New England Board of Higher Education » No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

DC Shuttle: More Arguing Over NCLB Waivers, STEM Plugged, Climate Research Dissed

John O. Harney — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:08:39 +0000

HELP Committee examines NCLB waivers. On Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and State Flexibility Waivers. Education Secretary Arne Duncan testified. Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) sharply criticized the administration for granting NCLB waivers to states that shift towards policies that the administration favors. At this time, 34 states and the District of Columbia have been granted waivers and more may request waivers before the Feb. 28 deadline. Sen. Alexander said Tennessee had to negotiate for seven months to receive a waiver and write a 700-page proposal that suited the administration. Democrats expressed support for the waivers, and Secretary Duncan testified that ideas for broader education reform and the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) can be taken from the proposals developed by states. The waiver proposals have shown a shift in state's policies towards increased focus on accountability systems with multiple measurements including student achievement, graduation rates, dropout rates and standardized test scores—policies that the Obama administration has endorsed. Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) praised the waivers for making districts focus on early childhood education.
Hearing on education challenges. On Tuesday, the House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing entitled "School and Workplace Challenges and Opportunities." Utah Gov. Gary Herbert testified that more programs were needed to train and educate Americans to fill the jobs of the modern workforce. He said that currently, students were not getting the education they needed to obtain the jobs that are available. He said that STEM education could help remedy the problem. Laura Fornash, Virginia Secretary of Education, said that additional federal funding was needed in higher education to ensure that students graduate with the necessary credentials and to open access to more individuals. She added that aid should be made simpler and more transparent. Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN) raised concerns over the potential impact on schools from mandates and penalties in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). He said the ACA will impose costs on schools, potentially causing them to cut employees' hours to avoid offering them insurance, which could affect the quality of education.

R&D hearing. On Wednesday, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee held its first hearing of the 113th Congress on the role of research and development in competitiveness. The federal government funds about $140 billion of research and development (R&D) annually; witnesses discussed how these investments could have the greatest impact. The hearing addressed the need for public and private funding. Private industry currently funds over 60% of R&D in America. Committee Chair Lamar Smith (R-TX) said "other nations are changing their policies to become more competitive, and so should we." He said he intends for the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to take the lead on legislation to provide direction on federal R&D spending and STEM education. He said the committee aims "not only to encourage students to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics but also to inspire them to pursue careers in STEM fields. The committee will set priorities for the National Science Foundation and other federal research agencies, including STEM education initiatives." He added that "the top priorities of the committee will be to promote legislation that encourages scientific discoveries, space exploration and the development of new technologies." Democrats on the committee, including Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA), proposed conducting hearings on climate concerns, but those proposals were voted down.

Survey on higher education. On Tuesday, Gallup released the results of its latest survey of the public's opinion of higher education. The survey results suggests that most Americans believe having a degree or certificate beyond high school is important, while only about a quarter think that it is affordable.

As a member of New England Council, we publish the DC Shuttle each week featuring higher ed news from Washington. This edition is drawn from the Council's Weekly Washington Report Higher Education Update, of Feb. 11, 2013.

Founded in 1925, the New England Council is a nonpartisan alliance of businesses, academic and health institutions, and public and private organizations throughout New England formed to promote economic growth and a high quality of life in the New England region. The Council's mission is to identify and support federal public policies and articulate the voice of its membership regionally and nationally on important issues facing New England. For more information, please visit: www.newenglandcouncil.com.

DC Shuttle: All Six NE States Have Now Requested NCLB Waivers; SIP Grants Awarded; Unionizing Grad Students

John O. Harney — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:35:37 +0000

New Hampshire, Maine Request NCLB Waivers On Monday, officials in New Hampshire and Maine submitted requests for flexibility from the standards of No Child Left Behind. With this action, all six New England States have made formal requests for flexibility. Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have had their requests approved already. Vermont, however, made a formal request but subsequently withdrew its application. View a full list of waiver requests and approvals.

Education Dept. Grants for Low-Income Students On Thursday, the Department of Education announced $5.4 million in grants would be provided to 14 colleges and universities as part of a Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP). SIP is intended to help institutions serve low-income students and help those students complete programs of study. The funds can be used in a variety of ways to improve schools' academic quality or fiscal stability.

Hearing on Grad Student Unionization Two subcommittees of the House Education and the Workforce held a joint hearing Wednesday to discuss the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and whether graduate students have the right to unionize. In 2004, the NLRB ruled that graduate students did not have the right to unionize, despite their role as teachers during their programs of study. The NLRB has been subsequently accepting arguments in the matter and reassessing that decision. The NLRB has authority over private universities while states determine the rules at public universities. During the hearing, labor representatives joined Democrats in supporting the right of graduate students to unionize, while university officials joined Republicans in voicing disapproval. View the hearing.

