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Posts Tagged ‘Public Policy’

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Education Jobs Fund Applications Available Now

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

The Department of Education is now accepting applications from State governors for funding under the Education Jobs program, which provides $10 billion in assistance to States to save or create education jobs for the 2010-2011 school year. Jobs funded under this program include those that provide educational and related services for early childhood, elementary, and secondary education.

The Education Jobs Fund requires that school districts use the funds to pay the salaries and benefits of teachers, school administrators, and other essential staff. The funds can be used to recall or rehire former employees, retain existing employees, and hire new employees to ensure that students receive vital educational and related services. These funds may not be used for general administrative expenses, overhead, or other support services by school districts.

The deadline to submit the application is September 9, 2010. The Department anticipates awarding funds within two weeks of submission of applications. You may submit comments or questions about the program to [email protected].

By admin in Public Policy
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DQC Webinar on Data Sharing Between SEAs and Teacher Preparation Programs

Monday, August 16th, 2010

The Data Quality Campaign (DQC), along with groups such as the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, have created a template to guide discussions by states and teacher preparation programs around how data can be collected, analyzed, shared and used to improve the preparation of teachers and the ultimate increase in stDQC logoudent achievement. On August 24th at 1 p.m. ET the Data Quality Campaign will host a webinar, “Leveraging State Longitudinal Data Systems To Inform Teacher Preparation and Continuous Improvement,” where they will introduce the template and hear from states that have begun developing data partnerships with teacher preparation programs. You may register for the webinar here.

By admin in Webinars
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Education Jobs Fund Passes House, Goes to President for Signature

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

After being called back to Washington by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA), today the House voted 247-161 to pass a bill containing the $10 billion Education Jobs Fund. As we told you last week, the Senate has already passed the bill in their chamber, so the bill now heads to the White House for President Obama’s signature.The President and his Administration has lobbied in recent weeks for funding to save teachers’ jobs. At a press conference this morning, the President said, “[T]oday we’re trying to pass a law that will save hundreds of thousands of additional jobs in the coming year… If we do nothing, these educators won’t be returning to the classroom this fall. And that won’t just deprive them of a paycheck, it will deprive the children and parents who are counting on them to provide a decent education.”

This money would aid states and school districts in avoiding teacher layoffs and hiring new staff. The Department of Education is estimating that the fund will save 161,000 educator jobs. For a state-by-state projection of how much money could be distributed and how many jobs could be saved, go here.

By admin in Legislation
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Achieve, Inc. Releases Common Core Standards Implementation Guide

Monday, August 9th, 2010

As more and more states adopt the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the next logical question is “How do we implement them?” Achieve, Inc., which helped the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers draft the standards, has just released a guide to answer that very question. On the Road to Implementation: Achieving the Promise of the Common Core State Standards aims to help states align instructional materials, assessments, and graduation requirements with the common standards, leverage state funding to support the standards, and conduct “gap analyses” to see how a state’s standards differ from the common core standards.

There is also a section in the guide on “Implementing the Common Core Literacy Standards in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects.” The CCSS include literacy standards in grades 6 to 12 that are specific to history/social studies, science and technical subjects. Since current state standards in history/social studies, science and technical subjects may not include literacy standards, this could represent a significant change for teachers in those fields, including CTE teachers. The guide suggests that states assemble relevant teams of history/social studies, science and technical subject teachers and content experts to consider implications for implementation:

By admin in Public Policy
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Senate Moves Forward on Education Jobs Fund

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

After a series of fits and starts, Congress is nearing the finish line on passing the education jobs fund. Today, the Senate invoked cloture on an amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill containing the education jobs fund. The amendment provides $10 billion for education jobs and $16.1 billion for federal Medicaid payments. The funding in this amendment would be fully paid for, and would reduce the deficit by $3 million over ten years and $1.371 billion over eleven years. While the amendment still needs to be passed, the cloture vote marked forward progress on the stalled amendment. If the 30 hours of post-cloture time is not yielded back, that vote will be around 5 pm tomorrow, and if the Senate passes the bill (only 51 votes are needed), it will have to go to the House for a vote.  The House left for summer recess last week, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) just announced that the House will be called into session next week to pass the bill once the Senate completes action.

