The Education Report
JULY 30, 2010
Della Cronin, Editor
dcronin@wpllc.net [1]
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:
- Budget and Appropriations
- RTTT Finalists Announced; Secretary Duncan and President Obama Tout
Reform Efforts - In Brief
- New Publications
- In the News
- About WPLLC
- Budget and Appropriations
With a week to go before the start of their August Recess, the Senate finally got down to
business preparing an FY 2011 budget this week. Mark-ups were held throughout the week at
the subcommittee and full committee level. For the Departments of Labor, Health and Human
Services and Education, the bill unveiled on Tuesday provides $1 billion less than the President
requested for the year. The bill would fund Pell grants at their maximum level, but puts off
finding the extra $6 billion necessary to meet this obligation. Twenty-three programs, deemed
“wasteful or duplicative,” would receive no funding in the bill, at a savings of $371 million. The
President’s top priorities—Race to the Top, the Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund and Teacher
Incentive Fund programs receive generous allocations, though not as much as was requested.
Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)—top Subcommittee
priorities—also received increases. The 21st Century Learning Centers Program would get a
$100 million increase from the bill, but language giving states the option to use these funds to
support a longer school day created controversy among providers.
Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom
Harkin (D-IA) said the bill focuses on three priority areas: 1) investing in programs that serve
the neediest in the nation; 2) making sure tax payer dollars are well spent and providing funds to
combat fraud and abuse; 3) and supporting programs that lead to innovation and systemic reform
where necessary. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) praised the inclusion of funding for the Leveraging
Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) program and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
expressed her support for the $300 million provided for the Early Learning Challenge Fund.
Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), while praising the work of the Chairman, expressed concern that
certain National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs had been underfunded and announced his
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intention to offer an amendment to correct that decision. Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-
MS), speaking for the minority, applauded the hard work that went into the bill, praised certain
key programs he supports, then, along with all of his Republican colleagues, voted no on final
passage. This marked a rupture in what has always been a bipartisan effort among
appropriators—a division that was discussed at length when the full Appropriations Committee
took up the bill on Thursday.
After sitting through votes on three bills during the full Committee markup, including the Labor,
Health and Human Services and Education bill, where Democrats and Republicans alike praised
their colleagues, spoke about important programs and then split ranks on party lines, Senator
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) expressed her frustration with the process. This led to a long
discussion about the $6 billion top line disagreement that was forcing all Republicans to say no
to all FY 2011 spending bills. The total $302 billion allocation this year is $14 billion below the
President’s request for the federal budget, but Republicans have said this reduction in federal
spending is an inadequate cut in the face of the current fiscal crisis.
Two Members offered amendments to the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
spending bill at the full Committee mark-up. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) asked that the
Committee increase funding for the Denali Commission by $10 million, which she proposed to
offset by taking funds from a proposed increase in funding for education research. This proposal
was rejected. Senator Specter asked his colleagues to add $1 billion to the NIH account by
cutting all other programs in the bill by an equal amount. This too was rejected.
Copies of the bill and report will be available shortly. The future of the bill remains uncertain as
few legislative days remain on the calendar. Chairman Harkin himself acknowledged that final
passage of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education spending bill, often the most
controversial of the spending bills, might have to wait until the beginning of the 112th Congress.
In other news, the dimming prospects of the Education Jobs bill seemingly brightened Friday. It
was announced that Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Harry Reid (D-
NV) and Tom Harkin had devised a legislative package that would invest $10 billion in
education jobs. The proposal, which would distribute funds to states via formula, identifies a
number of offsets to pay for the plan, including a cut of $50 million in FY 2010 spending for the
Striving Readers program—putting the program at $200 million, an $82 million cut in Student
Financial Aid Administration, reducing funding from $870.4 million to $788.4 million, and
eliminating altogether FY 2010 funds for the $10.7 million Ready to Teach program. The
ultimate fate of the proposal will be determined Monday, according to Majority Leader Reid.
Back to top.
2. RTTT Finalists Announced; Secretary Duncan and President Obama Tout
Reform Efforts
Education advocates in Washington, DC began the week by looking to newsworthy events in the
world of education policy—Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s Tuesday speech at the
National Press Club, his remarks at the National Urban League’s conference on Wednesday, and
President Barack Obama’s remarks on education reform at the National Urban League’s
conference on Thursday. The President’s speech was of particular interest, since, on Monday, a
coalition of civil rights groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) and the National Urban League, released a framework for education
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reform that criticized “the limited reach of the Race to the Top Fund and other market-based
frames for federal education funding.” It is no secret that the President and Secretary Duncan
believe that this program is revolutionary for K-12 public education, and the framework’s
criticisms reportedly came as a surprise to the administration.
