Res. No. 145
Title
Resolution calling upon the United States Congress to pass and the President to sign H.R. 3246, the Teachers and Parents at the Table Act, which would create an advisory committee of teachers and an advisory committee of parents to advise the Congress and Secretary of Education.
Body
By Council Member Dromm
Whereas, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), enacted in 2015, is the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), the nation's national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students; and
Whereas, According to the U.S. Department of Education, ESSA builds on key areas of progress in recent years, including lower dropout rates and higher graduation and college-going rates, and provides "a firm foundation for further work to expand educational opportunity and improve student outcomes"; and
Whereas, There is currently no requirement in ESSA for consulting with teachers or parents and families on the implementation of the law and monitoring its impact on students; and
Whereas, It would be helpful to include the voices of educators, who are responsible for implementing ESSA requirements in identifying needed changes; and
Whereas, It would also be helpful to include the voices of parents in analyzing the impact of ESSA on children and families; and
Whereas, H.R. 3246, Teachers and Parents at the Table Act ("the Act"), introduced by Congresswoman Kathleen Rice in July 2017, seeks to provide a mechanism for such educator and parent input; and
Whereas, The Act amends Title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a Teacher Advisory Committee and a Parents and Families Advisory Committee; and
Whereas, The role of the Teacher Advisory Committee would be to bring the perspective of expert teachers to p...
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