Announcements

Sequestration Update

(As a reminder, sequestration is the drastic, across-the-board cuts to education that are scheduled to occur on January 2, 2013. These across-the-board cuts will occur-unless Congress acts to stop it-as stipulated in last August’s Budget Control Act. Congress put this measure of sequestration in place in case a 12-member Congressional committee was unable to approve a plan to reduce another $1.2 trillion from the federal deficit; this committee failed, triggering sequestration.

Sequestration would impose the largest education funding cuts ever, chopping funding for programs in the Department of Education by roughly $4 billion, or 8.4%, which would have a devastating impact on state and district budgets.)

This week, the House passed H.R.5652, the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012 in a near party-line 218-99 vote. The bill was supported by nearly all Republicans — only 16 opposed it, and no Democrats supported it.

As The Hill explains in a May 10 article, “The House voted Thursday to override steep cuts to the Pentagon’s budget mandated by last summer’s debt deal and replace them with spending reductions to food stamps and other mandatory social programs.

While doomed in the Senate and opposed by the White House, the legislation, which would reduce the deficit by $243 billion, is a Republican marker for post-election budget talks with the White House.”

NASSP is strongly opposed to this bill and feels that this legislation does not come anywhere near the balanced deficit reduction approach we must take to address our federal deficit. For more on this bill, see House votes to replace Pentagon cuts mandated by debt deal.

NASSP encourages you to tell your legislators that sequestration is unacceptable by signing this online petition at www.cef.org/action. Join with thousands of other education stakeholders and sign this petition!

AASA Sequestration Toolkit: The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) has posted Sequestration and the Schools: AASA Toolkit, which has some very useful materials to help you better understand the potential impact of sequestration.

Student Loan Interest Rate Update

(As a reminder, unless Congress acts to stop it, over 7 million college students will be affected on July 1 when the interest rate on new subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans for undergraduate students is set to double, from 3.4% to 6.8%. As noted in a White House statement, “Taking action to stop the doubling of these rates will save students $1,000, on average, over the life of their loans.”

Also, two weeks ago the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4628, the Interest Rate Reduction Act, by a vote of 215-195.

The White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy stating it would veto the House bill. The House bill is not very bipartisan-and the White House opposes it-because although it maintains the 3.4% interest rate (and prevents its scheduled doubling), it pays for this by cutting mandatory funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund (which helps prevent chronic diseases) in the Affordable Care Act.)

The issue now in Congress is to find a politically acceptable offset for the cost of maintaining student loans at their current rate. No major action occurred this week, but in the meantime Senate Democrats are keeping the pressure on for Republicans to negotiate a bipartisan offset.

Senate Democrats also posted some videos:

• Democratic Leaders Urge GOP To End Filibuster of Student Loan Fix
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKQlQWmIPNw&feature=player_embedded

• Senate Dems, Joined By Students, Call For Passage Of Student Loan Bill
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiQHBqJbfk4&feature=player_embedded

Two weeks ago NASSP signed onto a letter to Congress organized by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG) to urge legislators to prevent the scheduled doubling of student loan interest rates set to occur on July 1 if Congress doesn’t act, and we encourage NASSP members to contact their legislators to deliver the same message.

News

New Guide Released for Developing Principal Evaluations

From an Education Week article on May 7: “The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality has released a “practical guide” designed to help states and districts create meaningful principal evaluation systems.

The guide is based on research into the current state of school leader evaluations as well as lessons learned from evaluation designers. It takes its readers through eight steps, from creating goals for an evaluation system, to selecting the measures that will be used, to evaluating the system after it has been put in place.

Matthew Clifford, a senior research scientist at the American Institutes for Research and one of the authors of the guide, said that principal evaluation systems are often built on the same framework as systems that measure the effectiveness of teachers. “Often, we are lumping educators together, when in actuality, the jobs are quite different,” Clifford said. In addition to his work on the guide, Clifford is the main author of a brief on principal evaluations called “The Ripple Effect,” which synthesizes the current state of research into principal effectiveness.

Clifford said that the guide can be thought of as a toolbox for the facilitators guiding the creation of an evaluation system. “The Ripple Effect” report goes in depth on the underlying reasons why those tools are meaningful.” Read the rest of the article, along with a link to the guide, here.

NASSP and NAESP have also formed a committee on principal evaluation, and the report and recommendations from this committee will be released in the coming months. Stay tuned for more information!

First Public Draft of Voluntary “Next-generation” Science Standards Released

The work of 26 states as “lead state partners” along with various educators and experts have developed a draft of voluntary, “next-generation” science standards released today with the hope that all states will adopt these voluntary standards.

As reported by Education Week on May 11, “Organizers say the standards emphasize not simply providing a foundation of essential knowledge, but also ensuring that students apply that learning through scientific inquiry and the engineering-design process to deepen their understanding.

Twenty-six states, from California to Maine and from South Dakota to Georgia, are “lead state partners” in the effort and have worked on the draft in collaboration with a range of educators and experts.

Other top priorities in the document are promoting depth over breadth in science education, ensuring greater coherence in learning across grade levels, and helping students understand the cross-cutting nature of crucial concepts, such as energy and matter, that span scientific disciplines.

The hope, organizers say, is that most, if not all, states ultimately adopt the standards.

But such action is by no means a given. One complication may be the handling of evolution and climate change, issues that have been political flashpoints over the years and could make approval challenging in certain states. Read the rest of the article here.

Advocacy Groups Urge Departments of Education and Health to Improve Students’ Well-Being

Two health advocacy groups, The Healthy Schools Campaign and Trust for America’s Health are lobbying the departments of Education and Health and Human Services to make recommended changes to improve students’ well-being that research shows is directly tied to academic achievement.

Among their recommendations are the following:

“• The Education Department should expand the work of the office of safe and healthy students and appoint a deputy assistant secretary to the office so it is better equipped to handle emergency situations, such as an outbreak of the H1N1 flu, and provide guidance to states, school districts, and universities.

• The department should appoint a school nurse consultant who can share information with state school nurse consultants and promote school health services and school nursing.

• The department should identify best practices for training teachers about standards related to health and separate standards for integrating health into data tracking and school accountability. Health and wellness also should become part of the criteria for competitive-grant programs for teacher and principal training, parent-engagement strategies, and state longitudinal data systems.”

Read more about these groups and their work, along with their complete list of recommendations here.

Research

Major Accountability Themes of Second-Round State Applications for NCLB Waivers

The Center on Education Policy released Major Accountability Themes of Second-Round State Applications for NCLB Waivers, which analyzes the NCLB waiver applications submitted by 26 states and Washington, D.C. to the U.S. Department of Education in February 2012. Among the findings in the report is that, like the first round of applications, these states are proposing new accountability systems that will lead to greater complexity both within states and between states, but at the same time will be more integrated with states’ own existing accountability systems. Nearly all the state applications propose annual achievement targets and performance levels that are more nuanced than what is currently in place under NCLB. On the other hand, 19 of the 27 applications analyzed will use a combined subgroup for accountability decisions, rather than all of the student subgroups mandated under NCLB. None of the states analyzed will continue to require school choice and SES in schools identified for improvement.

Go here for the report: http://www.cep-dc.org/displayDocument.cfm?DocumentID=404

State Grant Aid Report

This week at the Brookings Institution, the Brown Center on Education Policy is releasing the report “Beyond Need and Merit: Strengthening State Grant Programs.” In this report, the Brookings Institution State Grant Aid Study Group, chaired by student aid expert Sandy Baum, examines the variety of state grant programs currently in place and makes policy recommendations based on the best available research.

Resources

U.S. Department of Education Seeks Input on “RESPECT” Project to Transform the Teaching Profession

From a Department of Education press release: “A vision document for reforming the teaching profession created by active classroom teachers working temporarily for the U.S. Department of Education has been posted for public comment on the Department’s website today as part of Teacher Appreciation Week. The 14-page document reflects input from more than 2,500 teachers across the country who participated in approximately 200 roundtable meetings over the past six months…

The RESPECT Project, which stands for Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence and Collaborative Teaching, is the Obama Administration’s effort to honor and elevate America’s educators.  The administration’s proposed 2013 budget seeks $5 billion for a new competitive program to support states and districts working to reform the teaching profession.

RESPECT explores transformative ideas for improving classroom instruction, making the most of the school day and year, strengthening the relationship between principal and teachers, and distributing talent to high-need schools and subjects. In addition, it discusses effective methods for recruitment, training, development, and creating career pathways that encourage talented teachers and leaders to maintain professions in education.

