Monday, October 30, 2006

The ASCA Legislative Update - October 30, 2006

The ASCA Legislative Update

A weekly report of public policy issues in American Education from ASCA October 30, 2006

Executive Summary:

Budget and Appropriations Update

College Board Releases Annual Trends Reports on College Costs Education Sector Hosts Spirited Discussion of College Rankings In Brief In the News

 

1. Budget and Appropriations Update

As Election Day gets closer the tension in Washington grows and the ad campaigns around the country appear to get more outrageous. We all will be relieved on November 8 when the results are in and the decisions are made about who will be in charge of the 110th Congress. The ads will be off the air, the speculation game will be over, the lame duck session can begin and elected (or not) officials can get back to the job of governing. The first order of business will be completing work on the FY 2007 budget. That means working out the details of the omnibus bill funding the Department of Education and the majority of other federal agencies through November 17.

There has been little talk about how those issues ultimately will be resolved in recent weeks. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), a significant figure in this drama, was interviewed this week on the topic of earmarks in future bills funding the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. One billion dollars in earmarked funding is included in this year's education budget alone. Specter made it clear that those earmarks will go forward. Though the bill hasn't been passed or enacted, Members of Congress have proudly announced these awards at campaign sites throughout the Nation. But next year is another story. Specter ruminated out loud in an interview in Roll Call about the pros and cons of special project funds for specific programs in specific states and congressional districts. He seemed to be leaning toward their elimination.

Other Senators and Representatives, in response to Specter's comments, drew different conclusions. Clearly, Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) is yet to be convinced that a no-earmark strategy is a good idea. And in the House of Representatives, Members are still angry about the last minute decision in FY 2006 to strip the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (LHHS and ED) bill of all earmarks at the 11th hour, making a no-earmark strategy there hard to put into practice.

And what do education advocates think of the earmark game? If these funds

benefit the programs you care most about you are at the very least silent on the issue. Knowing, however, that in a climate where the overall available funding for education is frozen or shrinking, the $1 billion price tag makes one take pause. Ironic that the shortfall facing the LHHS and ED bill this year, because of the funds transferred to Defense in late September, is approximately $900 million. But as Specter indicated, the simple solution is off the table.

 

2. College Board Releases Annual Trends Reports on College Costs

This week, the College Board released its reports on college pricing and financial aid. The reports suggest that at four-year public colleges, increases in average tuition and fees slowed for the third year in a row, although prices are still up an astonishing 35 percent compared to those of five years ago, after adjusting for inflation. Rates for two-year public colleges in 2006-07 were just slightly above the inflation rate. At all institutions, the net price-the average price students pay after grants and tax benefits are considered-is significantly lower than the published price.

Total student aid increased by 3.7 percent to $134.8 billion in 2005-06, but total federal grant aid failed to keep pace with inflation. Even without factoring in inflation, the average Pell Grant per recipient fell by $120.

Evidence of these trends, along with average 2006-07 college prices and

2005-06 student aid data, is documented in the reports, Trends in College Pricing 2006 and Trends in Student Aid 2006.

Related to the release of these reports, as well as a 2006 supplement to Education Pays: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society, which documents the benefits of higher education and differences in participation and success across demographic groups, College Board President Gaston Capertson said, "The College Board continues to advocate for need-based aid, so that more students can have the opportunity to benefit from a college education. Though student aid makes it possible for many students from low- and middle-income families to afford college, we still face inequality in access to higher education across ethnic, racial, and economic lines."

These reports include additional information on the pricing of higher education, retention and completion rates, the need for and cost of remedial education, the benefits of postsecondary study, and information on the allocation of federal student aid programs, including tax incentives. For more information and copies of these reports, visit:

http://www.collegeboard.com/press/releases/150634.html.

 

3. Education Sector Hosts Spirited Discussion of College Rankings

On October 25, Education Sector hosted a forum titled, "America's Best Colleges?" The event generated a spirited discussion of the practice of "ranking" colleges and universities in the United States; the recent recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education; accountability in higher education; and the pieces of information important to consumers during the college selection process, among other topics.

