E-Update for July 30, 2014
E-Update for July 30, 2014
Updates
The House approved three bipartisan higher education bills on Wednesday, July 23, including H.R. 4983: Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act, H.R. 3136: Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act of 2013, and H.R. 5134: NACIQI and Advisory Committee for Student Financial Assistance. The House also passed H.R. 4984: Empowering Students through Enhanced Counseling Act on Thursday, July 24. The House Education and the Workforce Committee will not mark up any additional higher education legislation in the remaining two days before Congress adjourns for the five-week August recess on July 31. When Congress returns to work in September, only 11 days remain until the end of the fiscal year.
Events
On Tuesday, July 29, AYPF hosted a webinar on “Annual District and State Considerations for Incorporating Expanded Learning into Competency-Based Systems.” This final webinar highlighted the role districts and states can play in facilitating the shift toward competency-based systems and discuss the policy barriers and opportunities at play. Presenters included Stephanie Krauss (Senior Fellow, Forum for Youth Investment), Kate Nielsen (Senior Policy Analyst, National Governors Association), and Michelle Un (Project Manager, Research & Data, Rhode Island After School Plus Alliance).
On Wednesday, July 30, the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training (NCTET) will host a discussion entitled “Seizing Opportunity in the Digital Age: New Directions in Professional Learning.” As digital learning becomes the new normal in schools across the country, this panel will explore pressing and timely issues such as what types of professional learning are needed and effective at the superintendent, principal and teacher level and how all educators can collaborate to create the best learning environment for our students. This event will delve into the type of professional learning activities that allow them to fulfill these new roles and reimagine their practice. The program will include keynote speaker Wendy Drexler (Chief Innovation Officer, ISTE), Dr. Karen A. Couch (Superintendent, Kent County Public Schools), and Daisy Dyer Duerr (Principal, St. Paul Schools, Huntsville School District).
Also on Wednesday, July 30, the American Institutes for Research will host a panel entitled “Beyond the GED: Can Adult Charters Help Close the Skill Gap?” The panel will focus on adult charter schools’ potential to prepare adult learners for today’s jobs. The conversation will emphasize Washington, D.C.—the national leader with 11 such schools, including Academy of Hope, a charter that increased the number of students earning more than $30,000 a year from 10 percent to 50 percent. Kavitha Cardoza (Special Correspondent, WAMU) will moderate. The panel will include Kim Ford (Dean of Development and Lifelong Learning, University of the District of Columbia), Lecester Johnson (Executive Director, Academy of Hope), and Terry Salinger (Institute Fellow, American Institutes for Research).
U.S Department of Education
Guidance for Schools Issued on How to Keep Parents Better Informed on the Data They Collect on Students: On July 25, the U.S. Department of Education announced new guidance for schools and districts on how to keep parents and students better informed about what student data is collected and how it is used. In the guidance issued by the Department’s Privacy Technical Assistance Center, schools and districts are urged to be proactive in communicating how they use student data. The Department’s Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO) also announced a new companion website, http://familypolicy.ed.gov, that includes a variety of resources and information regarding the federal laws FPCO administers to help keep the public informed about the privacy and use of student records.
July 25, 2014
Congressional Headlines
House Approves Four Higher Ed Bills: The House approved four bipartisan higher education bills on July 23 and 24, including H.R. 4983: Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act, H.R. 3136: Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act of 2013, H.R. 5134: NACIQI and Advisory Committee for Student Financial Assistance, and H.R. 4984: Empowering Students Through Enhanced Counseling Act.
July 24, 2014
HELP Committee Holds Hearing on the Role of States in Higher Education: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a full committee hearing entitled “The Role of States in Higher Education” on July 24. Witnesses included Dr. Eric Kaler (President, University of Minnesota), Teresa Lubbers (Commissioner, Indiana Commission for Higher Education), Lisa Madigan (Attorney General, State of Illinois), and Dr. Laura Perna (Professor and Chair of the Higher Education Division, University of Pennsylvania).
July 24, 2014
Senate Appropriations Committee Releases FY 2015 Spending Bill: The Senate Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year 2015 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and the Related Agencies Subcommittee reported bill and subcommittee report. The bill included $8.7 billion for Head Start, $14.5 billion for Title I program, and $1.9 to address the increasing number of unaccompanied South American children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
July 24, 2014
New Legislation
H.R.5168 : Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2014
Sponsor: Rep Hoyer, Steny H. [MD-5] (introduced 7/23/2014)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce
Latest Major Action: 7/23/2014 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
H.R.5191 : To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for an institution of higher education that has previously filed for bankruptcy to apply for the reinstatement of eligibility for purposes of Federal Pell Grants.
Sponsor: Rep McNerney, Jerry [CA-9] (introduced 7/24/2014)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce
Latest Major Action: 7/24/2014 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
H.R.5210 : To prohibit providing Federal funds for the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Sponsor: Rep Salmon, Matt [AZ-5] (introduced 7/25/2014)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce
Latest Major Action: 7/25/2014 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
H.R.5219 : To promote innovative practices for the education of English learners and to help States and local educational agencies with English learner populations build capacity to ensure that English learners receive high-quality instruction that enables them to become proficient in English, access the academic content knowledge needed to meet State challenging academic content standards, and be prepared for postsecondary education and careers.
Sponsor: Rep Garcia, Joe [FL-26] (introduced 7/28/2014)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce
Latest Major Action: 7/28/2014 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
H.AMDT.1105 to H.R.3136 : An amendment numbered 1 printed in Part A of House Report 113-546 to make minor technical edits and include an addition to the oversight section requiring the Secretary of Education to disseminate best practices.
Sponsor: Rep Kline, John [MN-2] (introduced 7/23/2014)
Latest Major Action: 7/23/2014 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Kline amendment (A001) Agreed to by voice vote.
