Friday, November 30, 2007

Governor Crist Announces Florida's High School Graduation Rate on the Rise

Governor Crist Announces Florida’s High School Graduation Rate on the Rise
Governor Charlie Crist and Education Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg today announced that Florida’s graduation rate rose to 72.4 percent in 2006-07, an increase of 1.4 percent compared to last year’s rate (71.0 percent) and an overall increase of 12.2 percent since 1998-99 (60.2 percent). Meanwhile, Florida’s annual high school dropout rate declined from last year, dropping 0.2 percentage points to 3.3 percent, a decrease of 2.1 points since 1998-99. For the full story, visit www.fldoe.org.

 

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

NCES Releases Results of 2007 TUDA

On Thursday, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the results from the 2007 Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA). First initiated in 2002, the TUDA highlights the achievement of fourth- and eighth-graders in 11 of the nation's largest cities on the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading and mathematics assessments. Districts participating in the TUDA include Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Cleveland; Houston; Los Angeles; New York City; San Diego; and Washington, D.C.

In mathematics, the majority of the TUDA districts had higher percentages of fourth- and eighth-graders performing at or above the basic and proficient levels of achievement on the test since 2003. Nearly half of all districts had higher percentages of fourth-graders reaching advanced - the highest level of performance. In reading, gains have been less consistent and more modest, following the same pattern as the nation. Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, explained that TUDA was implemented as a way to show that urban school districts are committed to providing high academic standards for their children, and its designers sought a way to evaluate their progress. According to Casserly, when focusing on this report, one should not look at the data of any individual school district. Instead, focus on the trends in improvement that have occurred since the initial implementation of this assessment. Overall, urban schools are growing in a positive way, but there is still a long road of increased achievement ahead.

Darvin Winick, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, stated that the results of the report can inform the development of better, more universal, school improvement programs. For example, knowing that, overall, fourth-grade performance is stronger than eighth-grade performance; mathematics performance is stronger than reading; and large achievement gaps are present between race and ethnic groups can assist in developing effective programs that address these shortcomings.

More infor at http://nationsreportcard.gov/

 

New Organization Focuses on School Violence Prevention

New Organization Focuses on School Violence Prevention: A new national organization, the Consortium to Prevent School Violence (CPSV), has launched a Web site and multiple research, training and information dissemination projects geared to help reduce school violence. The consortium, a primarily volunteer effort, includes national experts in school violence prevention spanning the disciplines of education, psychology, mental health, social services and juvenile justice. According to its Web site, the Consortium to Prevent School Violence is committed to assisting educators and schools in the reduction of school violence. The consortium seeks to foster high-quality research on school violence prevention; communication among researchers, practitioners and policy makers; dissemination of research-based information regarding effective school violence reduction programs; technical assistance and professional development that aid in implementing effective school violence reduction practices; and advocacy of effective research-based solutions to policy makers. To learn more about CPSV visit: www.preventschoolviolence.org

ED Delivers Final Report on Title I

ED Delivers Final Report on Title I: This week, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings sent Congress the final assessment of Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act. The report contains information about the program's implementation and impact and expands on an interim report released in April 2006. The report found that Title I funds go to 93 percent of the nation's school districts, with 74 percent of funds going to elementary schools. Most Title I funds were used for instruction, salaries, instructional materials and computers. In the area of student achievement, the report found that recent trends show gains for fourth-grade students in reading, mathematics and science, including minority students and students in high-poverty schools. Trends for middle and high school students were mixed. State assessments and NAEP both provided indications that achievement gaps between disadvantaged students and other students were narrowing. Title I served three times as many students in 2004-05 as it did a decade ago - 20 million, compared with 6.7 million in 1995. States identified 12 percent of all schools for improvement for 2005-06, and schools with high concentrations of poor and minority students were more likely to be identified than other schools, as were schools located in urban areas. The report also found that 75 percent of schools met AYP benchmarks and of those missing AYP, only a minority of cases missed only one AYP target. To view the full report visit: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20084012/index.asp

House Education and Labor Committee Approves HEA Bill

The Higher Education Act (HEA) has been subject to the reauthorization process for more than four years. In that time, bills have been introduced and seen sporadic progress, but no comprehensive reauthorization package has been signed into law, despite the enactment of a number of bills that affect federal student aid programs. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act (PL 110-84) was approved and signed into law in September. That measure invests approximately $20 billion in federal student aid by reducing subsidies paid to federal student loan lenders, authorizes the new TEACH Grant program, reduces student loan interest rates, proposes certain college cost containment strategies, enacts loan forgiveness for certain public sector employees, authorizes a new program intended to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions and increases the Pell Grant award to $5,400 incrementally over a five-year period.

