Learning Forward Advocacy
Thank you for standing up for professional learning!
On December 5, 2023, more than 3300 people stood up for professional learning on advocacy day at the Learning Forward annual conference. This is a stand we must all make every day. Remember to collect and share stories of the impact of professional learning in your school or learning environment. Learning Forward wants to hear from you.
Call to Action - Save Title II-A
Members of Congress will return after Labor Day and appropriations and continued funding to keep the government open are going to be the issues front and center for every member of Congress. Now is not the time to be complacent. We need to remain vigilant in our efforts to save Title II-A. On July 18, Fred Brown issued a call to action to all educators to help save Title II-A. If you are reading this message, please take a moment to send a message to your members of Congress. Press the blue button below to get started.
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On April 18, 2023, the U.S. House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the U.S. Department of Education’s budget request for fiscal year 2024. In his testimony, Secretary Miguel Cardona continued to focus on the department’s “Raise the Bar” initiative, arguing that President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget request raises the bar in education by promoting academic excellence and rigorous instruction, boldly improving learning conditions, and boosting global competitiveness. Secretary Cardona stated that the fiscal year 2024 budget is about a set of choices: a choice to invest in America’s children or a choice to maintain the status quo; a choice to rise up and raise the bar or a choice to break down into partisanship and divisive culture wars.
The secretary called out several specific programmatic increases such as for Title I, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program grants, Teacher Quality Partnership, Full-Service Community Schools, Career Connected High Schools, and Title III (English language acquisition). His full written testimony can be accessed here.
While Title II-A did not receive any specific callouts, Secretary Cardona emphasized the need for strong professional development for educators during one of his answers to a question posed by Democrat Rep. Lois Frankel of Florida. Rep. Frankel signaled specific concerns with teacher shortages both in her state and nationwide and how budget cuts could further worsen the issue. Secretary Cardona stated that the fiscal year 2024 budget proposal contains specific line items to help teacher recruitment and retention, as well as new investments to strengthen the teacher pipeline.
The secretary also highlighted the importance of providing professional development for educators to ensure that they have the skills to “meet students where they are.” This was the closest Secretary Cardona came to discussing the value of Title II-A, but he still did not state the program’s name.
Many Republicans argued that the budget proposal must be scaled back due to the debt crisis happening in the country right now. One member cautioned his Democratic colleagues against their arguments against spending cuts, saying that they do not know where the potential cuts would even fall. In addition, he stated that they do not know whether the 20% cut is going to come out of the education department’s budget or somewhere else.
Democrats used their time to caution against proposed discretionary spending cuts, arguing that many important education programs would see devastating decreases under Republican proposals to cut spending to fiscal year 2022 levels. In addition, Democrats drew attention to the fact that 75% of the House Republican Caucus voted in favor of an amendment to the Parents Bill of Rights Act, proposed by Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, that would have eliminated all K-12 programs within the education department. The amendment ultimately failed, with 60 Republicans joining Democrats to vote against it.
As was expected, neither Robert Aderholt, chair of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Subcommittee, or Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking member, provided information about a timeline for the appropriations process as much of it is dependent on the ongoing debt limit discussions happening between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, and President Biden. However, the path forward for the appropriations process will become clearer as June approaches since that is when U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen indicated the government can no longer meet its financial obligations without lifting the debt ceiling.
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Subcommittee will hold its fiscal year 2024 budget request for the education department hearing on May 11, 2023, under new leadership in Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, and Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia.
On March 9, President Biden unveiled his budget request for fiscal year 2024. The major disappointment is that the administration included no increase for Title II-A, the only federal program devoted exclusively to supporting professional learning activities.
The administration’s budget signals that Title II-A is not a priority. This does not set us up well to seek an increase in funding from Congress and could even mean a target on the funding when Congress is looking for cuts. That’s why we need to let Congress know right now that this funding is vital to educators and students across the United States, and that members of Congress must make it a priority.
The administration’s budget snub comes hard on the heels of a paltry increase last year, and at a time when educators need more support than ever, as we work to recover from the impacts of the Covid pandemic, meet students’ growing needs, and navigate nationwide teacher shortages.
We need to let Congress know right now that this funding is vital to educators and students across the United States. Click To Tweet
While the appropriations timeline is still up in the air, we should see House and Senate appropriations subcommittees hold hearings on the budget later this spring and early this summer. The appropriations process will likely differ from the past few years, with new rules that were negotiated by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, during his bid to become speaker. These rules ultimately mean that multiple subcommittees involved in appropriating funding must all pass an increase in Title II-A, so we can’t afford to convince only some people of the vital importance of this funding.
Act now in support of Title II-A
We cannot be complacent, and we cannot wait. No increase – or, even worse, a cut – in Title II-A funding jeopardizes a program that equips educators to meet students’ ever-growing needs and improves their working conditions to help stabilize this essential workforce.
Look for Learning Forward’s March 10 advocacy alert that will help you act. We need you to act quickly and send an email to your members of Congress with just one click. Additionally, if you are a district leader, teacher, instructional coach, or teacher mentor, we are asking you to fill out a five-minute, anonymous survey so that we can advocate quickly on behalf of this critical program. (Click here if you are a district leader. Click here if you are a teacher, instructional coach, or teacher mentor.)
Questions? Contact Melinda George, Learning Forward’s Chief Policy Officer, at melinda.george@learningforward.org.
Visit Learning Forward’s advocacy page here.
Learning Forward’s Powered by Title II campaign website puts all of the information, tools, and advocacy tutorials in one easy to access online location to enable educator advocates reach their Members of Congress and help convince them to support more Title II funding. On this site, advocates will find:
- The latest news on Title II
- Background facts, stories, research, and data on Title II
- A storytelling tool to assist you in researching and explaining how Title II supports your school district
- Sample letters, talking points, tweets and more to support your advocacy
Evidence, evidence, evidence
Evidence of impact is not optional. From your ESSA plans to Title II to talking with your district superintendent, everyone wants to know when professional development is making an impact and how you know. Learning Forward is here to help. We invite you to join your peers from across the U.S. to share your successes here.
Tell us what Title II funds in your school or district, and most important, what outcomes you see as a result. Outcomes might include improved graduation rates or assessment scores, improvements for specific populations of students, or other indicators that students are experiencing more meaningful learning.
ESSA Toolkits
A New Vision For Professional Learning: A Toolkit to Help
States Use ESSA to Advance Learning and ImprovementSystems. This toolkit helps leaders leverage professional learning as
an essential tool in overcoming systemic inequities and guaranteeing
excellence for all.
Agents for Learning Toolkit: A Guide to Amplifying Teacher
Voice and Stakeholder Engagement. This toolkit suggests ways to cultivate teacher voice and agency in policy decisions and the implementation of professional learning.
This webinar, originally created for our Virtual Advocacy Day, includes advocacy strategies and tips that are applicable to any advocacy effort. Watch to hone your skills, build confidence, and get excited about being an advocate.