Education Report July 16, 2010

The Education Report

JULY 16, 2010
Della Cronin, Editor
dcronin@wpllc.net

The Education Report, a weekly publication of WPLLC, provides an executive summary of
public policy issues affecting American education. Please use the bookmarks below to
navigate to your area of interest:

1. Budget and Appropriations
2. In Brief
3. New Publications
4. In the News
5. About WPLLC
6. Budget and Appropriations
   The Congress returned to the Nation’s Capitol this week to face a long list of contentious issues
   to resolve in a very short period of time. It appears that the week-long recess did little to lower
   the temperature inside or out. Members clearly got the message from their constituents that the
   growing deficit is an urgent concern, and they want them to do something about it.

With time running short, activity on the FY 2011 budget kicked into high gear. Several
appropriations subcommittees met to mark-up agency spending proposals throughout the week.
On Thursday, the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
(LHHS), convened for its final meeting chaired by Congressman David Obey (D-WI) who retires
at the end of this year. The bill he presented to his colleagues is by his own definition
“inadequate to the task” of helping those struggling in the current economy. Overall the bill
would spend $176 billion, $1.5 billion less than President Obama requested. For education the
bill provides $71 billion, an increase of $7 billion over FY 2010, almost all of which goes to fund
the shortfall identified in the Pell Grant Program. It also provides $800 million in additional
funding for Race to the Top; $400 million for the Investment in Innovation (i3) grant program;
and $400 million increases for Title I and IDEA respectfully. Very few other details are
available at this time.

It is unclear when the full House Appropriations Committee will meet to act on the bill that was
adopted by the Subcommittee on a strictly party line vote. The mark-up was spirited but friendly
with Republican Members trying six ways to Sunday to come up with an amendment to reduce
the overall cost of the bill that their Democratic colleagues would accept. They failed on all
counts.

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While the House met to mark-up the LHHS bill, the Senate Appropriations Committee was
meeting to discuss several subcommittee measures plus the overall budget for FY 2011. The
mark-up was decidedly partisan, with a rare appearance by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
(R-KY), who had succeeded early in the week in getting a unanimous vote among Republican
appropriators to vote no on all bills that failed to cut federal spending more severely than the
$1.114 trillion that was agreed to. To quote Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA), “Today what I see
is a breaking apart of the cohesiveness of the committee.” Time will tell if that is truly the case.
The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Committee is set to meet on July
22nd to discuss their proposed budget for the Department of Education.

Back to top.
2. In Brief
RTI PROVIDES SIGNIFICANT ACADEMIC GAINS WITH PROPER IMPLEMENTATION
On Monday, the National Center for Learning Disabilities hosted a briefing, “RTI in Action:
Improving Education for All Students,” which discussed the implementation process of the
Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS), also known as the Response to Intervention (RTI)
model. The briefing brought together school leaders who have successfully put into effect a
MTSS as well as experts in the framework and implementation of this system. Dr. Ed Shapiro, a
professor at Lehigh University and an expert on the RTI model, explained that through
leadership; sustainability over a three- to five-year period; and reallocation of resources and
support, significant gains in learning can be achieved using this framework. Using a three-tiered
system, students move fluidly among each tier as necessary in order to have their instructional
needs met and to receive the proper amount of intervention and differentiation within the
classroom, Shapiro explained. The three school leaders described the academic successes they
had seen school-wide after properly implementing the RTI framework. All three school leaders
agreed, however, that fidelity of implementation is the paramount ingredient to ensure RTI’s
efficacy. One critical element of implementation is the ability to pool resources, which under the
current law requires clever maneuvering around existing funding restrictions within Title I and
Title II. Laura Kaloi, Director of Public Policy at the National Center for Learning Disabilities,
outlined what role the federal government can play to scale up RTI implementation across the
country. Kaloi stated Multi-Tier Systems of Support should be included in the reauthorization of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This can be accomplished by allowing
coordination of funding between Title I, Title II and literacy grant programs with IDEA Early
Intervening Services and by including an overall definition of “Multi-Tier System of Supports”
in the bill. By further aligning IDEA and ESEA, Kaloi stated, resources are effectively targeted
to students most in need and those most at risk academically and behaviorally. For more
information on this event, visit: http://www.ncld.org/.

