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Federal Update 08.10.07
Please note that the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate will be out of session until September 3. They are currently on a district work period.
• Miller Introduces NCLB Legislation
• Competitiveness Legislation Passed by Congress
• Equal Funding Now Available for Maryland Charter Schools
• A New Study on Job Satisfaction Amongst Teachers
• Western Governors University Offers Scholarships to AAE Members
• Graduation Rates Lagging in Some States
• A New Partnership Program Between Schools in England
• The Launch of PACE
Miller Introduces NCLB Legislation
On July 30, Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee outlined his plans for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. One of the main components of his plan is to include alternative measures, such as graduation rates or the number of students in Advanced Placement exams, to measure a school’s progress. This idea is supported by teacher unions but draws concern from civil rights groups. “In our experience, institutions that are held accountable for too many things are, in the end, accountable for nothing,” groups including the Citizens’ Commission for Civil Rights and Education Trust, wrote in a recent letter to Rep. Miller.
Two other main components of Rep. Miller’s plans for NCLB include growth models and pay-for-performance. Growth models give schools credit for progress made over time by tracking individual student achievement from year to year.
In his speech Rep Miller stated, “This builds on a pilot effort started by Secretary Spellings. The Secretary deserves great credit for her leadership on this important issue.”
Rep. Miller would also like to provide performance pay for principals and teachers. He stated that the performance pay system would be “based on fair and proven models.” The NEA has come out against the inclusion of performance pay in NCLB. In response to Rep. Miller’s proposals to NCLB, Rep.
Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), the ranking Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee stated, “No Child Left Behind is the law of the land because it balances real accountability with state and local flexibility and expanded parental choice like no education law before it. Changes to the law that weaken any of these three pillars of NCLB – accountability, flexibility, and parental choice – will be met with strong opposition from House Republicans and are likely to be a fatal blow to the reauthorization process.”
Aides to Rep. McKeon have also stated that, “he is particularly troubled by multiple measures and is pushing for more options for taxpayer-financed private tutoring.” Rep. Miller is aiming to pass a NCLB bill in the Education and Labor Committee and on the floor of the House this September.
For more information about Rep. Miller’s proposals for NCLB please read the Washington Post’s article titled, “No Child Needs to Expand Beyond Tests, Chair Says.”
Also, please read the following article from The Hill titled, “Miller Plans Reauthorization by September.”Top
Competitiveness Legislation Passed by Congress
On August 2, Congress passed the 21st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007, which seeks to strengthen math and science education in the United States. The bill will provide grants for teacher recruitment and training in math and science. Funds will also be available to increase the number of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes and programs such as “Math Now” in schools.
The bill passed the House with a vote of 367-57 and received unanimous consent in the Senate. It also is supported by many education and business organizations. “While other nations are raising their standards and numbers of science and math graduates, the United States is not keeping pace. This bill will enhance the economic competitiveness of our nation by stopping the long-running decline in the number of U.S.-trained engineers and mathematicians,” stated U.S. Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue.
Among the provisions of the bill is a measure to expand the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program which is administered by the National Science Foundation. This program provides grants totaling $10,000 a year for college students who major in math and science related subjects and also agree to teach in high-need schools.
The bill also provides competitive grants for teachers who wish to pursue master’s degrees in science and math and undergraduates who obtain degrees in science, math, and foreign languages while also gaining teacher certifications. A total of $177 million dollars has been set aside for these grants which would be administered by the U.S. Department of Education.
The total cost of all the programs under this bill is $43.3 billion over three years. Congress will have to appropriate the money for these programs, however, before they can be implemented.
The bill has been sent to President Bush to be signed and it is believed by lawmakers that he will sign it. For more information on the 21st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007 please read the following Washington Post article.
Equal Funding Now Available for Maryland Charter Schools
Charter schools in Maryland recently received the good news that they will now be able to receive the same per-pupil expenditures as other public schools. This ruling is a result of a 5-2 decision in the Maryland Court of Appeals. Charter schools in Maryland now have the choice to receive services, such as special education and food, or receive cash in lieu of the services. This is in addition to a combination of public funds the charter schools will receive.
Last year $13,000 was the per-pupil amount for public schools in Maryland while charter schools only received $5,859 per-pupil with the rest of the funds being offered in services. “It's a great decision, and it's in keeping with what we believe is and should be the law of the land: Money should follow children. Children are entitled to equitable public funding regardless of the kind of school they attend,” stated Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform. For more information about the ruling in Maryland please read the following article titled, “Ruling means more cash for Md. charter schools from local boards.”
A New Study on Job Satisfaction Amongst Teachers
A new study was recently released by the National Center for Education Statistics titled, “To Teach or Not to Teach? Teaching Experience and Preparation Among 1992-1993 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients 10 Years After College.” The survey found that teachers are much more satisfied with their jobs in comparison to individuals in other professions.
