NSBA’s Delegate Assembly says standards should not be mandated by Feds
Fall 09 -- The federal government should support -- but not become directly involved -- in state efforts, including funding multiple state education agencies, to voluntarily develop model standards that focus on the skills and knowledge needed for the 21st century.
That’s just one message that NSBA has delivered to federal officials in recent months.
Last April, the NSBA Delegate Assembly met in San Diego to determine the organization’s stance on approaches being discussed at the federal level and in other national forums to draw up academic standards that would involve groups of states or be national in scope.
In supporting federal funding for efforts voluntarily taken by states, the Delegate Assembly opposed any attempt by the federal government to mandate the adoption of standards. The assembly also opposed attempts to require the standards adoption as a condition to receive federal education funding in other program areas.
Exactly what message NSBA needed to send state and federal officials fueled spirited debate among the Delegate Assembly, composed of the elected leaders of state school boards associations whose resolutions direct NSBA’s advocacy efforts.
According to Michael A. Resnick, NSBA’s associate executive director for advocacy, delegates acknowledged the powerful political forces at the national level to develop standards that will reach across the states. The delegates’ resolution now says what the organization is for -- not just against as in the 2008 resolution -- so NSBA can be at the table and help influence the direction of standards rather than stand on the sidelines.
Following up on the delegates’ resolution, NSBA officials have been meeting with the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers. The two organizations are spearheading an effort to develop common core standards that states will voluntarily adopt, rather than have national standards driven at the federal level.
In a letter to Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, NSBA cited the delegates’ resolution to emphasize that any federal involvement should “provide maximum authority and flexibility to the states in this effort.” The letter also noted that the resolution opposes “efforts to make [standards] mandatory.”
Looking ahead, Resnick says, NSBA is calling for state and federal officials to recognize that implementing new standards will require states to provide adequate assistance to local school districts for professional development, curriculum alignment, and courseware acquisition. Further, during a transition period, certain accountability and intervention requirements may need to be waived to accommodate the changes, which could be substantial in some states.
A copy of the NSBA Delegate Assembly’s resolution on the state-led standards initiative can be found at www.nsba. org/FunctionNav/AboutNSBA/NSBAGovernance/Resolutions.aspx.
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