FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 25, 2010

U.S. HOUSE EDUCATION POLICY COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP BEGINS ESEA REAUTHORIZATION — Democratic and Republican leadership on the House Education and Labor Committee announced their bipartisan effort to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The Committee began with a February 24 hearing on charter schools, specifically the All Students Achieving through Reform Act on 2009 (HR 4330), sponsored by a former member of the Colorado State Board of Education and of NASBE, Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado. The Senate education policy committee leadership has not announced its plans at press time.

For further information and to watch the archived February 24 hearing webcast, please go to http://nasbe.org/index.php/government-affairs/930-congressional-hearings/767-upcoming-hearings. The Committee’s press release on ESEA reauthorization can be found at http://edlabor.house.gov/newsroom/2010/02/lawmakers-announce-plan-for-a.shtml.

HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE HELD HEARING ON PRESIDENT’S FY2011 PROPOSED EDUCATION BUDGET — Education Secretary Arne Duncan testified before the House Budget Committee on February 25 on the President’s nearly $51 billion FY2011 education budget proposal. The budget proposal provides $50.7 billion for the U.S. Department of Education, a $3.5 billion increase over FY2010 funding levels. The proposal consolidates 38 K-12 education programs into 11 and extends the Race to the Top Fund with an additional $1.35 billion. The budget proposal also begins to outline the Department’s objectives for ESEA reauthorization and provides a contingency plan with increased funding for eight select education programs in case Congress does not reauthorize ESEA in 2010.

The webcast of the House Budget Committee’s February 25 hearing can be found at http://nasbe.org/index.php/government-affairs/930-congressional-hearings/767-upcoming-hearings. More information on the President’s FY2011 proposed education budget can be found at http://nasbe.org/government-affairs/925-governmental-affairs-site/.

PRESIDENT OBAMA PROPOSES TYING TITLE I FUNDING TO COLLEGE- AND CAREER-READY STANDARDS — President Barack Obama proposed linking Title I awards to states with the adoption of college- and career-ready standards when he addressed the National Governors Association Winter Meeting on February 23. Under the President’s proposal, states would have the flexibility to develop and adopt such rigorous standards on their own with certification from their higher education institutions or adopt the common standards being developed by the Common Core Standards Initiative. The President’s proposed FY2011 education budget would rename Title I under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to College- and Career-Ready Students Program.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RELEASES STATE APPLICATION NARRATIVES FOR FIRST PHASE OF RACE TO THE TOP FUND – The Department released the application narratives of the 40 states and the District of Columbia that applied for Race to the Top phase I funding. The Department will announce the finalists in early-March. Finalists will need to travel to Washington, DC to provide oral presentations and answer further questions from the Department. The Department will announce winners in April. States not awarded phase I funds can apply for phase II funding. The phase II application deadline is June 1, 2010.

More information on states’ application narratives can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/phase1-applications/index.html.

STATES JOIN MULIPLE CONSORTIA TO DEVELOP COMMON ASSESSMENTS — States are joining multiple consortia to create assessment systems based on standards being developed by the Common Core Standards Initiative. The Department is expected to release its proposed rules for the $350 million Race to the Top Assessment competitive funding program this spring. The following six consortia have emerged:

Balanced Assessment Consortium (36 states); Achieve Consortium (27 states); Multiple Options for Student Assessment and Instruction Consortium (MOSAIC) (27 states); Summative Multi-State Assessment Resources for Teachers and Educational Researchers (SMARTER) (24 states); Florida Assessment Consortium (17 states); and National Center on Education and the Economy Consortium (seven states).   

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RELEASES REPORT ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS’ USE OF DATA SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT REFORM — The U.S. Department of Education issued a new report that focuses on how well districts use data. In Use of Education Data at the Local Level: From Accountability to Instructional Improvement, department researchers surveyed 529 local school districts, conducted site visits at 36 schools in 12 school districts considered leaders in data system usage, and analyzed data compiled from more than 6,000 teachers across the country. Among the report’s major findings: school districts are challenged to connect student data to instructional practices; data systems need to include formative assessments to influence teachers’ daily instruction; and teachers need appropriate professional development on data systems usage and assessment interpretation.

