January 2006 Policy Brief

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently announced that it will begin to measure and rank the performance of state schools systems and some local districts as a way to raise a work force that could better compete in the global economy. U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue indicated that upwards of 30 percent of students do not graduate from high school and in some minority areas, the number of students failing to get a high school diploma is closer to 50 percent. Although the U.S. Chamber has typically refrained from getting involved in school reform at the state and local level, the continuing poor performance of many schools and the rise of global competitors with increasingly well educated workforces has prompted it to get involved. The Chamber is already working with other business organizations to double the number of math, science and engineering college graduates in the U.S. by the year 2015. Read the full State of American Business 2006 Press Briefing here.

Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2006 Speeches [January 4, 2006]

UPDATE ON THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (NCLB) ACT

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has recently published a comprehensive update on the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. The report provides background information, implementation challenges, and upcoming reauthorization efforts regarding NCLB. The report states that, "all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, have successfully submitted accountability plans to the Department, detailing their plans for complying with NCLB. However, implementation of those plans has drawn widespread criticism at the federal, state and local level as states and districts continue to struggle with implementing key aspects of the law. The Department, under the leadership of Secretary Margaret Spellings, continues to negotiate with states and districts, providing additional guidance, and in some cases, waivers and “demonstration flexibility” to help educators implement NCLB." The report also discussed challenges facing implementing NCLB, including issues around funding, teacher quality, assessment, students with disabilities and English language learners.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has also recently published a comprehensive update on STEM Education. The document provides a summary of major developments in education policy over the last year. The brief summarizes the following topics: public interest, STEM education caucuses formed in both chambers, the higher education act, congressional interest and other legislation, budget/appropriations, and looking forward.

The report concludes, "STEM education and international economic competitiveness have been hot button issues in the first half of the 109th Congress, both on and off Capitol Hill. However, other high-priority issues, such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, hurricane relief, Supreme Court nominations, trade agreements and a difficult fiscal situation have somewhat limited Congress’ ability to do what many have called for: a response similar to Congress’ STEM investment following the launch of Sputnik in 1957. These conversations and initiatives promise to continue next year; the hearings and current legislation discussed here are likely only the beginning of Congressional activity on this front. STEM education issues are also likely to take a front seat in the impending conversation about NCLB as advocacy organizations and members of Congress begin to develop their recommendations for its reauthorization."

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has released a preview of its basic classifications online. Institutions can be searched by name through a box on a Web site, which will reveal new kinds of classifications including more than a dozen specific classifications for two-year colleges, such as "Associate's — Public Rural Medium" or "Associate's — Private Not-for-Profit." The classifications will become official in February. The preview is available on Carnegie's Web site (http://carnegieclassification-preview.org).

In January 2006, the Department's Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) will launch a new web site on school choice (www.buildingchoice.org), developed by WestED. The web site will feature information on creating and sustaining choice initiatives and profile school districts operating effective choice programs. The effort is a spin-off of OII's popular Innovations in Education book series (http://www.ed.gov/about/pubs/intro/innovations.html).

Quality Counts 2006
Education Week has recently released this year's Quality Counts report: Quality Counts at 10: A Decade of Standards-Based Education. The state-by-state report looks back at the progress made since the early 1990s toward improving schools and raising student achievement. Results indicate that student achievement has gotten better and more states are embracing standards-based accountability systems. Read details on the report here. Quality Counts is free to registered users until February 4, 2006. Source: Education Week [January 6, 2005].

Florida's Schools Largest in U.S.
According to Education Week's annual Quality Counts report, public schools in Florida are the largest in the nation. Some experts say this creates more absenteeism, lower graduation rates and more frequent vandalism. According to the Education Week report, Florida committed just over $190 million for school construction in fiscal 2006 -- about as much as Alaska, Hawaii and Kentucky, and dramatically less than California's $6.2 billion, New York's $1.5 billion or even Ohio's $655 million. Read more here (free registration). Source: ASCD Smart Briefs [January 6, 2006]

STATE BY STATE. . .

Iowa Governor to ask Legislature to Guarantee Preschool for Every Child
Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack recently said he will ask the Legislature to guarantee preschool for every child. The proposal would make preschool a recurring part of the state budget rather than an optional expense that must be renewed each year. Last year, the Legislature approved a plan that spends $21 million per year to improve the quality and affordability of preschool. The bill paid for teacher training, expanded tuition-assistance programs and began a new rating system for child-care providers. However, the spending was short of the $39 million Vilsack requested. This bill would cost $15 million in its first year. Source: ECS E-Clips [January 5, 2006]

Las Vegas Launching Global Teacher Recruitment Plan
With 12 schools opening this year and 88 more to be built over the next few years, Las Vegas has launched an extensive teacher recruitment drive that is spanning the globe. The Clark County School District, the nation's fifth largest with nearly 300,000 students, hired 51 teachers this year from the Philippines and 14 from Spain to meet shortages in the fields of math, science, and bilingual and special education. The area's economic boom is boosting the student population, which is expected to reach more than half a million by 2018. In addition, the district expects an immediate hike in enrollment with survivors of Hurricane Katrina looking for employment in the city's casino industry.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, The Achiever [Nov-Dec, 2005]