June 2023 marked the Coalition to Advance Future Student Success’ two-year anniversary. The Coalition brings together 12 leading education organizations that represent leaders from practitioners in the classroom to the state capitol working together to ensure this moment of transformation brings about greater equity and outcomes for all students. Guided by the Framework to Drive Support and Consistence Guidance, the Coalition is working to support its members to use federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to transform the U.S. education system. Part 2 of this blog series continues to highlight each of the national organizations and some of the many impactful ESSER funding examples from across the Coalition. You can find Part 1 here.
National Association of Secondary School Principals
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading professional organization for secondary school principals, assistant principals and other school leaders across the United States and beyond. The NASSP family includes more than 15,000 school leaders, 30,000 advisers and 1 million students involved in its leadership programs.
An assistant principal from Rhode Island shares how ESSER funds were used at her school to create a Credit Recovery Academy to help students graduate on time in this blog post, “A Wake-Up Call: Why Student Voice Matters in School.”
National Association of State Boards of Education
The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) develops, supports and empowers citizen leaders on state boards of education to strengthen public education systems so students of all backgrounds and circumstances are prepared to succeed in school, work and life. NASBE is the only organization dedicated solely to helping state boards advance equity and excellence in public education.
State boards are engaged in expanding digital access and equity, with several states making strides in effective data gathering, engaging partners and stakeholders, buying devices and software for students and households and focusing on key learning standards. State boards play a unique role in state education policymaking, articulating a vision for education within their states to promote equity and ensure student success. As such, in the wake of the pandemic, state boards are also working to ensure that federal relief funds are being spent effectively and efficiently, with maximum impact on student learning.
In this video, NASBE President and Chief Executive Officer Paolo DeMaria expresses the high level of importance he places on participating in the Coalition. He emphasizes that by collaborating with similar organizations that share its goals, NASBE has been able to achieve a significantly greater impact in striving to ensure the success of every student.
National Conference of State Legislatures
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), created by state legislators and legislative staff in 1975, serves America’s 50 states, commonwealths, territories and the District of Columbia. Every state legislator and staffer is a member of the organization and has complete access to the latest in bipartisan policy research, training resources and technical assistance tailored specifically to their needs.
NCSL offers members a variety of opportunities to connect and collaborate. Notably at its signature event, the NCSL Legislative Summit, the top issues in education for the 2023 legislative session include recovering student learning loss and recruiting and retaining an education workforce.
National Education Association
The National Education Association (NEA) is the voice of education professionals whose mission is to advocate for education professionals as well as unite members and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education so every student is prepared to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world. NEA believes all students in America, no matter where they live or what they look like, regardless of family income or background, of all genders and all faiths, deserve a quality education and the opportunity to pursue their dreams. By focusing the energy and resources of its 3 million members, NEA improves the quality of teaching, increases student achievement and makes public schools safer, better places to learn.
An NEA guide, Strategies for Using Non-Recurring Federal Aid for Public Education, offers suggestions on how to increase pay, address educator shortages, hire additional staff and promote more equitable opportunity for all students using one-time federal emergency aid.
In this video, NEA President Becky Pringle shares how she has benefitted from being a member of the Coalition through the sharing of resources and best practices of implementation of ESSER investments.
National Governors Association
The National Governors Association (NGA) is the voice of the leaders of 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Our nation’s Governors are dedicated to leading bipartisan solutions that improve citizens’ lives through state government. Through NGA, Governors identify priority issues and work on public policy and governance at the state, national and global levels. Governors are leading efforts across the country to ensure that students in their states graduate prepared to succeed in postsecondary, the workforce and life. NGA’s K-12 Education Team supports Governors’ work related to many K-12 topics, including academic supports, student and staff wellbeing and educator recruitment and retention.
In the NGA’s State Strategies for Addressing K-12 Student Needs series, subject matter experts, state education leaders and practitioners discuss gubernatorial strategies for addressing students’ academic needs and wellbeing.
National School Boards Association
The National School Boards Association representing state associations of school boards and the Board of Education of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Through its member state associations that represent locally elected school board officials serving millions of public school students, NSBA advocates for equity and excellence in public education through school board leadership. NSBA believes that public education is a civil right necessary to the dignity and freedom of the American people and that each child, regardless of their disability, ethnicity, socio-economic status, or citizenship, deserves equitable access to an education that maximizes their individual potential.
One issue that is top of mind for members is educator workforce. School staffing shortages are even more severe in rural areas, where district leaders must come up with creative solutions to attract teachers. Using federal pandemic relief funds, Colorado created loan forgiveness and financial aid programs for teachers who have started their careers since 2019 and remained in the classroom, as well as stipends for new teachers.
For more information about the Coalition to Advance Future Success visit the website. Resources, including multimedia offerings and archived issues of the Coalition in Action newsletter are available. To read the most recent stories of the impact ESSER dollars are having in public schools, subscribe to the monthly Coalition in Action newsletter.
