the american recovery and reinvestment act current federal policy and legislation reauthorizing esea...
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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Current Federal Policy and LegislationCurrent Federal Policy and Legislation
Reauthorizing ESEAReauthorizing ESEA
NHSAA/NHASBOSeptember 24, 2009
Bruce HunterAssociate Executive Director, Advocacy and Communications
American Recovery and Reinvestment ActAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Goals of the Money:– Spend funds quickly to save/create jobs
– Improve student achievement through school improvement and reform
– Ensure transparency, reporting and accountability
– Invest money thoughtfully to minimize funding cliff
Core SFSF AssurancesCore SFSF AssurancesGovernors Must Make These Assurances
1. Making improvements in teacher effectiveness and ensuring that all schools have highly qualified teachers;
2. Making progress toward college and career-ready standards and rigorous assessments that will improve both teaching and learning;
3. Improving achievement in low-performing schools, by providing intensive support and effective interventions in schools that need them the most;
4. Gathering information to improve student learning, teacher performance, and college and career-readiness through enhanced data systems that track progress.
*Includes regular FY 09 appropriations
State
District
Who
Spe
nds
SFSF Phase Two
School Improvement
Grants
$3.5 billion
$12.6 billion
Ed Tech
$650 million
Both
District
SEA and LEA Coordination
StateWho Applies
Investing in Innovation Fund
Teacher Incentive Fund
$300 million
$650 million
Race to the Top
$4.35 billion
$250 million
Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems
Teacher Incentive Fund
$300 million
Planning Timelines
Allows applicants to frame in overall reform context
ARRA Leverage Over StatesRace To The Top Grants $4.35 billion
• “Second we propose that to be eligible under this program, a state must not have any legal, statutory or regulatory barriers to linking student achievement and student growth data to teachers for the purpose of teacher and principal evaluation”
RACE TO THE TOP (CHARTER SCHOOLS) ED Review (06/19/09)
• Prefacing his speech on school turnarounds, the Secretary told reporters on a June 8 conference call that states must be open to states must be open to charter schools. charter schools. “States that do not have public charter laws or put artificial caps on the growth of charter schools will jeopardize their applications under the ‘Race to the Top’ Fund,” he declared.
Federal Leverage Re: State and Local Federal Leverage Re: State and Local DecisionsDecisions
• SIG -School improvement Grants $3.5 billion for school turnarounds – Aimed at the 5000 lowest scoring schools-5%– Three tiers of eligibility – 1. The lowest scoring 5%
of all Title I schools in punishment stages, 2. Equally low scoring middle and high schools that do not get Title I funding, 3. the rest of the schools in punishment stages
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Federal Leverage Re: State and Local Federal Leverage Re: State and Local DecisionsDecisions
• SIG Grants -Four turnaround models– Restart Model -Turn the school into a charter school or
over to a private educational company & fire the principal– Turnaround Model- Fire the principal and at least 50% of
the teachers and implement changes– Closure Model - Close the school and disperse students to
higher scoring schools & fire the principal– Transformational Model - Transform the school through
PD, use of data, alignment and proven practices & fire the principal
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Federal Leverage Re: State and Local Decisions
• SIG conditions– Fire the principals– Use test scores to evaluate teachers– Agree to teacher placement decisions authority
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Sec. 613 (a)(C) Adjustment to local fiscal effort in certain fiscal years.— (i) Amounts in excess.--Notwithstanding clauses (ii) and (iii) of subparagraph (A),
for any fiscal year for which the allocation received by a local educational agency under section 611(f) exceeds the amount the local educational agency received for the previous fiscal year, the local educational agency may reduce the level of expenditures otherwise required by subparagraph (A)(iii) by not more than 50 percent of the amount of such excess.
(ii) Use of amounts to carry out activities under ESEA.--If a local educational agency exercises the authority under clause (i), the agency shall use an amount of local funds equal to the reduction in expenditures under clause (i) to carry out activities authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
(iii) State prohibition.--Notwithstanding clause (i), if a State educational agency determines that a local educational agency is unable to establish and maintain programs of free appropriate public education that meet the requirements of subsection (a) or the State educational agency has taken action against the local educational agency under section 616, the State educational agency shall prohibit the local educational agency from reducing the level of expenditures under clause (i) for that fiscal year.
IDEA Flexibility - Problems Emerge
Budget and AppropriationsBudget and Appropriations
Forty-Nine States and Territories Join Common Core State Standards
Initiative• NGA Center, CCSSO Convene State-led Process to
Develop Common English-language arts and Mathematics Standards
• By signing on to the Common Core State Standards Initiative, governors and state commissioners of education across the country are committing to joining a state-led process to develop a common core of state standards in English-language arts and mathematics for grades K-12.
Increased Congressional support for common core (not national) standards. CCSSO and NGA have joined together with 49 states and
territories to develop them. Partnership also with Achieve, ACT and the College Board. States may choose to include additional standards beyond
the common core as long as the common core represents at least 85 percent of the state’s standards in English language arts and mathematics.