Paul Glastris of The Washington Monthly led the panel discussion. Panelists included Kevin Carey of Education Sector; David Dunn, Chief of Staff to the U.S. Secretary of Education; Brian Kelly of US News & World Report; Patricia A. McGuire, President of Trinity University; Charles Miller, Chairman of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education; and David E, Shulenburger of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.

Education Sector has recently released a report, authored by Kevin Carey, which calls for changes in the rankings of colleges and universities. The report concedes, "The US News rankings have become the nation's de facto higher education accountability system." However, it also suggests that this system is "deeply flawed." The report further asserts that the higher education community-in its entirety-is resistant to transparency and would not support a recommendation to create a database which would include key elements of interest to education consumers. Ultimately the authors of the report conclude that "the only plausible path to a rankings-based accountability system that would be truly valuable to students and parents lies with federal action."

More information on this event and the report is available at www.educationsector.org.

 

4. In Brief

Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Advisory Committee Holds Panel

Briefing

On October 23, the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools hosted a meeting of

the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Advisory Committee. The

meeting consisted of three panels that discussed the implementation and

effectiveness of the Unsafe School Choice option. The Unsafe School Choice

option allows "students who are attending a persistently dangerous public

elementary school or secondary school or who becomes a victim of a violent

criminal offense while in or on school grounds, be allowed to attend a safe

public elementary school or secondary school within the local educational

agency, including a public charter school." Similar meetings of the Advisory

Committee will take place in January and March of 2007. The Committee has

also scheduled five conference calls to provide opportunities for Committee

discussion and analysis. The process will culminate in a final report,

scheduled to be presented to the Secretary on June 12, 2007. For more

information on the work of this group, contact Catherine Davis, Executive

Director, Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Advisory Committee,

(202) 205-4169, or OSDFSC@ed.gov.

Secretary Spellings Visits Ohio: Announces $5.5 Million Grant and Visits

Cincinnati Zoo Academy

The Ohio Department of Education received the first Teacher Incentive Fund

grant of $5.5 million to provide financial incentives to teachers and

principals. The Teacher Incentive Fund is a "federal initiative designed to

reward effective teachers by establishing merit pay in states." The grant

will span five years and total over $20 million. At the grant award event in

Columbus, Ohio, Secretary Spellings stated that, "nothing helps a child

learn as much as a great teacher-and research shows that rewarding teachers

for results can improve student performance." The Education Department will

be awarding a total of $42 million over the next few weeks. They will reward

the remaining $43.7 million in the spring. While in Ohio, Spellings also

visited the Cincinnati Zoo Academy to discuss and meet with teachers and

students about No Child Left Behind and the need for college preparatory

coursework, including rigorous math and science courses, to prepare students

for the 21st century economy. The Cincinnati Zoo Academy is an accredited

Cincinnati public school located at the Cincinnati Zoo. The school began as

a vocation school for those interested in careers at the zoo and has since

evolved into a college-prep program. For more information about the Teacher

Incentive Fund visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/faq.html

 

5. In the News

The Washington Post (10/24/06). "In Quest for Speed, Books Are Lost on

Children."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/23/AR2006102300928.html

The Washington Post (10/23/06). Political Backlash Builds Over High-Stakes

Testing."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/22/AR2006102200998.html

USA Today (10/22/06). "Pundit Armstrong Williams settles case over promoting

education reforms."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-10-20-williams_x.htm

The Columbus Dispatch (10/22/06). "Cheating is up - among teachers."

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/22/20061022-A1-01.html

The San Francisco Chronicle (10/22/06). "One for the books -- tutoring gets

outsourced."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/22/MNGTILTVRR1.DTL

 

This memorandum contains links to Internet sites for the convenience of

World Wide Web users. ASCA is not responsible for the availability or

content of these external sites, nor does ASCA endorse, warrant or guarantee

the information, services, or products described or offered at these other

Internet sites.

 

 

Thursday, October 26, 2006

The Online NewsHour: Vote 2006

Background, news, and analysis about the November 2006 elections, with coverage of U.S. House and Senate and state governor races. Features profiles of candidates, reports related to the candidates and races, overviews of key issues (such as Iraq and gay marriage) and lesson plans and other material for students and teachers. From Online NewsHour, a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) program.

