2017PPI Capitol HillExperience

Using Your Voice for Effective Advocacy

On Wednesday, July 19th, PPI participants will spend the day on Capitol Hill meeting with their elected federal officials to advocate for public policy that improves equity in education. This document contains information about NASP policy and legislative priorities, talking points, research, and other useful information to help you prepare for your meetings. This document does not contain an exhaustive list of all legislative and policy priorities of NASP. Rather, this resource is intended to provide you with a general understanding of some of NASP’s public policy priorities and relevant legislation being considered in Congress that we believe will improve equity in education and support improved outcomes for all students.

Setting the Stage for Advocacy: Steps to Ensure a Successful Meeting

How to Prepare for Your Meeting

Review Contents of the Hill Packet

You will be provided with a packet that contains information about school psychology, relevant research, fact sheets and other helpful information related to NASP’s policy priorities. You do not need to memorize everything in this packet, nor do you need to reference each document in your meetings. These packets are intended to supplement your discussions and provide additional, detailed, information to the staffer.

Review Proposed Legislation

Review the documents that reference relevant legislation that would help advance the broad policy priorities of NASP. Each bill is hyperlinked to a webpage that contains the full text of the legislation, as well as additional information about the bill. Some bills have been introduced in both the House and the Senate (bi-cameral), other bills have been introduced in just one chamber of Congress.

  • For each bill, determine if your Senator or Representative is a co-sponsor of the legislation.
  • To view the co-sponsors, click the link “Bill Summary and Status” at the top of the page. Then click the link “Co-Sponsors.” Information about every piece of legislation being considered by Congress is available at the Library of Congress:
  • If your elected official IS a sponsor, thank them for their support of this bill if it comes up in conversation.
  • If they are not, encourage them to co-sponsor this legislation, or support it when it is called for a vote.
  • Don’t worry about understanding the fine details of each bill. Instead focus on 2 main points:
  • How does the bill propose to address a specific issue?
  • Why is such a policy needed and what are the consequences of not addressing the issue?.
  • If you would like more specific information about a bill or public policy concern prior to the Capitol Hill Experience, contact Dr. Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach, NASP Director of Government Relations ().

Develop Your Message(s) and Specific Asks

Consider the primary issues facing your school/district/state that you want your elected officials to know about and act upon. As you prepare your message and talking points focus on how you will convey three key ideas:

1)What is the problem?

2)What action(s) can address the problem?

3)What are the benefits of these actions and what research supports them?

School psychologists, in collaboration with families and other school and community professionals, play a critical role in helping schools and districts creating learning environments that help all students achieve and exceed their potential. Congress is currently considering several policies that relate to ensuring a high quality, equitable education for all students. Your meetings should focus on the following broad policy goals:

  1. Ensure Adequate Federal Investments in Title I and Title IV-A of ESSA, IDEA, and Medicaid***
  2. Create School Environments that are Safe, Supportive and Conducive to Learning.
  3. Improve Access to Comprehensive School Based Mental Health Services and School Employed Mental Health Professionals
  4. Ensure All Students Have Access to a High Quality, Well-Rounded, Rigorous Curricula

***Time Sensitive and Urgent Request as Congress expects to finalize decisions related to these programs by the Fall. Additional information about the importance of these funding streams is included in the Hill Packets.

Sample Talking Points, and Selected Research

Information about policy objectives, talking points, specific pieces of legislation, and research are listed below. Use these to guide and informyour messages. Some Congressional staffers and/or elected officials may not be familiar with terminology/jargon often used by school psychologist (e.g. MTSS, PBIS, RTI, psychological safety). Be sure to offer a brief explanation of unfamiliar terms when needed.During your visits, you may choose to discuss as few or as many policy objectives/proposed bills as you choose. You may also choose to talk about the broad policy proposal and not specific legislation. NASP’s public policy agenda is grounded by empirical research. It is not necessary to cite specific research in your meetings, as this information is included in the Hill packets you will leave with each elected official and can be found in in the NASP Research Center.

Policy Priority: Ensure Adequate Federal Investments in Title I and Title IV-A of ESSA, IDEA, and Medicaid

Adequate federal funding levels for Title I and Title IV of ESSA, IDEA, and Medicaid are necessary for states to meet federal education and civil rights mandates, and to make meaningful investments in evidence based school improvement strategies that will benefit all students. Congress is currently considering the American Health Care Act, which could potentially change the funding structure of Medicaid. School districts receive approximately $4 billion dollars each year in reimbursements from Medicaid, which help support the delivery of comprehensive health, including mental and behavioral health services to students. AHCA, in its current form, significantly jeopardizes the availability of these dollars.

