Call your Senator or member of Congress
Call your Senator or member of Congress and urge them to support S. 1979 and stress how important it is that it be included in the NCLB reauthorization.
Never contacted your Members of Congress before? Don't worry, it's easy!
Visit www.house.gov, www.senate.gov, or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your Representative or Senator.
When Calling
Your call will be answered by a receptionist. Ask to speak to the individual who handles education issues. Be prepared to leave a message. In your message, include why you are calling, your name, the name of your school/city/county, and your phone number. When you reach that individual, use the talking points below to promote changes to the definition of professional development in the NCLB reauthorization.
When you call, identify yourself...
- My name is (_________).
- I am a (teacher, professional development coach, professor, principal, superintendent, etc.) at (local school name, school district name, etc.).
- I would like to talk with the staff person who deals with educational issues regarding the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.
Be prepared to leave a message:
My name is (_________).
I am a (teacher, professional development coach, professor, principal, superintendent, etc.) at (local school name, school district name, etc.). My phone number is _____________.
Leave a message that incorporates the following points:
- I am calling to encourage you to support S. 1979 which was introduced by Senator Reed on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
- The legislation amends No Child Left Behind and makes critical improvements to the current definition of professional development.
- The improved definition of professional development ensures that:Educators engage in team-based professional development practices during the work day,
Focuses professional learning on needs identified by data analysis, and includes a system of accountability to ensure the professional learning improves teacher performance and student achievement.
- This legislation, particularly the improved definition of professional development, has the power to improve teacher effectiveness, increase teacher retention, and dramatically improve student achievement.
- We need your support in the (House, Senate). Please consider co-sponsoring this legislation.
Thank the staff person for their time.
When you're done, please send an e-mail to René Islas at rene.islas@learningforward.org to let him know that you've made the call. This will allow us to keep track of our contacts.
Once you've discovered how easy it is to do this, encourage others to make their own phone calls.
Tools for Schools, Feb./March 2008
Members can download the entire Feb./March 2008 issue of Tools for Schools to learn more about advancing the professional development policy agenda. Nonmembers can buy the issue online.
