On February 28, the House Education and the Workforce Committee approved (in a 23-16) vote GOP-backed legislation reauthorizing portions of ESEA. Two bills, introduced by Rep. John Kline (R) of Minnesota, scale back the role of the federal government in education and give states more wiggle room in designing K-12 policy. This is a dramatic Read more about House Panel Re-Authorizes Portions of ESEA[…]
The US Department of Education requested its FY2013 budget earlier this month; the key themes for funding are increasing college affordability/quality, “raising up” the teaching profession, aligning job training with workforce demands, and continuing reform. The request includes proposed funding levels for federal programs and agencies for the next ten years, but specifically asks for Read more about Proposed U.S. Department of Education FY 2013 Budget[…]
A new report from Education First and Policy Innovators in Education (PIE) details how state advocacy groups are working with state policymakers to advance education reforms. To compile the report, PIE and Education First worked closely with Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas to get greater insight into Read more about Seizing the Opportunity[…]
On February 9, the Department of Education announced that ten states received waivers from some of the stringent requirements of the No Child Left Behind law. Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee will now have the opportunity to use alternative methods to improving student achievement, and to gauge achievement Read more about 10 States Receive NCLB Waivers[…]
Jack Jennings, founder, president, and CEO of the Center on Education Policy (CEP), stepped down from his roles at the organization on January 31. As part of his retirement, he is releasing two publications. One is the history of the CEP, the other contains some final words of advice on the future of American public Read more about Jack Jennings Retires, Leaves Words of Advice[…]
To serve the dual purpose of encouraging students to achieve more, and save money in education budgets, states are beginning to push students to graduate early from high school through “ramped up” curricula and college scholarship programs. It is anticipated that such policies, which emphasize proficiency rather than seat time, will allow students ready to Read more about States Prodding Students to Graduate Early[…]
See below for two upcoming opportunities: “Education 2012: What the Election Year Will Mean for Education Policy” Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 Time: 9:00-11:00am EST* *This event can be attended in-person for those in the Washington, DC area at the American Enterprise Institute, but it will also be livestreamed for those who wish to participate Read more about The Elections and Education: Discussions of ESEA and NCLB[…]
It’s that time of year again, when the President makes his State of the Union address to Congress. Rather than watching in silence this year, shake things up by playing State of the Union Bingo, brought to you by the Alliance for Excellent Education! We don’t know yet whether President Obama’s 2012 agenda will include Read more about State of the Union Bingo 2012[…]
Time Magazine has named its picks for the top education activists to watch in 2012. So who are some of these potential movers and shakers (in no particular order)? 1. Catharine Bellinger and Alexis Morin: Two students who founded Students for Education Reform (SFER) in 2009, with the goal of mobilizing college students around the Read more about TIME’s “12 Education Activists for 2012”[…]
In a recent article for The Atlantic, Marc Tucker, president of the National Center on Education and the Economy, reflects on wages and education. Using examples like Japan, Finland, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Tucker claims that until the U.S. finds a way “to educate our future work force to the same standards…wages in the United Read more about Why Innovation Can’t Fix America’s Classrooms[…]
The final budget for the Department of Education was finalized late last month, which will take the agency through September 30, 2012. Overall, the Department’s funding was cut by about $153 million over last fiscal year (total funding $71.3 billion), but President Obama was able to fend off the complete annihilation of programs such as Read more about Education and the FY 2012 Budget[…]
The National Education Association’s (NEA) president, Dennis Van Roekel, recently announced a new action agenda for the nation’s largest teachers union. The plan aims to further the union’s goals of transforming the teaching profession and accelerating student learning, and utilizes proven best practices from teachers across the country. The three major strategies are: 1. Raising Read more about NEA President Announces Three-Part Action Agenda[…]
A recent Huffington Post article describes the new education lobby: ambitious, expansive, and mainly created by hedge fund managers and former government officials. In some ways, it is modeled on large, single-issue lobbying organizations like the NRA and AARP. The newer lobbying groups are focusing on teacher evaluations using student performance data, merit pay, better Read more about The New Face of the Education Reform Lobby[…]
Last month, Jack Jennings of the Center on Education Policy wrote an article refuting the contentious AEI paper claiming that public school teachers are overcompensated and under-achieving (see a summary of this study here). Jennings contrasts the methodology of the AEI study with a study from an impartial group, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Read more about Higher Wages Would Attract, Keep Better Teachers[…]
The Center for American Progress has released two new reports that attempt to predict the outcomes of traditional defined-benefit pensions for teachers vs. cash-balance plans. Redefining Teacher Pensions: Strategically Defined Benefits for New Teachers and Fiscal Sustainability for All, by Raegan Miller, argues that since teachers are the single most important school-based resource affecting student Read more about Pension Reform May Attract Better Teachers[…]
In this week’s School of Thought blog, Andrew Rotherham discusses the disparities in public education across the country. If the goal of the Occupy movement is to improve social mobility, then there is “no better example of how the system is rigged against millions of Americans than the education our children receive…today zip codes remain Read more about Occupy…your school district?[…]