2016PPI Capitol HillExperience

Using Your Voice for Effective Advocacy

On Wednesday, July 20th, PPI participants will spend the day on Capitol Hill meeting with their elected federal officials to advocate for public policy that improves equity in education. This document contains information about NASP policy and legislative priorities, talking points, research, and other useful information to help you prepare for your meetings. This document does not contain an exhaustive list of all legislative and policy priorities of NASP. Rather, this resource is intended to provide you with a general understanding of some of NASP’s public policy priorities and relevant legislation being considered in Congress that we believe will improve equity in education and support improved outcomes for all students.

Setting the Stage for Advocacy: Steps to Ensure a Successful Meeting

How to Prepare for Your Meeting

Review Proposed Legislation

Review the documents that reference relevant legislation that would help advance the broad policy priorities of NASP. Each bill is hyperlinked to a webpage that contains the full text of the legislation, as well as additional information about the bill. Some bills have been introduced in both the House and the Senate (bi-cameral), other bills have been introduced in just one chamber of Congress.

  • For each bill, determine if your Senator or Representative is a co-sponsor of the legislation.
  • To view the co-sponsors, click the link “Bill Summary and Status” at the top of the page. Then click the link “Co-Sponsors.” Information about every piece of legislation being considered by Congress is available at the Library of Congress:
  • If your elected official IS a sponsor, thank them for their support of this bill if it comes up in conversation.
  • If they are not, encourage them to co-sponsor this legislation, or support it when it is called for a vote.
  • Don’t worry about understanding the fine details of each bill. Instead focus on 2 main points:
  • How does the bill propose to address a specific issue?
  • Why is such a policy needed and what are the consequences of not addressing the issue.
  • If you would like more specific information about a bill or public policy concern prior to the Capitol Hill Experience, contact Dr. Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach, NASP Director of Government Relations ().

Develop Your Message(s) and Specific Asks

Consider the primary issues facing your school/district/state that you want your elected officials to know about and act upon. As you prepare your message and talking points focus on how you will convey three key ideas:

1)What is the problem?

2)What action(s) can address the problem?

3)What are the benefits of these actions and what research supports them?

School psychologists, in collaboration with families and other school and community professionals, play a critical role in helping schools and districts creating learning environments that help all students achieve and exceed their potential. There are four broad policy goals that will advance the realization of a high quality, equitable education for all students:

  1. Create School Environments that are Safe, Supportive and Conducive to Learning.
  2. Increase the Implementation of Effective School-Wide Discipline Policies and Practices.
  3. Improve Access to Comprehensive School Based Mental Health Services and School Employed Mental Health Professionals
  4. Ensure All Students Have Access to a High Quality, Well-Rounded, Rigorous Curricula

Sample Talking Points, and Selected Research

Information about policy objectives, talking points, specific pieces of legislation, and research are listed below. Use these to guide and informyour messages. Some Congressional staffers and/or elected officials may not be familiar with terminology/jargon often used by school psychologist (e.g. MTSS, PBIS, RTI, psychological safety). Be sure to offer a brief explanation of unfamiliar terms when needed.During your visits, you may choose to discuss as few or as many policy objectives/proposed bills as you choose. You may also choose to talk about the broad policy proposal and not specific legislation. NASP’s public policy agenda is grounded by empirical research. It is not necessary to cite specific research in your meetings, as this information is included in the Hill packets you will leave with each elected official and can be found in in the NASP Research Center.

Policy Priority: Create School Environments that are Safe, Supportive, and Conducive to Learning.

Students who do not feel safe and supported at school, both physically and psychologically, cannot learn to their fullest potential. Supportive school environments help to reduce school violence, prevent bullying and harassment, and improve school climate.We can enable teachers’ ability to teach and students’ ability to learn when we ensure that all students: (a) come to school feeling safe, welcomed, and respected; (b) have a trusting relationship with at least one adult in the school; (c) understand clear academic and behavioral expectations; and (d) see their role as positive members of the school community.

The Problem

  • Involvement in bullying creates barriers to learning and is associated with increased risk of substance abuse, mental health problems, and decreased academic performance. 1 in 4 students experiences bullying during the school year. The statistics are much greater for certain student populations (e.g., LGBTQ youth, students with disabilities). Research indicates:
  • 74.1% of LBGT students were verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation; 55.2% because of their gender expression
  • Students with disabilities are 2-3x more likely to be bullied than their non-disabled peers
  • Witnessing or experiencing school violence diminishes student engagement and leads to increased risk of truancy and school avoidance.
  • Overreliance on strict physical security measures (e.g. metal detectors, surveillance cameras) is associated with increased levels of violence and disruption in schools and can result in students feeling less safe.