The Problem

  • Congress woefully underfunded Title IV-A in FY17 and provided little to no increase to Title I or IDEA, despite increasing enrollment of eligible student populations.
  • When IDEA was passed, Congress promised to cover 40% of this additional cost. They have not lived up to this commitment, and currently only provide approximately 16% of the additional cost.
  • Significant reductions to Medicaid spending could have devastating effects on children, especially those living in poverty and those with disabilities. Protecting the current funding structure of Medicaid protects access to health care for these vulnerable populations.
  • The Trump Administration has proposed a 13.5% cut to the Department of Education, which could hamper ESSA implementation efforts and enforcement of critical civil rights protections for students.

Actions to Address the Problem

  • Protect the current funding structure of Medicaid
  • Schools utilize Medicaid dollars to help provide comprehensive health care, including mental and behavioral health care to students.
  • Medicaid funds are used to help hire school based health professionals including school psychologists, school nurses, and speech language pathologists.
  • Fully fund Title I Title IV of the Every Student Succeeds Act. These funding streams can be used to:
  • Address the unique needs of children living in poverty
  • Implement school wide programs, problem-solving processes, and prevention and intervention services embedded in multi-tiered systems of support that improve student mental health, school climate and safety, and overall academic success
  • These evidenced-based practices have been shown to increase academic performance and decrease behavioral outcomes, leading to cost savings over time
  • Fully Fund IDEA
  • IDEA Grants to states are intended to help cover the extra cost of educating student with disabilities and help ensure they have access to a Free and Appropriate Public Education.

Policy Priority: Create School Environments that are Safe, Supportive, and Conducive to Learning.

Students who do not feel safe and supported at school, both physically and psychologically, cannot learn to their fullest potential. Supportive school environments that also employ effective discipline strategies help to (1) reduce school violence, (2) prevent bullying and harassment, and (3) improve school climate.We can enable teachers’ ability to teach and students’ ability to learn when we ensure that all students: (a) come to school feeling safe, welcomed, and respected; (b) have a trusting relationship with at least one adult in the school; (c) understand clear academic and behavioral expectations; and (d) see their role as positive members of the school community.

The Problem

  • Exclusionary discipline practices are often administered unfairly, and at disproportionate rates for certain populations, which fuels disparate outcomes in school and throughout life. Data from the 2014-2015 Civil Rights Data Collection reveals:
  • Black students are more than 3x as likely to be suspended than white students
  • Students with disabilities are more than twice as likely to be suspended than their nondisabled peers
  • Racial minority students with disabilities are more likely to be suspended than white students with disabilities
  • Involvement in bullying creates barriers to learning and is associated with increased risk of substance abuse, mental health problems, and decreased academic performance. Research indicates:
  • Approximately 1 in 4 students experiences bullying during the school year.
  • 74.1% of LBGT students were verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation; 55.2% because of their gender expression.
  • Students with disabilities are 2-3x more likely to be bullied than their non-disabled peers.
  • Witnessing or experiencing school violence diminishes student engagement and leads to increased risk of truancy and school avoidance.

Actions to Address the Problem

  • Support legislation policy, and funding streams that promotes sustainable crisis prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.
  • Support and encourage continued funding for the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative
  • Reject proposals that seek toallow anyone other than a commissioned School Resource Officer to be armed on a school campus

Benefits and Supporting Research

  • Changing a school’s climate and connectedness for the better is associated with significant increases in reading, writing, and math, regardless of whether a school starts with high or low school climate and connectedness or high or low achievement scores (Spier et al., 2007)
  • Positive school engagement plays an important role in promoting and enhancing school violence prevention efforts (Tillery, Varjas, Roach, Kuperminc, & Meyers, 2013).
  • Research supports the critical role of nurturing environments in fostering successful development and preventing psychological and behavioral problems. Such environments positively impact children and adolescents by minimizing their exposure to biologically and psychologically toxic events, reinforcing prosocial behaviors, limiting problem behaviors, and fostering psychological flexibility (Biglan, Flay, Embry, & Sandler, 2012).
  • Zero tolerance policies have been shown to: be ineffective at reducing violence or promoting learning; inhibit academic achievement; increase problem behaviors and dropout rates in middle and secondary school students (Skiba, 2004; APA 2008).
  • Effective discipline policies are important in helping to counteract the effects of trauma. Such policies and practices include engaging students in efforts to improve discipline policy, using restitution, and ensuring students continue to receive quality instruction when they are removed from the classroom for disciplinary reasons (Ristuccia, 2013; Morgan, Salomon, Plotkin, & Cohen, 2014).

Specific Current Legislation to Address the Problem

S. 611 Homeless Children and Youth Act

H.R. 1511 Homeless Children and Youth Act

The Homeless Children and Youth Act allows local communities to use federal funding to target the unique needs of their homeless child and youth population, as well as help local communities leverage additional public and private resources to meet the needs of children, youth and families.

S. 1006 Equality Act

H.R. 2282 Equality Act

This legislation provides non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across key areas of life, including education. The Equality Act would amend existing civil rights laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics.

