Download This year`s conference features joint sessions with the National

This year’s conference features joint sessions with the National Association of Elementary School
Principal’s annual summer legislative conference. Joint sessions are noted with a double asterisk (**).
TUESDAY JULY 12
1:00 PM–1:15 PM
Welcome
• Speakers: Pat Neudecker, President AASA, and Dan Domenech, Executive Director AASA
1:15 PM–2:15 PM
ESEA: Getting Accountability and Assessment Right
Speaker: Elaine Weiss, Economic Policy Institute
AASA’s proposal for ESEA reauthorization includes a decoupling of accountability and assessment, in their
current construct. In forming the proposal, AASA worked with the Broader Bolder Coalition, and this panel
is your opportunity to hear what the proposal is and give your feedback.
2:15 PM–3:15 PM
Facilitated Discussion: Education Policy in a Hostile Environment
Speakers: Lisa Woodard, School Superintendents of Alabama; Brad Biladeau, Michigan Association of
School Administrators; Kirk Miller, School Administrators of Montana
With some of the most partisan Congressional chambers and state legislatures in recent memory and the
2012 elections looming large on the horizon, federal and state education policy discussions are taking
place in a very different policy environment. Hear from a panel of education advocates from the state and
federal level on all things education, from funding and ESEA to vouchers and local control, and the politics
of education policy in today’s partisan environment.
3:15 PM–3:30 PM
Break
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Hot Topic: Vouchers
Speaker: Susan Nogan, NEA
Vouchers have emerged as a go-to issue in the 112th Congress, with a special dominance in the House.
The initial voucher proposal on both the House and Senate side was to reinstate and expand the D.C.
Opportunity Scholarship Program, a federally-funded voucher in D.C. This in-depth discussion highlights
the many shortcomings of the proposed legislation, beyond the multiple reports documenting its
academic shortcomings. How can Congress expand funding for a disproven program while cutting funds
for other programs that serve many more students? How can Congress support federal legislation over
the opposition of the local leaders?
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
The US Supreme Court and Education Policy
Speaker: Maree Sneed
If you want to stay current with the actions and pending actions of the U.S. Supreme Court, this session is
for you. Always a crowd favorite, Maree Sneed will review education-related U.S. Supreme Court
decisions and discuss the implications of major decisions for school administrators.
WEDNESDAY JULY 13
9:00 AM–10:15 AM
ESEA Panel
Speakers: Kara Marchione, House Education and the Workforce Committee, Minority Staff; Brad Thomas,
House Education and the Workforce Committee, Majority Staff; Michele McLaughlin, Senate HELP
Committee, Majority Staff
Going on its fourth year, the current efforts to reauthorize ESEA are still unfinished. Join staff from both
sides of the aisle and both chambers of Congress to see where the House and Senate proposals and
approaches are alike and where they differ, and hear the prospects of either reauthorization or regulatory
relief for the 2011–2012 school year.
10:15 AM–11:30 AM
Appropriations/Funding Panel
Speakers: Robyn Hiestand, Senate Budget Committee; Mark Laisch, Senate Appropriations Committee
Schools may have to pass a balanced budget every year, but that doesn’t mean the federal government
does. Listen to Hill staffers leading the discussion around federal funding and investment for education.
Ask questions about the current fiscal year (FY11) as well as prospects for FY12.
11:30 AM–1:00 PM
Lunch on Your Own
1:00 PM–2:30 PM **
Race to Nowhere Film Screening
(85 minutes)
2:30 PM–3:30 PM **
Facilitated Discussion: It Takes More Than a School
Speakers: Dan Cardinali, Communities in Schools; Dan Fuller, Communities in Schools; Shital Shah,
Coalition for Community Schools
Join leaders and advocates from the Communities in Schools and Community Schools groups as they talk
about their work around integrating and involving schools in communities and communities in schools.
Education in the 21st century takes more than just a school, and the important work of these two groups
supports efforts to move federal and state policies in this direction.
3:30 PM–5:00 PM **
Joint Hill Day Briefings
• 30 minutes AASA-led ESEA
• 20 minutes AASA-led funding
• 20 minutes AASA-led “other”
• 20 minutes NAESP-led
This program will include AASA and NAESP members.
THURSDAY JULY 14
7:45 AM–9:00 AM **
Plated Breakfast
AASA is happy to have three congressional members confirmed for this year’s breakfast:
Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN), Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), and Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY)
9:00 AM–4:00 PM **
Hill Day
Plan ahead to meet with your Congressional delegation in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the
U.S. Senate. Make sure they are aware of your district’s needs and understand your priorities.
4:30 PM–5:30 PM **
Hill Day Debriefing
AASA staff will lead a debrief from your day on the Hill. This program will include AASA and NAESP
members.