No Child Left Behind Title I Families and PTA:

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No Child Left Behind Title I Families and PTA
Family Voices Key to Public Education Reform,
Democracy Opportunity Critical
Issues National PTA Convention 2009 June 26, 2009
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Arnold F. Fege, Public Education
Network afege_at_publiceducation.org Bob
Witherspoon RMC Research witherspoonb_at_rmcarl.com
Mishaela Duran National PTA mduran_at_pta.org
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Todays Agenda

• General Overview of NCLB/ESEA
• Parent Involvement in NCLB/ESEA
• NCLB and Education Reform and Links to the
  Stimulus Funding
• Title I and Parent Advocacy
• Parent Involvement Issues
• PTAs National Standards
• National Assessments/National Standards
• Educating the Whole Child
• Parent/Family Engagement NCLB/ESEA
• Next Steps for PTA members

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Current National Education Lay of the Land June
26, 2009

• 2009 Omnibus Federal Budget-PASSED
• 140 Billion Economic Stimulus-PASSED
• Serve America Act-PASSED
• House/Senate 2010 Budget Resolution-PASSED
• White House 2010 Proposed Budget-SUBMITTED
• House/Senate Appropriations Committee Meeting
• Universal Health Care-PROPOSED
• Evolving Obama/Duncan Education Agenda
• _____________________________________________
• NCLB REAUTHORIZATION!!!???

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The Obama Administrations Evolving Education
AgendaHigh Profile Priorities from Real-Time
Messages

• National standards assessments raised, more
  rigorous standards and fewer tests
• Charter Schools
• Funding targeted to lowest performing schools
• Early childhood education (universal pre-K)
  Data tracking systems to measure growth
  (growth/value-added/progress model not defined)
• Recruit/attract teachers with higher pay in
  difficult schools
• Merit pay for teacher performance/incentivize
  and reward teachers in difficult schools
• Innovation/competition scaling what works
• More money available for PELL grants
• (stimulus money focus)

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Reflect and Answer About the Education Title I
Stimulus Funds

• States and local school districts MUST retain the
  Title I parental involvement set-aside under the
  stimulus plan
• Name 3 ways that that could improve parental
  involvement in your school district
• Which of these is the most important AND within
  your control AND connected to your district
  budget?

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The Context Intro to ESEA-NCLB
Reauthorization
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What Is Reauthorization?

• NCLB expired September 30, 2007 has been
  automatically extended
• NCLB not new amended the 1965 ESEA law
• ESEA reauthorized 5 times since 1965
• Congress in a stalemate over NCLB reauthorization
  
• No one ran as pro-NCLB in 2008 elections
• Obama NCLB positions in formulation/listening
  stages

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No Child Left Behind is

• NCLB is over 1,000 pages
• Over 1,500 pages of regulations 10,000 pages of
  guidance
• 490 pages of new regulations 2008
• Comprises10 Titles, over 40 programs
• Title I Largest
• Affects every public school in the country
• Requires Every Child to Score Proficient by
  2013-2014

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General Title I Information

• 47,600 Title I schools or 58 of all public
  schools receive Title I assistance
• 67 of all elementary schools
• 29 of all secondary schools
• 14.9 million children receive Title I assistance
• 96 of highest poverty schools get Title I
  assistance
• From National Center for Educational Statistics,
  2007

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. . . Regional Impact. . .
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Key Parental Involvement Provisions in ESEA-NCLB
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2006/07 PEN NCLB Web-based Survey N20,728
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Parental Involvement (PI) in Education

• Improves academic achievement, behavior,
  attendance, understanding of diverse viewpoints,
  planning for future, and emotional/physical
  well-being.
• Regardless of parents education level,
  ethnicity, or socioeconomic background.
• Schools would need to increase spending by
  1000 per pupil for same results.

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ESEA-NCLB Parental Involvement

• ESEA-NCLB Title I Offers Many Roles for Parents
• Parents Mentioned Over 200 Times in NCLB
• Parental Choice
• Supplemental Educational Services (SES)
• Parent Compacts
• Parent Policies (known as Section 1118)
• Parents Right to Know
• PIRCs (Parent Information Resource Centers

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ESEA-NCLB Parental Involvement

• ESEA-NCLB Title I Offers Many Roles for Parents
• Parents Mentioned Over 200 Times in NCLB
• Parental Choice
• Supplemental Educational Services (SES)
• Parent Compacts
• Parent Policies (known as Section 1118)
• Parents Right to Know
• PIRCs (Parent Information Resource Centers
• PI also in many other programs in NCLB

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ESEA-NCLB PI Responsibilities Across All Levels

• Federal
• State
• Local
• School District
• School

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ESEA-NCLB PI Requirements

• State Level
• Collection and Dissemination of PI Best Practices
• Committee of Practioners (parent representative
• Technical Assistance to Districts and Schools
• State Report Card
• Review Title I District Plans, Policies and
  Practices
• School Support Teams
• Committee of Practitioners

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ESEA-NCLB PI Requirements

• Local School District Level
• District-wide Written PI Policies (known as
  Section 1118)
• PI Capacity Building
• Parents
• School Personnel Professional Development
• Integrating PI with Other Programs
• Other Supports As Requested
• Optional Capacity Building Activities

