Call to Action!

The U.S. Senate is considering a broad range of services and programs in reauthorization of No Child Left Behind Act and we need your help!   According to Education Week, the Obama administration appears to be moving in the direction of supporting “the whole child” concept and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee appears to agree with the concept of including a wide range of services as they consider renewing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) or the No Child Left Behind Act.  Some elements being discussed are mentoring, increased parent and community involvement including the arts and physical education.  Although programs such as those offered through Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) were not discussed in the ESEA hearing last week, I think we have an opportunity to educate Senate staff about the good work that FACS advisers do in addressing the needs of “the whole child.”  Now is the time for you as advisers to provide your Senators with stories of accomplishment that you perform on a daily basis to educate and engage students.  Over the next few weeks, the Senate Committee will be gathering information regarding reauthorization of ESEA.  Please write to your Senator and, in addition, have your students write and tell them your story! 

Committee leadership: Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Chairman, and Senator Mike Enzi, (R-WY), Ranking Minority Member.  Other Senators on the Committee:

Majority Senate Members   

Chris Dodd (D-CT)    
Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD)   
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)   
Patty Murray (D-WA)   
Jack Reed (D-RI)   
Bernie Sanders (I-VT)  
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)   
Bob Casey (D-PA)    
Kay Hagan (D-NC)   
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Michael Bennet (D-CO)

Minority Senate Members

Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
Johnny H. Isakson (R-GA)
John McCain (R-AZ)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)

The general Senate number is 202/224-3121.  The Committee staff numbers are:

Majority Committee Staff Number                          Minority Committee Staff Number
Tele: 202/224-0767; fax 202/224-5128             Tele: 202/224-6770; fax 202/224-6510

Please send copies of all correspondence to mbenjamin@fcclainc.org.  The Education Week article "Needs of 'Whole Child' Factor in ESEA Renewal" was published online, April 28, 2010 by Alyson Klein at http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/04/28/30esea_ep.h29.html?tkn=UMTFVD1w2z49FICgP%2BVqYUR4P90dRGj12HDF&cmp=clp-edweek.