The NCTE 2008 Legislative Platform: A Blueprint for Change
by Kent Williamson, NCTE Executive Director
February 2008 SLATE Update

On February 14, the NCTE Executive Committee adopted a report from its Education Policy and Government Relations Subcommittee as the Council’s 2008 Legislative Platform. This is the third consecutive year that NCTE has established a platform to guide its efforts to influence federal education policy. To understand the document fully, please take a moment to review how the Platform came together in the broader context of literacy education policy. I hope you find the positions here consonant with your own views, and you will join hundreds of NCTE members who will rely upon it in reaching out to community members and policymakers.

For many years, the Council found itself reacting, often defensively, to legislative proposals adopted in Washington, DC. Council leaders realized that, somehow, we had to get ahead of the curve. After establishing a DC area office in 2005, we studied methods used by some of the most effective education policy advocacy groups. Ultimately, we resolved to emulate a planning and prioritization process that had proven very effective for the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). Gradually, we have reshaped it to reflect the characteristics and interests of the Council.

This year, eight members of the NCTE Executive Committee, supported by three staff members, spent several days in late January meeting in the House and Senate office buildings with key legislative aides and staff from leading policy organizations. We knew that by gaining a crisp understanding of the choices facing legislators, we would stand a better chance of crafting positions and providing research documentation in support of laws that advance thoughtful literacy instruction. And, even as we learned from our guests, we also had a chance to teach -- to broaden their awareness of sound literacy education practices and the real-world consequences of measures like the Higher Education Act, Reading First, and No Child Left Behind.

It was striking how trends in policy have evolved over the past three years. Among the changes we observed are the following:

1. While aides were optimistic in 2007 that a reformed No Child Left Behind Act would be reauthorized soon, by January 2008 few believed it would happen before the general election. It was telling that many we heard from no longer referred to the law as No Child Left Behind, but now called it by it’s pre-2001 title, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It seems likely that recommendations made this year will be acted upon by a future Congress and Executive branch, including new office-holders in the Department of Education.

2. A year ago, the notion of replacing the “scientifically-based” or medical-model research standard in education legislation seemed a little far-fetched. But over the past year the scientifically valid standard, which acknowledges the legitimacy of a range of research methods, has been established by law in the Head Start Act and is incorporated in pending Striving Readers legislation.

3. Merit or differential pay for teaching in hard-to-staff schools has gained steam in the past year. As you will note in our platform document, NCTE is suggesting that better administrative support for effective teaching practices, more teacher planning time, and more opportunities for meaningful, sustained professional development can do more to attract and retain teachers in challenging teaching positions than small pay stipends.

4. Awareness of the limits of high stakes tests and the need for more accurate assessments is growing. NCTE is not the only organization advocating for targeted funding to support development of more nuanced assessments keyed to local curricula and teaching/learning practices.

5. The idea of testing ELL students in the language in which they can best demonstrate learning is gaining credence, although some protest the potential administrative costs of this practice.

6. The Striving Readers Act has changed a great deal from the time it was first proposed in 2006, and it, along with the Success in the Middle Act, may well become part of the ESEA bill that is eventually authorized by both houses of Congress.

7. While the Higher Education Act (HEA) is not part of our legislative platform since it has already been approved separately in both the House and Senate, it is now before a conference committee that is working to reconcile differences. At stake is

• Equivalent standards for traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs.
• Support for literacy coaching and sustained professional development for early childhood educators.
• Support for teacher preparation programs in many minority-serving institutions.
• Support for “Preparing Teachers for Digital-Age Learners.”

Finally, it was clear that the concept of 21st century literacies is not well understood by many Washington, DC, education-policy insiders. This is one reason that the NCTE Executive Committee chose to establish a definition of 21st century literacies, and will continue to take measures to help teachers and non-educators realize how literacy is changing in an increasingly interdependent, technologically-sophisticated world.

April is “Literacy Education Advocacy Month,” and I hope that you will choose to play an active role. In weeks to come, NCTE staff will be in touch with assistive resources and invitations to take action at the school, city, state, and national levels. You may be surprised how powerful it can be to simply share stories about how your students grow as literacy learners, and what can be done to advance their progress. This is the time to make sure that our voice is heard, so don’t hesitate to ask for assistance in reaching out to those who influence policy in our schools and society.