Yesterday, President Obama unveiled his FY 2011 Budget Request to Congress. While many domestic programs received budget cuts or freezes in the president's proposal, education received a substantial increase.

The president's announcement was, however, more than a simple budget request. Rather, it was a detailed framework for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

What does this framework say about teacher effectiveness? The president is beginning to adopt NSDC's language. The budget request outline a new program called "Excellent Instructional Teams." Sound familiar? Taking it to the next step, the new program description includes the following statement: "promote collaboration and the development of instructional teams that use data to improve practice." I count that as a significant victory.

Our victory for changing policymakers' vocabulary is only the first step. We need to change practice and will have to fight hard to ensure that the new program envisioned by the U.S. Department of Education provides the right incentives for states, districts, schools, and faculty to engage in effective professional learning every day.
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M. Ren? Islas is NSDC's policy advisor.