Members of the Historical Community,
Late yesterday the House of Representatives, by a vote of 359-64, approved the conference report to S. 1177, the “Every Student Succeeds Act.” (Thank you AASLH members who reached out to their Members of Congress prior to the vote.) The bill reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for the next four years and replaces the No Child Left Behind Act. Most important, the legislation includes multiple sources of funding to support improved instruction in K-12 history and civics. We need to support the conference report.
The bill now goes to the Senate for a vote sometime the week of December 7. AASLH and the National Coalition for History (NCH) urge you call or email your Senators to support the conference report. Click here for a link that allows you to send an email directly to your Senators and urge them to support the conference report that includes key provisions that benefit history and civics education.
It is vital that all Senators, Republicans and Democrats, receive the message loud and clear from their constituents that the education of our nation’s K-12 students is too important to be held hostage to partisan politics and gridlock.
AASLH and NCH limit our legislative “action alerts” to situations and issues that are vital to the interests of our constituents. We cannot overstress the importance of this effort! Congress has not reauthorized the ESEA in 15 years so this legislation is our only opportunity to get funding restored for K-12 history and civics education.
Time is of the essence so call or email today!
How to Contact Your Senators
No matter which means of communication you choose, please personalize your message as to your background or interest in history. If you are employed in the field, especially as a K-12 teacher, mention the institution where you work in your state.
- Make a phone call. All Senators can be reached through the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. If you feel comfortable doing so, a personal phone call is preferable to an email. If you are not sure who your Senators are you can follow this link to the Senate’s website. There you will find a list of Senators by state that will link to your Senator’s website.
- Send an email. NCH, working with its colleagues at the National Humanities Alliance, has prepared a one-step link to your Senators office. You simply enter your address, and the system identifies your Senator. An email template is provided that can be edited to personalize your message. The message not only goes to your Senator’s email, but their Twitter account and Facebook page as well.
Thank you for speaking up for history!
John Dichtl
President & CEO
American Association for State and Local History
