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Posts Tagged ‘accountability’

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New Accountability Roadmap May Add Pressure for Faster ESEA Reauthorization

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

Last week, NASDCTEc reported on U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s efforts to pressure Congress to hasten reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by issuing waivers for states to bypass parts of the current law. Now, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), a nonprofit membership organization representing education chiefs from each state, has released a roadmap that will apply further pressure for Congress to take action.

CCSSO’s roadmap, currently a working draft, proposes “next-generation accountability systems aligned with college- and career-ready expectations for all students.” The roadmap is a combined effort of chiefs from 40 states and the District of Columbia to outline areas that should be included in state accountability systems, specifically through ESEA reauthorization. The accountability systems would still require schools to meet high standards, and would also provide more feedback and support to help schools make continuous improvements.

If Congress does not speed up the ESEA reauthorization process, states plan to request waivers to build new state accountability systems based on the roadmap instead of using the federal accountability system, according to leaders at CCSSO. If this occurs, the Department of Education will be inundated with requests for waivers all addressing essentially the same topic. This would unify the focus of the waiver requests received by the Department and would make very clear the kind of accountability systems preferred by states in the new ESEA legislation.

Yesterday, Congress approved the second in a series of education reform bills designed to overhaul NCLB. Despite pressure from Duncan, CCSSO, and others, it looks unlikely that Congress will complete reauthorization prior to the upcoming school year.

By admin in News, Public Policy, Resources
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Sec. Duncan, Experts Talk WIA and Jobs for Youth

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

As the country still struggles with the effects of the Great Recession, employment opportunities for less-seasoned workers are the hardest to find. Without prior job experience, teenagers face particularly bleak prospects. The current level of unemployment for teenagers is at an all-time high. Yesterday, Jobs for America’s Graduates, a non-profit organization, convened several governors, corporate executives and organization leaders to brainstorm ways to boost academic and economic outcomes for high-risk youth in the midst of the unemployment crisis.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan kicked off the event by reiterating a point that he frequently makes: successful local programs need to be taken to scale. When an attendee asked how to prepare high school students beyond academia, Duncan pointed to “great” Career Technical Education (CTE) and early college programs as ways to make school more relevant to students. Though the Secretary acknowledges the benefits of CTE, states and localities scramble to prepare for major funding cuts to CTE effective later this year.

A staffer from Senator Harkin’s office commented that Senators are now working on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to better leverage government resources and increase alignment between programs. He noted that many Senators were struck by the results of a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that identified many areas of wasteful spending due to program overlap.

Speaker Boehner’s Assistant on Policy echoed that Republican Members feel justified in making cuts to job training programs because of the GAO report. She also stated that Perkins is not on the schedule for review in the near future.

Panelists and participants agreed that skilled positions must be presented as respectable career options for students. Many followed Duncan’s suggestions to replicate best practices, and some suggested that states make high-impact practices mandatory. Other ideas included: increasing service learning opportunities, raising the compulsory age for dropping out from age 16, and including graduation rates as an accountability measure. Though CTE was not a central part of the conversation, most participants agreed that job training and education, key aspects of CTE, must be further integrated.

By admin in Legislation, News, Public Policy
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Legislative Update: House Bill Would Cut 43 Education Programs

Friday, May 13th, 2011

This morning, Rep. Duncan Hunter (CA), chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, introduced the first in a series of bills to move forward with reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The bill would identify and eliminate ineffective K-12 education programs, many that were defunded in the FY 2011 budget.

During his floor statement, Hunter remarked “It’s time to trim the fat. Today I will introduce legislation that will eliminate – not consolidate, not defund, but eliminate – 43 wasteful K-12 education programs.”

The bill, the Setting New Priorities in Education Act (H.R. 1891), would eliminate 43 of the more than 80 programs operated by the Department of Education. The bill proposes to eliminate each of the programs listed below.

