Policy Matters Blog
In This Section
NASP Outlines Vision for Effective Schools
NASP is pleased to release the third edition of Ready to Learn, Empowered to Teach. This policy brief, which was first published in 2008, outlines seven guiding principles we believe are necessary to ensure excellence in education by lowering barriers to learning and effective teaching. Specifically, Ready to Learn, Empowered to Teach calls for:
- Creating accountability systems that use a broad set of measures to inform specific actions that improve school quality and provide an understanding of how specific outcomes were achieved.
- Combining high epectations for all students with high-quality instruction across a well-rounded and culturally responsive curriculum for general and special education students
- Creating positive school climates that balance physical and psychological safety for all students
- Providing access to comprehensive school-based mental and behavioral health services and ensure adequate staffing levels of appropriately trained school-employed mental health professionals
- Increasing family and community engagement to support student success.
- Creating systems that support the recruitment and retention of properly trained and prepared professionals that reflect the diversity of the school community.
- Creating accountability systems that use a broad set of measures to inform specific actions that improve school quality and provide an understanding of how specific outcomes were achieved.
These principles reflect the reality that, in order to ensure that all students thrive, we must collectively address systemic and structural barriers to equity and schools must effectively address students' learning, behavioral, social-emotional, and mental health needs. Comprehensive learning and specialized instructional support services provided by school psychologists and other professionals enable teachers, administrators, and parents to better ensure that students are ready and able to learn.
NASP is committed to working with policymakers, educators, parents, and other stakeholders who share our vision of ensuring all children have the supports they need to thrive. As we update our Federal Public Policy Agenda (more on that in the coming weeks) and plan our advocacy strategy for working with the Administration, the next Congress, and our coalition partners the principles outlined in this document will be at the forefront of our work. We also hope that you will incorporate the principles of Ready to Learn into your state and local advocacy efforts. To truly achieve equity in education we need collective action at all levels of policymaking.