Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Last week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spent a lot
of time on Capitol Hill as he testified before three different congressional
panels on the department’s Blueprint for Reauthorization of ESEA and the department’s spending request for FY2011; see summary report. RRCNA
and members of the literacy working group are advocating for inclusion of
the Literacy for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN Act) in the ESEA legislation.
FY2011 Federal Appropriations
The administration is
proposing a number of dramatic changes in K-12 education authorizing
legislation as part of this budget request; see summary report. As part of the administration’s ESEA
reauthorization proposal, the FY 2011 ED budget proposes to consolidate 38 K-12
programs into 11 new programs and to eliminate 6 programs. These changes
reflect the president’s commitment to providing more flexibility, using
competition to allocate funds, giving communities more choices around
activities, and using rigorous evidence to fund what works. Congress is pushing back, with Rep. David Obey
(D-WI), chair of the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
Appropriations Subcommittee, expressing concern about why, in this economic
climate, the administration isn’t focusing on core funding that goes out by
formula and represents federal support that states can rely on. RRCNA and the literacy working group are asking for
$500 million to fund a birth through Grade 12 comprehensive literacy initiative for
the nation.
i3 Funding
On March 8, the USDE issued its
final priorities and the grant application for the $650 million Investing in
Innovation Fund (i3); see summary report. Individual school districts or groups of
districts can apply for the i3 grants, and nonprofits (including universities)
can join with school districts or a consortium of schools to submit
applications. A recording of RRCNA’s March 17 conference call on i3 is available.
K-12 Common Core State Standards
On March 10, the Council of Chief State School Officers
and the National Governors Association released the K-12 Standards for English
Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies & Science, as well as
for Mathematics. The deadline for further feedback on the draft standards is
April 2.
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