E-Update for the Week of August 10, 2020
Highlights:
- On August 6, President Donald Trump tweeted that he has directed his staff to begin drafting several Executive Orders so that he can take action on extending student loan relief, offering enhanced unemployment insurance benefits, and extending a federal moratorium on evictions.
- On August 6, the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a remote hearing titled, “Challenges to Safely Reopening K-12 Schools.” The Subcommittee heard testimony from former U.S. Department of Education (USED) Secretary Arne Duncan and from educators.
- On July 31, the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) met to discuss how to recommend the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) should prepare for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The Board approved a resolution advising IES to continue preparing to administer the NAEP in 2021 for reading and math unless “accurate reporting… is not technically possible.”
Coronavirus (as related to education issues):
Note that all information related to the coronavirus (or COVID-19) is up to date as of August 7. Given the fast-moving nature of congressional and administrative actions to address the growing pandemic, we will do our best to update this information as quickly as possible.
Congress:
Negotiations on next coronavirus relief package significantly stalled, no progress made: Earlier this week, EducationCounsel published a summary providing an overview of the negotiations process on a next coronavirus relief package and a summary of the Republican’s emergency funding proposal compared to the plan passed by House Democrats. Following the introduction of the Republican package on July 27, nearly daily, bipartisan negotiations kicked off between the White House and House and Senate Democratic leadership, with House and Senate Republican leadership being kept informed of discussions. Despite pressure to reach a deal due to the expiration of expanded unemployment insurance (UI) benefits on July 31 and a moratorium on evictions from properties backed by federal mortgage loans on July 24, there was little initial progress in negotiations. As of publication, a final deal has not been reached. The full summary is here.
August 5, 2020
House:
House Oversight Committee explores challenges facing safe school reopening: The House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a remote hearing titled, “Challenges to Safely Reopening K-12 Schools.” The Subcommittee heard testimony from former U.S. Department of Education (USED) Secretary Arne Duncan and from educators. During the hearing, former Secretary Duncan warned that schools will not be able to safely reopen without significant federal funding and without a comprehensive testing and contact tracing strategy. “If we can’t test accurately and quickly, and get those results back, if we can’t contact trace, if we can’t quarantine, we cannot open schools,” the Secretary stated. Former Secretary Duncan urged Congress to provide at least $200 billion in federal support to schools. A recording of the hearing is here. A press release is here.
August 6, 2020
Committee Democrats urge Secretary to rescind guidance on CARES Act funding: House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) led a letter of 19 House Democrats addressed to USED Secretary Betsy DeVos. The Members wrote to express their opposition to the Secretary’s interim final rule regarding student eligibility for emergency aid provided through Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Fund in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. “Institutions across the country have spent far too much time attempting to understand and comply with the Department’s unauthorized and inconsistent guidance on student eligibility for CARES Act funding. Their time would have been far better spent assisting students who are struggling with the impact of COVID-19 and ensuring that safe and enriching postsecondary opportunities are available,” wrote the Members. A press release is here. The full letter is here.
August 4, 2020
Administration:
White House:
President warns that Executive action possible if negotiators cannot reach final deal on pandemic relief: President Donald Trump tweeted that he has directed his staff to begin drafting several Executive Orders so that he can take action on extending student loan relief, offering enhanced unemployment insurance benefits, and extending a federal moratorium on evictions. The statement comes as congressional Democrats and White House negotiators have yet to make any significant progress in reaching a final deal for a next coronavirus relief package. The President indicated that he would sign such Orders on either late Friday (August 7) or early Saturday (August 8) if progress on a final deal is not made. It is unclear as to what relief the Executive Orders may provide or if the president will follow through on signing the Orders A POLITICO article is here. The president’s tweet is here.
August 6, 2020
Non-Coronavirus Updates:
Administration:
Institute of Education Sciences (IES):
IES to evaluate research, programs, opportunities in attempt to become more racially equitable: Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Director Mark Schneider published a statement on the IES website titled, “Acting on Diversity.” Director Schneider discusses the importance of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, among others, and what their deaths call on leaders of institutions to do differently. “Addressing racial, cultural, gender, or regional bias is not just a moral imperative – it’s also a legal one,” he writes. The Director goes on to describe actions that IES is taking to evaluate its practices and how it can improve, including evaluating research investments to identify researchers and institutions that have not previously been brought into IES work; supporting more training to create a more diverse population of education researchers; supporting community colleges and career/technical education programs; growing resources to invest in adult education; finding ways to improve the delivery of special education; improving the design of assessments that can lead to better interventions to improve the outcomes of students of color and low-income students; and building student internships to present greater opportunities to students in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions, and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The full publication is here.
