In early December, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released the final requirements that states must use to award $3.546 billion in School Improvement Grants (SIG) to local school districts. Although the final notice governs the $3.546 billion appropriated in FY 2009 (including funds allocated under the American Recovery [...]
To assist those hardworking educators who have had their Social Security benefits unfairly reduced to offset their government pensions, NASSP is supporting the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 235/S. 484).
Sponsored by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the legislation would repeal the government pension offset [...]
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) released the final selection criteria for states applying for the $4.3 billion Race to the Top Fund, which was created as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The guidance, which was published in the Federal Register on November 18, includes responses [...]
New legislation introduced this week by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) would create a comprehensive literacy policy that encompasses early childhood, elementary, and middle level and high school education. The Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation or “LEARN” Act (H.R. 4037 [...]
On Nov. 3, 2009, NASSP released its Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Task Force Legislative Recommendations. The nine recommendations were developed by the IDEA Task Force, which is composed of 11 active middle level and high school principals or assistant principals and four representatives from institutions of [...]
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________
IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 19, 2009
New Education Report Shows Recovery Act Critical to Restoring State Budget Shortfalls, Averting Layoffs and Driving Reform
WASHINGTON [...]
For Release October 16, 2009
Bob Farrace, NASSP, 703-860-7257
Gerald N. TirozziReston, VA - “Principals are among the hardest working, yet often least recognized individuals in education. These unsung heroes deserve to be recognized for the essential role they play in preparing today’s students for the [...]
In an effort to expand innovative practices that have a demonstrated impact on student achievement, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released draft guidance on the Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The draft guidance will be published in the Federal Register and [...]
The month of October 2009 has been declared “National Principals’ Month” and is dedicated to recognizing the significant contributions of our nation’s principals and the enthusiasm they have for providing quality educational experiences and guidance to their students. New Jersey’s public schools educate approximately 1.4 million children across [...]
Eight states will receive $6.6 million in Striving Readers grants to improve the literacy skills of struggling adolescent readers, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced today. The purpose of the Striving Readers program is to raise reading achievement in Title I-eligible middle and high schools where significant numbers [...]
NASSP mourns the loss of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) who was a true champion of education and child welfare as chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. As the third longest serving member of the U.S. Senate, he authored over 2,500 bills in his [...]
The U.S. Department of Education today announced the award of more than $12.4 million in Foreign Language Assistance Program grants to local and state school systems in 24 states and the District of Columbia, aimed at promoting the instruction of foreign languages critical to national security.
The funds will be [...]
Delivering unprecedented resources to states and school districts, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that more than $11 billion is now available to further save jobs and drive reforms. The Department of Education has made available ahead of schedule the second half of American Recovery and Reinvestment [...]
Read the complete draft guidance.
Submit a comment on the draft guidance by September 25.
In an effort to transform the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools nationwide, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released draft guidance on the School Improvement Grants (SIGs) authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment [...]The Department of Education will publish a proposal in the Federal Register on Monday, Aug. 17 to allow states to reserve more administrative funds under Title I, Part A and IDEA to defray data collection costs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) including those related to administering, monitoring [...]
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and civil rights leader Al Sharpton will join Education Secretary Arne Duncan on a tour of four cities to highlight the Obama administration's efforts to reform public education, spur innovation and discuss challenges facing America's school systems.
The tour, an outgrowth of their meeting with [...]
Updated federal guidelines released on August 7 offer state and local public health and school officials a range of options for responding to 2009' [...]
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) today announced the award of five charter school grants, totaling $82 million, to state education agencies in Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Tennessee and Wisconsin to increase public school options in those states.
"Charter schools have an important role [...]
Making a rare appearance at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on July 24, President Obama announced the preliminary requirements for states applying for the $4.3 billion “Race to the Top” fund included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“This is one of the largest investments in [...]
The House approved its education funding bill for FY 2010 on July 24, and with a Senate subcommittee scheduled to take up its version of the bill on July 28, the federal appropriations process is in full swing.
In the House bill, several of NASSP’s priority programs were slated for [...]
More than $32.8 million in grants have been awarded to 18 states and the District of Columbia as part of a joint effort by the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice to support schools in creating safer and healthier learning environments.
The highly competitive Safe Schools/Healthy [...]
Renewing an effort to strengthen middle level education as a way to increase high school graduation rates, Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) have reintroduced the Success in the Middle Act (H.R. 3006/S. 1362). Although there was strong support to pass the legislation as part of the [...]
A bill to require stricter regulation of tobacco products and to limit their advertising near schools was signed into law by President Barack Obama on June 22. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (H.R. 1256) was first considered by Congress at this time last year but, the [...]
Rep. John Kline (R-TN) recently replaced Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) as the highest-ranking Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee. McKeon left the committee to become the ranking Republican of the House Armed Services Committee.
Kline has served on the committee since his election to Congress in [...]
Imagine you get a call from a state health official informing you that you must evacuate the building, close your doors, and allow no one on campus...for an indefinite period of time--days, weeks, perhaps months. Would your school be prepared to continue to deliver the [...]
Have eighth-grade graduation festivities become too elaborate?
