A few things you can do about ESEA

Yes, it's very far away and seems beyond influenced, but if you have any concerns about the general direction this administration is taking in education policy, weighing in on the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is wise.

A few things you can do, from quick to more time consuming:

1. You might want to join teacher Jesse Turner's Facebook group "Children are more than test scores." Mr. Turner plans to walk from Connecticut to D.C. this summer to raise awareness of the harmful consequences of NCLB.
2. Two petitions you can sign. The first, from Americans United for Educational Opportunity, asks that the Congress fix the failed NCLB law and gives a series of principles they should use in redrafting it. The second asks that the "unintended but likely negative consequences of the proposed policies be considered" in redrafting the law. Both will be sent to the Committee on Education and Labor.
3. Ask your representative to support H.R. 3384, put forward by Rep. Joe Baca of California, which would eliminate the use of yearly assessments to calculate AYP in evaluating schools.
4. Finally, write to the members of the Education and Labor committee (and cc your representative and senators) regarding ESEA. Remember that the policies of Race to the Top and School Transformation Grants are those being pushed forward for the lowest 5% of schools (and there's always a lowest 5% of schools) in this re-authorization.