Contact: Will Potter   (202) 822-7823

July 2, 2007

Education Support Professionals Have Been Vital Part of
No Child Left Behind Campaign

ESP members gather as part of NEA’s Annual Meeting

PHILADELPHIA -- Education support professionals have played a vital role in raising awareness about flaws in No Child Left Behind, and putting pressure on members of Congress considering reauthorization of the controversial law. When members of the National Council for Education Support Professionals met Saturday as part of the National Education Association’s Annual Meeting, they were urged to keep fighting for reform as the campaign heats up.

“It has been nothing short of incredible what we have accomplished this year,” Becky Pringle, a member of the NEA Executive Committee, said to members. “I can tell you that from the start you were an integral part.”

NEA has been advocating for reforms to NCLB that would better reflect the needs of education support professionals. In one section of the law focusing on professional development, NEA has garnered support to expand its scope beyond teachers to specifically mention education support professionals in the title. It’s a small change that could make a big difference in securing professional development opportunities, members said.

“Education support professionals are public education’s unsung heroes,” said NEA President Reg Weaver.  “ESPs work closely with our students and care deeply about what happens to them. Almost always underpaid and often underappreciated, they are key to creating great public schools for every child.”

Also during the meeting, members welcomed the incoming NCESP President Laura Montgomery of Little Rock, Ark. Karen Mahurin, the current president, was honored for her commitment to education support professionals and public education. Members presented her with a handmade quilt, covered in personal messages, to express their appreciation.

Members are in Philadelphia as part of the NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly. During the Representative Assembly, more than 9,000 educators from around the country will discuss, debate and vote on critical issues facing public education, such as teacher recruitment and retention and education funding. A major topic at the Representative Assembly will be NCLB.

Along with setting NEA’s agenda for the coming year, delegates will hear eight presidential candidates—seven Democrats and one Republican—lay out their visions for the future of America’s public schools. The Representative Assembly, one of the largest democratic decision-making bodies in the world, runs through Thursday, July 5 in Philadelphia.

For more information:
www.nea.org/esp

For a full listing of scheduled events at the NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly:
www.nea.org/annualmeeting

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators
and students preparing to become teachers.