Although that bill was widely supported, some worried that its enactment would adversely affect prospects for a comprehensive reauthorization proposal. Before last week, the House had not acted on such legislation, but the Senate's larger HEA bill, S. 1642, was passed by the Senate on July 24 by a vote of 95-0.

Last Friday, George Miller (D-Calif.), House Education and Labor Committee chairman, and Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (D-Texas), chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness, introduced HR 4137, legislation that they assert addresses "the soaring price of college and remove[s] other obstacles that make it harder for qualified students to go to college." Further, "The College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007 would reform and strengthen the nation's higher education programs to ensure that they operate in the best interests of students and families."

The bill attempts to address college costs by proposing a number of new reporting requirements for colleges and universities. It also would impose new disclosure and reporting requirements on student loan lenders to address what some consider an industry with insufficient oversight.

The bill's Title II provisions modify current law drastically. The bill revises the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants for States and Partnerships; it eliminates the State Grant and Teacher Recruitment Grant programs and turns the Partnership Grant program into a revised Teacher Quality Partnership Grant program. This new program emphasizes Teacher Residency and Induction programs and inserts a reliance on "scientifically valid research." There are a number of new initiatives in Title II, including support for Teach For America, a recruiting effort for science and math teachers and a program that would strengthen relationships between community colleges and teacher preparation programs at four-year institutions.

The larger bill also proposes a number of new programs. A new early childhood education professional development and career task force is authorized. In addition, new college access programs are proposed, as are new student safety and campus emergency management initiatives; databases to share information with students on available financial resources; new science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education programs; and an effort meant to promote environmentally friendly practices on campuses.

On Wednesday, the House Education and Labor Committee met to mark up this legislation. Opening statements from Committee Miller and Ranking Member Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) indicated broad support for the measure and a shared desire to address the increasing cost of college. The session had only a few partisan exchanges, although the proceedings stretched from their 1:30 p.m. start time to almost midnight, with the panel reconvening on the morning of Nov. 15 to record roll call votes on certain amendments and the committee-approved bill. The committee considered more than 40 amendments, although many were withdrawn with the hope of addressing the underlying concerns either before the bill is considered on the House floor or during that debate. On Thursday morning, after the amendment votes, the committee approved the manager's package and a motion to report the bill favorably to the House by a vote of 45-0. Closing comments from the chairman and the ranking member were complimentary of the effort and spirit the bill represents.

Although many commended the bill, no definitive indication was given on when it might be considered on the floor of the House - the next step toward a conference committee between the House and Senate to negotiate their two proposals. Observers are hopeful the bill might be considered in December, with ultimate enactment of a reauthorization bill coming before March 31, 2008.

Budget and Appropriations

Capitol Hill was buzzing last week, as lawmakers pushed to address a number of legislative issues before adjourning for a two-week "Harvest Recess." That push included action on a number of pieces of legislation of interest to education advocates. After languishing for months, the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved Head Start reauthorization legislation last Wednesday. The Senate vote was 95 to 0, while the House approved the bill by a margin of 381 to 36. The conference report on the bill authorizes $7.35 billion for the program in FY 2008, $7.5 billion in FY 2009 and $7.9 billion in FY 2010. The president is expected to sign the bill, although during debate and negotiations on the final compromise bill, the White House had protested that it did not include language allowing faith-based organizations enrolled in the program to hire staff on the basis of religion. <BR
Also on Wednesday, the House Education and Labor Committee began what would be a marathon mark up of legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HR 4137). After 12 hours of offering amendments, debating their merits and voting, the committee approved that bill unanimously Thursday morning. On Thursday evening, the House considered an attempt to override President Bush's veto, which he issued Tuesday, of the $150.7 billion FY 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill. That attempt did not secure support from two-thirds of the House and failed on a vote of 277-141.