Programs defunded in the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution

Programs consolidated or eliminated in President Obama’s FY 2012 Budget

Programs not recently funded

Programs never funded

Programs that are duplicative or inappropriate for the federal government

Republican members of the House continue to craft additional bills in the series on issues such as funding flexibility. A bill addressing accountability measures likely will not be introduced until the fall. Ultimately, bipartisan support will be necessary to pass final ESEA legislation in both the House and the Senate.

For a detailed summary of the first bill and the proposed list of eliminated programs, click here.

By admin in Public Policy
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House Hearing on Consolidating Federal Job Training Programs

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

The House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training held a hearing yesterday to consider ways to consolidate and improve federal job training programs.

Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC), chairwoman of the Subcommittee, voiced concern about wasteful spending after a recent report, produced by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), noted that 44 of 47 federal job training programs overlap with at least one other program.

The Subcommittee and witnesses reviewed instances of program overlap, as well as state and local efforts to consolidate job training programs. Florida’s Agency for Workforce Innovation and the Texas Workforce Commission were cited as successful examples. Witnesses from both states advocated for program consolidation and described the positive effects in their states.

The author of the GAO report, also a witness, recommended collocating services and staff through a one-stop shop approach.

A witness from the Center for Law and Social Policy was concerned about losing valuable job training programs. She said that programs may overlap, but that does not mean the services are duplicative.

Rep. Ruben E. Hinojosa (TX) agreed that job training programs are valuable, and emphasized that adult education and workforce development must be a priority. He also would like to see the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) improved and reauthorized in this Congress.

Click here to view the archived hearing and transcripts.

By admin in Public Policy
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Department Soliciting Comments on FERPA Regulations

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

Last month, U.S. Department of Education released proposed amendments to the regulations implementing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) in a Federal Register notice. The goal of the proposed changes is two-fold – to give states more flexibility in collecting data through statewide longitudinal data systems, and protecting student privacy.

Among the proposed changes to FERPA that could have an impact on the collection of CTE data:

NASDCTEc has reviewed the amendments and will submit comments in the coming weeks. You may submit comments to the Department on or before May 23, 2011.

By admin in Legislation
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Spring Meeting: Duncan Pushes for Higher CTE Student Outcomes

Friday, April 29th, 2011

Though he sees Career Technical Education (CTE) as “a tremendous force for good,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan believes that many CTE programs are not delivering the necessary student outcomes.

At the NASDCTEc/OVAE Joint Leadership Meeting last week, Duncan told State Directors and other attendees that many CTE programs are not rigorous enough, and that they need to focus more on preparing CTE students for high-skill, high-wage, high-demand jobs.

The Secretary also emphasized that postsecondary completion is the bottom line; CTE programs must prepare students to earn postsecondary credentials or industry-recognized certifications. This is not surprising as the country strives to meet President Obama’s goal to have the highest number of college graduates in the world by 2020.

Besides achieving high postsecondary or certificate completion rates, Duncan proposed that quality CTE programs must demonstrate increased graduation rates and decreased dropout rates.

Duncan stated that programs or schools exhibiting high statistics in these areas should be replicated, while CTE programs not yielding results should be phased out. While he promotes taking successful CTE programs to scale, the Secretary separately noted that programs should be locally-driven and “the opposite of cookie-cutter.”

Sharing best practices in CTE is critical at this time. CTE programs that are not yielding high-achieving students must look to the examples of more successful programs and revamp.

Despite Duncan’s message, State Directors continue to cite encouraging statistics and compelling examples showing the success of CTE in preparing college- and career-ready students.

By admin in Uncategorized
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Making the Case for Keeping the Federal Role in Education

Monday, April 25th, 2011

There has been much talk in recent months from freshman and Tea Party Congressmen about the role of the federal government in education, and even calls to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. In a new paper released this month by the Center on Education Policy (CEP), Get the Federal Government Out of Education? That Wasn’t the Founding Fathers’ Vision, Jack Jennings lays out several reasons why limiting the federal government’s role in education would be “a wrong-headed, simplistic move.”

