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ESEA May (or May Not) Get Done This Year What are the big issues? What about Funding?

ESEA May (or May Not) Get Done This Year What are the big issues? What about Funding?. AASA State Leadership Conference April 29, 2011 Bruce Hunter. HR 1473 FY11 Appropriations. Passed Long-Term CR that theoretically cuts $39 billion The House passed it 260-167 April 14 th

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ESEA May (or May Not) Get Done This Year What are the big issues? What about Funding?

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  1. ESEA May (or May Not) Get Done This YearWhat are the big issues? What about Funding? AASA State Leadership Conference April 29, 2011 Bruce Hunter

  2. HR 1473 FY11 Appropriations • Passed Long-Term CR that theoretically cuts $39 billion • The House passed it 260-167 April 14th • 59 Republicans voted against HR 1473 • 108 Democrats voted against it • 35 Tea Party caucus members voted for the bill and 21 against. • Speaker Boehner was forced to get the support of Democrats - 81 House Democrats voted for it • Senate passed it 81-19 April 14th • Signed by President Obama April 18th

  3. HR 1473 Programs Eliminated: • Education Technology State Grants • Javits Gifted and Talented Education • Smaller Learning Communities • Teach for America • National Writing Project • Close-Up Foundation • Grants to Gulf States LEA’s • Striving Readers • Even Start • Literacy Through School Libraries • Education Technology State Grants • Arts in Education • Reading is Fundamental • LEAP • Byrd Honors Scholarships

  4. HR 1473Programs Cut (But Not Eliminated) • GEAR UP -$20 million • English language Acquisition State Grants -$15 million • School Improvement Grants -$10 million • Comprehensive Centers -$5 million • Teacher Quality state Grants -$5 million • ESEA Evaluation -$1 million • Tech-Prep -$103 million • Safe and Drug Free Schools National Programs -$79 million • Teaching of Traditional American History -$73 million • State CTE grants $31 million • State Assessments -$20 million

  5. Starting the Budget process for 2012Obama FY12 Budget Proposal • Obama FY12 budget proposal released Feb 14 (2012-13 school year) • Despite tight economic times, including non-defense discretionary budget freeze, education receives historic increases • Proposal includes massive restructuring in ESEA reauthorization 38 programs consolidated to 11 • Policy shift toward competitive grants • Despite overall increases: • Title I receives $300 million • IDEA received a $200 million increase, falling to 16.5% instead of the promised 40%

  6. Obama Budget Proposal

  7. FY 2012 BudgetHouse Action - H Con Res 34 • Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget • relies on spending cuts to reduce the deficit • adopted by a 235-193 vote • all but four Republicans supporting it • all Democrats opposed.

  8. Possible Timeline for ESEA • Out of Senate HELP committee by May • Through the Senate by June • To the President by August • Bethany Little, Chief Education staffer, Senate HELP Committee • 3 small bills; 1st one out in May focused on increasing funding flexibility • James Bergeron, Chief Education staffer, House Education and Workforce Committee

  9. Which policy direction will ESEA take? Reformers v. Educators • Federal leadership in Equity, Research & Demonstration • Balance local/state federal authority and responsibility • Federal funds to help build state & local capacity • Low stakes Testing • Focus on improving instruction • Standardization • Federal mandates dictate • State as federal enforcer • Diminished Local authority • Increased Local Responsibility • Decreased Local authority • High stakes testing • Focus on Accountability

  10. Which Direction for ESEA policy? vs. Educators “Reformers” • Corporate control model • Democrats for Education Reform • Education Trust • Fordham Foundation • Alliance for Excellent Education • Aspen Group • Gates Foundation • Broad Foundation • Walton foundation • State and Local Leadership Model • AASA • NSBA • NEA • AFT • CCSSO • PTA • NAESP • NASSP • NABSE • etc

  11. Reform Proposals Demonstrated to be wrong or have serious Side Effects • Top Down Command and Control Policy • Test based strategy using weak tests • High Stakes Testing (Campbell's Law) • Reliance on Punishments for Change • Assumption of Adequate Human Resources • Combination of high stakes testing and punishment crowds out focus on learning and a broad curriculum

  12. Research Lacking RegardingKey Reform Proposals • Performance pay improves instruction and therefore student outcomes • Test Scores primary tool to evaluate teachers and principals • Charter schools will lead to improved student outcomes • Firing teachers improves student outcomes persistently low scoring schools • Firing principals in every low scoring school is essential to improve student outcomes

  13. Reauthorization Issues Performance Pay • Reformers hold performance pay based on test scores as a central tenant of improving educational outcomes for low income students • Educators are split on performance pay. Many administrators like the idea of using performance pay to reward excellence and /or staff hard to staff schools. Researchers are skeptical as are both unions.

