2. 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

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

4. PTA LegCon welcome Packet

5. 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

6. 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

7. Overview of essa

8. 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, s and Takes Action letters
The new law includes key provisions for family engagement

9. 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.

10. 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

11. ESSA Resources New PTA ESSA Resource web page www.PTA.org/ESSA
U.S. Department of Education ESSA web page
Send questions
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)

12. 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

13. 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

14. Family Engagement Provisions in ESSA

15. 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 is in Title I-A local plans. This section is one reason why most schools have parent teacher conferences.

16. 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

17. Statewide family engagement centers

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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.

21. 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

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

23. Hill Day Ask

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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)

29. 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)

30. After the Meeting: Keep the Pressure On
Thank for meeting to discuss funding Statewide Family Engagement Centers in FY 2017 #PTALegCon
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!
in your tweets as well (if you can) --#PTALegCon

31. After the Meeting: Keep the Pressure On
Send a follow up 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.

32. 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

33. QUESTIONS

34. Please Fill Out the Session Evaluation Form
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