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ESEA-NCLB PI Requirements

• Local School Level
• Written Parental Involvement Policies
• Sending Information to Parents
• Annual Meetings
• Engaging Parents in PI Program Development

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ESEA-NCLB PI Requirements

• Local School District Level
• Technical Assistance to Title I Schools on PI
• Parents in Developing School Improvement Plans
• Evaluation/Review Districts Own PI
• Teacher and Principal Training on PI

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ESEA-NCLB PI Requirements

• Local School District Level
• Review of Schools PI Activities
• Technical Assistance to Schools in Need of
  Improvement
• District-Wide Improvement Plans
• Public School Choice and SES
• A Word on In Need of Improvement

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ESEA-NCLB PI Requirements

• Local School District Level
• Inform Regarding PIRCs
• Opportunities for Full Participation of LEP,
  Migrant or Disabled Parents
• Support School, Family and Community partnerships
• 1 Set-Aside for PI and 95 to Title I Schools

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ESEA-NCLB PI Requirements

• Local School Level
• Parent's Right to Know (All Schools)
• PI Title I Schools in Need of Improvement
• Notifying Parents
• School Improvement Programs
• School-wide Improvement Plans
• Schools Identified for Restructuring beginning in
  the 5th year of not meeting AYP

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ESEA-NCLB PI Requirements

• Local School Level
• PI Capacity Building
• Inform Parents about PIRCs
• Opportunities for Full Participation of LEP,
  Migrant or Disabled Parents

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ESEA-NCLB PI Requirements

• Local School Level (continued)
• School-Parent Compacts
• Each partys responsibility to meet state
  standards and support learning
• Ongoing, effective parent-teacher communication

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Barriers to Implementing NCLB Parental
Involvement Provisions
Partially From Student Achievement and School
Accountability (SASA), UIS Department of
Education, 2005-2007
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The Issues of Parental Involvement

• Key parental involvement provisions are not being
  implemented or enforced
• Parents are not getting sufficient information
  and in a language they can understand
• Choice and SES are not working
• Why is PI a federal Role?
• Parents are confused by report card data
• Parents not consistently involved in local school
  improvement teams

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White House and Hill Lay of the Land

• White House and Congress often confused about
  what parent involvement IS
• Often want to assign parents tasks, rather than
  involving them as true partners
• Need to realign parent relationships with school
  districtsHead Start and Special Education are
  examples
• Need for parental and family standards
• Educators frequently dont see parental
  involvement as a priority
• See ED SASA Monitoring Report

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Arnies Recommendations to Congress Parental
Involvement ESEA-NCLB Reauthorization
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Potential Recommendations to White House and
Congress for ESEA Reauthorization

• Formalize and Adopt National PTA Parental
  Involvement Standards
• Improve PI Definition
• Add Incentives for PI
• Create a separate US Department of Education
  Office of Parents, Families and Communities Under
  Assistant Secretary to Establish Policies and
  Procedures to Help States, Districts and Schools
  Implement, Integrate and Evaluate PI
• Require ED to Publicize Proposed PI Standards
  with Metrics and Hold a Comment Period to Improve
  Them
• Keep the PI Title I Set-Aside, But Double the
  Amount

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Recommendations to Congress

• Increase PIRC Funding to Include 100 Local Parent
  Centers
• Create Local Pilot Programs and Best Practices to
  Continually Respond to the Needs of Parents and
  Families
• Require teachers'/principals' recruitment and
  training to include effective PI
• Require States to Better Plan for Building Pl
  Capacity
• Improve Compacts
• Develop an Enforcement System That Allows Parents
  a Recourse if a State of District Does not
  Implement the PI Requirements

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Discussion and QA
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The Context Intro to ESEA-NCLB
Reauthorization
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NCLB ReauthorizationA Law in Limbo The
Perfect Storm and the Negative CoalitionCHALLEN
GE developing a new bill that receives the
majority vote of the committees, conference,
pressure groups, and approval of White House
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Status of Reauthorization What to Expect

• Who will take the lead White House or Congress
  Bipartisan or Unilateral?
• Probably Committees will Start Drafting
  Legislation, But No One Expects to Pass in 2009
• Key Committees House Education and Labor and
  Senate Health, Education, Pensions and Labor
• This is a strategic time Hill looking for
  input/ideas
• Bill will get new name, but will it get changes?

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The Debates Will Center on BIG ISSUE

• ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
• Testing, Testing Testing
• Definition of AYP
• Multiple Measures vs. Single High Stakes Test
• Growth Model Measuring Progress and Not Targets
• NATIONAL STANDARDS
• Requiring ELL Children to Take Grade Level Tests
  When They Do Not Speak English

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The Other Debates Will Center on

• One size does not fit allnot enough local
  flexibility
• Teacher Quality
• Increased Funding
• Narrows Curriculum
• Growing Poverty of Public School Student Body
• Adding Middle School and High School Reform
  Initiatives
• Reducing Punitive Measures/Increasing Incentives
• Teacher Quality

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