(Final results)
87% Yes
13% No
Total Votes: 180
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The conversation begins around this time each year, this time courtesy of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Eugene Kane. Kane believes that with lavish eighth-grade graduation festivities, educators could actually be setting the [...]
Things are changing in education – but overall secondary school student achievement has not been one of them. Since the 1970s the achievement levels of 17-year-olds in both reading and math has not measurably changed, according to data from the long-term trend National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which [...]
Will common state standards result in a clearer picture of student achievement?
71% Yes
29% No
Total Votes: 84
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USA Today reports a landmark event: 46 states have agreed to develop a common set of rigorous reading and math standards—the Common Core State Standards Initiative—from kindergarten to high [...]
At his first appearance on Capitol Hill to outline President Obama’s education agenda, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced his goal to turn around 1,000 low-performing schools each year over the next five years. Specifically, he spoke about how the president’s FY 2010 budget request builds on the [...]
Does dual enrollment motivate more students to complete high school?
(Final results)
57% Yes
43% No
Total votes: 67
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Dual enrollment programs have been growing in popularity over the years, but a Colorado measure might give dual enrollment a whole new prominence: In an effort to lower its drop-out rate [...]
Will relaxed certification requirements for career changers result in higher quality teachers?
(Final results)
31% Yes
69% No
Total Votes: 116
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The U.S. public education system has failed to recruit top teachers, according to a new study from the National Governors Association. Although many countries take their teacher workforce [...]
If there’s one thing you can be sure of in federal education policy, it’s that common academic standards are on the way. But how these standards would be created and the specific subjects and grades they would cover are still matters of debate and speculation.
In no place was this [...]
Are more students than usual unable to pay grad fees and other end-of-year activities?
(Final results)
39% Many more
40% A few more
21% No more than usual
Total Votes: 62
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Proms, caps and gowns, yearbooks--these are among hallmarks of late spring...and they all cost. In this economy, the cost factor might be [...]
Is the process of dismissing a poor teacher with tenure more trouble than it’s worth?
(Final results)
31% Absolutely
47% Onerous but manageable
7% Not really
15% Not at all
Total Votes: 223
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Firing a tenured teacher can be--in the words of the LA Times--a dizzying effort, in some [...]
On April 29, Congress approved the final adoption of the federal budget for FY 2010, which includes an increase of $5.6 billion over FY 2009 for the Function 500 federal budget account, under which education funding falls.
Although the Congressional budget is nonbinding, the increase for Function 500 [...]
Should military recruiters be given the same access to student directory information as colleges?
(Final results)
58% Yes
42% No
Total Votes: 121
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Eight years later, the question remains unsettled. When NCLB passed in 2001, lawmakers began requiring high schools that receive federal money to provide students' names, addresses, and telephone numbers' [...]
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) allocated an unprecedented $100 billion in federal funding for education, but how will that money actually reach your schools? There doesn't seem to be an easy answer to this question as we hear stories of governors refusing to accept the funds, elected' [...]
The Institute of Educational Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education recently awarded grants to 27 state educational agencies to design and implement statewide data systems, bringing the total number of states who have received these grants to 42.
The grants, which are awarded under the Educational Technical Assistance Act [...]
A newly passed bill, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (H.R. 1388), will engage middle level and high school students in community service through a new Summer of Service program that would allow them to earn up to $1,000 for college costs.
The bill also creates Youth Engagement Zones [...]
On April 2, the House and Senate adopted their respective budget resolutions for FY 2010. The House resolution (H. Con. Res. 85) would provide $88.7 billion for education and workforce training, as well as social services, and the Senate resolution (S. Con. Res. 13) would provide $89.4 billion for [...]
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that $108.8 million in funding for targeted students and communities is now available to states under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Today's announcement follows the first $44 billion in education-related Recovery funds made available on April 1.
The [...]
A new report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute raises the issue of whether private schools receiving public funds (through voucher-bearing students) should be subject to increased accountability and transparency. The report’s authors call for a sliding scale in which the more public dollars a private school receives, [...]
A bill to require stricter regulation of tobacco products and to limit their advertising near schools moved one step closer to final passage when it was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in April. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (H.R. 1256) was first approved by [...]
The Institute of Education Sciences has awarded grants to 27 state education agencies for the design and implementation of statewide longitudinal data systems. The multi-year value of individual state grants ranges from $2.5 million to $9.0 million for projects that will extend for three to five years. The full, [...]
April 1, 2009- Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that $44 billion for states and schools is now available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of [...]
Which time option below produces better achievement?
Final results
49% Shorter days, longer calendar
22% Longer days, Shorter calendar
28% Makes no difference
Total votes: 99
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An interesting debate in Michigan: According to the South Bend Tribune, the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) is working with state legislators to reinstate a [...]
On March 27, the House and Senate budget committees cleared their annual budget resolutions. The House resolution (H. Con. Res. 85) would provide $88.7 billion for education and workforce training, as well as social services. The Senate resolution (S. Con. Res. 13) would provide $89.4 billion for those same [...]
Mark Ames, NASSP Gov't Relations Mgr, Amanda Karhuse
