Education Report July 24, 2009

1.Budget and Appropriations
-The full house passed the FY 2010 House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act with a vote of 264-153.
-The action now turns to the Senate where the LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee is scheduled to mark up its final FY 2010 bill on Tuesday, July 28. The full Committee then meets on the 30th if everything goes as planned.
(A chart of the final funding totals for the Dept. of Ed. is attached)

2.ED Releases Guidance on ARRA, Including Race to the Top
-Arne Duncan and President Barack Obama announced the draft guidelines for states to apply for the $4.35 billion dollar Race to the Top fund grants to "support education reform and innovation in classrooms."
-The states awarded these grants will be expected to implement four core reforms known as "the four assurances." (Adopting common internationally benchmarked K-12 standards that truly prepare students for college and careers, monitoring student learning and progress, employing and retaining high quality teachers and administrators, and turning around low-performing schools.)
-The grants ill be awarded i two competitive phases: Phase I will start in late 2009 and Phase II will open in mid-to-late Spring of 2010.
-ED also released guidance for Phase II of the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds, the State Educational Technology Grants, and State Longitudinal Data Systems. visit:www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/programs.html

3.House Eduction and Labor Committee Approves New Education Programs
-The House Education and Labor Committee marked up and passed the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act with a bipartisan vote of 30-17.
-Portion of the savings will be used to create a new Early Learning Challenge fund which will provide $8 billion over 8 years for states to build quality comprehensive systems for children birth to age five.
-$3 billion will be invested in a College Access and Completion Fund to support programs helping students both access post secondary opportunities and obtain a degree.
-Furthermore, $7 billion will be invested in to the Community College Initiative.
visit:edlabor.house.gov/blog/2009/07/student-aid-and-fiscal-respons.shtml

4. In Brief
-House Hearing on more Women in Stem Fields
-Educational Testing Service Discusses Common Standards
-Urban Institute holds event Child Welfare
-CHSE holds briefing on developing Common Standards

Be sure to also check out #5(New Publications) and #6(In the News) for articles of interest.