AYPF EVENT EXAMINES STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS
The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) hosted the third in a series of forum discussions,
titled, “Preparing Students for the Rapidly-Changing World: Implications for Instruction and
Assessment” on Monday, July 12. Recent research shows that now, more than ever, 21st century,
or “higher order” skills, such as complex communication skills, are critical to preparing students
for modern careers and postsecondary education. These skills include problem solving, decision
making, critical thinking, and collaboration and communication skills that can be applied to real-
life situations. There is a similar emphasis on the need for common standards and accompanying
improved assessments. Two coalitions of states have applied for $350 million in Race to the Top
(RTTT) funding that was explicitly set aside by the Administration to create and promote such
assessments, which are to include realistic performance tasks as well as other complex measures
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of key skills. The AYPF event focused on the need for effective assessments to measure student
competency and featured a panel discussion on the issue. Elena Silva, Senior Policy Analyst at
Education Sector, provided an overview of the different characteristics necessary to effectively
measure key competencies. Silva emphasized the growing recognition of the need for students
to “analyze and evaluate ideas, communicate and create new ideas,” which she labeled as “21st
century skills.” She also stressed the need for a public consensus on student outcomes and an
improved accountability system. Panelist Sharon Lee, Secondary Redesign Specialist for the
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, provided insight into her
own state’s proficiency-based graduation requirements which require students to complete
individualized performance tasks to demonstrate core content knowledge and mastery of key
skills. Lee spoke about the success the Department has seen and their goal to transition to a
curriculum based on the Common Core standards as assessments become aligned across the
system. Susan Gendron, Policy Coordinator for SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium,
one of the two consortia of states that have applied for the RTTT assessment program’s support,
explained the SMARTER “Theory of Action” and addressed their proposal’s plea for more
updated assessments to measure a wide range of skills through performance-based tasks. Among
the most important points Gendron highlighted was the need for standards to be globally
competitive; consistent across states; and for assessments to be helpful in providing information
about student growth from year-to-year and college-readiness. For more information on this
event, visit: http://www.aypf.org/forumbriefs/2010/fb071210.htm.

HOUSE ED AND LABOR COMMITTEE MARKS-UP THE IMPROVING NUTRITION FOR
AMERICA’S CHILDREN ACT
During the two day mark-up of the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act (H.R. 5504),
which began on Wednesday, 20 amendments were offered. Fifteen amendments were adopted,
including Chairman George Miller’s (D-CA) Manager’s Amendment, which will enhance the
bill with initiatives to more closely match President Obama’s goal of improving child nutrition.
One popular initiative added back into the Manager’s Amendment was a provision expanding the
national afterschool meals program to provide more children an additional meal or snack.
Ultimately, the bill was passed by a bipartisan vote of 32 to 13, with the controversial offsets not
quite in sight. The legislation will address a number of areas of concern including school food
safety; implementing direct certification for students who receive Medicaid benefits; and setting
nutrition standards for schools. The bill will also provide a 6 cent increase in reimbursement per
school meal. While Miller expressed his support of the bill by stating, “This legislation gives us
a real opportunity to make dramatic reforms to help prevent hunger, to improve children’s health
and increase access to healthy meals. The health and academic success of an entire generation of
children is at stake,” Ranking Member John Kline (R-MN) frequently voiced his disapproval of
new programs and new spending while recognizing the need to modernize and improve existing
programs. He, in fact, submitted his own substitute bill, which he claimed would not call for
increasing the federal deficit. It was defeated 16-30. Kline stated, “The bill before us today…
leads to a costly expansion of the federal government at a time the country can least afford it,”
and he voted against the final passage of the bill. No timeline was provided for further action.
More information, including a full list of amendments is available at:
http://edlabor.house.gov/markups/2010/07/hr-5504-improving-nutrition-fo.....

FIRST FOCUS HOLDS CHILDREN’S BUDGET SUMMIT
First Focus held an event titled, Children’s Budget Summit: Research and Messaging to Move
the Dial for Kids on Wednesday. Featured speakers at the event included a panel of
representatives from state-based advocacy organizations from Michigan, Pennsylvania and South
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Carolina; Julia Isaacs of the Brookings Institute; Eugene Steurle of the Urban Institute; Dr. Drew
Westen, a nationally renowned messaging expert; and Kristen Grimm, President of Spitfire
Strategies. Additionally, Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Robert Casey (D-PA) and Richard
Lugar (R-IN), along with Heather Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the White House Domestic
Policy Council, were honored as Champion for Children Award recipients for their passion and
continued efforts in child welfare reform. Higginbottom expressed how honored she was to be in
the company of the well-respected senators receiving this award and spoke to several key
initiatives on President Obama’s agenda for children and families. Two reports released during
the event outlined major federal budget spending on children in recent years; the use of ARRA
funding for child legislation reform; and projected current data into the future to anticipate the
funding implications for America’s children. Both Dr. Westen and Kristen Grimm addressed
effective tools, tips and strategies associated with advocacy for children’s issues, and the three
state advocacy organization representatives spoke about attempts to spark legislative reform and
raise revenues for children’s issues in their respective states. This included attempts to raise
media awareness; connect with policy makers; and stimulate community awareness and interest
for increased advocacy. For more information, visit:
http://www.firstfocus.net/news/events/2010/07/childrens-budget-summit.

