ASCD members have vital roles to play in advocating sound education policy. ASCD's Legislative Agenda calls on members to take action on the critical issues facing today's students and schools. Recognizing that success lies in the strength of combined voices, the Association has created Educator Advocates, a free program that will help educators work together to ensure that policy supports what's best for students.
The 2007 ASCD Legislative Agenda establishes three high priorities for education policy in the coming year: (1) promoting innovative high school redesign, (2) closing the achievement gap, and (3) fostering school readiness and early development of the whole child. Each of these priorities presents a significant opportunity for ensuring that education policy supports the best interests of students.
Innovative High School Redesign
Educators, policymakers, and the media concur that high schools need to provide a more meaningful education to better prepare students for the future. ASCD proposes five key areas for innovative high school redesign:
- Multiple measures of assessment.
- Personalized learning.
- Increased flexibility in use of time and structure.
- Professional development.
- Business and community engagement.
Closing the Achievement Gap
There is no greater priority than ensuring that every student succeeds. To reach this goal, Congress must focus on three key areas during the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act:
- Assessment and accountability measures. In supporting the use of more accurate measures of student learning, ASCD calls for allowing a variety of assessments and fostering wider use of growth models and other value-added methods. The use of multiple data sources, including formative assessments, will better reflect progress toward and mastery of knowledge and skills students need to compete in a global economy.
- Preparation and professional development of educators. Teachers and principals are integral to improving schools and building effective instructional practices. The professionals who are responsible for student learning must have adequate resources and time to gain and sustain the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to address the evolving needs of students.
ASCD calls for an end to policies that currently restrict districts and schools to limited interventions that have not proven effective. Educators and policymakers should focus instead on improving schools by building leadership and capacity, and by providing more flexibility for local districts to choose and develop interventions that best meet the unique needs of their students.
School Readiness and Early Development of the Whole Child
Providing resources and support for effective school readiness programs is crucial to each child's success and to the ability of schools and educators to foster success. ASCD supports high-quality prekindergarten education programs for all children, with the highest priority given to programs that serve students who are most at risk. Early intervention is the most cost-effective approach to closing the achievement gap and developing the whole child.