E-Update for June 26, 2015
EducationCounsel E-Update for June 26, 2015
U.S Department of Education
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan Announces a Set of Rights to Help Parents Seek High-Quality Education for Their Children: During a speech to the 2015 National Parent Teacher Association Convention, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released a set of rights that outlines what families should be able to expect for their children’s education. Secretary Duncan listed free, quality preschool; high, challenging standards and engaging teaching and leadership in a safe, supportive, well-resourced school; and an affordable, quality college degree as fundamental educational rights.
June 26, 2015
U.S. Department of Education Releases Blog Post on Development of College Ratings Tool: The Department released a blog post announcing their intention to release new, easy-to-use tools to provide students with more data to compare college costs and outcomes this summer. The blog post included the following information: “This college ratings tool will take a more consumer-driven approach than some have expected, providing information to help students to reach their own conclusions about a college’s value. We will also provide open data to researchers, institutions, and the higher education community to help others benchmark institutional performance.”
June 25, 2015
U.S. Department of Education Appoints Special Master to Inform Debt Relief Process: As a next step to provide students who attended Corinthian Colleges debt relief, Under Secretary Ted Mitchell announced that he has appointed Joseph A. Smith as a Special Master to guide the process. In addition to advising the Department on issues related to Corinthian, Smith will help develop a broader system to aid students at other institutions who are seeking debt relief of their federal Direct Loans because they believe they were defrauded.
June 25, 2015
U.S. Department of Education Approves ESEA Flexibility Renewal for 7 States, D.C.: The U.S. Department of Education announced that Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, New York, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia have each received multiple years of continued flexibility from provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The Department said these states and D.C. are implementing comprehensive state-designed plans to ensure student success and a continued commitment to college- and career-readiness for every student.
June 23, 2015
U.S. Secretary of Education Issues Statement on Federal Court Upholding Gainful Employment Regulation: Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released a statement supporting a federal court’s decision to uphold the gainful employment regulation. The Secretary also urged Congress to maintain and strengthen consumer protections for students in colleges and universities.
June 23, 2015
U.S. Congress
Every Child Achieves Act Scheduled for Debate: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) scheduled S. 1177, the Every Child Achieves Act, for floor debate on July 7. The Senate is expected to convene at 2:30pm for consideration.
June 24, 2015
Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services Funding Bill: The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2016 Senate Labor/HHS bill by a party-line vote of 16-14. During the course of the markup two education amendments were debated. Labor/HHS Subcommittee Ranking Member Murray (D-WA) offered an amendment to increase funding in the bill by $13.2 billion to match the allocations supported by Appropriations Ranking Member Mikulski (D-MD). The amendment was not agreed to by a party-line vote of 14-16. Senator Durbin also offered an amendment to strike the general provision prohibiting funding to implement, administer, or enforce gainful employment regulations. The amendment was not agreed to by a party-line vote of 14-16.
June 25, 2015
House Appropriations Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services Funding Bill: The House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2016 Labor/HHS bill on a vote of 30-21. A total of twelve education-related amendments were offered, 10 of which were rejected. An amendment offered by Rep. Kilmer (D-PA) to include report language urging the Department of Education to provide school districts pursuing Heavy Impact Aid with clear and timely guidance regarding how to measure a school district’s tax rate was passed by voice vote. Also, an amendment offered by Rep. Roybal-Allard (D-CA) to designate funding within the Children and Families Services Programs account for a Child Poverty Study was passed by voice vote.
June 24, 2015
Representatives Linda Sánchez and Chris Gibson Introduce Key Anti-Bullying Legislation: Reps. Linda Sánchez (D-CA) and Chris Gibson (R-NY) joined the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and 19 Members of Congress to introduce the Safe Schools Improvement Act. The legislation would require school districts to adopt codes of conduct specifically prohibiting bullying and harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and religion. “As a mother, my heart breaks every time I see a news report of another child taking their life after being bullied at school. Schools must be a safe place for our children to learn and grow and be protected from bullying,” said Rep. Linda Sánchez. “The Safe Schools Improvement Act will give parents like me some peace of mind to know all our children have an educational environment where they can learn without the threat of harassment. I thank Rep. Chris Gibson, GLSEN, and my colleagues for joining me in standing up for safer schools.”
