Please join in this final push to reach Congress as it negotiates the final bill to replace No Child Left Behind. Our children need a better ESEA! Look below for what to do.
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Last chance for ESEA input?We hear that, even as some in Congress are engaged in selecting a new Speaker, grilling Hillary Clinton about Benghazi, etc., others are busily working on a compromise bill to replace the No Child Left Behind Act, also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). They need to hear from you now! On testing: *End high stakes, test-based accountability; *Recognize parents right to opt their children out; *Allow innovative assessments to replace standardized tests. Also:
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support and strengthen local public schools rather than set them up for closure and privatization,
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promote educationally-sound, healthy, child-centered programs including increased social services,
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support the recruitment and retention of experienced, professionally-trained teachers,
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promote thoughtful use of technology that protects children and family privacy and values teacher/student relationships, and
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provide meaningful opportunities for a strong parent role in school, district, and statewide education policy-making.
Please take a few moments to call, email or write to your Senators and Rep TODAY (Wednesday 10/21). You can use the letter on testing prepared by FairTest or PAA's most recent fax letter. And if you wrote before - write again!
Don't forget this Sunday's PAA Webinar....
....on the WA state Supreme Court ruling declaring charter school funding unconstitutional.
Hear from PAA President Dora Taylor, a key advocate for the effort, along with winning plaintiffs, education professor Dr. Wayne Au and League of Women Voters education chair Catherine Ahl.
Topic: How Washington State activists nixed charter schools Time: Sunday, Oct 25, 2015 5 pm ET, 2 pm PT
Details and instructions for joining the meeting are here. There is a 50 participant cap on this meeting: the first 50 people to log on as the meeting begins will be able to join us, so please mark your calendars and sign on promptly at 5 pm ET, 2 pm PT. The webinar will last approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. A recording of the webinar will be available on our web site soon after the event for those who are unable to join us. Be prepared!We encourage you to prepare for the webinar by taking some time to look into your own state's constitutional language regarding public education. For example, a google search on "Illinois State constitution public education" brings up the section of the state's constitution describing "free schools." While Illinois' constitution strictly prohibits funding for church-related schools, it does allow for charter school funding. Washington's constitution requires that schools must be run by elected school boards in order to receive state funding. What's the situation in your state? Join us to talk about it!
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If you share our overall goals of progressive, positive education reform and more parent input in education policy making, we invite you to affiliate with us if you are an existing group, or to form a new PAA chapter. The more of us there are, the stronger our voice will be at every level. Here's how!
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If you have questions, comments, suggestions or stories to share, please e-mail us at info@parentsacrossamerica.org or visit www.parentsacrossamerica.org.
Looking for regular updates on key education stories? Join the PAA News List by e-mailing PAAnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
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