Four years after obtaining their degrees only 18 percent of teachers changed occupations. Other occupations have seen turnover rates between 17 and 75 percent. The report also found that only 13 percent of individuals who left teaching cited low pay as a reason for leaving. This data sheds light on many beliefs held by teacher unions. They have cited low pay as a main reason for dissatisfaction amongst teachers and have claimed that the turnover rate for teachers in the first four years of their careers is 30-50 percent.
In response to the report Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality stated, “What was surprising is how cheery the [teachers’] responses were. Education groups, including the unions, she contended, often cite teachers’ unhappiness in order to pressure districts and states for concessions.” Click here To read the report.
Also please read the following article from Education Week titled, “Teachers Tell Researchers They Like Their Jobs.”
Western Governors University Offers Scholarships to AAE Members
The Western Governors University (WGU) is now offering two $5,000 scholarships to AAE members. WGU is the only accredited online university in the United States to offer competency-based degree programs. The Salt Lake City based university is a private, non-profit university that was created by 19 western states’ governors and incorporated in 1997. More than 20 leading corporations and foundations support WGU including AT&T, Dell, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, HCA, HP, Microsoft, Quest, Simmons Media Group and Zions Bank.
The university has a strong commitment to teacher education and offers educators who are busy with their careers and families the option of earning graduate degrees online. The two scholarships that are available to AAE members are:
- Educational Leadership Scholarship, valued up to $5,000, for teachers with a bachelor’s degree and valid certification. Degrees offered are Master’s in Education Degree in Instructional Design, M.Ed. in Learning and Technology and M.Ed. in Measurement and Evaluation.
- The Classroom Excellence Scholarship, valued up to $5,000, for teachers with a bachelor’s degree and valid certification. Degrees offered with this scholarship are Master’s of Arts in Mathematics Education, M.A. in Science Education, M.A. in English Language Learning (K-12) and Master’s of Science in Special Education.
Graduation Rates Lagging in Some States
Under No Child Left Behind, increased attention has been given to raising reading and math scores in schools - but graduation rates have not received the same attention. Critics claim that graduation rate goals are set too low in some states, therefore, jeopardizing the prospect of graduation for many low-income, minority, disabled, and English language learner students.
This conclusion was the result of a study titled, “Graduation Matters: Improving Accountability for High School Graduation,” published by Education Trust. The study found that some states are setting goals of graduating less than 60 percent of their students and have set improvement targets as low as one tenth of one percent. Some states, however, have higher graduate rate targets, such as Iowa - a state with a target of 95 percent.
“The high school diploma is the bare minimum credential necessary to have a fighting chance at successful participation in the work force of civil society,” the study stated. “Yet current high school accountability policies represent a stunning indifference to whether young people actually earn this critical credential.”
The study highlighted New York City schools as an example of improved graduation rates. The graduation rates in New York City are still low, but with the improvements seen over the last two years, more than 3,000 African Americans and Latino students have graduated form high school.
“If we are serious about reforming our high schools, we have to get serious about meaningful accountability for student success in completing high school. While progress may not come as quickly as we’d like, the improvements we’ve seen in New York City show us that, even under some of the most challenging circumstances, real change is possible,” said Ross Wiener, vice president of The Education Trust.
To improve graduation rates Education Trust recommends the follow points for NCLB reauthorization:
- Crafting meaningful graduation-rate accountability provisions in the law and providing high schools with a greater share of the federal investment in education so they have more resources to meet ambitious improvement goals.
- Targeting federal investments to improve high school curriculum and assessments.
- Better directing funds and interventions toward the lowest performing schools to ensure that high-poverty and high-minority schools get their fair share of the tools they need to be successful – strong teachers, high standards and high-quality curriculum and assessments. To view graduation goals for your state please see the map below courtesy of the New York Times.
For more information, read the study from Education Trust and the following article from the New York Times about the study.
A New Partnership Program Between Schools in England
In England there is a new program known as National Leaders in Education/National Support Schools which pairs successful schools with low-performing schools in an effort to improve the struggling schools.
“The aim is that the head and the school – the senior teachers, the administrative staff, the whole school – will be seen as a resource for the school in difficulty,” stated Judy Barson, manager for the program at the National College.
The head teachers, the equivalent of American principals, who become National Leaders in Education (NLE) must have achieved excellent results in their own schools and have proven records of working together with their faculty. The NLEs receive the equivalent of roughly $10,000 and usually spend a couple days a week at the partnering school. Mr. Lawrence Montagu, the head teacher at St. Peter’s High School and Sixth Form in Gloucester cautioned “that for the program to work, the support school must have a strong leadership team that extends well beyond the head teacher.”
The program so far seems to be a success. A formal evaluation of the program will be conducted this summer to determine the state of the program. For more information about the program please visit their website at http://www.ncsl.org.uk/nle.cfm. Also, please read the following article from Education Week titled, “In England, Top ‘Heads’ Oversee Two Schools at Once.”
On August 8, the Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE) was launched in Colorado. Click here to read AAE’s press release about the start of PACE please visit our website at