AFT: Publications: American Teacher: October 2003: ESEA Watch

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American Teacher
October 2003--ESEA Watch

NCLB: Keeping an ear to the ground

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is by far the largest federal program for preK-12 schools. From Title I to educator professional development grants, this 38-year-old law sets the tone for many school districts across America. The most recent version of the law, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), was approved by overwhelming margins in both houses of Congress. The AFT is working with lawmakers, regulators, affiliates and other groups to help ensure that the law lives up to its laudable vision and makes a constructive difference in the lives of children, educators and communities.

Communication between the frontlines and policymakers is key to the success or failure of the No Child Left Behind Act. Many initiatives now under way at the AFT and its affiliates can help keep these communication channels open and make them an engine to help drive refinements in the law and make positive changes in schools.

Paying for the ambitious goals behind NCLB remains a key issue, particularly at a time when governments at all levels face tight budgets. It’s imperative that policymakers know when schools are struggling to find the resources needed to help all children achieve at high levels. The AFT is working to identify and publicize these fiscal dangers in a unique partnership with the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO). Both organizations have worked together to identify areas where education programs for children are at risk. These include funding to continue class size reductions, and adequate resources for strong early childhood, after-school and professional development programs. These issues were the focus of a survey sent to school budget officers across America, and the results will be analyzed and publicized by the AFT this fall.

“This is a unique, unprecedented partnership between two leading education organizations to make sure that the needs of the classroom are remembered and respected at the highest levels of power,” says Jewell Gould, director of AFT research and information services.

The AFT also is canvassing building representatives engaged in the union’s districtwide school reform project, Redesigning Schools To Raise Achievement, to collect early information on how NCLB is affecting schools, school programs and staff.

“This survey will provide the data and information necessary to address staff members’ and students’ needs through labor and management partnerships to improve student achievement,” says Linda Stelly, coordinator of the RSRA project. “Those relationships will be critical to the success or failure of NCLB.”

The union is also stepping up efforts to ensure that frontline educators have information on the AFT’s policies on NCLB. Working with affiliates, the AFT is providing concise, useable information detailing the union’s position on adequate yearly progress, highly qualified teachers and other key aspects of NCLB. The information is being presented as a series of “one-pagers” that the AFT will send to affiliates over the course of the current school year. And members also are invited and encouraged to visit AFT Online at www.aft.org. Select “AFT on the issues” on the home page and then click on “No Child Left Behind.”

We want to hear from you!

Because communication works both ways, the AFT wants to hear from you on how budget shortfalls are affecting your ability to deliver a quality education to students and implement NCLB requirements. The union will use this information to develop policy proposals and to lobby at the national and state level for increased funding for public education. You can respond by filling out the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=32636271159 or by sending an e-mail to aftresearch@aft.org.

AFT project helps paraprofessionals meet standards

Not everyone would enjoy spending a week during the summer in a classroom going through intense instruction in math, reading and other topics—and then have to take three tests at the end. But a group of about two dozen AFT paraprofessionals did just that this summer in Maryland, and their obvious enthusiasm for the rigorous training was unanimous.

“I can’t wait to go back and tell my third-grade teacher about this,” one said after the group discussed math problem-solving strategies to use with students. “I could have used this a long time ago,” another commented.

With members coming from four states and the Virgin Islands, the group was part of a pilot project the AFT put together—incorporating elements from its highly regarded Educational Research and Dissemination program, or ER&D—to prepare paraprofessionals to pass an exam in order to meet requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. The law requires paras who work in Title I either to earn higher education credits or to demonstrate their knowledge of and ability to instruct in reading, writing and math.

Conducted in conjunction with the AFT’s annual ER&D Summer Institute outside Baltimore, the seven-day course covered the foundations of effective teaching, beginning reading instruction, Thinking Math (as the AFT’s math instruction module is known), managing student behavior and parent involvement. “It was a lot of work, and it was a lot to absorb,” said Pam Heggaton of the Hamilton (Mont.) Classified Employees. “The first couple days were a little scary.” The participants came from states where the AFT has reached an agreement with education officials (or is working on getting approval) that the end-of-course assessment will meet their state standard for paraprofessional qualifications.

In addition to putting in full days in the classroom, the group was asked to provide feedback about the course content and structure to AFT staff who developed the training. These comments will help the national union develop course materials that could be provided to affiliates to use with their members. To pass the course, the paraprofessionals had to earn a score of at least 70 percent on each of three different assessments. (All of them earned passing grades.)

“Since we’re the pilot group, we really want to do well,” said Decora Jorgensen of the Billings (Mont.) Classified Employees Association. “We’ll set the standard, so we’re taking our role very seriously.”

Around the country, meanwhile, AFT affiliates are pursuing a range of strategies to help their paraprofessional members meet the new employment standards. (Current employees have until January 2006.) Among the efforts:

n United School Employees of Pasco (Fla.) has gotten the district to provide paid training and test-prep courses for all its paraprofessional members and also to reimburse tuition for those who attend a local community college.

n The Chicago Teachers Union set up free courses around the city to prepare its members for one of the two major commercial tests that many states and school districts are using for paraprofessionals.

n In Denver, the separate AFT locals that represent paraprofessionals and teachers worked together to develop classes where the teacher members tutored the paraprofessional members in math and English to prepare them for the test.

n The Milford (Conn.) Federation of Paraprofessionals surveyed its 162 members to see how many already have met the NCLB requirements and to help the union put together extra training to assist those who still have to pass the test.

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