All of this action is nothing compared with the behind-the-scenes scheming that went on all week. Congressional leadership and appropriators worked all week to devise a strategy for enacting federal spending plans for FY 2008 that met Democratic priorities while also winning approval from the White House. A number of rumors were reported, and it seems the schemers changed tactics a number of times. As of Friday, it is being reported that the White House has reacted "coolly" to a strategy that would "split the difference" between White House and Democratic budget plans. Despite this news, House and Senate appropriators are reportedly coming up with an omnibus spending bill totaling $484.2 billion. This measure will encompass the 11 spending bills that haven't been enacted. (President Bush signed the defense spending bill earlier this week.) This number is $10.6 billion less than Democrats had hoped for before veto threats finally forced them to reconsider. It has been reported that they are hoping enough moderate Republicans will tire of the fight when they return from their break to either persuade the president to negotiate or vote to override a veto.

Although it's not clear what this plan might ultimately mean for spending on important education programs, David Obey (D-Wis.), House Appropriations Committee chairman, continues to be frustrated by the situation. When asked about the White House's chilly reaction to a "split the difference" resolution this week, he said that if Republicans do not support the proposed compromise and "continue to follow the president's budget priorities like lemmings, the result is likely to be even worse."

 

MARTINEZ INTRODUCES STUDENT PROTECTION ACT

http://martinez.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.View&ContentRecord_id=6798&CFID=27966329&CFTOKEN=79160711

MARTINEZ INTRODUCES STUDENT PROTECTION ACT

 

November 15, 2007 -

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) today introduced a bill to create a uniform system of reporting acts of sexual misconduct by educators. The measure is very similar to one introduced by Congressman Adam Putnam (R-Bartow) in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year.

“Currently, there’s no uniform, national system for reporting acts of sexual misconduct by educators. This bill seeks to change that,” said Martinez. “Without a national database, educators found guilty of these terrible acts often retain their teaching certificates and other school districts hire them without knowledge of their past.”

The bill requires uniform reporting requirements for educators and employees accused of sexual misconduct against a student, consistent with established guidelines for reporting child abuse; it requires a central body in each state to be responsible for receiving and investigating allegations of sexual misconduct by educators; and it creates a nationwide database of school employees sanctioned by the state for sexual misconduct – thus enabling state, local, and private school officials to ensure offenders remain out of the classroom.

“States and school districts ought to have a meaningful way to check the record of individuals before placing them in the classroom,” said Martinez. “By encouraging a coordinated system of standards for oversight, reporting, and investigation of sexual misconduct by educators we can better ensure the safety of our children.”

###

 

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Budget and Appropriations

First there were two bills, then they came together as one, then they were split in two again. As of last week, the FY 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (LHHS-Ed) Appropriations bill has been approved by the House and Senate and is headed for President Bush's desk and, presumably, his veto pen. Democratic leadership tried to combine the largest domestic spending bill (LHHS-Ed) with military construction and veterans spending, with the goal of forcing the president to decide whether to veto the whole bill, including the funds for veterans and military construction he wants, or sign it and approve spending that exceeds his budget request for domestic programs by $9.8 billion. For many weeks, the president has said he will veto any spending bill that exceeds the funding levels he proposed in his FY 2008 budget request, submitted to Congress in February.

The House approved the combined appropriations bills by a vote of 269 to 142, with 47 Republicans voting in favor of the bill. When the legislation was sent over to the Senate for consideration, however, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) raised a point of order against the bill that required separating the two measures - a move Democrats were unable to stop. The separated LHHS-Ed appropriations bill was then passed by the Senate on Wednesday night by a vote of 56 to 37, with seven senators not voting. Ten Republicans supported the bill, which then had to go back to the House in its new form. Late Thursday, the House approved the bill by a vote of 274 to 141, with 51 Republicans voting with the Democrats in favor of the bill. Democrats are now deciding when and how they will enroll the final bill and send it to the president.

For those who desperately want this bill to be signed into law, the quest for securing enough votes to override the expected veto is a daunting endeavor, with admittedly small prospects for success. House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) said publicly this week that if the veto is not reversed by Congress, and the White House refuses to negotiate, there's not "a chance of a snowball in Hades that members' earmarks on either side of the aisle will survive if we wind up at the president's level of funding." Democratic strategists are already looking toward putting together an omnibus bill to fund much of the federal government for FY 2008, vs. a long-term continuing resolution. This is a better outcome for authorized education and domestic programs that would likely see level funding, again, in a long-term FY 2008 CR. An omnibus bill implies opportunities for programs to retain some of the proposed increases.

