Advocacy in the Fast Lane Family Engagement in Federal Law Jacki Ball Director of Government Affairs National PTA Joshua Westfall Government Affairs Manager National PTA Lindsay Kubatzky Government Affairs Coordinator National PTA

Agenda PTA LegCon welcome packet Overview of ESSA Family engagement provisions in federal law Statewide Family Engagement Centers Hill day ask

PTA LegCon welcome Packet

LegCon Welcome Packet Left Side Talking Points: Statewide Family Engagement Centers Hill Day Logistics Guide Conducting Visits with Members of Congress Senate and House Dear Colleague Letter Walk through packet with attendees

E LeCon Welcome Packet Right Side Public Policy Agenda National PTA Legislative Endorsements ESSA: What Does This New Law Mean for My Child ESSA: Family Engagement Statewide Family Engagement Centers (one pager) Walk through the packet with attendees

Overview of essa

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) ESSA was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 10, 2015 Reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)—previously known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) ESSA reauthorized NCLB after 13 years PTA worked hard to get ESEA reauthorized every step of the way through phone calls, emails and Takes Action letters The new law includes key provisions for family engagement

Overview of ESSA Title I—Improving Basic Programs Operated by State and Local Education Agencies   Title II—Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High-Quality Teachers, Principals, or Other School Leaders Title III—Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students Title IV—21st Century Schools Mention PTA summary documents on our ESSA page Quickly run through the order of the bill (really the Title says it all) and emphasize what Title I and IV is.

Overview of ESSA Title V—State Innovation and Local Flexibility   Title VI—Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education Title VII—Impact Aid Title VIII—General Provisions Same as previous slide but spend even less time on the last four titles

ESSA Resources New PTA ESSA Resource web page www.PTA.org/ESSA U.S. Department of Education ESSA web page www.ed.gov/essa Send questions to essa.questions@ed.gov Releasing guidance, regulations and FAQs Make an announcement about our new web page and list the resources found on the page (ESSA docs, Memos, links to ED resources, a list of our letters and efforts to reauthorize ESSA)

Transitioning to ESSA Formula grant programs will operate under NCLB structure for 2016 – 2017 school year State Accountability systems under NCLB end August 1, 2016 Priority and Focus schools must continue interventions in SY16-17 New statewide accountability systems to be developed and in place by SY17-18

Transitioning to ESSA ESEA flexibility/waivers expire August 1, 2016 State and local report cards still in effect through 2016 – 2017 school year Competitive grant programs go into effect on October 1, 2016

Family Engagement Provisions in ESSA

Title I: Parent and Family Engagement (Sec. 1116) School districts are required to have a written parent and family engagement policy School districts must reserve at least 1% of funds for family engagement Use of funds for family engagement: professional development home and community programs sharing best practices collaborating with organizations Explain how Title I funding works through local and state plans State and local plans are created at the beginning of the reauthorization and the plans work as a roadmap to the education plan for the area. So now is the time they are being developed and its important to play a role in the development of the plan (parents are listed as a stakeholder in the process) Sec. 1116 is in Title I-A local plans. This section is one reason why most schools have parent teacher conferences.

Title IV: Statewide Family Engagement Centers (Part E) A reauthorized and improved version of the Parental Information and Resource Center (PIRC) program in No Child Left Behind Competitive grant program to statewide organizations or a consortia of statewide organizations Explain what a competitive grant program is ( you have to apply to ED to receive a grant) Note that PIRC funding was a grant offered to all states Authorized at $10 million in ESSA

Statewide family engagement centers

Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFECs)   Work with state and local level agencies to support family engagement Provide professional development on evidence-based and effective family engagement strategies Provide direct services to families on how to effectively work with their child’s school and teachers

Authorization vs. Appropriations Authorizers: House Committee on Education and the Workforce Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Example: Authorizers are the education committees An authorization creates a program in law, but in order for it to be implemented and put into practice it needs an appropriation. Sometimes Congress do not always appropriate money to authorized programs. Ex. PIRCs have been authorized under NCLB, but were defunded in the FY2011 appropriations process. Statewide Family Engagement Centers are authorized at $10 million in ESSA

Authorization vs. Appropriations Appropriators: Appropriations Committees Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Services (LHHS) Subcommittee handles education funding Example: Statewide Family Engagement Centers FY 2016: $0 FY 2017: TBD Appropriators are the Appropriations Committees There are 12 committees that fund different federal programs. LHHS – is the subcommittee were almost all of the education programs are funded.

