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AEP Online |
AEP Summit Capitol Hill Event Provides Insight into NCLB ReauthorizationNearly forty AEP and National School Supply and Equipment Association members participated in the Capitol Hill event on the opening day of the Summit, June 7, 2006. The morning event began with breakfast and a briefing in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce meeting room on the hill. From the sponsoring groups, Charlene Gaynor, CEO of AEP and Tim Holt, President and CEO of NSSEA welcomed the participants and stated their hopes for an ongoing partnership as the NCLB reauthorization date draws closer. After a short briefing from Washington Partners, an education advocacy firm, there was a panel discussion on what we can expect in the NCLB reauthorization. The presenters included Capitol Hill professional staffers: Brad Thomas and Amanda L. Farris, House Committee on Education and the Workforce; and Roberto J Rodriguez, Senior Education Advisor to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Ms. Farris told the group that many bills related to reauthorization were already being filed, and reaffirmed Chairman McKeon’s commitment to the SRB (Scientifically Based Research) standard for curriculum. Mr. Thomas added that the committee had a better understanding of supplemental educational materials thanks to the work of AEP and that the SRB gold standard was probably not appropriate for many of those materials. Mr. Rodriguez explained that the Senate staff was meeting with education stakeholders and USED staff and being briefed on the issues in NCLB that are of concern. He also recognized the importance of SRB, but clarified that it should be used to improve the quality of materials available in the classroom, not become a barrier to providing the materials kids need to learn. A Q&A session - which will be summarized in a future issue of AEP Online - followed the panel. Keynote speaker, Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) was unable to personally attend due to travel delays, but his Legislative Assistant, Liz King, spoke and outlined some of the representative’s priorities. According to Ms. King the persistent underfunding of NCLB means that schools are not able to meet the annual yearly progress goals the law requires. Inadequate and unequal funding exists in many schools because most school district budgets are based on property taxes and they need more federal funds. One important initiative Rep. Fattah has introduced to improve education in his home district of Philadelphia is "Core Philly." It intends to address the disparity between the high concentration of Colleges and Universities and the low percent of college graduates who are from Philadelphia. To increase this number the Representative proposes: * A one to three thousand dollar grant for low-income students for the first year, * Increasing the income level of families by attracting more high paying firms to Philly. * Developing a culture in which kids are working toward going to college. Afterward members broke into small groups and went to meet with their legislators and staff. Most reported back that they had positive and profitable conversations with the hill staffers and look forward to follow-up meetings. Questions, ideas, or in need of more information? Please contact Stacey Pusey at 856-241-7772. |
Contact Jennifer Hill, AEP's government relations writer, or Mike Corwin, AEP's Director of Marketing and Membership |
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