URL: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2006/

FedSpending.org

This website is "a free, searchable database of federal government spending." The data is "largely from two sources: the Federal Procurement Data System, which contains information about federal contracts; and the Federal Assistance Award Data System, which contains information about federal financial assistance such as grants, loans, insurance, and direct subsidies like Social Security." Also includes a glossary. From OMB Watch, "a nonprofit research and advocacy organization dedicated to promoting government accountability."

URL: http://www.fedspending.org

Monday, October 23, 2006

Depression symptoms less likely in kids with accurate self-perceptions

Depression symptoms less likely in kids with accurate self-perceptions

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Children who can accurately assess how their classmates feel about them -- even if those feelings are negative -- are less likely to show symptoms of depression, according to Florida State University researchers. >>> read more.

Legislative Alert for Florida School Counselors

Legislative Alert for Florida School Counselors

EARLY VOTING BEGINS OCTOBER 23 at Public Libraries

ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 7

The CANDIDATES For GOVENOR ARE: Charlie Crist of the Republican Party and Jim Davis of the Democratic Party.

T.V Debates for Governor’s Race
Public T.V. - October 24

NBC Affiliates - October 30 Check you local listing for the station on your T.V. and times
FSCA does not formally endorse any particular candidate or political party. The legislative issues and platforms are shared with the candidates and their particular positions are compared with the concerns of school counselors. Of particular concern to school counselors this year are:

*Use of the FCAT
*Mandated multiple year grade retention
*Students dropping out of school early and high school graduation rates
*Inclusion of counselors in the receipt of the same benefits as classroom teachers.

As your FSCA legislative representative, it is my responsibility to try and stay up on the issues of concern to counselors. Information about each candidate can be found on their individual web sites.

Jim Davis states he wants to change the use of FCAT and has expressed great concern about High School graduation tied to FCAT alone. Davis states that the FCAT should be used as a diagnostic tool and a check up on students and schools. Too much emphasis is being placed on FCAT scores alone. He has also said, as governor,he wants a committee of school counselors and teachers to convene with him on the issue of third grade mandated retention. Davis was an early supporter of the class size amendment and wants to fully fund class reductions. Other Democratic candidates throughout the State are following this as their positions as well.

Charlie Crist states he wants to maintain the use of FCAT and continue the high standards achieved under Florida ’s FCAT use. Crist supports grade level retention as a solution to social promotion and states ” children must learn to read before they can read to learn.” Therefore third grade retention must be implemented if a child does not pass the FCAT which is the instrument of choice for accountability. Initially Crist opposed the class size amendment as being too costly. His position now is that the voters have spoken and fully supports the implementation of the amendment. Most other Republican candidates throughout the state are following this as their positions as well.

Thank you for your continued child advocacy.

Barbara Barry, FSCA Legislative Committee Chair Barrydmin@Yahoo.com
Barb Barry
407 970-2262
407 677-1771
Barrydmin@yahoo.com

From The ASCA Legislative Update

From The ASCA Legislative Update
A weekly report of public policy issues in American Education from the
American School Counselor Association
www.schoolcounselor.org

October 23, 2006

Executive Summary:

Budget and Appropriations Update
Information Literacy Summit Convened in Washington
CEP Reveals Paper on the International Challenge of Finding Quality Teachers
Briefing Examines Connection Between Video Games, Teaching and Learning
Brookings Hosts Discussion of Effects of Student Happiness, Confidence on
Achievement
CCSSO Releases ESEA Reauthorization Recommendations
In Brief
New Publications
In the News

1. Budget and Appropriations Update

It is wait and see time for education advocates anxious for information
about the FY 2007 budget decisions for the Department of Education. With
Congress out of town and the press focusing on the tight campaigns across
the nation, news about the many unfinished appropriations measures is hard
to come by.