Secretary Duncan and President Obama refuted the framework’s and other claims in their
remarks around town. Noting that the $4.3 billion Race to the Top (RTTT) program represents
less than 1 percent of all K-12 money spent each year, Secretary Duncan and President Obama
assert that the reforms the program has and will create will be particularly important to low-
income and minority students. Further, during his remarks before the National Urban League,
Secretary Duncan announced that, in an effort to address fiscal inequities in K-12 schools, the
Department of Education is establishing a new “Equity and Excellence Commission.” This 15-
member panel “will obtain broad public input about inequities in K-12 education and examine
how those inequities contribute to the achievement gap.”
During the President’s Thursday remarks, before a surprisingly friendly audience given the way
the week began, he commented on the country’s persistent achievement gap, saying, “[W]hen it
comes to black students, African American students trail not only almost every other developed
nation abroad, but they badly trail their white classmates here at home -- an achievement gap that
is widening the income gap between black and white, between rich and poor…[T]his status quo
is morally inexcusable, it’s economically indefensible, and all of us are going to have to roll up
our sleeves to change it.” He asserted that RTTT and the Investing in Innovation (i3) program
were important to these efforts and suggested that criticism of these efforts “reflects a general
resistance to change.” He went on to say, “We get comfortable with the status quo even when
the status quo isn’t good. We make excuses for why things have to be the way they are. And
when you try to shake things up, some people aren’t happy.” President Obama also spoke about
the importance of well-prepared, effective teachers, but said that accountability is important. He
supports measures of teacher effectiveness that include multiple factors, including test scores and
other evaluative factors. He also called for reform in assessments to produce a “real time”
evaluation of student progress versus a “snapshot.”
The only real news that came from Secretary Duncan or President Obama was the announced
finalists for phase 2 of the RTTT competition: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia,
Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Washington, DC. Between ten
and fifteen winners are expected to be announced in September. The President and Secretary’s
positions on the competitive grant programs that came out of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA)—the bulk of their remarks this week—are well known in education
policy circles. Perhaps more noteworthy was that neither of them mentioned a timetable for
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, suggesting that they know that
action this year on Capitol Hill is unlikely.
For the text of President Obama’s speech, visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press- [2]
office/remarks-president-education-reform-national-urban-league-centennial-conference.
For the Department’s announcement regarding the new Commission, visit
http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/duncan-highlights-education-depart... [3]
rights-agenda. For information on the Framework released by the civil rights groups, visit
http://www.otlcampaign.org/resources/civil-rights-framework-providing-al... [4]
opportunity-learn-through-reauthorization-el. To read Duncan’s National Press Club speech
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visit: www.ed.gov/news/speeches/quiet-revolution-secretary-arne-duncan-remarks- [5]
national-press-club or to view ED’s press release on RTTT visit:
http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/18-states-and-dc-named-finalists-r... [6].
- In Brief
CHAIRMAN MILLER FEATURED AT NATIONAL JOURNAL EVENT
At a Wednesday event hosted by National Journal focused on education policy, House
Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) was interviewed on by Eliza
Krigman, the publication’s education reporter. The interview covered a wide range of education
policy issues of interest. Following her own opening remarks that outlined the distressing
performance of American students relative to their international peers, Krigman asked Miller
about the effectiveness of the Obama Administration’s top priority, the Race to the Top (RTTT)
program. Miller deemed the program “very effective.” He credited the availability of RTTT
funding with pushing state legislatures to “throw off old boundaries” in terms of teacher
evaluations and linking student test scores to classroom teachers; the spread of charter schools;
and encouraging the current debate around a reformed Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA). Krigman turned next to the reauthorization of the ESEA and asked if Congress was
“stalled” on this undertaking. Miller acknowledged that the timetable was “as soon as possible”
versus a certain date. He said work would continue through August. According to Miller, he
met recently with Committee Members and sensed a “different political chemistry” toward the
reauthorization, and he remained hopeful about the process. In response to Krigman’s question
about the Blueprint for Reauthorization of ESEA that the Department of Education had proposed
earlier this year, Miller said there was pushback in some areas—in particular the four turn around
models that apply to persistently low performing schools, despite his belief that some schools are
simply “bad” and need to be closed. A final question about the supplemental spending bill that
had passed recently in the Senate absent the $10 billion Education Jobs Fund provoked Miller to
call the Senate “dysfunctional” because Republicans had apparently made a pact to “just say no.”
Miller said kids would be the casualty if the Congress can’t find a way to help struggling districts
avoid major layoffs in the coming weeks. For more on the event, visit:
http://edlabor.house.gov/blog/2010/07/chairman-miller-keynotes-a-nat.shtml [7].