NEW POLL RELEASED ON ATTITUDES ABOUT ESEA REAUTHORIZATION
On Wednesday, the Alliance for Excellent Education released a poll of 1000 likely voters on
how their concerns about the nation’s schools will influence their votes this fall. Even though
the majority of these respondents did not have school-aged children, they expressed a strong
belief that the quality of American education is directly linked to economic prosperity and U.S.
global competitiveness and that candidate support for improving education will be an important
consideration. Particularly surprising to the pollsters was the fact that Republican and
Democratic respondents had practically identical responses to the questions on the poll, with
both willing to consider higher taxes to improve the quality of public education. Also of interest,
was the deep concern expressed about the quality of education offered in the nation’s high
schools and the importance of high school diplomas. According to the poll, respondents believe
that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act should provide support for middle and high
schools as well as elementary schools, and they feel a sense of urgency about amending the law.
No Child Left Behind has achieved near universal name recognition. Though frustration with
the law was expressed by some respondents, for the most part they want it improved and not
discarded. Attitudes about high schools were most positive when questions focused on their
neighborhood schools and became more critical as the questions moved to state and national
considerations. Though respondents thought diplomas important, a large percentage
acknowledged that more education is needed for job security. Less than 50 percent of these
likely voters believe that earning a high school diploma is adequate preparation for college
success. For more information about the poll’s findings go to:
www.all4ed.org/publication_material/July2010Poll.

SENATE CONSUMER PROTECTION, PRODUCT SAFETY AND INSURANCE
SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON PROTECTING YOUTHS ONLINE
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance held a hearing titled,
“Protecting Youths in an Online World” aimed at ensuring youth safety online. This was the
second in a series of hearings on the topic. Subcommittee Chairman Mark Pryor (D-AR)
convened the hearing by describing the current state of youth and technology. Eighty-three
percent of all 17-year-olds and 50 percent of all 12-year-olds own a cell phone. A high
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percentage of those cell phones are smart phones which enable youth to access the internet from
their handset. In addition, an alarming 1/3 of teens admit to being victims of online harassment.
The witnesses shared the Chairman’s “deep concern” about the online safety of today’s youth.
Jessica Rich, the Deputy Director of Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC), voiced the FTC’s commitment to protecting teens, stating that teens are
“digital natives,” but that does not mean they are capable of always making sound decisions
while online. She added, “Every online safety program must consist of technology, education,
collaboration and enforcement designed to prevent unwanted content, contact and conduct.”
Michelle Collins, the Vice President of the Exploited Children Division of the National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), continued the discussion by explaining a number
of the programs that have been created to combat exploiting children including a Cyber Tip Line
that has received over 900,000 tips. Providing an industry perspective, K. Dane Snowden, the
Vice President of External and State Affairs of CTIA–The Wireless Association, explained that
there are blockades built into cell phones that parents can access to limit the online reach of their
children. He stated that he was “pleased” with the progress his company has made. Full
Committee Chairman John Rockefeller (D-WV) concluded the hearing by stating that he is “not
satisfied” with the current state of cyber security or the conclusion of the hearing, but that he is
nonetheless thankful to the witnesses for providing testimony. For more information, please
visit:
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Hearings&ContentRecord_id=...
aca6-454a-839d-19be2a28a6e6&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-
56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=b06c39af-e033-4cba-9221-de668ca1978a.

