For Immediate Release: November 2, 2015

Contact: Renee Rybak Lang, 703-740-4841, renee.lang@nasbe.org

NASBE Joins National Education Groups to Continue to Push Congress to Get ESEA Done

Alexandria, Va. − It’s time for Congress to finish the job of revising No Child Left Behind and not let another school year go by under the old law, 10 education organizations, including the National Association of State Boards of Education, say in a digital advertising campaign to begin today.

Collectively, the national organizations represent millions of educators, principals, school boards, superintendents, chief state school officers, parents and PTAs, and school business officials.

The House and Senate passed versions of a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, but differences must still be worked out by a conference committee, whose members have not been chosen yet.

The weeklong digital ad campaign will begin today and include ads on Facebook, Twitter, and Politico as well as web display ads, targeting congressional members and staff and Washington influencers.

Copy from the ad:
“Please pass a final bill that focuses on opportunity for all students, no matter their ZIP code. Great progress has already been made on this legislation. We can’t let it slip away. Our students cannot wait any longer for a revised law.”

NASBE Executive Director Kristen Amundson had this to say: “The current ESEA is 14 years old. How many of us still work on a computer that age? How many use a 14-year-old cell phone? The bill was passed with the best of intentions, but it is clear that changes are long overdue.”

Earlier this year, NASBE’s Government Affairs Committee issued recommendations for ESEA reauthorization, urging that the new law effectively support and cultivate state and community leadership in promoting meaningful accountability, encouraging continuous improvement, and establishing systems for better supporting the nation’s educators. To learn more about the digital advertising campaign, visit www.GetESEADone.com.

The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. Our principal objectives are to strengthen state leadership in education policymaking, advocate equality of access to educational opportunity, promote excellence in the education of all students, and ensure responsible lay governance of education. Learn more at www.nasbe.org.

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