The latest from Washington, D.C., is that Congress is acting fast to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Here is what NAESP is doing to make sure ESEA meets principals’ needs — and how you can be part of the process.

Raising Principals’ Voices

There are a lot of moving pieces in the ESEA reauthorization process. Here’s a quick guide to what’s happened so far:

• NAESP filed comments on sections of the Senate’s discussion draft bill.
• NAESP submitted comments on the House of Representatives’ bill, which will be marked up next week.
• NAESP partnered with the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the American Federation of School Administrators to urge Congress to support the re-introduction of the Principal Recruitment and Training Act of 2015, a bill to help recruit, prepare, and support principals in the profession.

Plus, in the midst of these critical debates, NAESP is bringing 200 principals to meet with lawmakers during the annual National Leaders Conference, Feb. 22-24. Conference participants will engage with top education and policy thought leaders, as well as receive leadership development and training focused on strategic advocacy in preparation for Capitol Hill meetings.

Read the messages they will take to the Hill on ESEA and the federal budget.  

How to Take Action

Here are several ways that you can add your voice to NAESP’s advocacy efforts on ESEA.

• Speak up on the House bill (Student Success Act, H.R. 5), which NAESP does not support. Watch for an email alert with timely information on the bill, and then tell lawmakers to Vote No using NAESP’s easy-to-use Legislative Action Center. 
• Follow the #naespNLC hashtag on Twitter for updates from the National Leaders Conference.
• Read reflections from the National Leaders Conference in the forthcoming February issue of Communicator.
• Join the Federal Relations Network community on edWeb for our advocacy staff’s updates from Capitol Hill.

During the coming weeks as ESEA moves on its path toward reauthorization, NAESP will continue to stand for principals’ interests and will make sure school leaders have a seat at the federal policy table.