Call to Action - ESSA Title IV, Part A
Join AASL and its work as part of the Title IV, Part A Coalition for a Day of Action on Wednesday, October 26, to urge Congress to fully fund the Title IV, Part A block grant.
What Is Title IV, Part A?
The Title IV, Part A block grant is a new program created by the newly enacted and bipartisan “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA). The program, also known as the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant program, will be utilized by states and school districts to:
- Provide students with a well-rounded education (e.g. STEM, computer science, music, arts, physical education, college career counseling);
- Support a safe and healthy school environment (e.g. comprehensive school mental health, drug and violence prevention, training on trauma-informed practices, health and physical education);
- Support the effective use of technology (professional development, blended learning, devices).
Included in SSAE is the allocation of funds for an effective school library program.
The Underfunding Threat
Despite being authorized at $1.65 billion within ESSA, the block grant is facing significant funding barriers from Congress. The Senate’s proposal only allocates $300 million for the block grant while the House’s allocation would provide $1 billion, both falling far short of the authorized level. If underfunded, school districts would be prevented from investing in meaningful areas of education, such as effective school library programs and will be faced with the unnecessarily difficult choice of funding some programs over others.
In order to keep the pressure on Congress to fully fund the SSAE program,AASL has joined together with over a hundred organizations to form the Title IV, Part A coalition, working to urge Congress to provide maximum funding for the program.
AASL has joined the Title IV, Part A Coalition and we need AASL members to get the message across to Congress!
What You Can Do on October 26
On October 26, we ask that you please join educators and advocates all across the nation by taking one (or all!) of the following extremely critical actions:
- Tweet your US Senator using these pre-written Tweets
- Send an email
- Make a phone call
Be sure to join AASL's Thunderclap and let your social media followers know about the day of action and please join us on October 26!
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