Legislative Corps Recess Wrap-Up
Last week, we sent the following wrap-up of recess in our Legislative Corps newsletter. If you did not receive it and are interested in receiving future editions, please email lfinnan@aasa.org.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
As you are opening your schools for the year, Congress's
summer vacation is also winding to a close. Stay tuned for an email next week
with what you should look forward to as they get back to town.
Insure All Children
Toolkit
Yesterday, USED Secretary King and Secretary of Health and
Human Services, Sylvia Burwell joined with AASA and the Children’s Defense Fund
to promote a new toolkit, Insure All Children. This toolkit has five sections
each focused on specific steps required of school district administrators to
ensure uninsured children who are eligible for health insurance enroll, from
building a team to enrolling students to sustaining the program for the future.
The toolkit can be accessed at insureallchildren.org.
Find a video of the event with Secretaries King and Burwell here and
AASA’s press release here.
Americans' Views on
Education
Two major polls were recently released, illustrating how
Americans view public education. The 15th annual PDK poll showed a slight
increase in the view of the nation’s schools and respondents’ views of their
local schools: 48% gave their local schools an A or a B, while 24% said the
same of schools across the nation. Consistent with former years, respondents
agreed that lack of funding is the top problem schools are facing. Read our
summary here or
the full report here.
EducationNext also released their 10th annual poll, which
showed a decline in support for Common Core, down to just 50% supporting the
standards. The report also showed strong support for standardized testing, with
73% approving of uniform testing and 70% opposed to opting out. School choice received
mixed responses: charter schools maintained strong support (65%), while support
for private school vouchers has dropped 12% since 2012. Read our summary here or the
full report here.
Transgender Guidance
Halted by Judge
A federal judge has halted President Obama’s transgender
guidance that requires schools to allow transgender students to use the
restroom of their choice, while 13 states challenge the order in court. Read
more here.
Ed Groups Oppose FBI Program
Education groups, including AASA, sent a letter
criticizing the FBI for its program design to prevent the spread of “violent
extremism” in schools. The program racially targets Muslim and Middle Eastern
students, and adds to growing discrimination they already face. The letter can
be accessed here.