The vision document, titled “The RESPECT Project: Envisioning a Teaching Profession for the 21^st Century”, is available for public comment until June 19, 2012 at:

http://www.ed.gov/teaching/national-conversation/vision

White House “To Do” List

The White House this week issued a “to-Do List” for Congress related to jobs and the economy.  One piece of the new plan is focused on bringing jobs back to the United States.  Among the items mentioned in one of the fact sheets is “the important role that partnerships between universities and companies can play in accelerating education, innovation and U.S. manufacturing investment.” See: Administration Support For Insourcing and Increasing Investment in the United States which mentions several actions that the Administration has taken and/or proposed relating to education.

Announcements

Preventing the Doubling of Student Loan Interest Rates

As I noted last week, unless Congress acts to stop it, over 7 million college students will be affected on July 1 when the interest rate on new subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans for undergraduate students is set to double, from 3.4% to 6.8%. As noted in a White House statement, “Taking action to stop the doubling of these rates will save students $1,000, on average, over the life of their loans.”

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) predicted this week that Congress would call off the doubling of college loan rates that’s set to occur on July 1. “Democrats and Republicans have been working together to get this resolved and I believe that we will,” the Speaker said. Boehner indicated that he’s willing to work with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) when Congress returns from recess next week, to negotiate on an offset for the $6 billion cost of keeping the Stafford loan rate at 3.4 percent, as it has been for five years. “If the Senate wants to do a different pay-for, that will be up to them, but we will have this issue resolved,” he said.

The Senate will attempt to schedule a vote for a bill to address this, S. 2343 (Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012) on Tuesday, May 8.

On May 2, NASSP as part of a broad coalition of student, education, faith, business, labor, consumer protection and school administrator groups and associations sent a letter to Republican and Democratic leaders urging action to prevent the doubling of interest rates on student loans.

Further, a handful of NASSP state coordinators yesterday participated in a call with White House officials who gave more information about the President’s efforts to freeze the student loan interest rate.

See the Resources section for, well, more resources on this issue!

Four More School Improvement Grants (SIG) Announced: This week the U.S. Department of Education announced that New York, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wyoming have received their School Improvement Grant awards from the FY 2011 SIG appropriation. See: Four States Receive Funding to Turn Around Persistently Lowest Achieving Schools

Green Ribbon Schools

From a U.S. Department of Education e-newsletter: “On Earth Week Monday, Secretary Duncan, Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson announced the first U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS), including 78 schools that span 29 states and the District of Columbia.  ED-GRS is a recognition program that opened in September 2011.  Honored schools exercise a comprehensive approach to creating green environments through reducing environmental impact, promoting health and wellness, and ensuring a high-quality environmental and outdoor education to prepare students with 21st century skills and sustainability concepts needed in the growing global economy.  “Today, we are shining the spotlight on 78 terrific and innovative schools, but our real aim is more ambitious,” the Secretary stressed in a related blog post (http://www.ed.gov/blog/2012/04/presenting-the-first-green-ribbon-schools/).  “We don’t want pockets of excellence.  We want success to be the norm.”  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/awards.html.  (Note: These are one-year recognition awards.  Next year’s competition will open this summer.  State education agencies are requested to indicate their intent to submit nominees by June 15 to Green.Ribbon.Schools@ed.gov.)”

NASSP Board of Directors Take on Capitol Hill

This Thursday, the NASSP Board of Directors participated in a roundtable discussion with Congressional staff on the Senate and House education committees and visited their Congressional offices while in town for their spring Board meeting. This marks the 3^rd straight week that NASSP has had a group of its members on Capitol Hill to deliver their stories and impart their passion for their work. There’s no doubt that dozens of legislators now have a much better sense of the critical role of school leaders for student success as a result of this collective advocacy.

News

State Chiefs, School Boards, and Other Groups Urge Congress to Reauthorize ESEA

A number of state and local government groups including the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and others, sent a letter to the House and Senate leadership this Thursday urging that the ESEA reauthorization be completed this year. One portion of the letter notes: “We need certainty in federal policy at a time when we are struggling with reallocating scarce education resources to fund what works. We need federal policy that instead of focusing on process and compliance, allows for state and local innovation.”

NASSP certainly shares the same sentiment for the urgency of a reauthorization. While we appreciate the temporary relief that the waivers provide, we know this is not a solution and are also pressuring Congress to reauthorize the law.

Also see: Alphabet Soup of National, State, Local Groups Call for ESEA Reauthorization.

U.S. Department of Education Gives States Feedback on NCLB Waiver Applications

On April 17, the Department of Education sent letters to the 26 states plus D.C. that applied for the second round of NCLB waivers. Education Week staff reviewed 18 of those letters and found overlapping areas of concern that the Department highlighted for states to address:

“Education Week examined 18 of the 27 letters, and found some common areas of concern:

•Almost every state needed to do a better job of explaining how they’ll train teachers and principals to implement the new math and reading standards developed under the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

•Many of the states were asked to spell out how they would make the standards accessible for English-language learners and students in special education. And some states—including Vermont and South Dakota—didn’t do enough to make sure that graduation rates are a significant factor in accountability.

•States also had difficulty spelling out how they would cope with transitions—in some states to the new Common Core, and in others from their old accountability systems to their new ones.

•The department was also critical of the way many states crafted “annual measurable objectives” (goals for schools.) There was concern that many of the targets states set weren’t rigorous enough, or didn’t do enough to look out for the achievement of particular subgroups. Many states didn’t go far enough to explain how they would intervene in schools that are missing achievement targets because of subgroup students (such as English-language learners).

•States also got dinged for their plans concerning “Priority” (bottom 5 percent) and “Focus” schools (those that are in danger of slipping into the bottom). In some cases, states didn’t do a good job of spelling out exactly how they’d intervene in these schools. And in other cases, they didn’t set a high bar for how they would decide when a school should get out of “Priority” or “Focus” status.

•Almost every state was also called out for not doing enough to explain how they were consulting with stakeholders. In some cases—such as Idaho and South Dakota—states were asked to do more to reach out broadly to teachers, community members, and others. Other states were asked to connect with particular communities. Kansas, for instance, was told it needed to engage groups representing English-language learners, students with disabilities, and Indian tribes. Ohio got similar instructions.

The department also noted that some of the requests went beyond the scope of what states were told they could ask for under the NCLB waiver guidelines. For instance, Vermont wanted to add a fifth model it could use with schools getting money under the School Improvement Grants, and Ohio wanted to give English Language Learners an extra year before they have to take English language arts tests for accountability purposes. The department essentially said, we’ll get back to you on those separate issues.”

Read the rest of the article, including feedback on specific state applications, here.

Report Reveals High Turnover of New York City Charter School Principals

From a New York Times article published April 30: “By their own numbers, New York City charter schools have a tough time holding onto their principals, with nearly one in five of them heading for the door from one year to the next, according to a report released by a charter school advocacy group on Monday.

The New York City Charter School Center, a nonprofit group that supports charters, composed the report, which is a close-up look at the 136 charter schools that have sprung up across the five boroughs in the last 13 years. As the report notes, the schools still tend to be young — most have been open for four years or less. They enroll only about four percent of the city’s public school students.

But their numbers are growing — next fall, more than two dozen charter schools will open across the city — and by 2017, the charter school center expects them to account for 10 percent of public school enrollment.” Read the rest of the article here.

Research

CLASP Report: CLASP just issued a new report about the positive return on investment of investing in postsecondary education: The Credential Differential

Resources

IDEA and Sequestration: Listen to this podcast hosted by IDEA Money Watch about how sequestration would impact IDEA. They have a new Sequestration section online, which includes links to their FAQ, State Calculator and Podcast, plus links to Action alerts and other resources. For more information on sequestration, refer to previous Weekly Updates on this blog.

Student Loan Interest Rate Information from the U.S. Department of Education

• A White House fact sheet (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/04/23/educating-our-way-economy-built-last-stopping-student-loan-interest-rate) outlines the issue.
• The White House’s “Keep Student Interest Rates Low” web page (http://www.whitehouse.gov/dont-double-my-rates) has a map detailing how many students who go to school in each state would be affected by higher rates and how much they will save over the life of their loan if Congress acts to stop the rates increase.
• A Federal Student Aid (FSA) web page (http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/recentChangesSA.jsp) summarizes new requirements for federal student aid programs.  Most of these changes are effective with the 2012-13 school year (July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013).

