLB and give states the flexibility to institute their own college- and career-ready standards, performance targets, academic assessments, and accountability models that will improve our schools," Senator Harkin said in a statement after the vote. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), ranking Republican on the committee, also introduced a reauthorization bill that was voted down on party lines. Party differences about the federal role in education remain a major challenge to reaching legislative consensus, with Republicans seeking a significantly reduced federal footprint in education. NEA's analysis of the Harkin bill can be found in its letter to the HELP committee. Kline and Rokita introduce Republican reauthorization billRep. John Kline (R-MN), chair of the House Education and the Workforce committee, and Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN), chair of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee, introduced a major reauthorization bill last week and scheduled a markup for June 19. "Americans have been waiting for Washington to fix No Child Left Behind for far too long," said Kline in a statement critical of the NCLB waiver program and the level of federal education mandates. Kline also published a detailed summary of his bill. If the scenario that played out in the last Congress happens again, ranking Democrat Rep. George Miller (D-CA) will introduce an alternative bill at markup. As with the Senate, stark party differences in the vision of the federal role are likely to be apparent in both the legislation and markup debates. Education coalition issues letter of support for Common CoreIn their letter to education stakeholders, members of the Learning First Alliance, an organization composed of 16 teachers and school administrators unions as well as other school-related groups, voiced their support for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and for the work required of educators in order to properly implement the CCSS. With the call for support, the Alliance cautions against making high-stakes decisions about student advancement, teacher evaluation, school designation or state funding based on assessments that are built on the CCSS before they have been fully implemented. The Alliance calls for a one-year transition period in which the assessment results associated with the CCSS are used to inform educators and allow them adequate time to make adjustments to curriculum and instruction. During this time, the Alliance recommends that states and districts continue to hold educators and schools to a high standard as determined by the components of their accountability systems that are not solely based on standardized tests. As opposition to the CCSS grows, it is imperative that we act in ways that ensure the success of this endeavor, including making wise decisions about the use of high-stakes assessment results. POTUS announces plan for connecting all schools to internet: ConnectEDIn only a few years, students' use of digital devices has escalated and changed quickly, as have opinions of their use in the classroom. But technology in schools has not kept up with the change. This initiative's goal is to improve broadband and high-speed wireless connectivity in schools within 5 years. Announced by President Obama in Mooresville, NC, the Mooresville schools are an exemplar of what a school district can do when there is the administrative and political will to embrace the promise of education technology. For ConnectED to become fully realized, the Federal Communications Commission is tasked with increasing the funding of the federal E-rate program. (E-rate, a fee added onto phone bills, is one funding mechanism for improving digital technology in schools.) But, while this funding source has not had the expected results, it may be improved if the funds' proper collection and distribution is ensured.
NEA is committed to the improvement and use of technology in all public schools. For teaching and learning to be effective, many tools and resources should be available to the 21st century teacher. In addition, NEA is committed to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The circumstances surrounding the CCSS and technology are important because one of the "technological hurdles facing many of the nation's school districts is the expectation that the districts will administer online tests aligned to the CCSS beginning in the 2014-15 school year, problematic for schools that are simply not ready to handle that load." (Sean Cavanagh, Education Week, June 12, 2013, "Obama Plan Champions E-Rate Fixes.")
A senior administration official claims that this initiative is designed to improve schools' overall technological capacity, not to address state testing concerns. Nevertheless, the program still comes at a time when school officials are anxious about having the financial wherewithal to meet the online testing requirements of the CCSS. No matter what the reason, as Keith Krueger of the Consortium for School Networking says, "The [CCSS] exams are a big wake-up call, and one of the reasons why we need to make an infrastructure investment." Leading classroom technology firm teams with NEA, Center for Teaching & Learning to improve math and science educationThis coalition will result in improved student math and science outcomes as well as build on the capacity of the President's new ConnectED initiative. SMART Technologies, the global education technology firm that made SMART Board® interactive whiteboards, and NEA have teamed up to support the work of the nonprofit Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL): to improve mathematics and science learning through an innovative approach to teaching and learning.
SMART will support the growth of CTL's innovative Progressive Science Initiative (PSI) and Progressive Mathematics Initiatives (PMI) by offering SMART products at reduced prices to schools that have adopted PSI and PMI. Such investments will allow teachers and students to take full advantage of technological devices and content that are aligned with college- and career-ready standards, as envisioned by President Obama's ConnectED initiative.
"CTL believes that access to effective STEM education is necessary both to achieve social justice for individuals and global competitiveness for our country," said Dr. Robert Goodman, CTL executive director. "We look forward to partnering with our friends at SMART and NEA to achieve this."
Take Action! Tell Congress to get it right
With ESEA bills suddenly moving in both the Senate and the House, now is the time to weigh in as educators who experienced first hand the problems created by this high-stakes testing regime initiated by NCLB. E-mail Congress and tell your senator and representatives to get it right on ESEA reauthorization.
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