: PTA Takes Action: Federal Policy Update - December 2009 |
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Deadline — This Friday, December 4, 2009! Applications for PTA's Outstanding Advocacy Awardsare due this Friday, December 4. These awards allow PTA to recognize the hard work and dedication of outstanding child advocates! All awardees will receive an all-expense-paid* trip to the 2010 Legislative Conference in Washington DC, being held March 9–11, and will be recognized at an awards ceremony on Capitol Hill. Don't wait—send in your applications now! Applications are available online. All submissions should be e-mailed to AdvocacyAward@pta.org or mailed to:
*Expenses include and are limited to round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, ground transportation, conference registration and materials, and per-diem food expenses. PTA Releases State Laws on Family Engagement in Education Reference Guide This December, National PTA's Office of Public Policy, in partnership with DLA Piper LLP, is releasing its Reference Guide on State Laws on Family Engagement in Education. This reference guide provides a comprehensive survey of family engagement legislation in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that will help PTA members monitor and improve family engagement legislation in their states. In addition to providing an up-to-date list of state statutes related to family engagement, this reference guide also contains tools for policymakers and advocates, including analysis, noteworthy statutes, policy recommendations, and the essential components of systemic state family engagement laws. The legislation is divided into six sections: family engagement laws and policies, state grants and award programs for family engagement, labor laws that support parental participation, family engagement in early childhood education and literacy programs, family engagement targeting children and youth in high-risk situations, and family engagement for families with English language learners. Advocates, parents, and policymakers can use this guide to monitor the implementation of family engagement laws in their state. This guide also can be used to advocate for broader reform by providing tools, such as essential policy components and recommendations, for the creation of legislation that supports effective family engagement policies and practices. PTA will update this reference guide every few years so that advocates and policymakers have a reliable tool to support their long-term legislative work. You can download a PDF of the reference guide at PTA.org/familyengagement/. Department of Education Releases Final Race to the Top Application with Stronger Family Engagement Component On November 12, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released the final application for the Race to the Top, a $4.35 billion competitive grant program provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The Secretary will reserve up to $350 million to help states create assessments aligned to common sets of standards; the remaining $4 billion will be awarded to states for proposals related to education reform. The final application contains significant changes from the Department of Education's draft proposal released in July. The Department received more than 1,500 comments on the draft proposal, including those from the National PTA, and has incorporated several recommendations to strengthen the role of family engagement in education into the final proposal. The new Race to the Top proposal includes several changes based on public comments, including the following:
Some components of the draft proposal remain in the final application. Applications must address the Department's four core assurances: high-quality standards and assessments, data systems to support instruction, effective teachers and leaders, and turning around low- performing schools. The Department will favor applications from states that have rigorous teacher and principal evaluation programs and use the results of those evaluations to drive decision making in schools. To be eligible for these grants, states must demonstrate capacity for and commitment to improving student achievement, including a track record of improved student progress, and comply with other requirements, priorities, and selection criteria as detailed in the application. Awards will be granted in two rounds: the first round applications are due January 19, 2010. Peer reviewers will evaluate the applications, and the department will announce the winners of the first round of funding next spring. Applications for the second round are due June 1, 2010, with the announcement of all the winners by September 30, 2010. Information on the changes to the final proposal and the final, downloadable application can be found online. Child Nutrition Programs Topic of Senate Hearing On November 17, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held one of several scheduled hearings on the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. This hearing, "Reauthorization of U.S. Child Nutrition Programs: Opportunities to Fight Hunger and Improve Child Health," featured testimony by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and a panel of experts from Arkansas, the home state of Sen. Blanche Lincoln, who recently took over the chairmanship of the committee. The hearing served as a forum to examine child nutrition programs and how they can respond to the high rates of hunger and obesity in the United States. Taking place just one day after the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its annual report on hunger and food insecurity, the department's estimation that 22.5 percent of American families with children were at risk of hunger in 2008 weighed heavily on both witnesses and committee members alike. At the same time, recent Pentagon reports cite that approximately 35 percent of Americans ages 17–24 are unqualified for military service due to physical or medical issues. According to Dr. Curtis Gilroy, the Pentagon's Director of Accession Policy, "the major component of this is obesity. We have an obesity crisis in our country. There's no question about it." Chairman Lincoln outlined three priority areas for the upcoming reauthorization:
U.S. Supreme Court Hears Cases on Life Sentences for Juvenile Offenders On November 9, the U.S. Supreme Court heard cases of Sullivan v. Florida and Graham v. Florida to determine whether it is unconstitutional to sentence a juvenile to life in prison without parole for a crime that does not involve a death. The court will determine whether the Constitution's 8th Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment should apply to juvenile offenders. The court is expected to issue a decision early in 2010. The Supreme Court has generally allowed states to determine their own punishments for certain crimes, but the Supreme Court barred the execution of juveniles in 2005 by a vote of 5 to 4, saying people under 18 are immature, irresponsible, susceptible to peer pressure, and often capable of change. If the court determines these sentences are unconstitutional, Sullivan and Graham could each be granted a new hearing to determine a revised sentence. The United States is the only country that sentences juveniles to life in prison without parole. Over the next few months, Congress will be drafting legislation that affects the education, health, and well-being of children—and parents must be heard. To ensure all parents have a voice, National PTA has launched the PTA Takes Action Challenge. The three state PTAs with the greatest statewide increase in:
will be recognized at the National PTA Convention in Memphis, Tennessee, June 10–13, 2010. Join the Challenge! Help your state become the Challenge Champion:
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