HEARING EXAMINES IMPACT OF FEDERAL POLICIES ON CHILDREN
On Thursday, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions’ Subcommittee on Children and Families, held the third in a series of hearings on the
“State of the American Child” which focused on the impact of federal policies on children.
Witnesses from the Departments of Labor, Health, and Human Services and Education, as well
as an economist from the White House Council of Economic Advisors, shared information on
the programs for children and families implemented by their agencies. According to Dodd, the
purpose of these hearings is to examine all aspects of children’s lives: their health from birth to
adulthood, their educational experiences in and out of the classroom, and their family and
community lives, as well as to “examine where we are falling short and to devise strategies for
improvement that can endure in the years ahead.” This series began earlier this year with a
hearing that looked at the challenges facing children and families and the tools they need to
succeed in today’s society. The second hearing, which was held in Connecticut on Monday,
examined Connecticut social service, educational and health programs that provide critical
services and assistance to children and families in the state. Even though there has been
significant progress over the last three decades in terms of overall child well-being, Dodd and all
of the witnesses agreed that the condition of the American child is worsening, especially in the
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recent economic recession, as evidenced by the growing rate of child poverty, economic and
education achievement gaps and health-related problems, such as childhood obesity and low
birth weight babies. There was also agreement that the federal government has a critical role to
play. Cecilia Rouse of the Council of Economic Advisors said the federal government must,
“maintain and accelerate progress through improved access to sound economic strategies that
enable parents to provide for their children, quality health care and high quality education from
cradle to career.” Dodd noted that 20 years ago a National Commission on Children was
established which laid out a plan to address the needs of children. This, he asserted, must happen
annually and he announced plans to introduce legislation to do just that. This body would gather
data, analyze trends, issue an annual report on the state of American children, and make policy
recommendations for improving child well-being. To view the complete hearing and read
witness statements go to: http://help.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=fbaacc0c-5056-9502- [8]
5dfb-47b05d0d581b.
CAP EXAMINES ACCOUNTABILITY FOR TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS
On Thursday, the Center for American Progress (CAP) held an event titled, “Measuring What
Matters,” to examine what some argue is the lack of accountability surrounding teacher
preparation programs. The event featured a discussion of a new report—Measuring What
Matters: A Stronger Accountability Model for Teacher Education—authored by expert Edward
Crowe. To open the event, Crowe walked through his findings and recommendations for
improving accountability in teacher preparation programs. Citing what he considers a lack of
accountability among preparation programs, he said this failing would not matter so much if
these programs were consistently producing excellent teachers, “But they aren’t.” He argues that
every state should adopt the same accountability indicators for teacher preparation programs—
whether they are traditional programs or alternative certification programs, and that every state
should adopt the same tests and the same pass rate policies for credentialing teachers. He and
those experts that offered remarks about the current state and accountability of teacher
preparation programs noted that transparency and data collection are issues that stymie
accountability efforts. They also observed that programs that produce ineffective teachers are
rarely shut down or subject to interventions that improve them. While generally supportive of
the report and its suggestions, Jane West, Senior Vice President for Policy, Programs and
Professional Issues at the American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education, noted that,
in the past, certain legal issues have prevented the collection and analysis of data regarding
program graduate quality and classroom results that programs would like, and that capacity is an
issue for colleges of education that are facing tremendous change as they prepare would-be
teachers for the modern classroom. She also endorsed the report’s suggestion that any measure
of teacher effectiveness rely on multiple measures versus a single score or test value. For more
information on the event and the report, visit
http://www.americanprogress.org/events/2010/07/Measuring.html [9]
NEMOURS SPONSORS BRIEFING ON OBESITY PREVENTION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION
On Thursday, Nemours, a pediatric health system dedicated to advancing higher standards in
children’s health, held an event titled, “Healthy Kids, Healthy Future: Obesity Prevention in
Early Care and Education,” cosponsored by Representatives Michael Castle (R-DE) and Marcia
Fudge (D-OH), who made opening remarks. Both Representatives reflected on the importance
of legislation to combat and prevent childhood obesity. Representative Fudge stated that she is
“hopeful” that solutions will be found for this “labor of love” because obesity prohibits children
and adults from living full, active lives, and precludes such activities as sports participation and
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joining the military. Appropriate and well conceived nutrition policy can “change the lives our
young people,” according to Fudge. Representative Castle echoed Representative Fudge’s
sentiments and urged the legislative staff present to encourage their bosses to promote obesity
prevention. The panelists then shared information on the current state of child obesity in
America; highlighted two programs aimed at decreasing early childhood obesity; and noted
specific provisions in both the Senate and House Child Nutrition Act (CNA) reauthorization bills
that address childhood obesity. William Dietz, Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical
Activity and Obesity for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Center for Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, highlighted the Task Force on Child Obesity’s
recommendations, which include early childhood recommendations such as strengthening
prenatal care; encouraging breastfeeding; limiting time in front of a television; and increasing
physical activity. Debbie Chang, the Vice President of Policy and Prevention for Nemours,
described programs implemented in Delaware and north central Florida. Both programs are
focused on comprehensive implementation, with partnerships between schools, child care
facilities and the community in an effort to ensure a unified approach to instilling positive and
healthy habits. Geri Henchi, the Director of Nutrition Policy and Early Childhood Programs for
the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), emphasized the proposed programs in the House
and Senate CNA reauthorization bills that aim to reduce the paperwork necessary to receive free
and reduced price lunch, as well as provide $10 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
to allow resources and training to education professionals. Additionally, the House bill, the
Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act (H.R. 5504), includes a five state pilot program
allowing for an additional meal or snack for children in childcare for more than eight hours. For
more information, visit www.healthykidshealthyfuture.com [10].