S. 860 Juvenile Justice Reform Act

H.R. 1809 Juvenile Justice Reform Act

This legislation reauthorizes and improves the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, which provides funds to states that follow a series of federal protections, known as the "core protections," on the care and treatment of youth in the justice system. It also provides grants to help prevent and dismantle the school to prison pipeline.

Policy Priority: ImproveAccess to Comprehensive School Mental Health Services and School Employed Mental Health Professionals

Comprehensive and coordinated learning and mental health supports directly contribute to more positive student outcomes and increased academic achievement. School employed mental health professionals, such as school psychologists, have unique training that allows them to deliver these services within the context of learning, and in support of the mission of schools. These professionals can provide critical early identification and intervention services to help students build the skills they need to meet the academic and social demands of school and life.

The Problem

  • 1 in 5 children and youth will experience a mental health disorder.
  • Approximately 80%of students who need mental health care do not receive it. Those that do, access care in schools. Further, students are more likely to ask for help if services are available at school.
  • Critical personnel shortages of school-based mental health professionals result unmet needs across the country, especially in rural and low-income areas.
  • Children living in low income households are at greater risk for Adverse Childhood Experience, which are associated withincreased risk of mental health problems and decreased academic achievement.

Actions to address the Problem

  • Fully fund Title IV Part A and the Full Service Community Schools Grants to support increased investments to support the implementation of comprehensive school mental health services.
  • Make a long-term and sustained commitment to align staffing ratios with recommendations generated from national professional organizations to allow for the delivery of a full range of services.
  • Support policies that promote effective collaboration between school-employed and community mental health professionals.
  • Establish school community mental health partnerships that supplement, not replace, existing school based services and foster collaboration between school and community mental health professionals.

Benefits and Supporting Research

  • School staff rate the services provided by school psychologists as very important, including assessment, special education input, consultation, counseling, crisis intervention, and behavior management (Watkins, Crosby, & Pearson, 2007).
  • Research has shown that school mental health services are integral to student success because mental health directly affects the development and learning of children and adolescents (Fleming et al., 2005; Welsh, Parke, Widaman, & O’Neil, 2001).
  • School mental health services have been found to improve aspects of the school climate; reduce special education referrals (Bruns, Walrath, Glass-Siegel, & Weist, 2004); and produce declines in disciplinary referrals, suspension, grade retention, and special education referrals and placement among at-risk students (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000).
  • Access to school-based mental health services directly improves students’ physical and psychological safety, academic performance, and social–emotional learning and reduces costly negative outcomes such as risky behaviors, disciplinary incidents, delinquency, dropout, substance abuse, and involvement with the criminal justice system. (Aos, Lieb, Mayfield, Miller, & Pennucci, 2004)

Specific Legislation to Address the Problem

S. 1370 Mental Health in Schools Act

H.R. 2913 Mental Health in Schools Act

The Mental Health in Schools Act would provide funding for public schools across the country to partner with local mental health professionals to establish on-site mental health care services for students.

S. 744 Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act

H.R. 1757 Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act

This legislation addresses the psychological, social, and emotional needs of children, youth, and families who have experienced trauma, and establishes a task force.

H.R. 1628 American Health Care Act (Oppose)

The proposed plan would shift an estimated$370 billionin Medicaid costs to states over the next ten years, effectively ending the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Medicaid expansion for 11 million people while also harming tens of millions of additional seniors, people with disabilities, and children and parents who rely on Medicaid today.In response, states would have to contribute much more of their own funding or, far likelier, substantially cut eligibility, benefits, and provider payments.Cuts to Medicaid leave students without access to mental and behavioral health care.

Policy Priority:Ensure All Students Are Held to High Expectations Within a High Quality, Well-Rounded, Rigorous Curricula.

All students should have access to a well-rounded education provided by qualified and effective teachers and educators. A comprehensive 21stcentury education includes social–emotional competency, self-control, problem-solving and conflict resolution skills, the ability to access and evaluate the validity of information, and the ability to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy. A commitment to high expectations should extend throughout comprehensive curricula that include math, reading, the sciences and social sciences, foreign languages, fine arts, physical and mental health, and work readiness skills. Schools should also make a sustained commitment to teach and hold students accountable for critical life skills such as social–emotional competency, self-control, problem solving, and conflict resolution skills.

The Problem.

  • Teachers’ expectations for student successsignificantly impacts student actual academic achievement. Research indicates that low income, black, and Hispanic students are more likely to be held to lower expectations than their white peers.
  • Racial minority youth and English Language Learners are more likely to be taught by an inexperienced or unlicensed teacher.
  • Access to a well-rounded and rigorous courseworkis not a reality for many of our nation’s schools and students. Data from the 2014-2015 Civil Rights Data Collection Reveals:
  • Black and Latino students have less access to high level Math and Science courses
  • English language learners, students with disabilities and students of color are more likely to be retained or held back

Actions to Address the Problem