Actions to Address the Problem

  • Fully fund Title I, Title II, and Title IV of the Every Student Succeeds Act. These funding streams can be used to:
  • Implement school wide programs, problem-solving processes, and prevention and intervention services embedded in multi-tiered systems of support that improve school climate and safety
  • train teachers and school staff in classroom instruction and school-wide initiatives that improve student’s social emotional competency.
  • Implement policies and evidence based efforts to prevent bullying and harassment for all students
  • Support legislation and policy that promotes sustainable crisis prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.
  • Support and encourage continued funding for the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative
  • Reject proposals that seek to eliminate Gun Free School Zone orto arm teachers

Specific Legislation to Address the Problem

S. 311 Safe Schools Improvement Act

H.R. 2902 Safe Schools Improvement Act

This legislation would ensure that schools and districts develop clear prohibitions against bullying and harassment based on a student’s actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or any other distinguishing characteristics that may be defined by a State or local educational agency. In addition, this bill would ensure that schools and districts focus on effective prevention strategies designed to help educators meaningfully address bullying and harassment.

S. 439 Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2015

H.R. 846 Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2015

The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) would prohibit discrimination in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. It would give LGBT students’ similar rights and protections against harassment as those that currently apply to students based on race and gender.

Benefits and Supporting Research

  • Changing a school’s climate and connectedness for the better is associated with significant increases in reading, writing, and math, regardless of whether a school starts with high or low school climate and connectedness or high or low achievement scores (Spier et al., 2007)
  • Positive school engagement plays an important role in promoting and enhancing school violence prevention efforts (Tillery, Varjas, Roach, Kuperminc, & Meyers, 2013).
  • Research supports the critical role of nurturing environments in fostering successful development and preventing psychological and behavioral problems. Such environments positively impact children and adolescents by minimizing their exposure to biologically and psychologically toxic events, reinforcing prosocial behaviors, limiting problem behaviors, and fostering psychological flexibility (Biglan, Flay, Embry, & Sandler, 2012).

Policy Priority: Increase the Implementation of Effective School-Wide Discipline Policies and Practices.

Schools and districts must build positive school climates that ensure safety, promote student well-being, prevent negative behaviors, and engage students in the classroom and broader school community. Schools must have discipline policies and practices that are positive, fair, consistently implemented, and are designed to keep students in the classroom and out of the juvenile justice system.

The Problem.

  • Purely punitive “get tough” approaches such as zero tolerance policies do not work. Instead, they increase negative consequences, such as reduced perceptions of safety and connectedness among students and the perpetuation of the school-to-prison pipeline.
  • Suspension increases the likelihood of students’ poor academic performance, dropping out of school, being sentenced to prison, and poor outcomes in adulthood.
  • Exclusionary discipline practices are often administered unfairly, and at disproportionate rates for certain populations, which fuels disparate outcomes in school and throughout life.Data from the 2014-2015 Civil Rights Data Collection reveals:
  • 2.8 million students received at least one out of school suspension
  • Black students are more than 3x as likely to be suspended than white students
  • Students with disabilities are more than twice as likely to be suspended than their nondisabled peers
  • Racial minority students with disabilities are more likely to be suspended than white students with disabilities

Actions to Address the Problem

  • Fully fund Title I and Title IV of ESSA; these funds can be used to implement positive discipline and restorative justice practices, provide social emotional learning, and foster Increase collaboration between the school, law enforcement, juvenile justice, social services, and families to prevent students from entering the juvenile justice system.
  • Encourage regular monitoring and oversight of discipline policy and practice to ensure fair and equitable practices for all populations of students, including required participation in the Civil Rights Data Collection.
  • Promote efforts to increase availability of cultural competence training for staff and communities.
  • Prohibit use of Federal funds to develop, establish, implement, or enforce zero-tolerance discipline policies, other than those expressly required under the Gun-Free Schools Act

Specific Legislation to Address the Problem

S. 811 Supportive School Climate Act

H.R. 1435 Supportive School Climate Act

Requires states wishing to receive Title 1 funds to demonstrate how they will work to (1) create a positive school climate for all students, (2) improve engagement for disconnected youths, (3) create disciplinary policies that are fair and work to keep students in school, and (4) enable those who are removed from school to resume their education upon returning to school.

S. 1770 Youth PROMISE Act

H.R. 2197 Youth PROMISE ACT

This legislation authorizes grants to provide for evidence-based and promising practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention to help build individual, family, and community strength and resiliency to ensure that youth lead productive, safe, healthy, gang-free, and law-abiding lives.