While the LHHS-Ed bill is by far the most important spending proposal to education stakeholders, the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill also invests in important science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education efforts, as well as research initiatives. That bill is also subject to a veto threat and is currently waiting for conference negotiations and could be brought to a vote in each chamber this week.

 

As NCLB Action Slows, HEA and Head Start Move Forward

It was reported in the press last weekend that Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, stated that action on reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act in the Senate would not occur this year. The story grew, was picked up by other papers and caused a great deal of buzz in education policy circles. Advocates also wondered if Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), House Education and Labor Committee chairman, would continue to move forward with his reauthorization proposal. After all, the House seemed closer to completing a comprehensive proposal, and stakeholders had weighed in heavily with House staff and committee members on their priorities and recommended changes to the draft.

The proverbial nail found its way into the coffin mid-week. Miller released a press statement voicing frustration with the administration and what he considers to be its resistance to any changes to current law. These sentiments were compounded by veto threats to proposed increases in education spending in the FY 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill, leading Miller to opine that action on reauthorizing No Child Left Behind "this Congress" is unlikely. This statement went further than previous rumors, since the 110th Congress extends through the end of 2008.

Education advocates know that, in recent weeks, performance pay, multiple measures, changes to adequate yearly progress and other proposed changes caused tension not only across party lines but also within each party's caucuses. Strong criticism of certain proposals from teacher union groups and others further complicated negotiations. While this pause in the reauthorization process is not at all unexpected, it is disappointing to many who had hoped for reasonable changes before presidential politics consume Washington and little to no work is expected to be accomplished.

HEA
The Senate passed its comprehensive HEA reauthorization bill this summer by a vote of 95-0, and many have pushed for the House to match that progress. A press release announcing the bill's introduction asserts that the bill would:

  • Streamline the federal student financial aid application to make it easier for all eligible students, especially from low-income households, to apply for financial aid
  • Make textbook costs more manageable for students by helping them plan for textbook expenses in advance of each semester;
  • Expand college access for low-income and minority students by allowing students to receive year-round Pell Grant scholarships and strengthening college readiness programs
  • Increase college aid and support programs for veterans and military families to help veterans, active duty military personnel, and their family members attend college and succeed
  • Create safer college campuses for students and faculty by developing campus safety and disaster readiness plans for all colleges and helping schools recover and rebuild in the event of a disaster
  • Ensure equal college opportunities and fair learning environments for students with disabilities to provide them with the resources and support they need to stay in school and graduate
  • Help strengthen our nation's workforce and economic competitiveness by boosting science, technology and foreign language educational opportunities, by providing public service loan forgiveness to encourage and reward students who enter critically needed service fields and by enhancing teacher training and development programs

More info at

http://edlabor.house.gov/

 

CAP Holds Briefing on Teacher Compensation

On Monday, the Center for American Progress (CAP) held a briefing titled, "Reforming Teacher Compensation: What Can We Learn from Recent Programs?" The briefing featured two new papers from CAP about effective strategies for reforming teacher compensation as well as a representative from Denver's ProComp teacher compensation system.

Over the last couple of years, policy makers have started to implement a number of alternative compensation strategies (including pay for performance). The panelists agreed that the idea of teacher compensation is not new. However, as stated by Joan Baratz-Snowden from the Education Study Center and Brad Jupp from Denver Public Schools, the current single salary schedule for teachers has had remarkable staying power. Baratz-Snowden attributed this staying power to the fact that the current salary schedule (based on teaching experience and college credits and degrees) is easy to understand and administer, it is predictable and teachers believe it is fair and objective. She also stated its limitations: it has not produced competitive salaries in the current job market; it does not respond to market forces; and the evidence linking teacher education and experience to improved student performance is weak.

To alleviate the confusion over the various proposals surrounding teacher compensation, Robin Chait from the Center for American Progress identified five types of differential compensation policies: 1) pay for performance, 2) pay for knowledge and skills, 3) career ladder programs, 4) pay for teaching in high-needs subjects and 5) pay for teaching in high-needs schools. She noted that all five policies aim to improve teacher performance and attract and retain teachers by compensating them in part for improvements in student achievement. Baratz-Snowden said that the notion of pay for performance is the most contentious, and how reformers frame these proposals is key to their success. One major problem for most states and districts, she noted, is linking specific student achievement to a specific teacher.