The Department’s report can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/ppss/reports.html#edtech.
 
FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA ANNOUNCES CHILD OBESITY INITIATIVE; PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ESTABLISHES FEDERAL TASK FORCE ON OBESITY; AGRICULTURE  SECRETARY TOM VILSACK URGES CONGRESS TO REAUTHORIZE THE CHILD NUTRITION ACT — First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched a national initiative to fight childhood obesity. Plans for the “Let’s Move” campaign involve various national, state, and local stakeholders. The initiative has four objectives: 1) give parents the support they need; 2) provide healthier food in schools; 3) help kids be more physically active, and 4) make healthy, affordable food available in every part of the country.

In conjunction with the First Lady’s efforts, President Obama signed an executive order to establish a Federal Task Force on Childhood Obesity that is charged with submitting a comprehensive plan to the President by May 2010.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack delivered a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on February 23 urging Congress to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act. The Secretary’s speech can be found at http://npc.press.org/video/player.cfm?type=lunch&id=19683.
 
NASBE’s Center for Safe and Healthy Schools continues to be actively involved in various child nutrition and physical activity issues and will continue to advise the First Lady, President Barack Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and congress on its objectives and recommendations for various child nutrition issues. NASBE’s guiding principles for Child Nutrition Act reauthorization can be found at http://nasbe.org/index.php/component/remository/Education-Issues/Federal-Education-Issues/Policy-Briefs/Congress-Reviewing-the-Child-Nutrition-Act/.

More information about the “Let’s Move” nationwide campaign and the federal task force can be found at http://www.letsmove.gov/.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SOLICITS PEER REVIEWERS FOR THE INVESTING IN INNOVATION (I3) FUND — The U.S. Department of Education is soliciting peer reviewers for its Investing in Innovation Fund competitive grant program, which is designed to encourage and reward local school districts, nonprofits, and consortia of schools that are developing fresh ideas, growing promising programs, and scaling what works in an effort to dramatically improve our nation’s schools. The Department seeks peer reviewers from diverse professional education backgrounds and expertise that meet certain criteria. The deadline for application is March 1. More at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/peerreviewers.html.

ADMINISTRATION SAYS STIMULUS PACKAGE SAVED OVER 300,000 EDUCATION JOBS — The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board released its second quarterly report on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) spending. The report indicates that grant recipients reported over 300,000 education jobs, including teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors being saved and/or hired by ARRA. According to the Department, it allocated $69 billion of the total $100 billion allocated to the Department by January 31, 2009 through various funding streams, including Title I, IDEA, and state education technology grants.
More information is at http://www2.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2010/02/02012010a.html.

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL BEGINS DEVELOPMENT OF FRAMEWORK FOR NATIONAL SCIENCE STANDARDS — The congressionally chartered National Research Council (NRC) convened a 16-member panel of experts last month to start development of a conceptual framework on fewer, clearer, and higher national standards for science education. The NRC’s objective is to move toward standards that represent core or essential disciplinary and cross-disciplinary ideas in the natural and applied sciences; that are relevant to the learner; can be learned (and conversely, can be taught); and build on learning progressions wherever possible. Further information about NRC’s efforts can be found at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/Standards_Framework_Homepage.html.

DEPARTMENTS OF TREASURY AND EDUCATION ESTABLISH NATIONAL FINANCIAL CAPABILITY CHALLENGE – Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have announced the National Financial Capability Challenge.  The intiative is an awards program for educators and high school students to encourage the teaching of personal finance and having access to financial educational resources in the schools.  The goal is to get one million high school students to take the Challenge, which includes a voluntary online exam, by April 9, 2010 and to reward educators across the country for their efforts.  The Challenge is seeking all educators that teach students from age 13-19 to participate in the initiative.  The deadline to sign up is March 14.
Further information and registration can be found at http://www.challenge.treas.gov/.