Education Week Commentaries: The Federal Role in Education

“What lessons have been learned from the past half-century of federal involvement in education? What role, if any, is the federal government suited for in the formulation and implementation of education policy? The following essays, which have been adapted for Education Week from the recently published book Carrots, Sticks, and the Bully Pulpit (Harvard Education Press, 2011), seek to answer those questions, among others. Writers from the five-part Commentary series include Charles Barone, Larry Berger, Chester E. Finn Jr., Andrew Rudalevige, and Marshall S. Smith.” http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/commentary-adapted-essays/index.html

Events

On May 10, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, the Department will release the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science results for eighth-grade students.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/.

Announcements

House Passes Bill to Prevent Scheduled Doubling of Student Loan Interest Rate, Obama Threatens to Veto It

Unless Congress acts to stop it, over 7 million college students will be affected on July 1 when the interest rate on new subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans for undergraduate students is set to double, from 3.4% to 6.8%. As noted in a White House statement, “Taking action to stop the doubling of these rates will save students $1,000, on average, over the life of their loans.” Just today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4628, the Interest Rate Reduction Act, by a vote of 215-195.
The White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy stating it would veto the House bill. The House bill is not very bipartisan-and the White House opposes it-because although it maintains the 3.4% interest rate (and prevents its scheduled doubling), it pays for this by cutting mandatory funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund (which helps prevent chronic diseases) in the Affordable Care Act. On the Senate side, Sen. Alexander (R-TN) announced that he will introduce his own bill, the Student Interest Rate Reduction Act. It pays for the $6 billion cost of maintaining the 3.4% interest rate by cutting a piece of the Affordable Care Act, but not the same piece as was targeted in the House-passed bill. See: GOP Sen. Alexander proposes student loan interest rate legislation

NASSP this week signed onto a letter to Congress organized by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG) to urge legislators to prevent the scheduled doubling of student loan interest rates set to occur on July 1 if Congress doesn’t act, and we encourage NASSP members to contact their legislators to deliver the same message. For a musical rendition of this message to not allow student loan interest rates to double, see this video clip from the Jimmy Fallon show featuring our very own President, Barack Obama: Watch: President Obama “Slow Jams” the News.

See also: House takes swing at healthcare law, extends student loan rates. For another article with a political lens on the issue, read this New York Times article.

Race to the Top and Rural Schools

On Monday, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) led the efforts to develop a bipartisan letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan calling on him to make sure that rural districts are not disadvantaged in the 2012 Race to the Top competition scoring or selection process.  The letter requests “the Department of Education to provide ample technical assistance as may be needed to boost the ability of rural districts to compete for Race to the Top district-level grants” and asks Duncan “to allow two or more districts to apply together in consortia, as well as to allow educational service agencies (ESA’s) to apply as fiscal agents in conjunction with interested local districts.” If you are a school leader in a rural area, NASSP encourages you to weigh in on this issue with your legislators.

Breakthrough Schools Winners Take on Capitol Hill

This Thursday, the 2012 MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools winners visited their Congressional offices for their Capitol Hill Day. These exemplary principals visited a total of approximately 40 Congressional offices to deliver their invaluable stories and perspective as school leaders to build upon the great advocacy that our 2012 Virco/NASSP Assistant Principals of the Year conducted last week for their Capitol Hill Day. There’s no doubt that dozens of legislators now have a much better sense of the critical role of school leaders for student success as a result of this collective advocacy. Finally, four of the 2012 MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools winners participated in a Capitol Hill briefing on Thursday in which they each spoke of their use of the NASSP Breaking Ranks framework to bring about significant school improvement, as well as their use of other strategies and their leadership skills to change the trajectory of their schools. To review quotes by the panelists that NASSP tweeted during the briefing, look under the hashtag #AEENASSP on Twitter. To read about the winners of the Breakthrough Schools award from all years (2008-2012), go here.

News

Insights on NCLB Waivers

Accountability Moving Beyond Math, Reading Tests

From an Education Week article published online April 24, 2012: “As states seek waivers under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, one effect may be to chip away at the dominance reading and math have had when it comes to school accountability.

Many state waiver applications include plans to factor test scores in one or more additional subjects into their revised accountability systems. Seven of the 11 states that won waivers in the first round intend to do so, and about a dozen of those that applied in the second round have the same intent.

Science is the most popular choice, followed by writing and social studies.

Georgia, for instance, plans to include all three of those subjects in the elementary and middle grades in its new accountability system for schools, plus a set of high school end-of-course exams.

Kelly R. Price, the president of the Georgia Science Teachers Association, said she’s glad to see science added to the mix.

“We’re excited about it because we notice with [the NCLB law], the topics that got the priority of instruction during the day were those that were tested and those whose tests had high stakes,” said Ms. Price, a former science teacher and now a curriculum coordinator in the 37,000-student Forsyth County, Ga., district. “So we have seen a reduction in science instruction, especially at the K-5 level.”

Other states, such as Florida, Kentucky, and South Carolina, have for years factored achievement in subjects beyond reading and math into separate state accountability systems, but those results were not counted for No Child Left Behind purposes.

Through their waiver plans, officials in those three states say they offer an approach to end the problem of having two sets of competing demands by creating a unified system, and one that would consistently count the same subjects.”

Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/04/25/29testing_ep.h31.html

Waiver Plans May Induce Financial Squeeze on States

From an Education Week article published online April 24, 2012:

“States receiving waivers of strict mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act must now face the cost of winning that flexibility: a renewed focus on some of their lowest-performing schools and, in some cases, changes to the structure of the school day. They will do so with no assurance that a particular school will get extra financial help from the federal government to deliver.

So far, 11 states have received waivers of key provisions of the NCLB law, and another 26 applied for the flexibility at the end of February. More waivers are expected to be announced later this spring.

Some states’ foundering schools will continue to get federal School Improvement Grants, which come with big money attached—up to $2 million per school annually. But there’s no specific pot of federal funding for fixing other low-performing schools that states have promised to concentrate on as a condition for getting waivers.

That could create a kind of two-tiered system among low-performing schools, said Robert Balfanz, the director of the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore. He helped review the first round of waiver applications, approved in February.

“The waivers say, ‘Your whole bottom 5 percent have got to be fixed,’ and states have got to do it on their bottom line,” Mr. Balfanz said.

That means, he added, that “we’re going to have a natural experiment,” in which some low-performing schools will get a piece of the $533 million SIG fund, which requires schools to put in place one of four turnaround plans outlined by the U.S. Department of Education, while others will be subject to a somewhat more flexible list of interventions, without an extra dose of federal funding.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Senator Marco Rubio Advocates for the DREAM Act

From a New York Times article published online April 26, 2012: “When Senator Marco Rubio first floated his compromise version of the Dream Act — the bill, now stalled, that would grant some students in the United States illegally a path to citizenship — the chances of reviving the politically charged issue in Congress seemed as dim as the chances of snuffing out attack ads on the campaign trail.

On Thursday, Speaker John A. Boehner said as much, calling it “difficult at best” to take up the issue in the House, where Republicans are pushing for greater border security, not more forgiving laws. But Mr. Boehner did not close the door, saying “there is always hope” and adding that Mr. Rubio had spoken to him about his proposal.

“I found it of interest,” Mr. Boehner said. “But the problem with this issue is that we are operating in a very hostile political environment.”

Recognizing that his proposal was never going to be an easy sell for either Republicans or Democrats, Mr. Rubio said in an interview this week that he was moving forward with his plan to give students a chance to study and work here legally, albeit temporarily. The senator said he and his staff had been speaking with Democrats, conservative Republicans in and out of Congress, immigration advocates and the students themselves.

The plan seeks to assuage concerns on all sides, Mr. Rubio added; it cannot serve as a lure to illegal immigrants but must offer eligible students genuine relief.

“I don’t want to be unrealistically optimistic about it,” he said, but added, “I have not been discouraged by anybody in my party.”

The compromise would grant students who are the children of illegal immigrants a new kind of nonimmigrant visa that would let them live in this country legally for a period of time. They could work, drive and pay taxes. He would also grant nonimmigrant visas to the graduates of colleges and trade schools, enabling them to stay here and work.