First, federal involvement in education is not a new phenomenon. Laws from the 1700s granted federal lands to new states that could be used for public education. These policies existed even before Washington was elected president, and lasted 170 years until the Eisenhower Administration.

Second, it would limit the ability of states and local districts to use tax dollars to support public education. While only 8% of funding for public education comes from the federal government, the federal tax code, through a number of deductions and exclusions from federal taxation, incentivizes states and locals to use their tax dollars for public education. According to CEP, these indirect subsidies for education earned through the federal tax code were worth somewhere between $42 billion to $48 billion for all levels of education in 2009.

Third, federal student financial aid makes college more affordable, leading individuals to good jobs and a better life. Almost three-fourths of student aid comes from the federal government, and if this aid did not exist, many students would be unable to access postsecondary education and training.

Fourth, the federal government has long supported equal educational opportunities for minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and the poor. For example, according to Jennings, the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 was enacted for the purpose of providing “vocational” education to new immigrants and those with low levels of education.

Finally, broad education reforms at that federal level, rather than piecemeal interventions at the local level, will help to raise the United States’ academic achievement and competiveness among other countries. During the last four presidential administrations, reforms such as increased accountability and uniform standards, have gained traction at the federal and national levels.

By admin in Publications
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Quality State Data is Collected but Not Used Effectively

Friday, February 18th, 2011

With budget cuts to career technical education (CTE) looming, states must provide solid data to support the efficacy and value of CTE. Now more than ever, quality data analysis is critical to making changes that will increase student achievement.  According to the Data Quality Campaign (DQC), “states cannot do more with less without collecting and using quality data to determine which programs and policies increase student achievement and the state’s return on investment.”

DQC’s state-by-state analysis shows that states are making unprecedented progress in improving their longitudinal data systems. Though states have improved their longitudinal data collection, many have not taken the necessary actions to improve access so that the data can be effectively used. To make the transition from data collection to effective use, states must:

To view your state’s progress, visit the DQC State Analysis website.

By admin in News, Research
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Hearing Calls for Innovation and Accountability with Flexibility in ESEA Reauthorization

Friday, February 11th, 2011

The House Education and the Workforce Committee met yesterday to hear about and discuss state and local-level innovations, educational output from federal spending, and the role of the federal government in schools today.

Committee members and witnesses broadly discussed areas to include and exclude from the upcoming ESEA reauthorization. Both Chairman John Kline (MN) and Ranking Member George Miller (CA) cited balancing flexibility with accountability as a major concern.

Each of the four witnesses shared insight into education reform at the state and local levels. Andrew Coulson of the CATO Institute presented disturbing statistics revealing that dramatically increased education spending does not equate to improved results. Coulson stated that “We have little to show for the $2 trillion in federal education spending of the past half century… it now costs three times as much to provide essentially the same education as we provided in 1970.”

Dr. Tony Bennett, Indiana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, discussed what his state is doing to increase educational productivity. He described state-level innovations, like value-added growth models, that are showing promise in Indiana. He and the three other witnesses agreed that Congress will need to produce a comprehensive plan to create effective reform.

Ranking Member Miller is confident that ESEA reauthorization will occur this year, and demanded high goals and achievement, aligned with college and career-ready standards, for all students.

You can view an archived webcast of the hearing here.

By admin in Public Policy
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States Progressing with College- and Career-Ready Agenda, Survey Finds

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Each year Achieve, Inc. reports on the progress of all 50 states and the District of Columbia in implementing college- and career-ready policies. Closing the Expectations Gap, 2011, the sixth annual report in this series, found that states are increasingly aligning the expectations for high school graduates with the demands of college and the workplace, but there is more work to be done. Mike Cohen, Achieve’s president said in statement, “While support for the college- and career-ready agenda is widespread, state progress adopting the policies of this agenda has remained mixed.”

This year’s report found the following:

You can find state by state results here.

By admin in Public Policy
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