Election Education Issues

Candidates Differ on Key Issues for Principals

NASSP has a new website section that showcases responses from the Obama and McCain campaigns to a recent presidential questionnaire on pressing school reform issues.

To view the questionnaire and responses, visit www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec.asp?CID=1621&DID=58461.NASSP asked the education advisers to the presidential candidates to weigh in on issues that would affect you and your school. Along with the candidates’ positions on each issue, the advisers were asked to submit quotes or links to verbiage that support that position. The following documents contain their verbatim responses.

Documents

No Child Left Behind and Adequate Yearly Progress

Federal Education Funding and Professional Development

National Standards and Graduation RatesAddressing the Dropout Crisis

Literacy and Numeracy

School Safety, Charter Schools, and Vouchers

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization that does not endorse, support, advocate for, or encourage people to vote for any political candidate or party. The information provided on the 2008 presidential candidates does not reflect the opinion of or endorsement by NASSP.Webcast Archive: Education and the Next President

Webcast Archive: Education and the Next President

Register to view the archive of this Webcast now.View “Education and the Next President,” a live debate that took place at Teachers College, Columbia University, between

Linda Darling-Hammond, education adviser to Barack Obama, and
Lisa Graham Keegan, education adviser to John McCain.

The event was exclusively Webcast by edweek.org.

Campaign '08 Coverage: See Education Week's continuing coverage and interactive resources of the 2008 presidential campaign to learn more about where the two candidates and their running mates stand on education.

Also read the edweek.org blog, Campaign K-12, for more analysis of the candidates' views. -->Register for the Archived Webcast now.

Read the Full transcript

http://www.edweek.org/ew/marketplace/webinars/webcast_ed_next_president_transcript.html

NCLB UPDATE

from U.S. Department of Education
ED REVIEW
July 18, 2008

The Department has published Fiscal Year 2008 Title I allocations by school district. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, districts must spend an amount equal to 20% of their Title I, Part A allocation to cover public school choice-related transportation costs and pay for supplemental educational services (SES). Districts have some discretion to determine the allocation of funds between the activities, but they must use at least one-quarter (5%) of the 20% "reservation" on each activity, if the cost of satisfying demand for each exceeds 5%. Moreover, for each student receiving SES, districts are required to pay the lesser of the actual cost of such services or an amount equal to the district's Title I, Part A allocation divided by the number of poor children within the district, as determined by Census Bureau estimates. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/titlei/fy08/. (Note: Due to state-level adjustments of Title I allocations, the amounts received by districts will be smaller than shown.)Speaking of SES, on July 7, the Department's Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) announced a new grant competition to encourage the establishment or expansion of partnerships between supplemental educational services programs and 21st Century Community Learning Centers projects, in order to increase the academic achievement of low-income students in Title I schools identified for improvement, correction action, or restructuring. Through this demonstration, OII will fund proposals that will serve as national models of how these two federally authorized after-school initiatives can be coordinated so that a greater number of students enroll in, participate in, and complete academic after-school services. A "notice of intent" to apply is due July 21, while the deadline for applications is August 12. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/programs/sesdemo/. (Note: In the near future, the Department will be holding a technical assistance conference call for interested applicants. Details will be posted on the program's web site.)

Decision on Connecticut NCLB lawsuit

Judge Kravitz's April 28th, 2008 decision on the administrative appeal aspects of Connecticut's NCLB suit is linked here: C:\Documents and Settings\mbell\Desktop\NCLB DECISION on summary judgment 4-28-2008 (3).htm
The decision finds that the Secretary’s decisions denying Connecticut’s requests to test ELL students after three years and to test students with disabilities at their instructional rather than grade level, per their IEP, are consistent with the statute and regulations and thus not arbitrary and capricious.
The ruling finds that Connecticut waived any claim with regard to a hearing on those requests and that it never presented to the Secretary (and so could not have decided in court) a claim under the Unfunded Mandates provision with regard to those requests.

House/Senate Conference Report on Appropriations

House/Senate Ed Appropriations Selected Education Programs
Program FY07 Enacted LHHSED HR 3043 ConferenceReport Difference
Title I (LEA's) $ 12,838.00 $ 14,311.40 $ 1,473.40
Title I (Basic) $ 6,808.40 $ 6,808.90 $ 0.50
Title I (Con) $ 1,365.00 $ 1,365.00 $ -
Title I (Targete)$ 2,332.00 $ 3,068.60 $ 736.60
Title I (EFI) $ 2,332.00 $ 3,068.60 $ 736.60
Reading First $ 1,029.20 $ 400.00 $ (629.20)
Striving Readers $ 31.80 $ 36.00 $ 4.20
Even Start $ 82.30 $ 62.60 $ (19.70)
School Improvement Grants
$ 125.00 $ 500.00 $ 375.00
All numbers in millions

CEF chart outlines key programs

Federal Funding for the next school year

The fiscal year began on October 1st with a continuing resolution in place. For education programs this has little impact as our funding for this school year was appropriated last year. However, it is important for next year. IRA members routinely report that one of the key problems with NCLB is the lack of funds.