The proposal would not grant them green cards, giving them permanent residency, which sets it apart from the original Dream Act. With their nonimmigrant visas, they could seek green cards in the traditional way, either through marriage, family or an employer. But they could remain in this country legally during that process.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Research

Policy brief: It’s a Matter of Time: Low-Income Students and Community Colleges

Link to Report: http://www.aacc.nche.edu/briefs

Summary (as provided by the Committee for Education Funding’s Research & Analysis

Committee):

Time is a core unit of human capital. With only 24 hours in a day, the way people choose to spend their time is an indication of what they value and the constraints under which they operate. In the higher education context, time-to-degree is a key element of higher education analysis, particularly at a time of constrained resources and a growing emphasis on completion. It is generally thought, and is often true, that a shorter time-to-degree implies a more efficient or “better” higher education experience. However, this is not always the case, especially when we factor the needs and patterns of nontraditional students (who are now the norm in American higher education) into the equation.

In this brief, the author examines considerations of time as they relate to investments by students and institutions and concludes with perspectives of efficiency, as expressed by the role time has and should play in policymaking.

Resources

AEI Series of Papers on Joint Recommendations on Needed Changes to Title I: http://www.aei.org/papers/education/k-12/accountability/reauthorization-of-the-elementary-and-secondary-education-act-offers-a-new-chance-to-improve-education/

Guide: Updates on the Designs and Progress of All Five Common Core State

Standards Assessment Consortia

Author/Organization: Center for K–12 Assessment & Performance (ETS)

Release Date: April 2012

Link to Guide:

http://www.k12center.org/rsc/pdf/Coming_Together_April_2012_Final.PDF

Summary (as provided by the Committee for Education Funding’s Research & Analysis

committee):

The new assessments being developed will have major impacts on how students are tested and how the work of educators is evaluated. Four of the Consortia are more than a third of the way through their four-year development period — and the pace is quickening.

The K-12 Center provides this guide (PDF), with consortia-approved summaries of their designs and progress, so that you can stay abreast of this important work. Please feel free to reprint this guide, share it with others, and/or post a copy on your website.

Events

National Rural Education Technology Summit 2.0

Host: U.S. Department of Education

Date: Monday, April 30, 2012

Time: 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. EST

Summary:
To join the summit, visit www.ruraleducationtechsummit.org and register today. After registering, you will be able to view the program, which will include live STEM sessions ideal for classroom participation, afternoon professional development opportunities, and messages from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Smithsonian Institution Secretary G. Wayne Clough, and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski

You will also learn more about college and career-ready standards implementation, and utilizing the Department of Education’s online communities of practice.

NCLB Waivers: Highlights, Concerns, and Trends
A Joint Webinar by The Education Trust and the National Center for Learning Disabilities

Friday, May 11th, 10:00am to 11:30am EST

Join Ed Trust and NCLD for an overview of the NCLB waiver requirements, an in-depth analysis of the content of first 11 approved applications, and a discussion of the implications the waivers will have for millions of students across the country. Presenters include Sarah Almy, Ed Trust’s director of teacher quality, Daria Hall, Ed Trust’s director of K-12 policy development, and Laura Kaloi, NCLD’s public policy director. They will outline state activity in the areas of accountability, teacher evaluation, and the implementation of the college and career ready standards, with a particular focus on the possible repercussions for students of color, students with disabilities, and low-income students.

To register, click here.

Announcements

State Assistant Principals of the Year Take on Capitol Hill, Participate in ED Roundtable

The 2012 NASSP/Virco State Assistant Principals of the Year as part of their activities this week spent an entire day on Capitol Hill meeting with their Congressional offices to have a significant collective impact on the federal conversation around secondary schools and school leadership. Besides effectively advocating for the issues that they are most passionate about, some assistant principals mentioned that they had already convinced their legislators to visit their schools to see their work in action and gain an even greater perspective on this incredibly difficult but rewarding job. Then, this morning, the state assistant principals of the year engaged in a conversation with senior ED officials on the Department’s RESPECT proposal to give their unique input and feedback into this initiative to transform the teaching profession. NASSP staff is incredibly proud of the invaluable voice these exemplary assistant principals brought this week to Capitol Hill, and is excited to support these and other school leaders to continue their advocacy efforts throughout the year.

Congress Recognizes National Assistant Principals Week

On Thursday, newest member of the House Education and Workforce Committee Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) introduced a Congressional resolution (H.Res.626) officially recognizing the week of April 16-20, 2012 as National Assistant Principals Week! Don’t forget to check out our web page at www.nassp.org/apweek for last-minute ideas to celebrate and honor your assistant principals of the year! And if you’re on Twitter, please tweet about your amazing AP’s using the hashtag #apweek!

Romney Speaks on Education

According to various press reports today about comments made by Gov. Romney on Sunday, “Romney was reportedly pointed on his desire to change the Department of Education. “I will either consolidate with another agency, or perhaps make it a heck of a lot smaller. I’m not going to get rid of it entirely,” he said, citing the political risks inherent to advocating an end to the department as a whole”.  Read more here: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-romney-mentions-possible-policy-details-in-florida-fundraiser-20120416,0,5072547.story?track=rss

Promise Neighborhood Applications Available

From a U.S. Department of Education newsletter: “Today, the Department released the 2012 application for the Promise Neighborhoods program, which will provide $60 million to continue support for existing implementation grantees and award a new group of planning and implementation grants.  Non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, and Indian tribes are invited to apply for funds to develop or execute plans that will improve educational and developmental outcomes for students within distressed neighborhoods.  Applications are due July 27, with winners selected and awards made in December 2012.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www2.ed.gov/programs/promiseneighborhoods/.  (Note: The Office of Innovation and Improvement [OII] will conduct several webinars for potential applicants.  Participants will be required to register in advance.  Additional information will be posted in the coming days.)”

ED Announces School Improvement Challenge

From a U.S. Department of Education newsletter: “Together to Tomorrow, a joint initiative of the Department, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and the Corporation for National and Community Service to spur community engagement in turning around the nation’s lowest-performing schools, launched its School Improvement Challenge for the 2012-13 school year.  The Challenge is an opportunity for schools and districts, higher education institutions, and non-profit organizations to join with other partners in efforts to improve their neediest schools by raising key measurable student outcomes: attendance, behavior, course performance, and college access.  Plans may be submitted to catalyze new partnerships as well as spotlight and expand exemplary initiatives already working to raise student achievement and strengthen a community culture of educational success.  Plans may encompass a single local community or a regional, state, or national endeavor with multiple sites.  The Challenge is not a new grant program but, rather, an approach to better coordinate resources and initiatives.  All schools and communities that meet the criteria will garner national recognition and become part of a learning network.  Selected applicants will also be invited to attend a special event in Washington, D.C.  Plans must be submitted by June 29.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://tft.challenge.gov/.”

News

Department of Education Releases Perkins Act/Career and Technical Education Blueprint

On Thursday, the Department of Education issued its blueprint for reauthorizing the Perkins Act. See: U.S. Department of Education Releases Blueprint to Transform Career and Technical Education.  According to the documents, the proposal “will transform the Perkins program in four key areas”:

Alignment: Ensuring that the skills taught in CTE programs reflect the actual needs of the labor market so that CTE students acquire the 21st century skills necessary for in-demand occupations within high-growth industry sectors.

Collaboration: Incentivizing secondary schools, institutions of higher education, employers, and industry partners to work together to ensure that all CTE programs offer students high-quality learning opportunities.

Accountability: Requiring CTE programs to show, through common definitions and related performance measures, that they are improving academic outcomes and enabling students to build technical and job skills.

Innovation: Promoting systemic reform of state-level policies to support effective CTE implementation and innovation at the local level

In addition, ED will be holding a Perkins Blueprint webinar. Please see the “Events” section below for this information.

Race to the Top Spending, Now in Year 2, Proves Slow

From an Education Week article dated April 17: “Almost two years into the federal Race to the Top program, states are spending their shares of the $4 billion prize at a snail’s pace—a reflection of the challenges the 12 winners face as they try to get ambitious education improvement plans off the ground.

Through the end of March, the 11 states and the District of Columbia had spent just 14 percent of their Race to the Top money, with New York, Rhode Island, and Hawaii spending the least as the midpoint of the four-year grants approaches, an Education Week analysis of federal spending reports shows.

And so far, the reports show, the bulk of the early money that states have spent outside their own education departments—which are still reeling from severe budget cuts prompted by the recession—has gone to consultants.