H.AMDT.1106 to H.R.3136 : An amendment numbered 2 printed in Part A of House Report 113-546 to direct the Secretary of Education prior to any deadlines to submit applications for consideration as an institution to participate in the pilot program to conduct outreach to historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Native American-serving, non-tribal institutions, institutions serving students with special needs, and institutions located in rural areas to provide information on the opportunity to apply to carry out a demonstration project.
Sponsor: Rep Polis, Jared [CO-2] (introduced 7/23/2014)
Latest Major Action: 7/23/2014 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Polis amendment (A002) Agreed to by voice vote.
H.AMDT.1110 to H.R.3136 : An amendment numbered 6 printed in Part A of House Report 113-546 to allow eligible entities to submit to the Director of the Institute of Education information regarding the number and percentage of students who are able to find employment in a field relating to their program or course of study, and would allow the Director of IES to provide technical assistance to such entities upon request.
Sponsor: Rep Langevin, James R. [RI-2] (introduced 7/23/2014)
Latest Major Action: 7/23/2014 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Langevin amendment Agreed to by voice vote.
H.AMDT.1113 to H.R.3136 : An amendment numbered 9 printed in Part A of House Report 113- 546 to require the Secretary of Education to report to Congress, every 10 years, on the needs of limited English proficient students using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Sponsor: Rep Polis, Jared [CO-2] (introduced 7/23/2014)
Latest Major Action: 7/23/2014 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Polis amendment (A009) Agreed to by voice vote.
H.AMDT.1114 to H.R.3136 : An amendment numbered 10 printed in Part A of House Report 113-546 to create a Regulatory Reform Task Force to make recommendations to reduce unnecessary higher education regulations.
Sponsor: Rep Gowdy, Trey [SC-4] (introduced 7/23/2014)
Latest Major Action: 7/23/2014 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Gowdy amendment (A010) Agreed to by voice vote.
H.AMDT.1115 to H.R.3136 : An amendment numbered 11 printed in Part A of House Report 113-546 to require the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, to conduct a study on the feasibility and advantages and disadvantages of using individual income tax returns as the primary form of application for student aid.
Sponsor: Rep Grayson, Alan [FL-9] (introduced 7/23/2014)
Latest Major Action: 7/23/2014 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Grayson amendment (A011) Agreed to by voice vote.
H.AMDT.1116 to H.R.4984 : An amendment No. 1 printed in part B of House Report 113-546 to clarify the information provided to first-time borrowers; clarify that borrowers must accept their loans annually after the completion of the other counseling requirements; require that the Secretary of Education, acting through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, must conduct a longitudinal study of the impact and effectiveness of the student loan counseling required under this act; and other minor technical edits.
Sponsor: Rep Kline, John [MN-2] (introduced 7/24/2014)
Latest Major Action: 7/24/2014 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Kline amendment (A001) Agreed to by voice vote.
H.AMDT.1117 to H.R.4984 : An amendment No. 2 printed in part B of House Report 113-546 to ensure that each individual is aware of financial management resources provided by the Treasury Department’s Financial Literacy and Education Commission.
Sponsor: Rep Kilmer, Derek [WA-6] (introduced 7/24/2014)
Latest Major Action: 7/24/2014 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Kilmer amendment (A002) Agreed to by recorded vote: 404 – 14 (Roll no. 444).
Publications
Institution of Education Sciences Regional Educational Laboratory Program: Speak Out, Listen Up! Tools for Using Student Perspectives and Local Data for School Improvement: The purpose of this toolkit is to provide educators with a purposeful and systematic way to elicit and listen to student voice to inform school improvement efforts. School improvement is complex work that relies on multiple sources of information to frame challenges and address and monitor change efforts. Student voice brings an additional, important source of information to these efforts. The toolkit offers three tools. ASK (Analyzing Surveys with Kids) involves students in analyzing and interpreting survey results associated with a school-related topic or problem and then producing suggestions for school improvement. Inside-Outside Fishbowl organizes a special kind of focus group in which students and educators trade roles as speakers and listeners during a facilitated discussion of a school-related topic or problem, and jointly develop an action plan. S4 (Students Studying Students’ Stories) guides a digital storytelling process in which students produce and analyze videotaped interviews of other students about a school-related topic or problem and then host forums with educators to suggest improvements.
July 29, 2014
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Report: Problem Solving Skills of 15-year-olds: Results from PISA 2012: This report uses data from the 2012 administration of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) problem solving assessment. The PISA computer-based assessment of problem solving assessed how well prepared students are to confront the kinds of problems that are encountered almost daily in 21st century life.
July 25, 2014
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Report: Principal Attrition and Mobility: Results from the 2012-13 Principal Follow-up Survey: The Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS), first conducted in school year 2008-09, is a component of the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). The 2012-13 PFS was administered in order to provide attrition rates for principals in K-12 public and private schools. The goal was to assess how many principals in the 2011-12 school year still worked as a principal in the same school in the 2012-13 school year, how many had moved to become a principal in another school, and how many had left the principalship.
July 24, 2014
Brookings Institution Report: Toward Universal Learning: Implementing Assessment to Improve Learning: This report argues that in the run-up to 2015 and beyond, the global education community must work together to improve learning and propose practical actions to deliver and measure progress. In response, UNESCO through its Institute for Statistics (UIS) and the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at the Brookings Institution have co-convened the Learning Metrics Task Force (LMTF). The project’s main objective is to shift the focus of global education debates from access to access plus learning. Based on input from more than 1,700 people in 118 countries through technical working groups and global consultations, the task force made recommendations to help countries and international organizations measure and improve learning outcomes for children and youth worldwide.
July 2014