1/29/2010
Letter received from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan discussing President Obama's investment in education:
Dear Education Stakeholders:
By now, I expect you’ve heard the good news. In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) – “when” we reauthorize, not “if,” he emphasized – and, at a time when most government spending is frozen, the President proposed a significant increase in discretionary spending for education in his fiscal year 2011 budget.
The President’s budget continues and expands his commitment to provide a cradle-to-career education for all of America’s children. It provides a massive increase in student aid – $156 billion in fiscal year 2011, up from $98 billion in 2008. That’s enough to provide federal assistance to nearly 15 million students, or 3 out of 5 students currently enrolled in higher education. The budget also will make it easier for borrowers to repay their loans, lowering income-based repayments and cutting the length of their repayments.
In K-12 education, the President will propose a $4 billion increase, including the previously announced $1.35 billion request to make Race to the Top a permanent program. Of that increase, $1 billion would be made available through a budget amendment when Congress completes an ESEA reauthorization consistent with the President’s plan.
The budget also supports enactment of pending legislation that would provide $9.3 billion over 10 years for the Early Learning Challenge Fund, providing competitive grants to states that expand quality early learning experiences from birth through kindergarten entry.
Along with the increases, the budget will require us to work smarter and more efficiently. We expect to save billions by switching from the Federal Family Education Loan program to the Direct Loan program. In K-12 education, we will provide states and districts more flexibility by consolidating 38 programs into 11, and we will cut six programs that are ineffective or duplicative.
The budget will set the stage for ESEA reauthorization but there is still much more work ahead. With a bipartisan group of members of Congress, our goal is to develop an accountability system built on greater transparency, incentives and rewards, and a focus on turning around persistently underperforming schools.
We can’t wait to make these reforms. Right now, 25 percent of our students fail to graduate high school, and as many as 60 percent of college freshmen need remedial education. Millions of jobs are unfilled for lack of qualified applicants. The President and I know that we need to educate our way to a better economy. I am honored to be working with you to make it happen.
Sincerely,
/s/
Arne Duncan 12/16/2008
President-Elect Barack Obama continues to round out his Cabinet by naming Arne Duncan as his new Secretary of Education. To hear Duncan discusses some of his achievements since being named CEO of Chicago Public Schools in 2001, click on the image below to be taken to a video courtesy of Edutopia.
By way of introduction for those not familiar with Duncan and his work, we’ve provided links to some of the leading stories breaking the news:
The Chicago Tribune credits Duncan with maintaining a “positive story line” in the seven years he’s headed the city’s troubled schools. In the article, Duncan also receives strong praise from former Chicago School Chief Paul Vallas, “He has the brains, courage, creativity and temperament for the job, and he's very close to the president[-elect], which is an important thing, too.”
The New York Times is similarly respectful of Duncan’s history of “taking tough steps to improve schools while maintaining respectful relations with teachers and their unions.” The article suggests that Duncan also represents a sign of hope for those discouraged by long-standing and divisive educational debates.
The Washington Post provides the requisite recap of Duncan’s personal and professional background and also conveys a favorable impression from outgoing Secretary Margaret Spellings, who calls him a “really good school leader.” 10/10/2008
It's been a bit tricky finding decent sources of information that succinctly capture each of the Presidential candidate's positions on education. Now, thanks to the Public Education Network (PEN), it's a little easier. They've posted a special page titled Public Education and the American Presidency that outlines respective views on No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Teachers, Early Childhood Education, School Choice/Vouchers, Special Education, English Language Learners (ELL), High School issues including Dropout Prevention and Achievement Gap, Global Workforce, Technology, College Affordability, Parent Involvement, and Community Engagement.
You may also find interest in Jim Gerl's Special Education Law Blog which specifically addresses McCain and Obama's stance on special education. In this post Perl poses several questions to the candidates and invited readers to submit more. He eventually sent this list of ten questions directly to each campaign. In the spirit of Gerl’s contribution, we offer the following questions...
Three questions for McCain:
- The Republican Party Platform speaks of “Maintaining our Commitment to IDEA,” and specifically speaks to “pre-reading skills.” Does this mean you would repeal the current cuts to Reading First, the largest Federal commitment to reading instruction?
- You spoke recently in a town hall meeting to a mother of a child with autism that it is a “disgrace” that we don’t fully fund special education programs. Similarly, the Republican Platform promises to pay the full 40% of IDEA – related costs. Where would you find the money to make that happen?
- You’ve noted that you’ve been profoundly influenced by your wife, Cindy’s experience as a special education teacher. Can you speak of specific policy initiatives that you would support based on her influence?
Three questions for Obama:
- Your education plan lists early childhood education as one of your priorities. In what way would your plan address effective identification and remediation of children with disabilities?
