NAfME News
Hill Day 2019 Advocacy Materials are up on Amplify!
Thank you to everyone who participated in Hill Day 2019! For your personal reference, we have created a folder in the National Assembly 2019 Amplify community for our 2019 Advocacy materials. This folder contains all the Hill Day pieces included in the “Policy Folder,” including the legislative asks, policy backgrounders, and logistical information. We hope you enjoyed NASS 2019!
National News
Your Guide to Education in the Democratic Debate: Charter Schools, Teacher Pay, and Betsy DeVos
6/23/19 — ‘The 2020 presidential election will turn on one issue: Education. Just kidding. It almost certainly won’t. But there’s been more talk of education and education-related issues in the Democratic primary than in some past contests.’
State News
Late State Budgets Are Less Common This Year. There’s 2 Big Reasons for That.
6/19/18 — ‘With less than two weeks before the new fiscal year starts for most states, there has been relatively little of the last-minute drama that’s dominated budget debates in recent years.’
Teachers-Turned-Lawmakers Learn Political Ropes in First Session
6/11/19 — ‘This spring, dozens of teachers who were elected to their state legislatures got a crash course in civics—and a wake-up call on the difficulties of moving well-intentioned ideas into laws.’
6/20/19 — ‘Days after a federal commission suggested mandatory financial-literacy courses for college students, two states are closing in on similar requirements for high schoolers.’
How 3 States Are Digging In on Civics Education
6/26/19 — ‘What can states do to develop better citizens? CivXNow, a coalition of some 90 organizations spearheaded by the online curriculum group iCivics, has some ideas. The group recently unveiled a policy menu: Revise social science standards to prioritize civics. Align tests to them. Improve teacher training. Give youth a voice at schools and in local government.’
FL: Florida Governor Signs Bill To Promote Career Training
6/24/19 — ‘Just because a student doesn’t go to a four-year university doesn’t mean their education has to stop. Florida schools will help students plan for careers even if they don’t want to seek a four-year college degree under an education bill signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.’
KS: Kansas schools address teacher shortage across state
6/22/19- ‘Kansas education officials are raising pay and fast-tracking various teaching professionals in a two-pronged effort aimed at combating teacher shortages.’
PA: When it comes to grading teachers in Pa., test scores could carry less weight
6/24/19 — ‘Much like their students, public school teachers are evaluated for their performance. But student test scores may soon play a smaller role in how teachers are graded.’
Research & Analysis
See Where Teachers Got Pay Raises This Year
6/24/19 — ‘More than a year after teachers across the country began walking out of their classrooms en masse to demand higher salaries, at least 15 states have given their teachers a raise.’
New Federal Guidance: Title I, Part A “Supplement, not Supplant” Non-regulatory Guidance
6/2019 — ‘The Department of Education recently released the final non-regulatory guidance regarding the supplement, not supplant provisions under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The guidance describes how the updated provision under ESSA offers increased flexibility for local educational agencies (LEAs) to implement effective programming in Title I, Part A schools. Unlike the previous test under the No Child Left Behind Act, which required an item by item review, the new requirement ensures LEAs demonstrate an allocation methodology that is “Title I neutral”: The allocation methodology does not consider the status of the school’s receipt of Title I, Part A funds when allocating state and local funding.’