Jupp spoke about Denver's "ProComp" program, which he asserted is one of the most successful alternative compensation programs in recent years. The program uses a methodology based on students' learning gains on tests to determine only a part of teacher pay increases. He emphasized the collaboration in the Denver school system and noted that schools, teachers and administrators "need a shared will to solve the problems and move forward to ensure student success."

When asked about essential elements to implement differential compensation policies, Baratz-Snowden noted that six key elements were necessary: sufficient and stable funding, communication and teacher buy-in, skilled leadership, targeting high-need schools and subjects, program evaluation and monitoring systems, and integrating and aligning other systems to compensation systems.

More info at http://www.americanprogress.org/events/2007/11/teachercompensation.html

 

Urban Institute Holds Briefing on Science and Engineering

The Urban Institute recently hosted the briefing, Houston, Do We Really Have a Problem Here? A New Look at Science and Engineering in America. Hal Salzman, senior research associate at the Urban Institute, presented data from his new report, "Into the Eye of the Storm: Assessing the Evidence, Quality and Workforce Demand." Other reports analyzing global science and engineering education and the impact on the workforce claim that U.S. students perform much worse than their international peers, that interest in science and engineering among both high school and college students has fallen off and that a shrinking number of students receive degrees in these fields. Salzman's report directly rebuts these three claims.

Salzman's study also reassesses the well-known standings produced by two major evaluations, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and finds that "statistically insignificant variations in test scores misrepresent performance differences among nations." Using this approach, the U.S. scores fair much better.

In addition, Salzman's report notes the increasing numbers of American students participating in and graduating in STEM-related fields in high school and college. Between 1990 and 2004, the overall percentage of U.S. students taking engineering and science courses increased from 45 to 60 percent, and although the United States is not the top-ranked country in math and science performance, it has shown consistent improvements in participation and achievement over time. However, Salzman did caution that despite American students' solid standing overall, large segments of the school population fare quite poorly and that the low performance of the least-skilled students should be of great concern to policy makers.

William Bates of the Council on Competitiveness also presented and suggested that problems faced by U.S. competitiveness are a result of the globalization of industries and a lack of innovation in America. Bates explained that countries with large populations, like China, facilitate innovation in science and engineering very well. Organizations seeking innovative approaches and products will be drawn to wherever that innovation exists. To maintain a foothold in international competitiveness, Bates points to the need for a catalyst to motivate science and engineering innovation within the U.S., much like that provided by the launch of Sputnik in the 1950s and 1960s.

More info at http://www.urban.org/publications/411562.html

ED Launches 'Doing What Works' Web Site

ED Launches 'Doing What Works' Web Site: The Department of Education has launched a new Web site to provide teachers, administrators and other educators with recommendations on effective teaching practices and examples of possible ways to implement those practices to help promote excellence in American education and improve student achievement. According to the department, the new site, Doing What Works, allows users to quickly locate teaching practices that have been found effective by the department's research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences, and similar organizations. In addition, it cites examples of possible ways this research may be used to help students reach their academic potential. Doing What Works is meant to turn research to practice and help achieve the No Child Left Behind Act goal of ensuring every student is on grade-level by 2014. To access the site visit: http://dww.ed.gov

ED, First Book and Townsend Press Launch 2007 Adolescent Readers Initiative

ED, First Book and Townsend Press Launch 2007 Adolescent Readers Initiative: Margaret Spellings, secretary of Education; Lynda Lancaster, First Book senior vice president, Ben Alirez, Townsend Press author; and Robert Scott, Texas Commissioner of Education, announced the national distribution of free books as part of the 2007 Adolescent Readers Initiative. The initiative will provide 520,000 free, new books to improve the literacy skills of struggling adolescent readers in low-income schools and communities. Spellings said, "The Nation's Report Card confirms what common sense already tells us: the more time students spend reading, the better they perform. I'm proud of my department's partnership with First Book and hope that today's donation will inspire more students to read more often." The Department of Education and First Book will distribute the Townsend Press books to schools, libraries and community groups serving low-income, middle school and early adolescent-aged youth across the country. For more information on the donation campaign, visit: www.ed.gov/parents/academic/summer/reading/index.html