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Act Now to Denounce ESEA Waivers

August 28, 2013

On August 27, LULAC, as a coalition partner of the Campaign for High School Equity, released a white paper that focused on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waivers for states. The paper found that the waivers provided less accountability for the educational success of underserved students, including Latino students. However, 41 states including the District of Columbia have already been granted these waivers!!!

Read the white paper here.

IMMEDIATE ACTION IS NEEDED TODAY:

Call or email your Representative and urge him/her to urge the Department of Education to reform the ESEA waiver system.

Telephonic Script:
  • “Hello, my name is ___________. I am from _______ and I am a constituent of Congressman/woman ____________.
  • “I am writing/calling to inform the Congressman/woman of a recent report issued by the League of United Latin American Citizens and 9 other civil rights organizations on the Department of Education’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act Waivers policy.
  • “The report can be downloaded by going to www.lulac.org website or by contacting LULAC at 202-833-6130.
  • “I am counting on my Member of Congress to weigh in with the Department of Education regarding the concerns expressed in the report and to urge that the Department of Education reform its waiver policy.”

BACKGROUND

As part of the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), LULAC joined 9 other civil rights organizations in releasing a white paper that analyzed the Department of Education's Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Waiver system. The paper entitled, Maintaining a Focus on Subgroups in an Era of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Waivers, raises concerns regarding the lack of rigor in state accountability systems. The white paper found, among other things, that although state accountability systems vary widely, many states group the lowest-performing 25 or 30 percent of students into “super subgroups.” This method of grouping takes the focus off of the performance of individual groups of students, such as students of color. This method also allows the performance of low achieving students to no longer trigger interventions. Accordingly, the use of “super subgroups” could lead to fewer students of color receiving the supports and interventions they need. Read the white paper here.