The U.S. Department of Education was concerned enough about slow spending that it highlighted the problem in its first annual report on the Race to the Top, which was released in January. Florida, for example, was criticized for yearlong delays in hiring contractors to execute its Race to the Top work.

But Ann Whalen, the Education Department’s director of policy and implementation, said Florida and other states are picking up momentum.

“Across all of the states, there are ongoing challenges with state procurement processes and with finding the right talent to fill positions,” Ms. Whalen said. “In terms of actually meeting deliverables and being on track with ultimate outcomes, we’re not worried.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Research

The College Board recently released Findings From A Survey Of Registered Voters In Nine Key Swing States.  This poll contains some great data on education issues including voters’ views on funding.

Resources

NGA Report: NGA recently released The Governors Speak: A Summary of the 2012 State of the State Addresses, that summarizes the initiatives and legislation the nation’s governors emphasized in their remarks.  The report found that job creation and education top governors’ priorities for 2012. “In 26 speeches, governors said that education is the basis of their jobs plan, and 19 governors emphasized college and career readiness as an education goal. Seventeen governors are proposing to either increase funding for education or to maintain funding despite low revenues. Governors also are focused on accountability measures for teachers, principals and districts; early childhood and ensuring children learn to read by third grade; and increasing local control and school choice.”

Events

Webinar on ED’s Perkins Blueprint

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 25, 2012, at 3:00 p.m., Eastern time, for an interactive Webinar to engage in a dialogue about the core principles of the Blueprint and the transformation of career and technical education.  Details are below:

Topic: Perkins Blueprint Webinar

Date: Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Time: 3:00 pm, Eastern time

To join the Webinar, take these steps on the 25th at the designated time:

1. Go to https://educate.webex.com/educate/j.php?ED=181520547&UID=1270000902&PW=NYjM0MjRiNTJm&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D

2. If requested, enter your name and email address.

3. If a password is required, enter the meeting password: OVAE

4. Click “Join”.

In addition, to hear the discussion, you will need to also dial in using your telephone:

Call-in Number:  1-800-857-9754  Pass code: 24009

National Rural Education Technology Summit

From the U.S. Department of Education: “Whether you’re on a farm, in a small town, or at home in your slippers, we’re inviting you to join us on Monday, April 30, from noon to 6 p.m. ET for the National Rural Education Technology Summit 2.0, as we use the power of technology to overcome distance, bring resources to rural schools, and engage administrators, teachers, and students in this free virtual conference.

To join the summit, visit www.ruraleducationtechsummit.org and register today. After registering, you will be able to view the program, which will include live STEM sessions ideal for classroom participation, afternoon professional development opportunities,and messages from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Smithsonian Institution Secretary G. Wayne Clough, and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski,

You will also learn more about college and career-ready standards implementation, and utilizing the Department of Education’s online communities of practice.

In between sessions, visit the virtual resource hall for information on a variety of federal programs, loans, and grant funding opportunities. Most of all plan to participate with presenters and each other, chatting at the Summit and live on Twitter using hashtag #ruraled. See you at the Summit!”

John White is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Rural Outreach, U.S. Department of Education

Webinar: Dropout Prevention in Rural Areas

The High School Graduation Initiative (HSGI) Team at the U.S. Department of Education is looking forward to our upcoming webinar, Utilizing the Village: Building Community Support for Dropout Prevention and Recovery Work in Rural Communities, which will be held on May 3^rd from 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET. This webinar will explore the unique nature of dropout prevention and recovery in rural communities and feature two community mobilization strategies that that have resulted in increased support for this critical work.

To learn more, or to register for this free event, please visit http://ruraldropoutprevention.weebly.com. Please contact Monica Melville at mmelville@mahernet.com if you need registration assistance.

Announcements

Congress is on recess this week so things have been pretty quiet on the legislative front but will pick up again next week.

FY 2013 Budget and Appropriations

At this point in the year, Congress is supposed to pass a budget resolution for the following fiscal year to set parameters for federal agencies’ budgets. Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) of the House Budget Committee successfully passed his budget resolution a few weeks ago, while the Senate has yet to mark up its version of a budget resolution.

In the coming weeks (and months) the House and Senate appropriations committees will then work on outlining appropriations levels for the 12 separate bills due for FY 2013 starting on October 1, 2012. However, due to many factors including the fact that this is an election year with many legislators vying for reelection, it is predicted that Congress will not settle the budget for FY 2013 until after the Presidential elections in November. What follows is an update on the fiscal year 2013 budget from a few fronts.

The budget on the House side: More on Chairman Ryan’s FY 2013 Budget Resolution

As I reported in previous Updates, House Budget Committee Paul Ryan (R-WI) successfully passed his FY 2013 Budget Resolution in the House on a nearly partisan line (almost all Republicans voting for, and all Democrats voting against.) NASSP strongly opposes this budget for the cuts it would make to education funding, and the White House opposes it too, which President Obama made very clear in a speech last week.

Also last week, the Office of the Vice President had a new blog post Investing in the Potential of the Next Generation that includes a link to the summary table showing the impact of the Ryan budget for education and Head Start cuts for every state. You can click on the link that says “cuts would be felt in states across the country” about 2/3 of the way down the page for a link to the summary state-by-state table.

The budget on the Senate side: Senate Budget Committee Markup: Yesterday, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Conrad yesterday said he plans to markup a FY 13 Budget Resolution next week. For more background, read this article.

Sequestration Information

As I mention in my blog post from last week, sequestration is the drastic, across-the-board cuts to education that are scheduled to occur on January 2, 2013. These across-the-board cuts will occur-unless Congress acts to stop it-as stipulated in last August’s Budget Control Act. Congress put this measure of sequestration in place in case a 12-member Congressional committee was unable to approve a plan to reduce another $1.2 trillion from the federal deficit; this committee failed, triggering sequestration.

Sequestration would impose the largest education funding cuts ever, chopping funding for programs in the Department of Education by over $4.1 billion. Translated to specific programs, Title I would be cut by $1.3 billion, impacting more than 1.7 million students; and IDEA special education services would be cut by over $1 billion, affecting 536,000 students with disabilities.

AASA Sequestration Toolkit: The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) has posted Sequestration and the Schools: AASA Toolkit, which has some very useful materials to help you better understand the potential impact of sequestration.

Also, read the article “What Would Big, Giant Proposed Cute Mean for Your K-12 Program” here for an additional resource about sequestration.

Get Ready for National Assistant Principals Week!

Join NASSP in celebrating our extremely hard-working, dedicated, and invaluable assistant principals during National Assistant Principals Week, April 16-20 2012!

There are many things you can do to honor and celebrate your assistant principals during this week (and to considering doing year-round!) to show your appreciation. Just visit NASSP’s web page (www.nassp.org/apweek) to find suggested activities for principals and for teachers, students, parents, and the community to do to honor their assistant principals. Here are two examples for students/teachers/parents/the community to do:

• Write letters to your federal legislators showing support of your assistant principal, using specific examples of things he/she has done to make the school successful. Your legislators need to better understand the role of the assistant principal in a school’s success, and your letters will help them understand.

• Hold a pep rally for your assistant principal. Students, parents, and teachers can perform songs, skits, and speeches to thank your assistant principal for the hard work he/she does every day.

Also, if you’re on Twitter, tweet about it! Just use the hashtag #apweek and tweet away!

Thanks in advance for honoring your invaluable assistant principals!

News

NSBA Center for Public Education Report on Principals

From a summary of the report compliments of the Center for Public Education: “Lean on Me. Principal Skinner from The Simpsons. Blackboard Jungle. Articles and books have been written and movies have been made about principals, with the image of a principal as everything from an ineffective, out-of-touch authoritarian to a hard-charging leader capable of single-handedly turning around a low-performing school. What impact do principals actually have on a school? Can they turn schools around? If so, what do they do to achieve such success?