August 6, 2020
National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB):
Governing Board gives NAEP greenlight for 2020-2021 school year: The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) met to discuss how to recommend the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) should prepare for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The Board approved a resolution advising IES to continue preparing to administer the NAEP in 2021 for reading and math unless “accurate reporting… is not technically possible.” The Board left open the door to seek a congressional waiver to postpone the assessment, depending on how the pandemic continues to impact schools and their ability to open. A press release is here.
July 31, 2020
Upcoming Events (Outside Organizations):
- On August 12 at 11:00 am, the Urban Institute will hold an event titled, “State of the Schools 2020: The Educational Costs of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The webinar will discuss how state and local leaders have responded to the pandemic and what the ongoing economic impacts mean for school and districts. Further, the webinar will discuss the trade-offs of prioritizing in-class instruction or moving to online-only learning, and what innovations district leaders can explore to support the best outcomes for students. More information and registration are here.
- On August 13 at 3:00 pm, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) will hold an event titled, “Authority and Responsibility: District leader responses to school reopening plans.” The webinar will discuss the decision-making processes of district leaders from around the country, the challenging factors that have impacted those decisions, and the trade-offs that district leaders must weigh in deciding how to reopen schools. More information and registration are here.
Publications (Outside Organizations):
- On August 4, Education Next published a report titled, “The Costs of Cutting School Spending: Lessons from the Great Recession.” The report summarizes a study of state budget cuts during the 2008 Great Recession and the impact of those cuts on public education. Key findings of the report include identifying that a $1,000 reduction in per-pupil spending reduces average test scores in math and reading by 3.9 percent; that the same cut increases the score gap between Black and white students by roughly 6 percent; and that the same cut reduces the college-going rate by 2.6 percent. The full report is here.
Legislation:
H.R.7925
A bill to promote equity in advanced coursework and programs at elementary and secondary schools.
Sponsor: Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX)
H.R.7932
A bill to award funds for community college and industry partnerships.
Sponsor: Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV)
H.R.7933
A bill to establish a task force on supplemental foods delivery in the special supplemental nutrition program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI)
H.R.7943
A bill to amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to give the Department of Education the authority to award competitive grants to eligible entities to establish, expand, or support school-based mentoring programs to assist at-risk students in middle school and high school in developing cognitive and social-emotional skills to prepare them for success in high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce.
Sponsor: Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL)
S.4407
A bill to amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to give the Department of Education the authority to award competitive grants to eligible entities to establish, expand, or support school-based mentoring programs to assist at-risk students in middle school and high school in developing cognitive and social-emotional skills to prepare them for success in high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce.
Sponsor: Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)
S.4417
A bill to provide temporary impact aid construction grants to eligible local educational agencies, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
S.4432
A bill to allow Federal funds appropriated for kindergarten through grade 12 education to follow the student.
Sponsor: Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
S.4465
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish an emergency grant aid program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Senator Tina Smith (D-MN)
S.4472
A bill to amend the Secure and Trusted Communications Network Reimbursement Program to include eligible telecommunications carriers and providers of educational broadband service, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Senator Gary Peters (D-MI)
S.4480
A bill to promote equity in advanced coursework and programs at elementary and secondary schools.
Sponsor: Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)
S.4483
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ensure that public institutions of higher education eschew policies that improperly constrain the expressive rights of students, and to ensure that private institutions of higher education are transparent about, and responsible for, their chosen speech policies.
Sponsor: Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR)
S.4488
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow deductions for unreimbursed business expenses, dependent care expenses, and elementary school education expenses, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
S.4505
A bill to provide one-time grants to parents and guardians for student education expenses, to establish emergency education freedom grants, and to provide tax credits for donations to eligible scholarship-granting organizations, and for other purposes
Sponsor: Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)