Mr. Badalament Goes to Washington

Peter Badalament, Principal of Concord-Carlisle High School, visited Capitol Hill two weeks ago to meet with lawmakers about Massachusetts education reform priorities, such as educator effectiveness, improving No Child Left Behind, funding needs, the implementation of common core state standards and Whole Child reforms.

By Peter Badalament

On Jan. 23-25, I joined teachers, school administrators, and other education leaders from across the country at ASCD’s Leadership Institute for Legislative Advocacy. ASCD, an educational leadership organization dedicated to advancing best practices and policies for the success of each learner, hosted the conference in downtown Washington, D.C.

I had the chance to discuss policy with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), and other policy and budget experts. After an intensive conference, I spent a day on the Hill meeting with Mass. congressional representatives.

I met with Sen. Scott Brown to discuss a complete rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to better meet Massachusetts' education needs. As an educator, I think it’s important for our politicians on Capitol Hill to hear what is happening on the ground in our state, and the extra federal funding for rewards-based recognition programs could really help teachers close Massachusetts'  achievement gap.

I also met with legislative aides from Senator Kerry's, Rep. Frank's, Rep. Markey's, Rep. Neal's, Rep. Tierney's and Rep. Lynch's offices.

ASCD’s legislative institute also featured the public release of the education association’s 2011 Legislative Agenda, which calls on Congress to transform the No Child Left Behind Act’s much reviled accountability system to a more positive model that is student-focused, rewards-based, and encompasses all core academic subjects. The agenda also recommends a new federal goal to close the international achievement gap between the United States and other countries and to provide comprehensive support for educators so that students benefit from a highly effective teacher in every classroom.

ASCD’s 2011 Legislative Agenda highlights the need for a highly effective teacher in every classroom, something that we strive for here at Concord-Carlisle every day. I urged our Senators and Representatives to consider an increase in funding so we can increase professional development and create an environment where our students are college- and career-ready.

This conference demonstrated the need for educators to become actively engaged in informing our elected officials about how the policies enacted at the federal and state levels affects our local schools.

Peter Badalament has been the principal of Concord-Carlisle for the past three years.