The research has been growing. First, principals have an effect estimated to be second only to teachers (Seashore-Louis, et al. 2010), with their biggest impact found in elementary schools and in high-poverty, high-minority schools. In general, schools that have highly effective principals:

• Perform 5 to 10 percentage points higher than if they were led by an average principal (Branch, Hanushek and Rivkin 2012, Waters, Marzano and McNulty 2003)
• Have fewer student and teacher absences (Waters, Marzano and McNulty 2003)
• Have effective teachers stay longer (Beteille, Kalogrides and Loeb 2011, Branch, Hanushek and Rivkin 2012, Portin, et al. 2003)
• Typically replace ineffective teachers with more effective teachers (Beteille, Kalogrides and Loeb 2011, Branch, Hanushek and Rivkin 2012, Portin, et al. 2003)
• Have principals who are more likely to stay for at least three years (Branch, Hanushek and Rivkin 2012)
• Have principals who have at least three years of experience at that school (Branch, Hanushek and Rivkin 2012)

Read more highlights from the research and access the link to the report here: http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Staffingstudents/The-Principal-Perspective-at-a-glance

School Improvement Grant Program Receives Criticism from the GAO (Government Accountability Office)

From an Education Week article April 11, 2012: “The U.S. Department of Education needs to do a better job of making sure that the performance of contractors hired through the School Improvement Grant program is reviewed, and of making sure states have the information they need to make grant renewal decisions, according to a report released today by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigative arm.

The report, which was sent to Senate lawmakers overseeing K-12 spending, took a look at the track record of the much-maligned program that has led to some significant student gains in places, but faced major implementation issues.

In addition to contractor and compliance issues, the GAO found that states and districts are having a tough time finding and retaining good staff members for low-performing schools, as well as putting in place new teacher-evaluation systems and an extended the school day. (Those findings echo another set of reports on SIG, put out by the Center on Education Policy last month.)

In fact, 26 states told the GAO they didn’t think that they would be able to sustain the program’s extended learning time requirement after the school year ends, compared with 10 that said they’d probably be able to keep it going.

GAO recommended that the department do a better job of spelling out how states should make “evidence-based” decisions about whether to remove schools’ grants. The report points out that grant-renewal is supposed to depend on student achievement results in some states, but lots of states didn’t have that achievement data in hand until after the annual renewal dates for the grants, which go for three successive years.”

Read the rest of the article here. Go directly to the GAO report here.

Research

Latino College Completion: Excelencia in Education released an executive summary and research-based fact sheets detailing the current status of Latino college attainment in all 50 states and the country. “In the United States, 19% of Latino adults (25 to 64 years old) had earned an associate degree or higher, compared to 38% of all adults.”

1. • Click here to download Executive Summary
   • Click here to download press release
   • Click here to download National Fact Sheet

Resources

Leveraging Federal Funding for Longitudinal Data Systems: The Data Quality Campaign has issued Leveraging Federal Funding for Longitudinal Data Systems – A Roadmap for States that “identifies federal funding opportunities that states can maximize to support longitudinal data collection activities and improve student outcomes.”

Events

Senate HELP Hearing: On April 18th at 10 am in 430 Dirksen, the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee is holding a hearing entitled “Effective Strategies for Accelerated Learning“. Here is the list of witnesses:

Tom Rudin , Senior Vice President, The College Board,
Carolyn Bacon Dickson , Executive Director, O’Donnell Foundation, The Texas AP Incentive Program, Dallas, TX
Peter Winograd , Director, University of New Mexico Center for Policy Research, Albuquerque, NM
Marybeth Shubert , Executive Director, New Mexico Advanced Placement Initiative, Santa Fe, NM
Joel Vargas , Vice-President, Jobs for the Future, Boston, MA

The Documentary “Bully”

From an email from the National Education Association: “The documentary “Bully” opens nationwide this week. You’ve probably read the reviews on this powerful film. It’s one that all middle and high school students, parents, and educators need to see.  NEA is proud to partner with Bully’s filmmakers, as well as to share the tools and resources we have available through “NEA’s Bully Free: It Starts With Me” campaign. We’ve loaded these resources on to the www.nea.org/bullyfree web site.

Webinar: Dropout Prevention in Rural Areas

The High School Graduation Initiative (HSGI) Team at the U.S. Department of Education is looking forward to our upcoming webinar, Utilizing the Village: Building Community Support for Dropout Prevention and Recovery Work in Rural Communities, which will be held on May 3^rd from 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET. This webinar will explore the unique nature of dropout prevention and recovery in rural communities and feature two community mobilization strategies that that have resulted in increased support for this critical work.

To learn more, or to register for this free event, please visit http://ruraldropoutprevention.weebly.com. Please contact Monica Melville at mmelville@mahernet.com if you need registration assistance.

Announcements

Austere FY 2013 House Budget Resolution Passes on Near Party-Line Vote

Yesterday, Chairman Ryan (R-WI) of the House Budget Committee succeeded in gaining passage through the House of his FY 2013 budget resolution. The vote was nearly strictly partisan, with all Democrats voting against and all but 10 Republicans voting for it. Looking at its effect on education funding, Ryan’s budget would cut funding for non-defense discretionary spending (which includes education) by over 5% for FY 2013, but that cut would jump to a 19% cut for FY 2014, which would be devastating for schools. As you would imagine, NASSP strongly opposes this budget and continues to work with our coalition partner Committee for Education Funding to voice our opposition to the drastic cuts to education this budget makes at a time when we need to be investing in education.

The White House also opposes this budget and wrote an analysis detailing its concerns, including this excerpt: “The House budget once again fails the test of balance, fairness, and shared responsibility. It would shower the wealthiest few Americans with an average tax cut of at least $150,000, while preserving taxpayer giveaways to oil companies and breaks for Wall Street hedge fund managers. What’s worse is that all of these tax breaks would be paid for by undermining Medicare and the very things we need to grow our economy and the middle class – things like education, basic research, and new sources of energy. And instead of strengthening Medicare, the House budget would end Medicare as we know it, turning the guarantee of retirement security into a voucher that will shift higher and higher costs to seniors over time”

The Democratic alternative budget proposed by House Budget Committee Ranking Member Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) failed, as did other proposals put forth by the Congressional Black Caucus and others. NASSP will continue to keep you updated on all budget and appropriations news as it unfolds.

9 States Receive 2011 School Improvement Grant Funds

From a U.S. Department of Education press release: “U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that nine states will receive funding to turn around their persistently lowest achieving schools through the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program.

The award provides new funding as part of $535 million included in the fiscal year 2011 budget and made available to states under the program. In fiscal year 2009, states received a total of $3.5 billion for the SIG program.

To learn more about the School Improvement Grants program, visit http://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/index.html or the Department’s Office of School Turnaround Web site at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/ost/index.html.

Find out more—see the press release for each state:”

• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Massachusetts
• Nebraska
• North Dakota
• Pennsylvania

On a related note, read Secretary Duncan’s speech at the recent Grad Nation summit event on how school turnarounds are succeeding: http://www.ed.gov/blog/2012/03/school-turnarounds-are-succeeding/

FY 2012 Investing in Innovation Grants Now Available

The U.S. Department of Education this week announced that 2012 funds are now available for Investing in Innovation (i3) Scale-up and Validation Grants. Applications for the Scale-up and Validation grants are due May 29. Pre-applications for i3 Development grants are due April 9. Peer reviewers will determine the highest rated applicants in all three categories. As stated in the Department’s press release, “Grants of up to $25 million, termed “Scale-up” grants, will be awarded to projects with strong evidence of improving student achievement, and up to $15 million in “Validation” grants will be available to those with moderate evidence.” The Department plans to announce highest rated applicants in the fall. Each potential grantee will then be required to secure a private sector match of 15% for Development grants, 10% for Validation grants, and 5% for Scale-up grants in order to receive an i3 award. Awards will be announced no later than December 31, 2012. Find out more here: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/2012-funds-now-available-third-round-investing-innovation-i3-scale-and-validatio

News

Secretary Duncan and Congress Clash Over Spending Priorities

At a hearing this past Wednesday of the House Education and Workforce committee, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan served as the lone witness to testify on the President’s FY 2013 spending priorities for education. Chairman John Kline (R-MN) in his opening statement wasted no time to express his grave disappointment that the President proposed no increase for IDEA state grants in order to move closer to the 40% federal share toward IDEA full funding that Congress has promised but never delivered on. Kline then commented that while the President doesn’t propose increase funding for IDEA, he can somehow find billions of dollars to put toward his competitive grants programs like Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, and Promise Neighborhoods. Duncan was left to defend the value of these programs and the excellent reforms the administration claims have occurred as a result of these grants. However, the overall message from most committee members to Duncan seemed to be that they wanted to see more funding first for the foundational formula grant programs like Title I and IDEA that go to all eligible students over more funding for competitive grant programs like Race to the Top. Read an Education Week article summarizing the hearing here, or watch the webcast and read Duncan’s testimony and the Chairman’s opening statement here.