What would Democratic victories in the U. S. House and Senate mean for those
of us who reside in the budget weeds? First of all, if past is prologue,
many of the key staffers who currently work for the majority party Members
of the Appropriations Committee might find themselves continuing in those
positions with one essential change in their status-working for the other
party. It is a poorly kept secret in Washington that staff actually make
many of the critical decisions that are attributed to elected officials.
Appropriations staffers are a unique breed-their expertise is valued by
Members on both sides of the aisle. Their knowledge of the complexities of
the spending and accounting practices of Federal government agencies; the
strength of the relationships they have built with career staff within these
agencies; and their general knowledge of how programs work and who cares
most about them is a treasure that a new Chairman does not lightly give
away. In the past, when party leadership has flip flopped, a large number
of experienced Capitol Hill staffers have found themselves staying in place.

So while we may see the faces of new Members of the House and Senate on
Capitol Hill after November 7 and the Chair positions and the Leadership
posts may switch to the other party, the key staffers who guide the
development and progress of the many appropriations bills that fund the
government each year could remain very much the same.

2. Information Literacy Summit Convened in Washington
The 2006 Information Literacy Summit on American Competitiveness in the
Internet Age was held on Monday, October 16. The summit, sponsored by the
National Forum on Information Literacy in partnership with the Committee for
Economic Development, Education Testing Service (ETS), the Institute for a
Competitive Workforce - an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and
the National Education Association (NEA), hosted discussions from national
and international experts on the topic of the literacy skills necessary to
be successful in today's information society.
The day's discussions addressed both domestic and international perspectives
on the issue of information literacy. Throughout the day, participants
agreed that the importance of an information literate citizenry and
workforce is better recognized internationally than in the U.S.
Additionally, there was a great deal of discussion regarding the importance
of distinction between technology skills and information literacy. While
basic technology skills are fairly pervasive, the ability to discern
information needs and locate, evaluate and effectively use that information
in the workplace and within the context of civic responsibilities is not
widespread, according to the initial findings of ETS' Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy assessment. These findings show
that less than half of college test takers, when asked to evaluate a set of
web sites, correctly identified the web site that met the criteria of
currency, authority and objectivity. Only 44 percent of the students, when
asked to handle a large amount of information, were able to successfully
sort the information to efficiently complete a task. More than half of the
students did not sort the information at all.

Margaret Honey, Vice President, Education Development Center and Consultant
to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, pointed to these findings as a
"wake up call." Education advocates and those involved in federal education
policy agree that these concerns need to be addressed both within pieces of
competitiveness legislation being considered and the upcoming
reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

For more information on the event, visit
http://www.infolitsummit.com/site/index.htm

3. Center for American Progress Reveals Paper on the International
Challenge of Finding Quality Teachers

The Center for American Progress held a panel discussion based on a new
paper, "Finding Quality Teachers for Public Schools: The International
Challenge," written by Susan Sclafani and Marc Tucker. Susan Sclafani is
the Managing Director for the Chartwell Education Group and Marc Tucker is
the President of the National Center on Education and the Economy.

Recruiting and retaining quality teachers in an economically competitive
society remains one of the many challenges facing the US and foreign nations
alike. Some have turned to pay reforms as a way of addressing the issue,
including strategies such as sign-on bonuses, loan forgiveness, higher
compensation in the early years, pay incentives targeted at particular
shortage areas, bonuses based on teacher contribution, and individualized
salaries negotiated between teachers and principals versus a blanket salary
for all new teachers. Commenting on these strategies, Sclafani noted that
those entering the teaching profession believe that hard work should be
reflected in their salaries.

Overall, pay incentives for teachers, both in the United States and abroad,
are well below the level of the comparable incentives being offered in the
private sector. The new report asserts, "teachers and principals respond to
the same incentives that all other professionals respond to." The problem
is that these incentives are not structured properly. The United States
needs to continue to analyze how other nations are reforming their school
systems and put this data to good use in order to preserve the country's
competitive edge in the 21st century.

4. Briefing Examines Connection Between Video Games, Teaching and
Learning

During a breakfast briefing at the National Press Club on October 17, the
Federation of American Scientists (FAS) and the Entertainment Software
Association (ESA) called on the federal government, business and education
leaders to embrace and thoughtfully explore the use of video games in
teaching and learning.

