ESEA Conference to Begin Today

In This Section

Efforts to reauthorize ESEA pick up again today at 2:30, with hopes of having the House and the Senate vote on the final Conference report in early December. NASP sent the following statement to the Committee, urging them to continue to move the process forward.

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and our 25,000 members we are encouraged by the announcement of a Conference Committee meeting and urge you to continue the significant progress made to deliver a bi-partisan bill that the President can sign before the end of the year. The outdated and overly punitive policies of No Child Left Behind and the waiver system that prevents schools, districts, and states from engaging in long term school improvement efforts do not serve the needs of our nation’s students.

Policies that enable schools to meet the needs of the whole child are necessary to empower teachers to teach and ensure that every child is ready and able to learn. NASP remains committed to ensuring that the President signs a comprehensive, bipartisan bill that:

  • holds all students to high expectations in a rigorous, well-rounded curriculum;
  • promotes positive school climate and safe and supportive learning environments for all students;
  • encourages implementation of multi-tiered systems of support to address the needs of the whole child;
  • improves access to comprehensive school-based mental and behavioral health services and school employed mental health personnel;
  • facilitates increased family and community engagement to support student success;
  • supports the ability of states and districts to recruit and retain properly trained and prepared professionals; and
  • promotes comprehensive accountability systems that reflect student and school performance, informs instruction, and guides school improvement efforts.

Thank you for your commitment to the reauthorization of an improved Elementary and Secondary Education Act. We very much appreciate your efforts to deliver a bipartisan compromise that the President can sign before the end of the year, a vital step in our ability to prepare all of America’s children for academic success, healthy development, and responsible citizenship.