Education Report for June 5, 2009

1. Budget and Appropriations
-Cranky tone in Congress after returning from Memorial Day recess; controversial debate centered on healthcare and the President's supreme court nominee.
-Secretary Duncan faced unexpected criticism during appearances in front of both the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittees (LHHS) to discuss the FY2010 education spending plan (see message sent to listserv 6/4 for more info on the concerns and complaints voiced about the ARRA and FY2010 ed budget during these hearings).
-302B allocations (specific instructions on spending parameters given to subcommittee chairs), which were expected to be handed down this week, were delayed by a meeting of conferees on the emergency war supplemental spending bill.

2. House Education and Labor Committee Discusses Charter Schools
-Hearing examined "how success at high performance charter schools can be replicated or inform education reform efforts"--an idea that Secretary Duncan and President have both strongly advocated.
-Charter schools as "laboratories of innovation"
-Assistant Deputy at ED confirmed as a high priority
-Roxbury Preparatory School in Boston examined as a test case
-See more in-depth summary from WP attached below for more details on the charter school hearing.

3. In Brief, headings include
-NATIONAL TEACHER PROJECT (NTP) RELEASES NEW REPORT ON TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS--"The Widget Effect: Our National Failure to Acknowledge and Act on Differences in Teacher Effectiveness."
-NCTM RELEASE GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR MATH CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT
-COMMON CORE HOLDS BRIEFING ON INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENTS
-PANEL DISCUSSION FEATURES EINSTEIN FELLOWS
-EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE (ETS) HOLDS BRIEFING ON ASSESSING ELLS
-BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
-NEW AMERICAN FOUNDATION HOSTS DISCUSSION ON CHILD WELL-BEING INDEX
-FORHAM INSTITUTE DISCUSSES PROS AND CONS OF UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL

Be sure to also scan sections #4 ("New Publications") and **#5 ("In the News"), for articles of interest.