What Else Is Happening in Washington?!

What Else Is Happening in Washington?! That is one terrible title.

EARLY CHILDHOOD/Early Intervention

SPP/APR • Changes Afoot • Policy Forum, May 11-13, 2011 • December, 2011 Dept. Accepts Comments on Changes • Changes are very minor (CEC comments) • April 2012 – Department Suspends Verification Visits • June 12 – Department Call! What to do next? • Shift to Outcomes, not process • But what will this mean??

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) CEC Reauthorization Recommendations - CAN 2011

History • Signed into law by President Clinton in 1998 • WIA marked the first major job training reform in over 15 years

Goal : Workforce Investment System • Create a “Work First” employment system • Integrate welfare, unemployment compensation, employment services, and training into one seamless system of public assistance reform • WIA was passed to reform the nation’s job training system that formerly was fragmented, contained duplicative programs, and did not serve either job seekers or employers well. • Full implementation for all states was to be completed by July 1, 2000.

Structure • Title I – Workforce Investment Systems • Title II – Adult Education and Literacy • Title III – Workforce Investment Related Activities • Title IV – Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 • Title V – General Provisions

State Workforce Investment Boards

WIA & Equality • How has WIA helped? • More Access to Facilities & Programs: • Architectural Access • Assistive Technology Devices • Directed Marketing • Updated Policies • Providing Needed Accommodations GAO Report 05-54 (Dec. 2004)

Unemployment Rates • In May 2011, the percentage of people with disabilities in the labor force was 21.1. By comparison, the percentage of persons with no disability in the labor force was 69.7. • The unemployment rate for those with disabilities was 15.6 percent, compared with 8.5 percent for persons with no disability.

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) • April 2011 - CEC Issues Updated WIA Recommendations • WIA is long overdue for reauthorization • Senate is currently working on a draft – could be introduced this summer

Action Since April 2011? Oh My! • Senate Bill – STALLED • Sheltered Workshop Main Issue • House Bill(s) – Moving, Mark-Up, and Going No Where (very unlikely to move in the Senate.) • Concerning Provisions: • Allows Consolidation of Voc Rehab Funds into Title I of WIA, essentially eliminating Voc Rehab altogether. HR 4297 • Consolidates 27 (mostly youth) Programs into 1 block grant aimed at mostly adult services

CEC Talking Points!! Talking Points • CEC Recommends: • Begin Transition Planning As Soon As Possible, No Later Than Age 14; • Require Representation of Disability Interests on State Workforce Investment Boards; • Create and Fund Research Priorities Designed to Address Individuals with Disabilities; and • Include and Emphasize Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Higher Education Act Negotiated Rulemaking & Potential Impact on Special Education

What is the Problem?? Student performance lags far behind other nations

What is the Problem?? • What is the Department saying… • “Teacher preparation programs are not always attracting the strongest candidates – only 24% of all teachers, and only 14% of teachers in high-poverty schools, come from the top third of college graduates” • “More than three in five education school alumni report that their educations school did not prepare them for “classroom realities” • “70% of superintendents and principals said teachers were not prepared to address the needs of students with disabilities.

What is the Problem?? • States identified less than 2% of teacher preparation programs as “low performing” • Current HEA reporting requirements = 440 reporting fields for states; 250 for IHEs

Shift to Effectiveness…Not Just in K-12 “The Department is interested in ensuring that teacher preparation programs, school districts and prospective students have access to meaningful, outcome-based as well as input-oriented indicators of program effectiveness that will promote improvements in those programs, and provide to potential employers and prospective students actionable information to guide their hiring and program application decisions.” • U.S. Department of Education http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2011/teacherprep.html

Shift to Effectiveness…Not Just in K-12 • Rate every teacher preparation program on 1-4 scale (1 best, 4 worst) • Rating system as proposed by feds • K-12 student outcomes of program graduates based on value added scores; • Employment outcomes for graduates including placement and retention; • Customer satisfaction (graduate and principal surveys); • Professional accreditation OR state approval;

Shift to Effectiveness…Not Just in K-12 Discussion: Tie ranking to financial aid eligibility !

Impact on Special Education • High stakes decision based on student test scores • Will teacher preparation programs want to maintain special education focus? • Exacerbating the special education shortage

What to Expect • Proposed regulations are expected out soon • Keep informed – stay tuned!!

What Else Is Happening in Washington?!