By admin in Legislation
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Duncan Touts CTE in Speech at National Press Club

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

duncan-arne-sec_-of-ed_-3-09At a luncheon today at the National Press Club, during which he announced the finalists for round two of Race to the Top, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke about the education reforms that the Obama Administration is undertaking, and what lies ahead for federal education policy. Secretary Duncan stressed that as the United States lags behind other nations in science, math and college completion, that we must educate our way to a better economy. Some strategies for improving student achievement and restoring the United States’ position as first in the world in college graduates include federal incentives such as Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation grants, and the Teacher Incentive Fund; a change in ESEA accountability systems; and common standards, as well as the curriculum and assessments to accompany new standards.

During the Q&A portion of the event, a question was submitted that asked whether the United States needed more CTE. The Secretary responded that yes, students will benefit from programs such as apprenticeships that allow students to “work with their hands,” that provide a range of options, and that give students a reason to stay in school.  He went on to remind the audience that CTE does not happen just at the secondary level, and that community colleges play a vital role in training students in emerging fields such as STEM and green technologies.

By admin in Public Policy
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Race to the Top Finalists Announced for Round Two

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

This afternoon, in a speech at the National Press Club, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the finalists for round two of the Race to the Top grant competition. There were 19 finalists, out of 36 that applied for the remaining $3.4 billion in grant money:

Each state will send a group of five representatives to Washington, D.C. in early August 9 to make their case to the review panel. Duncan said that there could between 10 and 15 winners, which will be announced in September.

By admin in Public Policy
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Financial Education for College Access and Success Program Grants Available

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

On Monday the Office of Vocational and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education announced a funding opportunity to support “State-led efforts to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of personal finance instructional materials and corresponding teacher training, with the express purpose of providing high school students with knowledge and skills to make sound financial aid and other personal finance decisions, particularly in relation to obtaining access to, persisting in, and completing postsecondary education.” Eligible applicants are State educational agencies that have included personal finance in their State education standards.

This is a great opportunity for the CTE community to help the nation meet the President’s challenge of once again having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. One of the barriers to achieving this goal is the lack of financial literacy among youth, and studies have shown that Americans do not have the skills they need to make sound financial decisions, including decisions about postsecondary education. The Administration recognizes the role that CTE can play in equipping students with the financial literacy skills they need — the notice specifically mentions CTE as an area where teachers can integrate financial literacy instruction, and requires that the State project team include the agencies in the state representing CTE and 2-year postsecondary institutions.

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: August 5, 2010.

Deadline to Apply: September 9, 2010.

For more information, please see the Federal Register notice.

By admin in Public Policy
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DQC Webinar: Using Data to Improve College Success

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Join the Data Quality Campaign on August 3 from 2-3:30 P.M. for a webinar on using data to improve cDQC logoollege success. During this webinar, you will hear about the different ways in which states and postsecondary institutions can and have used data to inform policy and practice.  Participants will also have an opportunity to learn how the WA State Board for Community and Technical Colleges has used data to improve system performance.

By admin in Webinars
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Career Technical Education: A Critical Component of States’ Economic Strategy

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

The United States has declined in top rankings in international competitiveness and the nation is fighting to reclaim its spot. The hot button issue has opened a range of discussions on how the United States can best prepare its workforce to compete and excel in this dynamic global economy. That’s where career technical education (CTE) fits in the discussion.

A new issue brief, Career Technical Education: A Critical Component of States’ Economic Strategy, highlights Alabama and South Carolina as model states that transformed their programs to prepare students to compete in the global economy. This issue brief is the first of a five-part series connected with our association’s vision and action plan for CTE and preparing all students to succeed in college and ultimately their careers. Global competition is the theme of one of our five core principles that we plan to address through policy and efforts from the classroom to Capitol Hill.

Alabama and South Carolina provide examples of how states can leverage their CTE programs to attract and retain international companies – from the medical science field to high-tech. These states, realizing that their students are not only competing with their classmates or neighbors in other U.S. regions, took initiative to develop programs that prepared students to compete with students for jobs across the globe.

By admin in Publications, Research
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