Educators, Trump Admin at Loggerheads Over Title II Funding
February 23, 2018
Denisa R. Superville writes in Education Week that, for the second year in a row, “several federal programs that pay for school-leader recruitment, training, and professional development are on the chopping block.” The Trump Administration says the programs are to be eliminated because they have “achieved their original purpose, duplicate other programs, are narrowly focused, or are unable to demonstrate effectiveness.” Unsurprisingly, school leadership groups disagree. The National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the American Federation of School Administrators, New Leaders, ASCD, and Learning Forward said in a joint statement that ESSA “thoroughly revamped Title II’s uses of funds and definition of professional development, and states developed plans that relied heavily on teacher and principal development within the new parameters. Those state plans recognize what the Trump Administration fails to accept or fund: That high-quality education for all students can be achieved only with high-quality development for teachers and principals.”