The briefing was held to release, "R&D Challenges in Games for Learning," a
roadmap for these leaders. The plan is based on the deliberations of the
National Summit on Educational Games held in October 2005, which drew on the
experience and opinions of over 100 participants, including video game
industry executives/developers; educational software publishers; experts on
technology and pedagogy; researchers; teacher representatives; U.S.
military; R&D funders; and policymakers.

To discuss the Summit findings and recommendations, the breakfast briefing
featured panelists: Henry Kelly, President, FAS; Doug Lowenstein,
President, Entertainment Software Association; Don Blake, National Education
Association (NEA); and Jayfus Tucker Doswell, President and CEO,
Juxtopia,LLC.

According to Lowenstien, "[b]y 2010, there will be 75 million people between
the age of 10 and 30. These 'millennials' will have video games in their
DNA just like we have television, and how radio was for our parents." He
stressed the importance of leveraging technology to reach students and
enhance their education.

Blake agreed with the panelists that technology - specifically gaming - has
an important role to play in education. However, he provided context to the
current education climate by providing a series of questions that will need
to be answered by the gaming community as they move the conversation
forward. "How would these methods be measured on standardized tests? To
what degree are we educating the public and decision makers and managing
their expectations in terms of the results from incorporating technology?
How would schools of education incorporate pedagogy with regard to gaming
technologies?"

The structure of the education market itself presents a host of obstacles
for a manufacturer of gaming technologies. It is highly fragmented, and in
light of NCLB requirements, schools are reluctant to adopt unproven
innovations. Kelly acknowledges that there needs to be substantial research
and development done in this area in order for it to have the most positive
affect in schools. Some items to research would be the role of games in
learning, design of pedagogy for game-based learning, effect of immersion
and engagement on learning, and understanding change in education and
training institutions.

To view the report, fact sheet and powerpoint presentation, visit
www.fas.org

5. Brookings Hosts Discussion of Effects of Student Happiness, Confidence
on Achievement

The Brookings Institution held a briefing about the 2006 Brown Center Report
on American Education. The report, "How Well Are Our Students Learning?"
evaluates the roles that student happiness and confidence play in
achievement. The report also examines whether states are inflating test
scores to meet the standards of No Child Left Behind.

The report suggests that the level of American student happiness and
confidence negatively correlates to achievement, when compared to other
nations. According to Tom Loveless, Director of the Brown Center on
Education Policy and the author of this report, student happiness in
education is "misplaced." Based on data from the Trends in International
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the analysis found that countries
with students enjoying math, who are taught practical and relevant math
problems and are confident in their abilities, do not score as well as
countries with students whoare not confident in their abilities, do not
enjoy the subject and are not taught math problems that are relevant to
their daily lives.

Interestingly, this trend is only evident when comparing countries to one
another. When Loveless studied the same data within a single country, he
found the opposite results. For example, when looking at test scores of
students within the United States, he found that those students who are
confident in their math and reading abilities and are generally happy scored
higher than those who were not happy and not confident in their skills.
Loveless says this does not mean we should undermine students' confidence or
present math that is dissociated from students' lives or "boring." It does
mean, however, that if "self- confidence and enjoyment are separated from
academic purpose, they seem to lose their educational value."

Also examined in this report is whether or not states are inflating test
scores to meet the No Child Left Behind Standards. Under NCLB, states are
required to impose sanctions on schools that fail to make adequate yearly
progress (AYP) in increasing the percentage of students attaining
proficiency. It has been suggested that states are "watering down" tests or
setting proficiency levels low, among other things, to ensure they are not
sanctioned for not meeting AYP. According to Loveless, "schools certainly
have the incentives to do so." Research shows that schools are, in fact,
inflating test scores; however, research also shows that this was happening
long before NCLB and there is no evidence to show that NCLB is exacerbating
this gap in scores.

6. CCSSO Releases ESEA Reauthorization Recommendations

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) held a briefing on Monday
to release its Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization (ESEA)
Policy Statement. CCSSO's goal for reauthorization of ESEA is to ensure
that every child graduates high school and is prepared for postsecondary
education and/or the workforce. In order to achieve this goal, CCSSO
believes there is a need for a renewed commitment and partnership between
the state and federal government.