NASSP Supports Senator Harkin’s College and Career Ready Classrooms Act

On March 28, 2012 NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti sent a letter to Sen. Harkin (D-IA) in support of the College and Career Ready Classrooms Act, which Sen. Harkin introduced as part of the Rebuild America Act. In an excerpt from an Education Week article, “Harkin, an Iowa Democrat and the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, is proposing a sweeping effort to “rebuild America’s middle class,” which contains several elements that most teachers and school districts will cheer. (Of course, given the political dynamics in Congress these days, no one should get his hopes up.)

First, his bill would provide $20 billion in formula grants to modernize, renovate, and repair early-learning facilities, K-12 schools, and community colleges.

Second, it would attempt to rebuild the ranks of public employees, which suffered when cash-strapped state and local governments had to lay off police, firefighters, and teachers in the wake of the Great Recession. His legislation would provide $60 billion total over three years to hire teachers. (That is more than the $48.6 billion State Fiscal Stablization Fund from the economic-stimulus package of 2009!)

Third, it would ensure the right to join a union, so that “all workers have a right to join together and stand up for fair wages and working conditions.”

And fourth, it would set aside $2 billion a year for five years, through 2017, for grants to states to improve professional development for teachers so they are better prepared to teach college- and career-ready standards. This comes at a time when most states have adopted common standards, but are moving to the more-difficult stage of implementing them at the classroom level.”

NASSP’s letter of support states, “The College and Career Ready Classrooms Act would authorize a competitive grant program to support local school districts in the successful implementation of college- and career-ready standards. In providing professional development opportunities for teachers and other school staff, we are pleased that the bill would require in-service activities for school administrators that support instructional leadership around the implementation of these standards. Local implementation strategies would also support the use of technology to personalize instruction and to enhance educators’ own professional learning and ensure coordination with pre-service teacher preparation programs.”

NASSP is pleased to see a proposed investment of resources and policies toward ensuring college and career readiness, and we will keep you updated on the bill with its progress and which members of Congress sign on as cosponsors. We have heard that Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) will introduce this bill on the House side. Read the rest of the Education Week article on Sen. Harkin’s bill here.

States Granted ESEA Waivers May Still Have to Provide SES if State Legislature Requires It

From an Education Week article March 30: “In awarding Florida a waiver under the No Child Left Behind Act, the U.S. Department of Education gave the state’s school districts freedom from having to set aside 20 percent of Title I funds for tutoring and choice in low-performing schools.

But what the feds gave, the state legislature took away.

Earlier this month, not long Florida received its waiver, the state legislature passed a law requiring schools to set aside 15 percent of their Title I funds in 2012-13 for tutoring. (No doubt the tutoring industry was ecstatic about this.)

And districts are not happy. They complained forcefully to federal officials at a meeting of the Council of the Great City Schools earlier this month that the state was backtracking on its promise in its waiver application.

Michael Yudin, the acting assistant secretary in the federal Education Department’s office of elementary and secondary education, seemed sympathetic and told the district officials gathered at the conference that he agreed, in theory, on the supplemental educational services, or SES, issue.

“We don’t think [mandating SES] is the best use of that money,” he said. “We need to figure out how to address the Florida situation. We’re not just going to sit and do nothing.” He indicated that perhaps the feds might require Florida to submit an official amendment to its waiver application, which would then have to be reviewed by the Education Department.

To take a step back, it’s important to note what Florida did—and did not—put in its application.The state did put a checkmark in the box saying it wanted a waiver from the penalties under NCLB that require schools that miss academic targets to set aside 20 percent of their Title I allocations SES and transportation for school choice. But it did not address SES whatsoever in its application, so it made no promises about what it would or would not do with this new flexibility.

Though federal officials may not like SES, ultimately, they say, the decision rests with states.” Read the rest of the article here.

Research

The CBAL Initiative: Innovations in K-12 Assessment

ETS has been conducting a long-term research and development initiative called Cognitively Based Assessment of, for, and as Learning (CBAL™). We are engaging in this complex initiative because we believe that existing approaches to K–12 accountability assessment could be markedly improved by incorporating:

• findings from learning-sciences research about what it means to be proficient in a domain (in addition to common core standards)
• tasks that model effective teaching and learning practice
• mechanisms for returning information about student performance in a rapid enough fashion to be of use to teachers and students
• testing on multiple occasions so that highly consequential decisions have a stronger evidential basis

About the CBAL Research Initiative

Read more about the CBAL system model. Learn more about the research-based proficiency models that we have developed in conjunction with CBAL projects in reading, writing and mathematics.

Goals and Characteristics of the CBAL Initiative

In the CBAL Initiative, ETS’s central goal is to create a future comprehensive system of assessment that:

• documents what students have achieved (“of learning”),
• helps identify how to plan and adjust instruction (“for learning”), and
• is considered by students and teachers to be a worthwhile educational experience in and of itself (“as learning”).

Learn more about it here:

http://www.ets.org/research/topics/cbal/initiative

Events

Alliance for Excellent Education Webinars in the Next Two Weeks

  WEBINAR April 3: New York Small High Schools Initiative

April 3, 2012
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

What are the lessons learned from the New York City small high schools of choice initiative that can help districts and states create sustainable strategies to markedly improve the graduation rates and trajectories of large numbers of traditionally underserved students? On Tuesday, April 3, 2012, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. (ET), the Alliance for Excellent Education and MDRC will cohost a webinar to discuss the findings of the MDRC report and facilitate a conversation among education leaders about the design and implementation of an effective large-scale high school reform. The webinar will also include a question and answer period to address questions submitted by viewers across the nation.  Register and submit questions for the webinar.

  WEBINAR April 9: Dropping Out: Why Students Drop Out of High School and What Can Be Done About It

April 9, 2012
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Please join the Alliance for Excellent Education for a webinar on Monday, April 9, from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (ET). The webinar will feature Dr. Russell W. Rumberger, who has conducted research on school dropouts for the past twenty-five years and is the author of Dropping Out: Why Students Drop Out of High School and What Can Be Done About It. The webinar will also feature Alliance Vice President of Federal Advocacy Phillip Lovell who will talk about actions that the federal government can take to help quell the high school dropout crisis. Alliance President Bob Wise will moderate the panel and help address questions submitted by webinar viewers from across the country.  Register and submit questions for the webinar.

  WEBINAR April 12: The Principal’s Role in Implementing Common Core State Standards at the Secondary School Level, Featuring NASSP Board Member Tracey Lambe and NASSP Associate Director of High School Service Mel Riddile

April 12, 2012
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

What kinds of preparation must principals undertake to ensure that their students will be prepared to master new college- and career-ready standards and to demonstrate that mastery on the new assessments they will take in School Year 2014–15? Join the Alliance for Excellent Education and NASSP on Thursday, April 12, 2012, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (ET), for a webinar discussion of this important question.  Register and submit questions for the webinar.

Announcements

House Budget Committee Chairman Introduces and Marks Up FY 2013 Budget Resolution

NASSP Coalition Partner Committee for Education Funding “Strongly Opposes” this Budget

Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) of the House Budget Committee introduced his FY 2013 budget resolution this past week in Congress, and in a phrase, it is bad for education. Quoting a letter sent to House Budget committee members in response to Chairman Ryan’s FY 2013 budget resolution, Executive Director Joel Packer of the Committee for Education Funding, a coalition partner of NASSP, writes: “Because the Budget appears to increase defense spending to $554 billion in FY 13, nondefense discretionary spending [which includes education] would be subject to a $27 billion (-5.4%) aggregate cut.

Education programs have already suffered significant harmful cuts to both K-12 and higher education.…Since FY 10, funding for over 50 education programs has been terminated, cutting over $1.2 billion.”

The mark-up of the budget occurred on Wednesday evening. Three education amendments were offered and voted on but all were defeated on party line votes. One of the amendments was from Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) to prevent FY 2013 cuts to federal education funding.

The Budget Resolution is expected to be on the House floor next week. Check back on our blog for updates.

The White House this week stated its opposition to Chairman Ryan’s budget as well with its analysis, The Ryan-Republican Budget: The Consequences of Imbalance. As stated in a White House blog post, “This week, the House Republicans released their 2013 budget. The budget would give tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires, while paying for it by ending Medicare as we know it and cutting the very investments we need to grow the economy and restore middle class security. We did the math and put a graphic together to help illustrate the importance of a balanced and fair budget.”

