I have a confession: I can’t get the Beatles song “Help!”, out of my mind. It’s been decades since I sang along to the hit as a teenager. A great deal has intervened since then—my family, my teaching career, my advocacy as your president.
But I’ve rarely felt as much frustration in my life as I do today with the years that have gone into futile efforts on Capitol Hill to get a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind.
That’s right, folks—for years (four, to be exact) ESEA reauthorization has floundered on the legislative stage. It’s interesting to note that the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee played a role in the latest reauthorization effort. That committee’s name—HELP—and my sense of frustration over what NCLB has done to our schools may be the precise reason I’m recounting John Lennon’s lyrics of desperation on a regular basis.
I had the privilege of joining other presidents from NEA state affiliates in Washington in mid-October as the HELP Committee prepared to report out an ESEA bill. The NEA president felt that it was important for education leaders from across the country to speak with their senators before the committee started markup on the reauthorization bill. I had a very productive, nearly hour-long meeting with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, to discuss the legislation.
I was quick to speak up for the students who are suffering under too much testing and not enough individual attention. I did not hesitate to speak up for the schools that are doing their best every day to meet the needs of students who come to school hungry, who have no books at home, and who have no safe place to study after school. I minced no words in sharing my belief that Congress has to get the new ESEA right so that we can move forward and away from the flawed NCLB legislation.
It’s always exhilarating to be surrounded by my colleagues from around the country, who are working together to have a united voice in shaping the future of public education in our country. I feel a strong sense of purpose when I am with committed educators striving to improve our public schools. And there is collective gratification when positive steps forward are made.
Indeed, that is what happened with the Senate HELP Committee. The bill reported out by the HELP Committee includes a number of hard-fought victories, including leaving teacher evaluation to the state and local level, where it belongs; giving states additional flexibility to help turn around struggling schools; and ensuring that districts won’t force teachers to transfer to different schools. But much more work needs to be done, particularly to reduce the focus on standardized testing.
By the time you read this, it’s likely that the ESEA drama will have moved to the Senate floor. Meanwhile, the players are in place in the House, where legislative leaders have expressed a desire to move ESEA reauthorization forward in legislative pieces—rather than as one long bill.
I wish I could close this report to you by saying, “Stay tuned for the next act.” But this is not a play; it’s the real thing, and high-quality education is at stake. Thus, I urge you not to stay tuned but to stay active. Get updates on ESEA efforts at nea.org, and tell your members of Congress to craft an ESEA reauthorization bill that will work for students, educators, and schools.
To paraphrase John Lennon, “Help me if you can….it’s time to get our “educational” feet back on the ground.”