The panel discussion included comments from Valerie Woodruff, president,
CCSSO; Elizabeth Burmaster, president-elect, CCSSO; and John Engler,
president, National Association of Manufacturers and former Governor of
Michigan.

According to Burmaster, the recommendations were created by a
"geographically and politically diverse" task force created in January 2006.
CCSSO has established three broad recommendations for ESEA reauthorization
that include:

1) continued support and increased autonomy with regard to the
foundations of standards based reform;
2) greater focus on building state and local capacity to improve
learned opportunities for all students and support interventions in
low-performing districts and schools; and
3) increased investment in research, evaluation, technical assistance,
and collaboration to help inform state and local efforts to improve student
achievement an close achievement gaps."

Engler stated that the manufacturing community has been concerned for a long
time regarding the ability of graduates to understand highly technical work.
He cited the 2005 NAM Skills Gap report which revealed that 80% of NAM
members were having difficulty filling positions with qualified applicants.
It was his hope that these recommendations would assist in improving
education to "give every American student a chance to have a competitive
career".

Woodruff and Burmaster stressed that states must be provided flexibility in
order to incorporate innovative strategies; Woodruff maintained this would
not "let us off the hook" but rather provide the ability to utilize
strategies at the state level to improve teaching and learning. She pointed
to growth models as one specific area that states need to be allowed to
explore.

For more information, visit www.ccsso.org

7. In Brief

Spellings Discusses Higher Education, Global Competitiveness
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings this week joined Rep. Heather
Wilson (R-NM), students, education officials and business leaders to discuss
higher education and global competitiveness. "To help keep America
competitive, we must provide students and families with more information and
more affordable access to higher education, while holding our institutes of
higher learning accountable for student learning," said Spellings. She
discussed the need for colleges and universities to be more affordable,
accessible and accountable in order to prepare American students for a
global economy. To accomplish this, Spellings suggested expanding No Child
Left Behind accountability to high schools, increasing need-based aid,
streamlining the entire aid process and creating a privacy-protected higher
education information system.

Briefing Focuses on PK-3 Teaching
At a briefing on Capitol Hill yesterday, the New America Foundation and the
Foundation for Child Development held a briefing to discuss pre-kindergarten
through third grade teaching. The briefing featured remarks from the 2006
National Teacher of the Year, as well as a representative from the National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a dean of a college of education,
and a policy expert. The panelists discussed the importance of early child
education and the critical role teachers play and what colleges of education
as well as policymakers can do to ensure highly qualified teachers are in
every classroom. The panelists discussed the lack of consistency in
education, training and certification standards from state to state. Many
PK-3 teachers do not hold bachelor's degrees; PK-3 teachers also make
significantly less money than their elementary teaching peers, creating a
deep hole in the PK-3 workforce. To counter this trend, recommendations
discussed targeting NCLB Title II and V money and HEA Title II money towards
PK-3 teachers. For more information, visit www.newamerica.net

8. New Publications

The Bridgespan Group (October 2006). "Reclaiming the American Dream."
http://www.bridgespan.org/PDF/ReclaimingtheAmerican%20DreamWhitePaper.pdf

9. In the News

Seattle Post-Intelligencer/AP (10/18/06). "SAT, ACT see number of
test-takers rise."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110ap_sat_vs_act.html

Houston Chronicle/Associated Press (10/18/06). "NFL Joins Fight Against
Child Obesity." http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4268428.html

The Seattle Times/AP (10/18/06). "Scientists say video games can reshape
education."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2003309887_videogames18.html

This memorandum contains links to Internet sites for the convenience of
World Wide Web users. ASCA is not responsible for the availability or
content of these external sites, nor does ASCA endorse, warrant or guarantee
the information, services, or products described or offered at these other
Internet sites.

From The ASCA Legislative Update
A weekly report of public policy issues in American Education from the
American School Counselor Association
www.schoolcounselor.org to join now ..