: October 2009 |
Urge Congress to Reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) This Year The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) is up for reauthorization. The JJDPA, which has been in force for 35 years, provides the major source of federal funding to improve states’ juvenile justice systems and sets federal standards for the protection and rehabilitation of youths involved in the juvenile justice system. On March 24, 2009, Congress introduced JJDPA (S. 678), but with Congress’ focus on other legislative matters, such as healthcare reform, JJDPA has taken a back seat with the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Take action now! Let’s increase the momentum for JJDPA’s reauthorization. Visit PTA Take Action Center, and send an alert to your members of Congress today! Additional Resources National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers Release Draft of Common Core Standards On September 21, the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a draft of the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The standards were developed through a rigorous process, during which NGA and CCSSO consulted with a number of stakeholders, including National PTA. National PTA announced its support of the Common Core State Standards Initiative during the annual convention in June. The provision of fewer, clearer, and higher standards aligns with PTA’s policy platform of providing equity and opportunity for all children. The goal of NGA/CCSSO’s Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) is to develop college- and career-ready standards that are evidence- and research-based and internationally benchmarked to top-performing countries. Currently, each state may set its own academic standards, resulting in varying goals and expectations for students across the nation. Common standards can close the achievement gap by leveling the playing field with standards that demand the same academic rigor and high expectations for all students. NGA and CCSSO are coordinating the development and adoption process of common standards. The process consists of three stages: drafting the standards by a workgroup of content-area and academic experts, soliciting feedback from several educational stakeholder organizations—including National PTA – and approval from a validation committee composed of state leaders, as well as education researchers and experts. Once the process is finished, states can choose to adopt the common core state standards on their own proposed timeline. So far, 48 of the 50 states and three territories have signed on in support of the common standards. Additional Resources
House Passes the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act On September 17, the House of Representatives voted 253–171 to pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), H.R. 3221. This legislation not only contains an expansion of higher education programs, but also authorizes funding to support school construction and early childhood education. H.R. 3221 will generate more than $90 billion dollars in savings over the next 10 years by originating student loans through its direct loan program, rather than through government-subsidized lenders. This funding will be used to boost a number of financial aid and college access programs, including:
Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and author of the bill, called it “the single largest investment in federal student aid ever.” SAFRA also authorizes more than a $7.3 billion increase for new Green School Construction, Modernization, and Renovation grants—including more than $4 billion in mandatory spending for public K–12 schools for two years, $2.5 billion in mandatory spending for community colleges for one year, and $70 million in mandatory spending for local schools affected by Hurricane Katrina for two years. SAFRA also establishes the Early Learning Challenge Fund, which would provide $1 billion per year over eight years in competitive grants to challenge states to build comprehensive, high-quality, early-learning systems for children from birth to age five. This fund would enable states to reform standards, improve support to parents, use data, and coordinate systems. The Senate is expected to take action on SAFRA this fall. Senate Committees Change Leadership The recent death of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), who previously served as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has caused a shuffle in Senate committee leadership positions. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) relinquished his chairmanship of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee to take over as chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, which is responsible for health care, food safety, labor law, and federal education assistance. Sen. Harkin has a long-standing interest in public health and is also the leader of an Appropriations subcommittee that oversees public health programs. Replacing Harkin as chairman is Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), the first woman to chair this committee in its 184-year history. The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee oversees child school nutrition and wellness programs, as well as agricultural commodities. Sen. Lincoln chairs the Senate Democrats’ rural outreach effort, and she founded the bipartisan Senate Hunger Caucus in 2004. As a member of the House of Representatives, Lincoln served on the House Committee on Agriculture from 1993 through 1995. In August, PTA Radio featured an interview with Sen. Lincoln where she shares her experiences as a mother and how she applies her passion to her work in Congress on behalf of all children. An edited transcript of that interview appears in the October-November 2009 issue of PTA’s Our Children magazine. Additional Resources
Save the Date! – National Legislative Conference On March 9–11, 2010, PTA will hold its annual National Legislative Conference in Washington DC. This three-day conference will inspire and provide in-depth analysis of PTA’s federal public policy priorities affecting families, schools, and communities through skill-building trainings, workshops, panel discussions, guest speakers, and Capitol Hill visits with congressional leaders. Join us and the many PTA child advocates making their voice heard on Capitol Hill. Additional Resources 2010 National Advocacy Awards Applications Now Available! Applications for PTA's Outstanding Advocacy Awards, for state and local advocacy, and the Shirley Igo Advocate of the Year Award for federal advocacy, are now available online! These awards allow PTA to recognize the hard work and dedication of outstanding child advocates. One outstanding state PTA and one local, district, council, or regional PTA will be chosen to receive Outstanding Advocacy Awards, and one individual advocate will receive the Igo Award. Applications for these awards are due December 4, 2009. Award winners will be honored at the National Legislative Conference in Washington DC on March 11, 2010. Public Policy Issue Briefs Now Available in Spanish - Resumen del Planteamiento de la Política Publica Ahora Disponible en Español This past July, National PTA’s Office of Public Policy released six new issue briefs on key federal laws and best practices in the field. National PTA is pleased to offer these issue briefs in Spanish. You may download them at the PTA Takes Action Center. En el pasado mes de julio, la Oficina de Programas y Política Publica Nacional del PTA emitió seis nuevos planteamientos resumidos. El PTA Nacional tiene el gusto de ofrecer estos planteamientos resumidos en Español. Usted puede descargarlos en el Centro de PTA toma Acción. |
