On December 2, the House of Representatives is scheduled to consider the conference report to S. 1177, the “Every Student Succeeds Act.” The bill reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for the next four years and replaces the much maligned No Child Left Behind Act. Most importantly the legislation includes multiple sources of funding to support improved instruction in K-12 history, civics, geography and economics. The National Coalition for History (NCH) urgently needs you to contact your Member of the House of Representatives and urge him or her to support the conference report that includes key provisions that benefit history and civics education. Click here for a link that allows you to send an email directly to your Member of the House of Representatives and urge him or her to support the conference report that includes key provisions that benefit history and civics education.
The House is voting first on S. 1177, the “Every Student Succeeds Act.” While the Senate is likely to pass the bill, as you know in recent months the House has gone through a chaotic fight over its leadership. Even though the bill cleared the House-Senate conference committee by an overwhelming bi-partisan majority of 38-1, its passage by the House is by no means a foregone conclusion. Politics unrelated to the underlying merits of the bill may still derail it. So it is vital that all representatives, Republicans and Democrats, receive the message loud and clear from their constituents that the education of our nation’s K-12 students is too important to be held hostage to partisan politics and gridlock.
NCH limits our legislative “action alerts” to situations and issues that are vital to the interests of our constituents. We cannot overstress the importance of this effort! Congress has not reauthorized the ESEA in 15 years so this legislation is our only opportunity to get funding restored for K-12 history and civics education.
The bill is expected to go to the House floor on December 2. Time is of the essence so call or email today!
How to Contact Your Representative
Please call or email your House member’s office and urge them to support restoring federal funding for history and civics education. To contact your representative, you can use one of these two options. No matter which means of communication you choose, please personalize your message as to your background or interest in history. If you are employed in the field, especially as a K-12 teacher, mention the institution where you work in your congressional district.
- Make a phone call. All Members of Congress can be reached through the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202)224-3121. If you feel comfortable doing so, a personal phone call is preferable to an email. If you are not sure who your Representative is you can follow this link to the House’s website. Then enter your zip code which will provide a link to your Member’s website. https://www.house.gov/
- Send an email.NCH, working with our colleagues at the National Humanities Alliance, has prepared a one-step link to your House member (click here). You simply enter your address and the system identifies your representative. We’ve provided an email template that can be edited to personalize your message. The message not only goes to your Member’s email, but their Twitter account and Facebook page as well.
