Afterschool and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) ReauthorizationThe reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (or ESEA and formerly No Child Left Behind (NCLB)) provides afterschool advocates an opportunity to influence the legislation that authorizes several significant funding streams for afterschool, including 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Supplemental Educational Services, Title I and Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
The Obama Administration has put forth clear and significant recommendations for changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which is to be reauthorized by Congress. The proposed FY2011 budget includes additional funding for education reform efforts if ESEA is reauthorized this year. Read more in Policy News.
The Afterschool Alliance is leading efforts in Washington, DC to make sure advancements are made for afterschool in the reauthorization process. We have drafted initial recommendations with input from the field, key stakeholders and partners, and organized a coalition around reauthorization. We continue to review the recommendations as the schedule for reauthorization shifts and are working with federal leaders, advocates and concerned parties to make sure that the voice of afterschool is heard during the reauthorization process.
In early 2010, more than two years after the 2001 law was set to expire, ESEA still has not been reauthorized. Current speculation and pressure by the Department of Education points to a reauthorization process in Congress in 2010 or 2011. We will use this webpage to post relevant news and progress, plus actions you can take to help afterschool in the ESEA reauthorization process. Click on the links below for more information on Afterschool in ESEA.
How the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Affects Afterschool Programs
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (formerly No Child Left Behind) was signed into law in 2001 and is the current legislation authorizing the law originally enacted in 1965 and intended to promote equal educational opportunities for all children. ESEA is critically important to the afterschool community because it is the legislation that authorizes the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC)– the only federal funding source dedicated solely to afterschool programs.
ESEA lays out the goals of 21st CCLC, how the program is administered and how funds can be used. It also outlines recommended funding levels for the program – although Congress has the discretion to decide the actual funding level during the appropriations process each year. In 2001 ESEA called for annual funding increases that would bring 21st CCLC to $2.5 billion in 2007. Unfortunately, the promise made in the reauthorization was not fulfilled, as funding has been slowly eroding.
In addition to 21st CCLC, ESEA authorizes other funding streams that support afterschool programs – including Title I, Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities, School Improvement Funds, and Supplemental Educational Services.
As of 2007, ESEA was officially up for reauthorization, a process by which the law is "renewed." Reauthorization represents an opportunity to change things in the law and improve upon it. Therefore, ESEA reauthorization is an opportunity for the afterschool field to suggest changes to the law that can benefit afterschool programs. The Afterschool Alliance and our Coalition for Afterschool in ESEA has composed policy recommendations on afterschool in ESEA that we are sharing with members of Congress.
Afterschool Recommendations for ESEA
In late 2009 the Afterschool Alliance and our Coalition for Afterschool Policy, made up of dozens of local, state and national organizations, helped to revise the 2008 recoomendations to reflect the current policy landscape. Our recommendations fstill generally focus on three areas: 21st CCLC, Supplemental Education Services, and afterschool for older youth. The recommendations call for improving 21st CCLC by increasing authorized funding levels, enhancing program sustainability and increasing investments in quality. We also propose making Supplemental Education Services more accessible to afterschool program in order to improve the quality and delivery of those services. Finally, we propose a new federal investment in afterschool programs for middle and high school youth, specifically tied to the high school reform efforts likely to be included in the reauthorization. The Afterschool Alliance began working with Congressional offices on these recommendations, and feedback generally has been good. Read more in the Policy Landscape below.
Revised ESEA Recommendations, January 2010
Policy Landscape around Afterschool and ESEA
The reauthorization of NCLB is an extremely contentious and important issue on Capitol Hill, and for education stakeholders nationwide. Official hearings and discussions began in Congress in 2006, but advocates and organizations started preparing for the reauthorization long beforehand. And, chances are, reauthorization will not be completed for many more months, once the new President is in office and Congress has a better sense of where the new administration stands. The long timeframe does not mean that nothing is happening, however. Draft language for many parts of the bill have been drafted and are being debated, and certain Members of Congress are staking out positions on various elements of the bill, and are very determined to see legislation completed as soon as possible once a new Administration is in place. It is therefore extremely important for afterschool voices to be heard on Capitol Hill, and for the Afterschool Alliance to work with Congressional offices on afterschool components of ESEA.
