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EIA, Tutor Our Children Continue Fight For SES and Against Threat of Waivers
Submitted By: Steve Drake
Published: June 2011
Even before U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced to reporters last week that he plans to grant relief to states and districts from the strictures of “No Child Left Behind” if Congress fails to act on reauthorizing the law, EIA and our partners at Tutor Our Children were engaged on a number of fronts to make clear our sector’s opposition to any actions that would water down the law and deny students and families the after-school tutoring they want and deserve. EIA and Tutor Our Children’s activities and successes to date:
- Worked with 12 influential Democratic Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including members of the Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus, to send a letter to Secretary Duncan urging support of SES, and strongly objecting to the potential provision of NCLB waivers. EIA and Tutor Our Children are currently crafting similar letters from House and Senate Republicans.
- Investigating the legal limits of Education Secretary waiver authority.
- Enlisting the civil rights community and non-profit advocates to support SES and oppose waivers. Our partners, all of whom have voiced strong support for SES, include the Urban League, the United Farm Workers, NFWSC/Cesar Chavez Education Institute, and the Salvation Army.
- Mounting an ongoing grassroots and social media campaign to increase awareness and generate action by parents of SES students in support of free after-school tutoring.
EIA also encourages individual member companies to get involved and make their voices heard. Some ideas which have succeeded in past campaigns include:
- Document and share your success stories – with EIA, with local education officials, and with your Congressional representatives
- Meet with your Congressional representatives and/or their staff members – at their district offices, at your offices, or ask them to observe an SES session
- Engage and enlist your families and instructors – ask them to vocalize their support for SES to Congress
- Share your implementation challenges – let EIA know if you’re encountering barriers to SES success
- Provide financial support to help continue and build our advocacy – join the EIA SES Coalition today