DC Shuttle: More than Half of States Granted NCLB Waivers, Including Va., which Hasn’t Adopted Common Core

John O. Harney — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:14:21 +0000

On July 6, the states of Washington and Wisconsin were granted waivers by the U.S. Department of Education from the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, South Dakota and Utah had waivers approved on June 29. Twenty-six states have now been granted waivers while 10 states and the District of Columbia still await decisions regarding their applications for waivers. Virginia is the first state to be granted a waiver that has not adopted the Common Core State Standards in mathematics and English/language arts. The administration has maintained that states would be granted waivers only if they adopted standards, whether the Common Core or standards established by the state. No state standard approach had yet gained approval, leaving questions about what state standards would meet approval. Virginia's waiver proposal included statements from various institutes of higher education saying the state's standards prepare high school graduates for credit-bearing college coursework. Three New England states—Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island—already received waiver approvals earlier this year from the Department of Education, while Vermont's application is awaiting a decision. On July 3, the state of Maine and five other states were granted permission to freeze their Annual Measurable Outcomes (AMO) for one year

DC Shuttle: HELP Committee Advances Reforms to No Child Left Behind

John O. Harney — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:11:45 +0000

On Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted 15-7 to advance legislation to replace the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal education law, with three Republicans joining Democrats in support of the bill. The legislation would replace NCLB's requirement that all students achieve proficiency in math and reading by 2014 with a mandate that states adopt "college- and career-ready" standards and accountability systems in exchange for federal education funding. Bill sponsor and HELP Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) noted that "both sides agree that we'd rather do it here than have waivers by the administration." After several objections to a provision tying teacher evaluations to student outcomes, the legislation was changed to allow local education agencies relative freedom over how and if they evaluate their teachers. The bill also includes a provision removing states' option to use a turnaround strategy of their own choosing to reform failing schools, rather than one of those specified by the NCLB law. An amendment proposed by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) would allow states to select a different strategy with approval from the secretary of education. The amendment was adopted 15-7, over misgivings from Sen. Harkin that it would allow states to proceed without making real reforms to improve their lowest-performing 5% of schools. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) ultimately withdrew his amendment which would have required any Improving Secondary Schools grants to include job-based activities like internships and apprenticeships. Sen. Harkin said that he plans to include similar language in the manager's amendment which will result from further debate when the bill reaches the Senate floor. Thursday's vote followed a two-day markup during which the bill was briefly held up over concerns that committee members had not had sufficient time to review the legislation. A Nov. 8 hearing will provide additional opportunity to discuss the bill's more divisive issues. Sen. Harkin added that he believes House leadership will move quickly if the Senate is able to pass bipartisan education reform, and hopes to have the bill ready for Senate debate before Thanksgiving. Read the draft of the NCLB reform legislation as submitted to the HELP Committee on Oct. 17.

From the New England Council's Weekly Washington Report Higher Education Update, Oct. 24, 2011. NEBHE is a member of the Council and publishes this column each week.

Founded in 1925, the New England Council is a nonpartisan alliance of businesses, academic and health institutions, and public and private organizations throughout New England formed to promote economic growth and a high quality of life in the New England region. The Council's mission is to identify and support federal public policies and articulate the voice of its membership regionally and nationally on important issues facing New England. For more information, please visit www.newenglandcouncil.com.

DC Shuttle: Congress Still Trying to Fix No Child Left Behind

John O. Harney — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:56:04 +0000

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) released his draft of legislation to update the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law on Tuesday. The legislation frees states from NCLB's strict requirement that all children be proficient in reading and math by 2014, a standard which the Department of Education has estimated that 80% of schools would fail. Sen. Harkin's bill is a combination of Democrat and Republican education priorities, including both the Race to the Top competitive grant program espoused by the Obama administration and the emphasis on charter school expansion and state flexibility in using federal funds which were included in Republican bills to update NCLB. Under the terms of the draft, states would have complete flexibility over how they use federal education funds, with the requirement that they not divert funds from programs for disadvantaged students. The National Education Association has been cautious in its response to the draft, applauding a provision to break down student performance measures by categories including household income and English-language learners, but condemning the teacher-evaluation and turnaround measures for failing schools, which the teacher's union sees as too prescriptive. A HELP Committee hearing on the draft is scheduled for Oct. 18, and Sen. Harkin said that he hopes to have the bill on the Senate floor for a vote before the Thanksgiving recess. Members of the HELP Committee agreed that they will be hard-pressed to complete work on the bill in the five weeks before the break, given the legislative proposals expected from the deficit Super Committee. Action on the bill from the House is also uncertain.

On Wednesday, the House passed a bill (H.R. 2433) authored by Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair Jeff Miller (R-FL) to provide job training for unemployed veterans. Under the bill, 100,000 jobless veterans between the ages of 35 and 64 would be eligible to apply for Montgomery GI Bill benefits, including up to a year of training in a high-demand field like healthcare or technology. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who chairs the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, is advancing her own bill (S. 951) targeting employment opportunities for older veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sen. Harkin wrote a letter urging the Super Committee to refrain from cutting funding to several key programs, including Pell Grants for college students. "Cutting the maximum award level or reducing student eligibility for Pell Grants could put a college education out of reach for millions of American families while harming the competitiveness of our nation over the long term," he wrote. He also cited critical job-training programs under the departments of Education and Labor as worthy of preserving because they "provide individuals with opportunities to gain the skills that they need to fill current job openings," as well as ensuring "that our workers will be able to compete in industries of the future."

From the New England Council's Weekly Washington Report Higher Education Update, Oct. 18, 2011. NEBHE is a member of the Council and publishes this column each week.

Founded in 1925, the New England Council is a nonpartisan alliance of businesses, academic and health institutions, and public and private organizations throughout New England formed to promote economic growth and a high quality of life in the New England region. The Council's mission is to identify and support federal public policies and articulate the voice of its membership regionally and nationally on important issues facing New England. For more information, please visit www.newenglandcouncil.com.