SCHOOL LEADERS NEED TIME TO TURNAROUND LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOLS
On Thursday, the Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE) and the National Association of
Secondary School Principals (NASSP) hosted a briefing highlighting the role of school leaders in
turnaround schools. Two principals of secondary schools recognized by NASSP as
“Breakthrough Schools” shared their experiences, challenges and insights in turning around their
low-performing schools. Each school, while serving a highly diverse and largely low-income
student population, has sustained at least three years of significant academic growth in addition
to making Adequate Yearly Process (AYP). Dr. Gerald Tirozzi, Executive Director of NASSP,
asked the audience to take note of the length of time required for these principals to turn around
these schools. He also emphasized that each award-winning principal would have been fired
long before each school demonstrated its growth and improved testing scores if the local school
district had imposed one of the four turnaround models currently being proposed by the
Department of Education. In addition, Tom O’Brien, Principal of Brentwood High School
located in Brentwood, NY, stated, “Principals can be taught to be recovery principals” and
agreed with NASSP’s assessment that firing a school leader is not always the answer. Both
O’Brien and Lavonne Smiley, Principal of Tefft Middle School in Streamwood, IL, agreed that
school leaders play a critical role in turnaround strategies and that it takes: 1) focused leadership;
2) data analysis: 3) continuous self-evaluation and well-conceived strategic risks; 4) a strong
improvement team; 5) celebration of all successes; and 6) time. Lastly, Jamie Fasteau, Senior
Education Policy Advisor for the majority staff of the House Education and Labor Committee,
and Lindsay Hunsicker, Senior Education Policy Advisor for the minority staff of the Senate
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, gave an update on the status of the
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Fasteau stressed that
Chairman George Miller (D-CA) was determined to pass a bill this year. She also stated that the
Committee was working in bipartisan fashion to craft legislation that maintained what is working
in current statute while fixing parts of the law that need improvement. Fasteau also stressed that
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the appropriate role for the federal government in education must be maintained with
implementation flexibility for states and localities. Hunsicker shared that the Senate was taking
a similar approach but was not as far along in its deliberations as the House. In terms of the
Administration’s controversial turnaround models, both Fasteau and Hunsicker agreed that their
committees would be taking a broader view and would most likely allow for a “more hands off
approach” to allow for greater input from states and local school districts. For more information
about this event, go to: http://www.all4ed.org/events/BriefingNASSPTurnaround071510

NGA ANNOUNCES COLLEGE COMPLETION INITIATIVE
In the closing session of the National Governors Association (NGA) annual meeting this week,
West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin (D) officially became chair of the organization, and
Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman (R) was named Vice Chair. In conjunction with this
announcement, Manchin announced that a new “Complete to Compete” initiative would be the
priority during his term. The effort will focus on increasing the number of students in the United
States who complete college degrees and certificates and improving the productivity of the
country's higher education institutions. Of the announcement, Manchin said, "The nation has
fallen from first to twelfth in the world in the number of students who complete degrees. Now,
we're faced with a generation of students that is projected to have lower educational attainment
than their parents... My initiative will bring together governors, higher education executive
officers, campus leaders and corporate CEOs to make marked improvements in college
completion and productivity and get our country back on track to produce a successful workforce
for the future." The initiative also aims to create a set of common higher education completion
and productivity measures that governors and higher education leaders can use to monitor state
progress and compare performance to other states and between institutions. A report, Complete
to Compete Common College Completion Metrics, was also released. It will be followed in
coming weeks by a technical guide for states. For more information on the 2010-2011 Chair's
Initiative, visit www.nga.org/ci.

SENATOR DODD (D-CT) UNVEILS THREE EDUCATION PROPOSALS
As the House and Senate continue to work toward drafting a comprehensive proposal to
reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT),
one of the group of “big eight” Democrat and Republican lawmakers that have been meeting to
discuss broad principles of such a bill, has introduced three pieces of education legislation. On
June 30, Dodd introduced The Sandy Feldman Kindergarten Plus Act of 2010 (S. 3557), The No
Child Left Behind Reform Act (S. 3558), and The Mentoring America’s Children Act (S. 3559).
The title of the second of these might suggest that the bill proposes a major overhaul to current
law. That, however, is not the case; the brief proposal would alter current Adequate Yearly
Progress provisions to allow the consideration of growth measures in accountability rubrics;
would authorize grants for states and subgrants to Local Education Agencies to increase their
capacity for collecting and analyzing data for accountability provisions of current law; and
would modify Highly Qualified Teacher provisions to address middle school teacher
qualifications, as well as social studies and science teachers at the elementary school level. The
other legislative proposals address investments in early childhood education and mentoring
programs, issues Dodd has supported for a long time. To see information on these bills provided
by the Senator’s office, visit: http://dodd.senate.gov/?q=node/5710.