June 25, 2015
Events
On June 29, the Fordham Institute will hold a conversation entitled, “Turnaround Districts: Lessons from Louisiana, Tennessee, and Michigan.” The conversation includes the heads of Louisiana’s Recovery School District, Tennessee’s Achievement School District, and Michigan’s Education Achievement Authority, who will discuss the challenges and success of their turnaround efforts. Register here.
New Legislation
H.R.2902 : To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to address and take action to prevent bullying and harassment of students.
Sponsor: Rep Sanchez, Linda T. [CA-38] (introduced 6/25/2015) Cosponsors (21)
H.R.2874 : To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude from gross income any discharge of indebtedness income on education loans of deceased veterans.
Sponsor: Rep DesJarlais, Scott [TN-4] (introduced 6/24/2015) Cosponsors (10)
H.R.2882 : To support Promise Neighborhoods.
Sponsor: Rep Payne, Donald M., Jr. [NJ-10] (introduced 6/24/2015) Cosponsors (20)
H.R.2927 : To authorize Hispanic-serving institutions receiving grants under part A of title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to use such grant amounts to assist students in entering medical schools, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Heck, Joseph J. [NV-3] (introduced 6/25/2015) Cosponsors (2)
H.R.2932 : To provide for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish grant programs to improve the health and positive youth development impacts of youth sports participation, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Kind, Ron [WI-3] (introduced 6/25/2015) Cosponsors (5)
S.1664 : A bill to count revenues from military and veteran education programs toward the limit on Federal revenues that certain proprietary institutions of higher education are allowed to receive for purposes of section 487 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Carper, Thomas R. [DE] (introduced 6/24/2015) Cosponsors (25)
S.1665 : A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize local educational agencies and schools to carry out child sexual abuse awareness and prevention programs or activities.
Sponsor: Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY] (introduced 6/24/2015) Cosponsors (2)
S.1676 : A bill to increase the number of graduate medical education positions treating veterans, to improve the compensation of health care providers, medical directors, and directors of Veterans Integrated Service Networks of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Tester, Jon [MT] (introduced 6/24/2015) Cosponsors (3)
S.1695 : An original bill making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Blunt, Roy [MO] (introduced 6/25/2015) Cosponsors (None)
Publications
Forum Guide to Alternative Measures of Socioeconomic Status in Education Data Systems: The Forum Guide to Alternative Measures of Socioeconomic Status in Education Data Systems provides “encyclopedia-type” entries for eight plausible alternative measures of socioeconomic status (SES) to help readers better understand the implications of collecting and interpreting a range of SES-related data in education agencies.
June 22, 2015
Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 1972-2012: This report updates a series of NCES reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. The report draws on an array of nationally representative surveys and administrative datasets to present statistics on high school dropout and completion rates. The report includes national estimates of the percentage of students who drop out in a given 12-month period (event dropout rates), the percentage of young people in a specified age range who are high school dropouts (status dropout rates), and the percentage of young people in a specified age range who hold high school credentials (status completion rates). In addition, the report includes state-level data on event dropout rates and the percentage of students who graduate within four years of starting ninth grade (adjusted cohort graduation rates). Data are presented by a number of characteristics including race/ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic status.
June 25, 2015
High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, 2013 Update and High School Transcript Study: A First Look at Fall 2009 Ninth-Graders in 2013: This report provides a first look at selected findings from 1) the 2013 Update and 2) the High School Transcript Study of the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). HSLS:09 is a nationally representative study of a cohort of students who were ninth-graders in fall 2009. The study focuses on understanding students’ trajectories from the beginning of high school into higher education and the workforce. The core research questions for the study explore secondary to postsecondary transition plans and the evolution of those plans; the paths into and out of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields of study and careers; and the educational and social experiences related to these shifts in plans or paths.
June 25, 2015