  14. Reauthorization Issues Evaluation by Test Scores • Reformers hold using test scores as the primary tool to evaluate teachers as central to improving student outcomes by improving teaching • Educators are split, many administrators like the idea of student outcomes in evaluation, many teachers and both unions are very opposed

  15. Reauthorization Issues Charter Schools: • Reformers -charter schools are essential for wide scale improvement in student outcomes • Educators -some charter schools work as well as regular public schools - ought to be a local option. • Stanford study found that 17% of charters get significantly better and that 37% get significantly worse results than traditional public schools. CREDO, Stanford University, June 2009

  16. Reauthorization Issues Assessment: • Reformers are largely silent on the issue of better tests, but the really like having a single score for accountability. • Educators, including AASA, would like to move to tests of critical thinking and application of knowledge accompanied by : • less costly and intrusive summative testing • reduction of the emphasis on high stakes and • Less emphasis on punishments.

  17. State Assessment Consortia • Two consortia, representing 44 states and DC. • Eleven states belong to both, 6 to neither • Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) hosts 31 states and received $160 million • Partnership for Assessment of College and Career Readiness (PARCC) hosts 26 states and received $170 million

  18. Reauthorization Issues Assessing Special Learners: • Reformers are largely silent on this issue, but view educators concerns in these areas as just making excuses • Educators fair, accurate and instructionally useful assessment for ELL and special education students is a priority • The 2% rule must either be eliminated or made sensible.

  19. AASA Positions on ESEAOur Heaviest Lift • Separating Accountability and Assessment for instructional planning – One test can’t serve two purposes • Accountabilityassessmentscontrolled by states with broad federal guidelines - growth (value added if desired) could use sampling, NAEP, PISA • Instructional assessment controlled by school districts - measuring growth, by multiple methods, that are transparent and provide immediate feedback to teachers and administrators

  20. Reauthorization Issues Improving Outcomes by Firings: • Reformers believe that firing more teachers and principals is an important key to improving outcomes especially for low income students. • Educators are split. Administrators believe that test scores are too blunt of an instrument for accurate evaluation and that adequate replacements are not always available. Teachers think firings based on test scores will not be fair or wise.

  21. Reauthorization Issues Accountability: • Reformers like everything about NCLB’s accountability system • Educators don’t like NCLB accountability -want an accountability system that is fair & accurate as well as valid & reliable -100% is impossible if the goal is high scores on challenging tests. Most educators do like disaggregating the results to make problems clearer for policy makers, parents and educators.

  22. Reauthorization Issues Formula vs. Competitive: • Reformers want to use competitive grants to force compliance. Administration requested an increase in the proportion of federal dollars for competitive grants. • Educators like formula grants - more predictable for staffing and long term plans. • AASA supports formula grants opposes shift to more competitive grants

  23. Bullying and Harassment • A priority for the Obama Administration • Special education • Gender • Sexual orientation • Avoiding new administrative burdens • Administration and advocates want more data • Cyber bullying – legal issues • Free speech • Off campus • Better PD needed but one size does not fit all • Local policy improvement – if we don’t the feds will

  24. Vouchers • FY11 CR includes language to reverse current sunset provisions. • Both the House and Senate have the votes to support voucher provisions, and each chamber has introduced a bill to reinstate and expand the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program • 4 consecutive government reports document the lack of reliable, valid academic progress • We expect to be fighting vouchers on a regular basis in this Congress.

  25. Summary • The debate between Educators and Reformers in the context of ESEA reauthorization is very contentious. • The administration has sided almost entirely with the Reformers • The hill is split between Educators and Reformers. • There are other contentious issues that require time for consideration, e.g., formula.