Still unclear what Congress sees as their role in these discussions without leading to the development of national standards.
Common Core StandardsCommon Core Standards
Common Standards ≠ Federal StandardsEducation & Labor Republican Staff on September 21, 2009
• The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers today released a public draft of the groups’ proposed common standards in English-language arts and mathematics. The standards were developed as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative and are now open for review and comment. According to the groups’ press release, “These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing, academic college courses and in workforce training programs.”
• Today’s release of proposed common standards developed by state and school leaders is a perfect reminder that the federal government need not control every facet of education reform. In fact, positive steps are being taken in those areas where the federal government has deliberately refrained from involving itself. The progress being made seems like a good reason to keep it that way.
What will the common core standards look like?
• FewerFewer, clearer, and higher• Articulate to parents, teachers, and the
general public expectations for what students will know and be able to do, grade by grade, and when they graduate from high school
• Internationally benchmarked• Research and evidence based • Ready for states to adopt
CCSSO
What happens after states adopt common core standards?
• The common core state standards are the first step in transforming our education system. For systemic change to occur:– Educators must be given resources, tools, and time to
adjust classroom practice.– Instructional materials need to be developed that align to
the standards.– Assessments will be developed to measure student
progress.– Federal, state, and district policies will need to be re-
examined to ensure they support alignment of the common core -- throughout the system -- with student achievement.
CCSSO
NGA Press Release
Secretary Duncan Praises the Work of NGA and CCSSO
• U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan addressed state officials and education researchers.
• "Thanks to [CCSSO] and NGA – your hard work and leadership is paying off... With higher standards that are common across states we can share best practices and collaborate on curricula."
• Secretary Duncan cited internationally benchmarked standards as one of four education reforms in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Reauthorization of ESEA
Two Trains Are Leaving the Station• NCLB• George Miller & Edward Kennedy• Subject to some changes• Most influential groups will be think
tanks• 50 standards and 50 tests• Hard to make national analyses • Rigid punitive design, high stakes
summative tests, all or nothing accountability, but disaggregation has focused instruction
• Test scores rising everywhere for all groups of students
• Federal control of accountability drives standards, curriculum and sanctions based on test results
• Common Core• NGA/46 Governors and CCSSO/46 Chiefs• New plan is still malleable• Easier for administrators to influence
elements of plan at the state level• Common standards that are higher,
clearer and fewer• Uniform assessment system that is more
rigorous than current tests but both formative and summative aligned to standards
• National analyses more possible• Plan for open source common
instructional materials aligned to standards
• Plan for professional development keyed to standards driven by results
• No punishment plan build into design• Return of control over all facets of
education to states
Reauthorization of ESEAThere is no consensus
• Reform =‘s Charter schools/Privatization• Reform =‘s National standards and
tests/Common core of standards and uniform assessments, & performance pay
• Reform =‘s Vouchers, charters and virtual schools• Reform =‘s returning authority over all critical
processes to states• Transformation =‘s Professional development,
support for new teachers, better assessments, curriculum aligned to standards & vertically aligned assessments
Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return
• WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. swine flu vaccinations could begin in October with children among the first in line — at their local schools — the Obama administration said Thursday as the president and his Cabinet urged states to figure out now how they'll tackle the virus' all-but-certain resurgence.
By LAURAN NEERGAARD July 10, 2009
IDEA Mandatory FundingIDEA Mandatory Funding
• Congress has promised to provide 40% of the APPE for every child in special education.– They are currently at 17% (not counting ARRA).
• Proposals in both the House and the Senate will be introduced to make the increases mandatory ensuring 40% within 6 years.– S 1652 - Senator Harkin (D-IA) and Roberts (R-KS)– Representatives Van Hollen (D-MD), Platts (R-PA) and
Walz (D-MN)
• How do we deal with the investment under ARRA?
Seclusion and RestraintSeclusion and Restraint• Due to several high profile cases of wrongful death
or injury due to seclusion and restraint, Congress is now getting involved.
• The House held a hearing several weeks ago.• Chairman Miller (D-CA) plans to introduce a bill that
would limit the ability of schools (both public and private) to use seclusion and restraint, except in emergency situations by well trained staff.
• Senator Dodd (D-CT) has also shown interest in this issue.
School-based Medicaid ClaimingSchool-based Medicaid Claiming
• The final Bush-era rule to eliminate administrative and transportation claiming was published on December 28, 2007.
• The Obama administration has rescinded this regulation school-based administrative and transportation claiming.
• July 6 meeting with new CMS Director Cindy Mann - CMS agrees to work with us and US DOE
School NutritionSchool Nutrition• Up for reauthorization this Congress– Senate Agriculture Committee– House Education and Labor Committee
• Increased focused on nutritional standards & childhood obesity.– HR 1324 – Rep. Woolsey (D-CA) – S 934 – Sen. Harkin (D-IA)– Need to ensure exception for school sponsored events
• Need to look at increasing reimbursement rates for schools in order to provide more nutritious meals.