This week the Senate is expected to take up their appropriations bill. The Senate bill is above the President in its proposed spending for education, but below the president. In gross terms:

FY 07 President 08 House 08 Senate Committee 08
$67.2 $62.6 $65.6 $63.6 (in billion)

The problem is the overall spending level for non-defense appropriations. The President is pushing for a lower figure and may well veto any spending bill over his budget. The Senate a coalition of Democrats and Republicans are saying that they want an increased allocation so that they can put more into education. In the House they made a higher allocation to education and are trying to expand support for a higher Senate level – in both Republican and Democratic circles. They want to have a bill that is “veto-proof.”

Current timing is for the Senate to vote this week and then quickly move to a House-Senate conference and then send the bill to the president. Most likely it will be vetoed and then more cuts will be made OR an over-ride.

The Committee for Education Funding (CEF), a coalition of over 100 education groups, including IRA, is pushing for the entire education community to push for a vote in the Senate and then for the higher numbers in the House. For IRA members who wish to support higher spending, call your Senator this week (202-224-3121) and ask for your Senator to support the higher allocation for education. There are a lot of discussions going on now to determine what program will get what specific funding amount.

First Lady Endorses Yarmuth's Striving Readers Act

Congressman John Yarmuth

Representing Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday May 14, 2007

MEDIA CONTACT

Stuart Perelmuter 202.225.5401

First Lady Endorses Yarmuth's Striving Readers Act
Legislation, Introduced Today, Focuses on Youth Literacy

(Washington, DC) Today, Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) introduced legislation that, by 2012, will work to improve lagging literacy levels for students in grades 4 - 12. The bill, which Congressman Yarmuth hopes will be a key piece of the reauthorized No Child Left Behind law, received an unexpected endorsement at the 'National Summit on America's Silent Epidemic' from First Lady Laura Bush.

"[No Child Left Behind] will expand the Striving Readers program, which uses research-based instruction to help middle and high school students read at grade level or better..." the First Lady said from the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center last week. "By learning to read well, these students were preparing for every other subject -- for history, for math, for science, for language, for art. They were building a strong academic foundation for high school and college, and for the rest of their lives."

Seventy percent of America's middle and high school students read below their grade level, putting them in danger of dropping out of school. Research shows that the Striving Readers pilot program makes great strides in bringing students up to speed and helping them master college preparatory material.

The program would create a 5-year grant program to help states and local education agencies establish literacy programs. States and schools would use these funds to create school literacy teams, provide adolescent literacy training for teachers and school leaders, improve reading curriculum, and involve parents in adolescent literacy instruction. The legislation is modeled after the Striving Readers pilot program, which serves eight districts nationwide, including one in Danville, Kentucky.

Currently, nearly $4 billion is spent annually on remedial education, but Yarmuth's legislation would reach children earlier, ensuring that they have the resources, personal attention, and parental involvement they need to address the problem early.

"The Striving Readers pilot program has been very effective, right here in Kentucky, at helping students, who are on the verge of dropping out of high school, graduate and become legitimate candidates for a full college education," Congressman Yarmuth said of the bill which has already received broad bipartisan support and has been endorsed by the National Education Association, the Kentucky Reading Association, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and dozens of other education organizations and professional associations.

Brenda Overturf, President of the Kentucky Reading Association recently presented Congressman Yarmuth with a stack of letters from educators in the community, thanking him for his commitment and initiative in the area of education. "This bill will make a tremendous impact in literacy nationwide, and I am so thankful to be represented by Congressman Yarmuth, who has taken the initiative to make it happen."

The bill will be referred to committee and Congressman Yarmuth is hoping to include the bill in the No Child Left Behind reauthorization this summer.



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FY 2008 Senate Budget Resolution: Education

The FY 2008 Senate Budget Resolution rejects the President’s proposed cuts in education and training and adds significant new resources for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), No Child Left Behind Act, and Pell grants. It provides an increase for discretionary funding for the Department of Education of $6.1 billion (including $2 billion in additional 2009 advance appropriations) above the President’s request.

From: SUMMARY, FY 2008 SENATE BUDGET RESOLUTION
PREPARED BY: DEMOCRATIC STAFF, SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE
March 14, 2007, http://budget.senate.gov/democratic/documents/2007/BudRes08summary031407.pdf