The 2018 Advocacy Conference Has Been Announced!
Have you ever wondered how you can serve your students beyond your school walls? Let us show you how at the 2018 Advocacy Conference! At this conference, school leaders will hear directly from some of the nation’s leading education thought leaders on the current policies shaping education in America. You will also have a chance to discuss these policies directly with your members of Congress and their staff on Capitol Hill. Best of all, registration for the conference is free!
The conference will take place March 19–21, at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, VA. For more information, please contact Zach Scott, NASSP’s manager of advocacy.
Inside the Beltway
What’s Happening in Washington?
A busy schedule greets Congress as they return from recess, with new pitfalls introduced along the way. First, on September 5, President Trump announced that he would be rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in six months. Also, last week the Senate Appropriations Committee introduced an FY 2018 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill.
Why Should Principals Care?
DACA provided temporary protection from deportation and work permits to recipients who passed a background check and met other criteria. Trump’s decision to end the program has plunged 800,000 individuals—many of them students—into fear and uncertainty about their futures. That condition severely compromises their ability to learn, which directly contradicts NASSP’s long-held belief that each child is entitled to an excellent education, regardless of his or her immigration status. That is why NASSP is asking its members to contact their members of Congress and urge them to support the DREAM Act of 2017. The DREAM Act implements a permanent legislative solution for DACA recipients by providing multiple pathways to citizenship via higher education, military service, or employment.
Regarding the Senate Labor-HHS-Education bill, it is notable for providing $2.1 billion in funding for Title II of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for FY 2018. This allocation is the same amount that the program received in FY 2017. This is an abrupt change from the proposed elimination of Title II that came from the Trump administration and House Labor-HHS-Education bill. The bill passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee 29-2 on September 7. NASSP supports the Senate bill, and asks that you continue to urge your representatives to support this bill and other bills that propose funding for principal professional development.
In the Press
Districts Face Limitations in Achieving Digital Equity, EdTech
As schools and students continue to rely on more devices for learning and teaching, districts encounter several issues in keeping up with achieving digital equity for all students. One major obstacle for districts is affording reliable broadband service to make the usage of such devices possible. This article examines the problems related to cost, as well as other difficulties that districts face in working toward digital equity.
Examining Infrastructure Needs for Federally Impacted Schools, THE Journal
A new survey from the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS) found that federally impacted school districts are facing more than $4.2 billion in infrastructure and construction needs. The survey goes on to point out that $4.2 billion wouldn’t even fix the entire problem, as the estimated cost—including capital—to fix what is necessary would be somewhat closer to $13 billion. The survey goes on to thoroughly analyze its collected data and point out some of the other pressing challenges facing the infrastructure needs of these districts.