- How would you address the secondary transition from high school to college for students with disabilities?
- In your Plan for Supporting Americans with Autism Spectrum Disorders you promise to “seek to increase federal ASD funding for research, treatment, screenings, public awareness, and support services to $1 billion annually” by the end of your first term in office. How will you pay for this increase?
The effort has generated a lot of discussion, including an upcoming discussion on the Eduwonk web site. Unfortunately, it hasn't brought any significant response from the candidates, aside from a "preliminary response" from Obama.
How can we bring more attention from the candidates? As Jim points out, the blogosphere is uniquely suited for this type of effort. Let us know what other questions you have, and be sure to follow the ongoing efforts at the Special Education Law Blog.
Finally, be sure to join our friends at edweek.org on October 21, 7-9pm for "Education and the Next President" a live debate taking place at Teachers College, Columbia University, between Linda Darling-Hammond, education adviser to Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama, and Lisa Graham Keegan, education adviser to Republican nominee John McCain. 8/15/2008
The Condition of Education 2008, a Congressionally mandated report published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), provides an in-depth and up-to-date look at the US education system.
In the Introduction to the report, NCES Commissioner Mark Schneider explains, “This report allows us to take a big-picture look at the condition of American education, ... What we see are improvements, such as higher math and reading scores for 4th- and 8th-graders, and increases in college enrollment. But persistent challenges remain in educating a growing and increasingly diverse population.”
A few highlights from the report...
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This year, public school enrollment is expected to approach about 50 million students. Total public school enrollment is projected to set new records each year from 2008 to 2017, at which time it is expected to reach 54.1 million.
- Between 1989–90 and 2004–05, total spending per student in public elementary and secondary schools rose 29 percent after adjusting for inflation, to $10,892.
- The dropout rates for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics have generally declined between 1972 and 2006. However, over this period, the dropout rates for Hispanics and Blacks remained higher than the White rates.
- Among public high school students in the class of 2005, about three-fourths graduated on time.
What about Special Education you might ask?
The Office of Special Education Programs of the US Department of Education compiles an Annual Report to Congress that takes a look at special education issues and trends.
A few highlights from the report...
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Between 1994-2003, the total number of children served under IDEA, Part C (services for children birth to their third birthday) grew 64.8 percent.
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In 2003, Part B served 680,142 children ages 3 through 5. This figure represents 5.8 percent of U.S. children ages 3-5.
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In 2003, special education and related services under IDEA, Part B were being provided to 6,046, 051 students ages 6 through 21. 9.1 percent of the U.S. general population ages 6 through 21.
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In 2002-2003, some 51.9 percent of the students ages 14 and older with disabilities graduated with a regular high school diploma, and 33.6 percent exited school by dropping out.
Taken together, this information can inform both policy and research.
8/14/2008
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings addressed principals at the annual National Leaders Conference hosted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).
Her address focuses on acknowledging the critical role of principals, the upcoming No Child Left Behind reauthorization, and other current policy initiatives and developments. She also takes questions from the audience of principals...
8/12/2008
The Response to Intervention (RtI) drumbeat can be heard across the nation. As state departments of education, local education authorities, teachers, families, and students prepare for a new school year, NICHCY wants to take a second and highlight a few RtI resources.
NICHY's Connections piece offers a basic definition of RtI and suggests resources that support people trying to use and/or better understand RtI. Embedded within the document are links to organizations and up-to-date information on RtI.
The US Department of Education weighs in on RtI.
The RtI Center and RtI Action Network also connect people with the latest research and support.
The Center on Instruction provides RtI information in the Special Education section of their site as well.
Interested in blogging about RtI? Try the blogs at the Council for Exceptional Children or the RtI Action Network.
This video from Colorado State Department of Education explains the systems and structures that are part of an effective RtI process. It also speaks to the ways in which RtI can be used to better assess and meet the needs of all students.
8/7/2008
Nearly 40 years old, the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes toward the Public Schools has become a major source of information for those who shape education policy. So as the presidential election approaches, let’s take a look at the 39th Annual Poll and it’s implications for public policy.
Co-authors Lowell C. Rose of PDK and Alex M. Gallup of Gallup demonstrate that, as public knowledge of No Child Left Behind grows, public disapproval of the law grows along with it. Part of the reason for this disapproval, they believe, is that citizens believe the law has focused on the wrong standard of school success, and has given too much importance to standardized testing. Thus when schools fail to meet NCLB standards, 49% blame the law for that failure, while only 43% blame the school itself!
The news isn’t all bad. The poll also shows that citizens demonstrate strong support for the public schools, and believe increased funding can address many of our biggest problems.
Read the entire report.
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