While debate has been focused primarily on school issues, some significant steps have been taken around afterschool. The Afterschool Alliance has been an active voice in these debates, and for the most part our comments and concerns have been well-received. Several bills have been introduced in the 111th Congress that serve as placeholders for policy proposals that could be included in ESEA reauthorization. It is too early to say whether all of our recommendations will be incorporated into the new legislation, but certain aspects have been adopted in draft language developed to date. (For monthly Policy News updates on ESEA and other federal policy, go to Policy News.)
Senate Draft Legislation: In September 2007, as the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee worked on its draft legislation to reauthorize ESEA, the Committee was considering making extended-day initiatives an allowable use of 21st CCLC funds. While the Afterschool Alliance believes that a well designed initiative to extend the school day could help serve some of the 14 million children unsupervised after the school day ends, funding these initiatives should not come at the expense of valued afterschool programs. The 21st CCLC initiative has been under-funded, and consistently unable to meet the demand for funding – typically funding as few as 1 in 4 requests. The Afterschool Alliance delivered a letter, signed by many in the afterschool community, expressing concerns about the move. (See Policy News, September 27, 2007)
Fortunately, the most recent draft of the bill shared by the Committee does not include this provision. In August 2009, the late Senator Kennedy, along with Senators Bingaman and Sanders introduced the TIME Act that would create a federal expanded learning time pilot project. It would have its own funding, separate from afterschool funding and includes strong language on partnerships with community-based organizations and afterschool. The Afterschool Alliance is supportive of the legislation because we believe it would create expanded learning time initiatives that would successfully engage children and youth and in which the afterschool field and other community partners would play a strong and critical role.
House Draft Legislation: In August 2007, the House Education and Labor Committee released a discussion draft of the No Child Left Behind Act, including Titles I and IV which are relevant to afterschool. The draft of Title I includes language on Supplemental Education Services and a proposal for a new Expanded Learning Time Demonstration Program. The Afterschool Alliance developed comments on both, specifically encouraging the Committee to tap successes from the afterschool field and ensure that new expanded learning time models work with existing afterschool programs, community-based organizations and other community partners. Afterschool Alliance comments:
Improving 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act of 2007: In June 2007, Senators Dodd and Ensign, Chairmen of the Senate Afterschool Caucus, introduced the Improving 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act of 2007. The stand alone bill is designed to reauthorize the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program and eventually be folded into the larger No Child Left Behind legislation. The Afterschool Alliance worked closely with the senators and are very grateful to them for incorporating in the bill our recommendations to improve 21st CCLC. Specifically, the legislation will enhance program sustainability and increase program quality, and includes language to encourage service learning and youth development activities and address the nation's growing obesity epidemic among school-aged children. Senators Akaka, Casey, Cochran, Collins, Menendez and Whitehouse joined Senators Dodd and Ensign as cosponsors. The Afterschool Alliance endorsed the legislation along with organizations across the country, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, the National Collaboration for Youth, YMCA of the USA, National Education Association, Save the Children, the National Recreation and Park Association, First Focus and America’s Promise, The Alliance for Youth, American Association of School Administrators, National Afterschool Association and the American Heart Association. Read a summary of the legislation or the full bill.
About the Coalition for Afterschool in ESEA
The Coalition for Afterschool in ESEA is comprised of over 50 local, state and national organizations who are concerned about the future of afterschool in ESEA. These organizations have all agreed to help make sure that policymakers pay attention to the afterschool needs of youth, families and communities during reauthorization. If you would like to learn more about the coalition for Afterschool in NCLB, please email our Policy Director.
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