Benefits and Supporting Research

  • Zero tolerance policies have been shown to: be ineffective at reducing violence or promoting learning; inhibit academic achievement; increase problem behaviors and dropout rates in middle and secondary school students (Skiba, 2004; APA 2008).
  • Effective discipline policies are important in helping to counteract the effects of trauma. Such policies and practices include engaging students in efforts to improve discipline policy, using restitution, and ensuring students continue to receive quality instruction when they are removed from the classroom for disciplinary reasons (Ristuccia, 2013; Morgan, Salomon, Plotkin, & Cohen, 2014).
  • Whole school interventions using positive behavior support have been shown to decrease behavior problems while improving academic performance (Luisilli, et al., 2005; Waasadorp, Bradshaw, & Leaf, 2012).

Policy Priority: ImproveAccess to Comprehensive School Mental Health Services and School Employed Mental Health Professionals

Comprehensive and coordinated learning and mental health supports directly contribute to more positive student outcomes and increased academic achievement. School employed mental health professionals, such as school psychologists, have unique training that allows them to deliver these services within the context of learning, and in support of the mission of schools. These professionals can provide critical early identification and intervention services to help students build the skills they need to meet the academic and social demands of school and life.

The Problem

  • 1 in 5 children and youth will experience a mental health disorder.
  • The majority of students who need mental health care do not receive it. Those that do, access care in schools. Further, students are more likely to ask for help if services are available at school.
  • Critical personnel shortages of school-based mental health professionals result unmet needs across the country, especially in rural and low-income areas.
  • Children living in low income households are at greater risk for Adverse Childhood Experience, which are associated withincreased risk of mental health problems and decreased academic achievement.

Actions to address the Problem

  • Fully fund Title IV Part A and the Full Service Community Schools Grants to support increased investments to support the implementation of comprehensive school mental health services.
  • Make a long-term and sustained commitment to align staffing ratios with recommendations generated from national professional organizations to allow for the delivery of a full range of services.
  • Support policies that promote effective collaboration between school-employed and community mental health professionals.
  • Establish school community mental health partnerships that supplement, not replace, existing school based services and foster collaboration between school and community mental health professionals.

Specific Legislation to Address the Problem

Partnerships for Achieving Student Success (Not Yet Introduced)

Provides grants to create partnerships universities and low income districts and others who have shortages of school psychologists, school social workers, and school counselors.

H.R. 2378 Reducing Barriers to Learning Act

Creates an Office of Specialized Instructional Support within the Department of Education (ED) to improve specialized instructional support services in schools. It also authorizes grants to states to expand specialized instructional support services and programs at the state level;and (2) hire and support specialized instructional support services coordinators to provide such assistance, coordination, and support.

Benefits and Supporting Research

  • School staff rate the services provided by school psychologists as very important, including assessment, special education input, consultation, counseling, crisis intervention, and behavior management (Watkins, Crosby, & Pearson, 2007).
  • Research has shown that school mental health services are integral to student success because mental health directly affects the development and learning of children and adolescents (Fleming et al., 2005; Welsh, Parke, Widaman, & O’Neil, 2001).
  • School mental health services have been found to improve aspects of the school climate; reduce special education referrals (Bruns, Walrath, Glass-Siegel, & Weist, 2004); and produce declines in disciplinary referrals, suspension, grade retention, and special education referrals and placement among at-risk students (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000).
  • Access to school-based mental health services directly improves students’ physical and psychological safety, academic performance, and social–emotional learning and reduces costly negative outcomes such as risky behaviors, disciplinary incidents, delinquency, dropout, substance abuse, and involvement with the criminal justice system. (Aos, Lieb, Mayfield, Miller, & Pennucci, 2004)

Policy Priority:Ensure All Students Are Held to High Expectations Within a High Quality, Well-Rounded, Rigorous Curricula.

All students should have access to a well-rounded education provided by qualified and effective teachers and educators. A comprehensive 21stcentury education includes social–emotional competency, self-control, problem-solving and conflict resolution skills, the ability to access and evaluate the validity of information, and the ability to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy. A commitment to high expectations should extend throughout comprehensive curricula that include math, reading, the sciences and social sciences, foreign languages, fine arts, physical and mental health, and work readiness skills. Schools should also make a sustained commitment to teach and hold students accountable for critical life skills such as social–emotional competency, self-control, problem solving, and conflict resolution skills.

The Problem.

  • Teachers’ expectations for student successsignificantly impacts student actual academic achievement. Research indicates that low income, black, and Hispanic students are more likely to be held to lower expectations than their white peers.
  • Racial minority youth and English Language Learners are more likely to be taught by an inexperienced or unlicensed teacher.
  • Access to a well-rounded and rigorous courseworkis not a reality for many of our nation’s schools and students. Data from the 2014-2015 Civil Rights Data Collection Reveals:
  • Black and Latino students have less access to high level Math and Science courses
  • English language learners, students with disabilities and students of color are more likely to be retained or held back

Actions to Address the Problem