Appropriations Timeline October 1st: Fiscal Year (FY) Begins February: Presidents Budget Request Make sure we explain what Congress “deliberates” on but keep in simple terms: Requests, WHAT YOU ARE DOING ON THURSDAY – hearing from constituents about what programs they want funded. This is the time Congress listens to constituents and decided whats important to fund (deliberates) March - May: Congress Deliberates

Appropriations Timeline May - July: Appropriations Bills Introduced August: Recess September 30th: End of Fiscal Year

Hill Day Ask

Ask Your Members of Congress Fund Statewide Family Engagement Centers at $10 million in FY2017 Sign on to the Dear Colleague Letter House: Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) Senate: Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jack Reed (D-RI) Explain what a Dear Colleague is

Ask Your Members of Congress Sign on to the Dear Colleague Letter House Letter Signatories Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) Senate Letter Signatories Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE) & Jack Reed (D-RI) Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) Walk through commitments we have but that’s why we need them!! Need more signatures, especially Rs in the Senate. Explain that Thompson, Barletta and Bennet have given verbal agreement

Why Fund SFECs Over 40 years of research shows that family engagement is critical for student success Attend school more regularly Earn better grades Enroll in advanced-level courses Have higher graduation rates Ensure that our nation’s students are fully prepared for higher education, workforce and career opportunities in the 21st century Point them to the Hill Talking Points sheet they have and the SFEC one-pager

Make Your Ask Local How would funding SFECs help your state, district and school? How much funding did your state receive for PIRCs in FY10? How many families and students will be affected? Where is the gap in family engagement in your community? How will SFECs help? Point them to the Talking Points, especially the data

Hill Day Leave Behind Statewide Family Engagement Centers (one pager) Senate Dear Colleague Letter House Dear Colleague Letter Executive Summary of the Public Policy Agenda National PTA Legislative Endorsements Walk them though and tell them when they are making the ask that they pull out the Dear Colleague and ask them to sign it! Explain the importance of using the Hill folder (open it up and point to where things are in the folder during the meeting)

Ask Your Members of Congress Fund Statewide Family Engagement Centers at $10 million in FY2017 Sign on to the Dear Colleague Letter House: Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) Senate: Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jack Reed (D-RI)

After the Meeting: Keep the Pressure On Thank you @Congressman for meeting with @StatePTA to discuss funding Statewide Family Engagement Centers in FY 2017 #PTALegCon .@StatePTA hopes @Congressman will sign on to the Dear Colleague letter to fund SFECs in FY17 Post a photo with a staffer and/or Member of Congress If you are not already following you MOC on twitter or Facebook, pull out your phone and do it now! Tag @NationalPT in your tweets as well (if you can) --#PTALegCon

After the Meeting: Keep the Pressure On Send a follow up email to your Member of Congress Tell your Member of Congress to fund SFECs by sending a letter through the PTA Takes Action Center Note the importance of the PTA Takes Action Center and what is on the page. Ask them to sign up at the registration desk if they aren’t already signed up. Also encourage them to get their friends to sign up.

After the Meeting: Keep the Pressure On Invite your Member of Congress to visit or attend a PTA meeting and/or event Schedule to meet with the state or district office when you get back to follow up State and District office meeting is critical especially for House members since they are on recess this week. Request a meeting with the local office and see if you can meet the Member the next time he or she is in town National PTA will provide you will a template to make these requests

QUESTIONS

Please Fill Out the Session Evaluation Form www.PTA.org/LegConEval National PTA Event App The link will go directly to the survey (stress the importance of filling this out) In the app you will find this link under each workshop