The campaign to get Congress to Vote NO on the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind was a top CTA priority for the major part of last year. Working together, CTA succeeded in getting House and Senate leaders to postpone the reauthorization of the Act until later this year, giving them more time to get it right this time.
With this tremendous accomplishment (see CTA President David A. Sanchez's thank you letter), CTA moved into 2008 with a victorious spirit and a renewed focus on the other pressing issues facing education. CTA’s campaign to Erase, Rewrite and Reauthorize NCLB will continue this year. The new year also brings another series of political campaigns, which began with the Presidential Primary election on February 5, and a budget crisis that threatens public education with cuts of up to $5 billion.
Providing assistance to our schools of greatest need continues to be a top CTA priority. The Quality Education Investment Act, born from CTA-sponsored legislation and the settlement of a lawsuit between CTA and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, will help schools that are serving a higher percentage of low income, minority and English learners to close the achievement gap.
Also on the plate is CTA's commitment to be the moving force in educational change in the state. The CTA Educational Change Workgroup has covered much ground on ways to improve teaching and learning and is dedicated to being the catalyst for meaningful change in how education is run in California and elsewhere.
In the Current Issues section you’ll find information on these current issues:
And don’t forget to check our News Room, our Legislative Updates and our Institute for Teaching section for additional news and information on current issues affecting our profession.