Together, we ARE making a difference
Margaret Meade said it best – Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
In an earlier entry, I wrote about efforts being made on behalf of the Success in the Middle Act being presented as an amendment to the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization. It’s exciting to see that this banding together of middle level leaders is making a difference and our voices are being heard. In last Friday’s issue of Ed Daily, Kris Kitto wrote an article entitled, “Support for Middle Schools Deepens, Widens”. Here are a few excerpts:
Though happy to see middle schools included in the House’s recently released NCLB reauthorization discussion drafts, middle school advocates have again mobilized to help Congress craft the most effective program for improving the young adolescent grades.
The Middle Grades Coalition on NCLB sent a support letter Wednesday to Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., the author of the Success in the Middle Act, H.R. 3406. The letter expressed the group’s hope that Grijalva will introduce his bill as an amendment to a new NCLB.
Support for middle school reform has grown as experts increasingly link strong middle schools to higher graduation rates…The coalition’s widening support also indicates a critical mass for middle school reform on a national level.
I underlined the parts that illustrate that the voice of middle level educators is beginning to be heard more clearly. Did you know the original NCLB bill consisted of over a thousand pages, but middle schools or middle grades are only mentioned 15 times? Through the combined efforts of national organizations interested in middle level education (NASSP, NMSA, Nat’l Forum, College Board, and more) we are beginning to be heard. Paraphrasing NASSP president Barry Stark’s remarks to the committee last week – it’s time to look at the missing M in ESEA!
But to be most effective, it has to be more than just national organizations speaking out – state organizations and individuals must also step up to the plate – and that is beginning to happen as well. It was exciting that by putting the word out to their state affiliate organizations, NASSP and NMSA were able to garner the support of 73 state level organizations representing all 50 states and add their names to the names to the support letter mentioned in the Ed Daily article. Now it’s time for you to add your name to the list as well – use the PLAC site to contact your representative to let them know you support this piece of legislation as well.