U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan Defends President Obama’s FY 2013 Education Budget in House Hearing

On Thursday March 22, Arne Duncan was the sole witness to testify at a hearing held by the House Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education on the President’s FY 2013 budget request. (For a summary of how the President seeks to fund education for FY 2013 along with NASSP’s reaction, go here). For excellent updates on the testimony, follow NASSP’s coalition partner Committee for Education Funding (CEF) on Twitter at @edfunding and find the tweets from March 22. As CEF Executive Director Joel Packer states, “Basically, Duncan was criticized by both parties for the emphasis on competitive grants and new programs over funding for existing programs like Title I, IDEA, Impact Aid, TRIO and GEAR UP.”

News

Poor Public Education is a Threat to National Security

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)–sponsored Independent Task Force report on U.S. Education Reform and National Security issued a report this week that said, “Educational failure puts the United States’ future economic prosperity, global position, and physical safety at risk.” “Human capital will determine power in the current century, and the failure to produce that capital will undermine America’s security,” the report states. “Large, undereducated swaths of the population damage the ability of the United States to physically defend itself, protect its secure information, conduct diplomacy, and grow its economy.” Secretary Duncan cited this report in his March 22 testimony to the House appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (see Announcements section above) as a means to argue for increased investment (e.g. funding) in education for FY 2013 that President Obama proposes in his FY 2013 budget request.

Findings on the Implementation of School Improvement Grants

The Center on Education Policy issued this week two reports on implementation of the School Improvement Grant program:

State Implementation and Perceptions of Title I School Improvement Grants under the Recovery Act: One Year Later

Opportunities and Obstacles: Implementing Stimulus-Funded School Improvement Grants in Maryland, Michigan, and Idaho

According to a summary of the reports, these are the key findings:

• Participants in both studies expressed optimism but also raised concerns about certain aspects of the ARRA SIG program.

• Participants in the case study report, as well as some state survey respondents, said their schools faced significant challenges in replacing teachers and principals, as required by some of the SIG school improvement models.

• Participants in both studies cited the importance of state assistance to district and schools that are implementing ARRA SIG reforms.

• Both studies provided evidence that low-performing schools across the country are using some similar approaches to school improvement, although with varying levels of intensity, and are somewhat optimistic about these approaches.

The Center on American Progress (CAP) also issued a SIG report: Competing for School Improvement Dollars

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Speaks out Against Publishing Teacher Value-Added Scores

From a March 23 Education Week article: “Publishing teachers’ ratings in the newspaper in the way The New York Times and other outlets have done recently is not a good use of performance data, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in an interview yesterday.

“Do you need to publish every single teacher’s rating in the paper? I don’t think you do,” he said. “There’s not much of an upside there, and there’s a tremendous downside for teachers. We’re at a time where morale is at a record low. … We need to be sort of strengthening teachers, and elevating and supporting them.”

So how does this square with Duncan’s famous endorsement, in 2010, of the Los Angeles Times‘ controversial project to publish a database of teacher “value added” ratings?

Duncan told me that while that project highlighted important data that at the time had been collected and unused by the district, its publication was “far from ideal.”

“What I was reacting to in L.A. was this mind-boggling situation where teachers were denied access to this data. The only way they could get it was through the newspaper,” he said. “There was clearly some level of dysfunction [in the district], that this was the only way they could get it.”

In Los Angeles, the city teachers’ union still hasn’t come around to using the data in a districtwide evaluation system, but such a system is now being piloted in some schools with teacher volunteers.

Duncan’s comments opposing the mass publication of this information echo others in the field—including philanthropist Bill Gates and Teach For America’s Wendy Kopp. While both are generally bullish on the use of such data as a component of teacher evaluations, they argue that its mass publication amounts to a shaming of teachers.” Read the rest of the article here.

Resources

NASSP Coalition Partner Committee for Education Funding Releases its Annual Budget Response to Obama’s FY 2013 Budget Request

From the committee website: CEF’s annual Education Budget Response is the most comprehensive source available on how vital federal education programs improve the lives of millions of Americans.

The Budget Response is a useful source for information on federal education programs, but there are resources even more valuable: the authors and contacts listed within, who invite you to find out more about the programs described here and the lives of the people these programs touch.

Initial Summary of Education Provisions in the President’s FY 2013 Budget, click here

• FY 2013 Response (1pg view PDF) and Powerpoint
• FY 2013 Response (2pg view PDF) and Powerpoint

Research

National High School Graduation Rate Increases

From a U.S. Department of Education e-mail blast on March 23: “According to a report released at the second annual “Building a Grad Nation” Summit, sponsored by America’s Promise Alliance, the nation continues to make progress at increasing graduation rates and decreasing the number of “dropout factories.”  The national high school graduation rate increased, from 72% in 2001 to 75.5% in 2009.  Twenty states made significant gains (+3 to +17 percentage points), with New York (+13) and Tennessee (+17.8) recording double-digit gains.  Yet, only one state, Wisconsin, had a graduation rate of 90%, and 10 states actually saw declines in their graduation rates during this period.  Meanwhile, the number of so-called dropout factories — high schools graduating 60% or fewer students on time — decreased, from 2,007 in 2002 to 1,550 in 2010, with the rate of decline accelerating since 2008.  Three states, Florida (-62), Georgia (-54), and Texas (-122), decreased the number of dropout factories by over 50.  Further, the South (-410) and suburbs (-171) recorded the largest declines in the number of dropout factories.  However, the Midwest (+33) and towns (+42) and rural areas (+33) recorded increases.”  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.americaspromise.org/our-work/grad-nation/building-a-grad-nation.aspx.

Events

Note: NASSP lists these events because many are free and offer a webcast for those who cannot attend in-person (which would be most of our members!)

Please join the Center for American Progress for a special presentation:

Race to the Top: What Have We Learned So Far?

March 26, 2012, 10:00am – 11:30am EST

Admission is free.

RSVP to attend this event

Welcoming Remarks:
Tom Perriello, President, Center for American Progress Action Fund

Featured Presenter:
Ulrich Boser, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

Featured Panelists:
Francine Lawrence, Executive Vice President, American Federation of Teachers
Lillian M. Lowery, Secretary of Education, Delaware
Joanne Weiss, Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Education

Moderator:
Cynthia G. Brown, Vice President for Education Policy, Center for American Progress

With $4.35 billion at stake the Obama administration’s Race to the Top competitive grant program may be its most significant education initiative. Race to the Top promised to help states and districts close achievement gaps and get more students to be college and career ready by supporting several key reform strategies. Eleven states and the District of Columbia won grants in 2010, and since then, there has been much debate about the impact of the initiative.

Please join the Center for American Progress for a conversation with Race to the Top experts who grapple with the challenges of implementation and its implications on a daily basis. We will launch the conversation with a new report by CAP Senior Fellow Ulrich Boser that examines the progress in states and provides a sense of early successes and failures. We will expand on the discussion with a panel of distinguished policy and state leaders.

March 29: National Journal LIVE Policy Summit

Budget Review: Leading Policy Priorities for Sustained Growth

Thursday, March 29
Newseum Knight Broadcast Studio
555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

RSVP AT: http://njbudgetreview.eventbrite.com

JOIN THE CONVERSATION, TWEET USING HASHTAG #NJPNBUDGET

With the release of the House Republican’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget resolution, budgetary issues are roaring back to the front burner. Join National Journal for a policy summit that takes a substantive look at each of the leading budget proposals. Where might budgetary compromise and confrontation exist in the competing plans? What does each plan say about the political parties’ respective vision for the country? How are issues like entitlement reform or changes in the federal tax code addressed?  And finally, given the long-standing political impasse on budgetary issues, is passing a comprehensive budget still possible, or is the age of continuing resolutions the “new normal” in polarized Washington?

Moderated by:

Kristin Roberts, Managing Editor, Budget and Economy, National Journal

Keynote One-on-One Interviews:

Featuring:

• Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Chairman, House Budget Committee

Followed by:

• Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ranking Member, House Budget Committee

Panel Discussion:

• Steve Bell, Senior Director of Economic Policy, Bipartisan Policy Center
• Laura Peterson, Senior Policy Analyst, Taxpayers for Common Sense
• Ethan Pollack, Senior Policy Analyst, Economic Policy Institute

Green Ribbon Schools Award

On April 23, following Earth Day, Secretary Duncan will announce winners of the Department’s inaugural Green Ribbon Schools recognition award competition.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/.