Stand Up for Principals—Participate in the Title II Day of Action June 14!
Educators need the ability to better themselves in order to drive student achievement. Title II of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), also known as the Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants, offers educators this opportunity by providing federal funds to recruit, retain, and train high-quality educators. ESSA originally authorized Title II funds at $2.295 billion, a number that would make a positive impact for schools across the nation. However, Title II saw a drastic reduction this year when $249 million was cut from the program for FY 2017. Despite these already harmful cuts, President Trump has proposed to completely eliminate funding for Title II in his FY 2018 budget request. This is not only dangerously shortsighted, it would also severely disrupt many states’ ESSA implementation plans and hamper efforts to increase student achievement.
In order to help protect these funds, NASSP has partnered with a number of other organizations to hold the first-ever Title II Day of Action on Wednesday, June 14. If you wish to sign up early to participate, please join our Thunderclap, which will allow you to preplan social media posts for the day of action. NASSP will also be sending out a new action alert that day, meaning just a few clicks will let you contact your congressional representatives. Please join NASSP in protecting these funds by urging your members of Congress to fund Title II at the ESSA authorized level of $2.295 billion for FY 2018 on June 14!
Time is Running Out to Register for the National Principals Conference
Curious how you can make a positive impact for your school by going beyond its walls? The answer is through advocacy! At this year’s National Principals Conference, you can learn from advocacy professionals on how to effectively advocate for your school. This includes sessions on 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, so register for the conference now!
Inside the Beltway
What’s Happening in Washington?
On May 30, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit ruled unanimously in favor of Ash Whitaker, a transgender high school senior in Wisconsin who is suing for the right to use the boy’s bathroom. The court’s opinion stated that “a policy that requires an individual to use a bathroom that does not conform with his or her gender identity punishes that individual for his or her gender non‐conformance, which in turn violates Title IX.” Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs. You can find more information on the case here.
Why Should Principals Care?
The decision marks a huge victory for LGBTQ advocates, as it is the first time an appeals court has found conclusively that transgender students should be treated according to their gender identity under Title IX of the Constitution. Early on in his presidency, Donald Trump dealt a devastating blow to LGBTQ rights by revoking a guidance issued by the Obama administration that instructed public schools to let students use the bathroom that matched their gender identity. The Supreme Court earlier this year sent a similar case involving transgender student Gavin Grimm back to the appellate court after Obama’s guidance was rescinded.
NASSP strongly supports the rights of transgender students, which can be seen in this position statement. NASSP will continue to closely monitor these cases as they develop.
In the Press
Chronic Absenteeism’s Relationship to Student Success, Education Commission of the States
As states continue to develop their ESSA plans, there are many who are considering using chronic absenteeism as a nonacademic indicator in their accountability system. A new report examines chronic absenteeism, and how closely it correlates to a student’s success.
New Website Launched to Hold Secretary DeVos Accountable, MassLive
Last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) announced that she will be launching a new website aimed at holding Secretary DeVos accountable for her decisions at ED. Sen. Warren states that the website, titled “DeVos Watch,” will be able to track the agency’s actions, file whistleblower tips, and submit oversight suggestions.
Examining the Future of Social and Emotional (SEL) Learning, The Wallace Foundation
SEL involves children’s ability to learn about and manage their own emotions and interactions in ways that benefit themselves and others, which helps these children in all aspects of their life, even beyond school. A new report examines the importance of SEL, analyzes new way teachers can promote it in their classrooms, and studies how SEL helps students at different stages of their schooling.