July 6, 2015 The Honorable Mark R. WarnerUnited States Senate
475 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear
Senator Warner:For 30 years, CASA has worked to help immigrants
create more stable and healthy lives in the Washington, DC
Metropolitan region, most recently establishing two offices in the
Northern Virginia area that serve more than 4,000 members from
Fredericksburg to Arlington. Our mission is to create a more just
society by building power and improving the quality of life of
low-income immigrant communities. We advocate around issues that
affect our members most closely such as the educational needs of
their children. That is why we write to express our concerns
regarding the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA). We believe the Senate version of the bill,
the Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA), does not go far enough to
protect the low-income, underserved students for whom the law was
originally enacted. We call on you to ensure your support for
amendments to the ECAA to increase accountability for our lowest
performing schools and ensure that the appropriate standards and
strategies are in place to give all students access to a quality
education.
Past iterations of the ESEA have taught us that we need strong
expectations for states to focus on the achievement of underserved
students and to take action if these students are struggling. We
are concerned that without these expectations, our most vulnerable
students---low-income students, English Language Learners,
immigrant students---will be overlooked. We want states and school
districts to be held accountable for ensuring the most vulnerable
children are protected, educated, and given equitable supports and
resources needed to achieve at high levels.
For the past decade, the Commonwealth of Virginias performance
on the U.S. Department of Educations National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) has consistently ranked among the best
in the country. Virginias high school graduation rate, which
provides another barometer of educational performance, indicates
students are graduating high school at relatively high rates
slightly higher than the national average.
Despite this data, worrisome gaps persist. Virginias African
American and Latino students are far less likely to graduate than
their White and/or Asian/Pacific Islander peers. In 2012, for
instance, graduation rates for White and Asian/Pacific Islander
students were 88% and 90% respectively, compared with African
American and Latino students at 75% and 73%. Furthermore, as CASA
has expanded into Virginia, our members have shared much insight
regarding their experiences at the different schools they send
their children to across several jurisdictions. Across the board,
our members have consistently shared their concern regarding a lack
of culturally competent instructors and school staff that
successfully implement parent engagement strategies and classroom
instruction that guarantee their children are achieving at high
levels.
We consider school accountability systems can be a powerful tool
to help close the long-standing gaps that separate low-income
students and students of color from their peers. They can do this
by:
Setting clear expectations that schools serve all of their
students--- Collecting accurate data that demonstrates how all
student groups are performing---and Prompting action when schools
do not meet expectations for a group of students.
Closing achievement gaps is critical for our students and
families, our state, and our nation. Low-income students and
students of color now make up the majority of the nations public
school students. Yet many are not receiving the quality education
they need and deserve, leaving them unprepared for success in our
economy and society. We urge you to vote for amendments that will
maintain strong accountability provisions in the ECAA. Today, we
cant afford to lose important provisions that will ensure states,
districts, and schools take necessary actions if any school or any
group of students is consistently struggling or
underperforming.
ESEA is at its core a civil rights law, enacted to ensure all
children, especially those who are underserved, receive a quality
education. Please make sure low-income, English Language Learners
and all children who have historically been shut out of achieving
the American Dream will not be shut out of protections under this
law that guarantee they receive an equitable educational
experience.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
Gustavo Torres Executive Director
C: The Honorable Terrence R. McAulliffe, Governor The Honorable
Anne Holton, Secretary of Education Members, CASA Members,
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Members, Congressional
Black Caucus Members, Congressional Hispanic Caucus
901 S. Highland St. Arlington, VA 22204 | www.wearecasa.org |
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Arlington, VA 22204 | www.wearecasa.org | 571.421.2211