AYPF HOLDS EVENT ON HIGH SCHOOL ELOS
On Friday, July 9, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) held an event titled, “Offering
High School Credit Through Expanded Learning Opportunities.” The event featured a panel of
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experts on the implementation of New Hampshire’s Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO)
model and was moderated by Ben Aiken, a Program Associate at AYPF. New Hampshire
Extended Learning Opportunities (NH ELO) is an initiative aimed at supporting student success
by allowing students to create a formal ELO plan pertaining to their personal interests, through
which they will master predetermined competencies that are aligned with core academic
subjects. The initiative is driven by a partnership between the New Hampshire Department of
Education, PlusTime New Hampshire, the Q.E.D. Foundation and the Capital Area Center for
Education Support. Janice Hastings, Vice President of Development of Plus Time New
Hampshire, explained the vision of the NH ELO initiative as expanding traditional high school
classroom options; creating rigorous and relevant learning experiences; and granting credit based
on demonstrating mastery of predetermined competencies. She also highlighted the goals of the
program that include developing appropriate ELOs for high school students; demonstrating that
ELOs improve learning outcomes for underserved students; and demonstrating that ELOs are a
useful tool to meet the educational needs of underserved students. Upon the completion of the
ELO experience, there is a final exhibition of learning to determine mastery of competencies that
may include a performance in front of peers or a more traditional written examination. Michael
O’Malley, Principal of Newfound Regional High School, highlighted the importance of changing
“habits of mind” and “how people operate” to promote the success of ELOs. He added that
considering numerous successes of ELOs, they have a “strong impact on school culture of
opportunity” and encourage student aspirations. For more information, visit:
http://www.aypf.org/forumbriefs/2010/fb070910.htm.
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1. New Publications
   “America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being” July 2010
   http://www.childstats.gov/pdf/ac2010/ac_10.pdf

“Bipartisan National Public Opinion Poll on the Need for Immediate Education Reform” July
2010 http://www.all4ed.org/files/071410PollReleasePublicQuestionnaire.pdf

“Teaching Jobs Saved 2009-10 But Teacher Layoffs Loom for Next School Year” July 2010
http://www.cep-
dc.org/document/docWindow.cfm?fuseaction=document.viewDocument&documentid=312
&documentFormatId=4660

“Complete to Compete: Common College Completion Metrics” July 2010
http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/1007COMMONCOLLEGEMETRICS.PDF

“Kids’ Share 2010: Report on Federal Expenditures on Children through 2009” July 2010
www.firstfocus.net/sites/default/files/Kids%20Share%202010%20-%20Final.pdf
Children’s Budget 2010 July 2010
www.firstfocus.net/sites/default/files/ChildrensBudget2010.pdf
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1. In the News
   “Computers at Home: Educational Hope vs. Teenage Reality” New York Times (7/9/10)
   http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/business/11digi.html?ref=education

“Students, Meet Your New Teacher, Mr. Robot” New York Times (7/10/10)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/science/11robots.html?ref=education

“Gates Foundation Playing a Pivotal Role in Changes for Education System” Washington Post
(7/12/10)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2010/07/11/AR2010071...

“Leader of Governors Group Focuses on College Grads” Boston Globe (7/12/10)
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/07/12/leader_o...
oup_focuses_on_college_grads/

“NAACP Hears Michelle on Obesity” Politico (7/12/10)
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39628.html

“House Panel Vote for Another Year of Race to the Top” Education Week (7/15/10)
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-
12/2010/07/house_panel_votes_for_another.html

“Senate Panel Slashes Obama Budget” Politico (7/15/10)
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39834.html
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1. About WPLLC
   For over 30 years, the principals and staff at WPLLC have specialized in the field of education, making sure the voices of
   associations and nonprofit organizations are heard—on Capitol Hill and in the media. As a full service government affairs and
   public relations firm, we work in strong partnership with our clients to position them for the greatest success now and in the
   future. Working as a team, relationships are structured to maximize the strengths of each client; the client’s mission is our driving
   force as we help them clarify needs, set goals and craft and implement successful strategies. WPLLC provides expertise in a
   variety of services:

• Government Relations
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• Policy Research and Analysis
• Strategic Planning
• Grassroots Activities
• Association Management
• Meeting and Conference Planning

For more information, please call us at 202.289.3900 or visit our website at wpllc.net.
• • •
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Copyright 2010. Washington Partners, LLC. Redistribution of this memorandum or its content outside the immediate
organization of the intended recipient without the express prior permission of Washington Partners, LLC is prohibited. Readers
are encouraged to send comments about this publication to Della Cronin at dcronin@wpllc.net or call 202.289.3900.