  26. Will they finish ESEA this year? • Thursday’s (3/10/11) meeting included Democratic Sens. Tom Harkin of Iowa and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico; Republican Sens. Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee; Democratic Reps. George Miller of California and Dale E. Kildee of Michigan; Kline and Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of California. • “It was a good general meeting, a good kickoff,” said Harkin, chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “We all agreed we’re going to get it done this year, and I think there are some principles we all pretty much agreed on.”

  27. Kline and Hunter Issue Joint Statement on White House Education Meeting (3/11/11) • "We appreciate the opportunity to discuss with President Obama and our Senate counterparts the challenges facing America’s classrooms. Although we have our different approaches, everyone agrees the current law is broken and in need of repair. The status quo is failing both students and taxpayers;  it is time we reconsidered the role of the federal government in our schools. As we work to develop reforms that focus on what’s best for students, parents, teachers, and communities, we are engaging our colleagues on both sides of the aisle and listening to the concerns of state and local education leaders. For the sake of our children's future and the strength of the American workforce, we must take the time necessary to get this right."

  28. Obama Vows Not to Cut Education Funding, Calls for a Rewrite of ‘No Child’By Lauren Smith, CQ Staff CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS –March 14, 2011 – Updated 4:01 p.m. • As for the president’s proposed timeline, last week a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both chambers pledged to rewrite the law this year. • In reacting to the president’s Monday speech, however, Kline cautioned that “arbitrary” timelines could undermine efforts. “We need to take the time to get this right,” he said. • “The president made a great case today for why we need to fix our education law in this country,” said Rep. George Miller, ranking member on the House committee. “The status quo is failing our students and putting our future, our economic stability and our global competitiveness at risk.” I didn’t realize the Congress alone could fix our education laws. The must have powers not enumerated in the constitution

  29. Will they finish ESEA this year? • Kline Statement on President Obama's Education Speech • WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) released the following statement on President Obama’s education speech at Kenmore Middle School: • “The president's remarks affirm the importance of fixing the nation’s broken education system.  As we develop targeted, fiscally responsible reforms, the Committee on Education and the Workforce continues to work with school officials and state and local leaders to learn about the tools they need to prepare students for the future. We need to take the time to get this right – we cannot allow an arbitrary timeline to undermine quality reforms that encourage innovation, flexibility, and parental involvement.”

  30. Will they finish ESEA this year? • SENATE MISSES GOAL ON EDUCATION REWRITEThe Hill -- April 18, 2011By Ramsey CoxDespite the intentions of Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the Senate began its recess Friday without holding a markup on the overdue reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).Harkin in January set the goal of having a bill “ready for markup by our Easter recess.” Negotiations between key legislators have lagged since then, although Harkin and key House members say they believe they can still pass a bill this year.But neither the Center on Education Policy (CEP), a public education advocacy group, nor the conservative Heritage Foundation expects success.

  31. Will they finish ESEA this year? • SENATE MISSES GOAL ON EDUCATION REWRITE –continued • This is the first year Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) has chaired the panel. One reason the House has been delayed is that 12 GOP freshmen joined the committee in January and many had to get up to speed on the issues.“Chairman Kline has been working very hard to educate his members,” said Education and the Workforce ranking member George Miller (D-Calif.). “It is absolutely critical that we rewrite ESEA this year. Our children can’t afford for us to wait any longer.”Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), the chairman of the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education subcommittee, said last week “I think it'll be done this year,”. “Not as soon as the Senate or the president would like it to be, but I think it'll be done this year, barring any unforeseen circumstances.”

  32. Will they finish ESEA this year? • SENATE MISSES GOAL ON EDUCATION REWRITE –continued • At the same hearing, Kline hinted he might introduce the first in a series of education-reform bills — this one on “flexibility” — as soon as next month, meaning the House could beat the Senate in passing part of the reauthorization, since Harkin is still negotiating with his committee’s Republicans.

  33. Questions? Associate Executive Director Policy advocacy and Communication American Association of School Administrators (703) 875-0738bhunter@aasa.org

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