ED LAUNCHES THE LEARNING REGISTRY
During the Rural Education Technology Summit on Wednesday, July 21, Education Secretary
Arne Duncan announced the launch of the Learning Registry. Flanked by Secretary Clough of
the Smithsonian Institute (SI) and Chairman Genachowski of the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC), Secretary Duncan detailed the collaborative efforts of SI, the FCC and ED
to develop a web-based tool that provides easy accessibility to the federal government’s
educational resources. “The Learning Registry will enable teachers, students, parents, schools,
governments, corporations and non-profits to build and access better, more interconnected and
personalized learning solutions needed for a 21st century education,” Secretary Duncan said.
While this project is still in the early stages of development, the goal is to create a “network of
discoverable federal resources that can be used in a wide variety of applications, including
textbooks, open educational resources, mobile applications, and online learning products.” The
FCC, SI and ED are spearheading this project, but additional agencies participating include: the
Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Department of Commerce, the National Archives, the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Energy. To learn more about the Learning
Registry visit: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/national-summit-brings-together- [11]
technology-rural-ed-experts-focus-solutions-over
Back to top.
- New Publications
“Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning” July 2010
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/KnowledgeCenter/KnowledgeTopics/Current... [12]
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cus/EducationLeadership/Documents/Learning-from-Leadership-Investigating-Links-
Final-Report.pdf
“Framework for Providing All Students as Opportunity to Learn through Reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act” July 2010
http://www.otlcampaign.org/sites/default/files/resources/CivilRights%20f... [13]
FINAL7-25-10.pdf
“A Critical Moment: Child and Youth Homelessness in Our Nation’s Schools” July 2010
http://www.firstfocus.net/sites/default/files/HomelessEd_0.pdf [14]
“The Harlem Children’s Zone, Promise Neighborhoods, and the Broader, Bolder Approach to
Education” July 2010
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2010/0720_hcz_whitehur... [15]
hitehurst.pdf
“Error Rates in Measuring Teacher and School Performance Based on Student Test Score Gains”
July 2010 http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20104004/pdf/20104004.pdf [16]
“Measuring What Matters: A Stronger Accountability Model for Teacher Education” July 2010
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/07/pdf/teacher_accountabilit... [17]
Back to top.
- In the News
“House Passes Pared-Down Measure to Fund War” Boston Globe (7/27/10)
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/07/27/house_pa... [18]
wn_measure_to_fund_war/
“The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers” New York Times (7/27/10)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/economy/28leonhardt.html?ref=... [19]
“Standards Raised, More Students Fail Tests” New York Times (7/28/10)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/education/29scores.html?ref=education [20]
“President to Defend Education Plan” Politico (7/29/10)
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40246.html [21]
“Dozens Arrested as Arizona Prepares to Appeal Judge’s Last-Minute Blocking of Immigration
Law” Los Angeles Times (7/29/10)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-arizona- [22]
immigration,0,3023196.story
“Least-Disruptive Turnaround Model Proving Popular” Education Week (7/29/10)
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/07/29/37sig.h29.html?tkn=RPUFAoXt... [23]
XPbyNsKNCv6eCbXmQF&cmp=clp-edweek
Back to top.
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- 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
• Public Relations & Communications
• Policy Research and Analysis
• Strategic Planning
• Grassroots Activities
• Association Management
• Meeting and Conference Planning
• • •
This publication contains links to Internet sites for the convenience of World Wide Web users. Washington Partners, LLC is not
responsible for the availability or content of these external sites, nor does Washington Partners, LLC endorse, warrant or
guarantee the information, services, or products described or offered at these other Internet sites.
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 [1] or call 202.289.3900.
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