Talking Points for Congressional Visits
National Council of Teachers of English

We offer these talking points simply as a support for your meetings with legislators. You should draw heavily on your own experiences; you are a literacy education expert and what you know and believe can help legislators understand the implications of important policy decisions. Feel free to use these as “starters” upon which to build an on-going, consultative relationship. 

(1) NCTE strongly supports efforts by the Congress to reform and improve the No Child Left Behind Act.  We believe that support for on-going teacher learning and local, evidence-based decision-making are the keys to ensuring the every student enjoys rich educational opportunities.  To that end, we encourage you to support the following changes in the law:

• Assessment provisions in NCLB must reduce the quantity of mandated state-level assessments while providing support and pressure for developing assessment systems that include local assessments, ensure the assessment of higher-order learning, utilize growth measures, and incorporate other valued outcomes such as graduation and student engagement measures.
  
  
• Teacher quality is an important factor in enhancing student achievement, and teachers need opportunities for career-long learning. NCTE recommends strengthening capacity building in schools and districts by increasing Title II Part A funding and reserving at least 50% of these funds for the on-going professional development of educators. We also believe that 20% of Title I monies should be set aside for professional development activities and that federal programs should be designed to support highly prepared, experienced teachers in schools with the greatest number of high need students.
  
  
• The current statutory definition of scientifically based research has been used to exclude from federally-funded programs the full range of knowledge about how students learn to read and write. The definition should be amended to include scientifically valid research in alignment with rigorous National Research Council guidelines.
  
  
• In light of the corruption that has plagued Reading First grant implementation, Congress should take action to ensure that all grant funds awarded under this Act go through an objective peer review system deploying independent panels of scholars who are free from conflicts of interest and who have deep knowledge of a range of relevant literacy research methodologies and content.

(2) We encourage Congress to invest in programs that have proven effective in advancing literacy skills and learning. These include:

• Full funding for the National Writing Project, a network of professional development sites that support on-going teacher learning. Over five years, NWP funding should be increased to $100 million.
  
  
• Bills like the Striving Readers Act of 2007 (S.958), a measure that supports the development of school-wide approaches to improving adolescent literacy, including the use of literacy coaches and formative assessments.
  
  
• Measures to support English language learners through assessments, curriculum, and teaching approaches that build off of their native language ability and cultural heritage.

(3) Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, with strong support for these key Title II programs and purposes:

• Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants and State Partnership Grants, aimed at improving teacher pre-service education through innovation and cooperative efforts with local schools and nonprofit organizations.
  
  
• Teacher induction and retention programs that are locally responsive and that include program features like sustainable mentoring, content knowledge resources and pedagogical support, support for developing data-informed decision-making, and research documenting the efficacy of such programs.
  
  
• Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) grants. These have funded local efforts that contribute to the improvement of literacy programs at postsecondary institutions and at high schools; these efforts have eased the transition to college and have improved graduation rates.
  
  
• The definition of teaching skills included under the Act should include pedagogical knowledge, and the ability to help students master the full range of 21st century literacies. These include skills in critical thinking and problem solving, communication, creativity and innovation, collaboration, communication, information and media literacy, and contextual learning.