From:                              National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity <nape@napequity.org>

Sent:                               Monday, December 23, 2013 10:04 AM

To:                                   Nancy Tuvesson

Subject:                          NAPE Public Policy Update for December 2013

 

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity

Public Policy Update
December 2013

 


NAPE NEWS

The NAPE Professional Development Committee and NAPE staff are very busy planning the 2014 Professional Development Institute. Recent announcements include the following:

  • Lockheed Martin will again be the Platinum sponsor. Gold, Silver, and Award sponsorships are also available. In addition, advertising space is available in the Program Book. Learn More 
  • NAPE has announced its three featured speakers: Michele Evans, Lockheed Martin; S. Dallas Dance, Baltimore County Public Schools; Pedro Noguera, New York University. 
  • Submissions to the Call for Proposals are due January 13, 2014.
  • Applications for scholarships to attend the PDI are due January 10, 2014. 
  • NAPE is accepting nominations for its 2014 Awards, to be presented during the PDI.

Please visit the NAPE website for all information about our 35th PDI, which is scheduled for April 7-10, 2014, in Arlington, VA. 


CONGRESS

The House Approves Budget Deal
On December 12, the House approved, 332-94, the Bipartisan Budget Act (H.J. Res. 59). The House and Senate previously were unable to reach agreement on H. Con. Res. 25, versions of which cleared each the respective chambers with several differences. The 2-year budget deal, negotiated by Senate and House Budget Committee Chairs Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), would cap discretionary defense and nondefense spending at $1.012 trillion in FY2014 and $1.014 trillion in FY2015, an increase over the caps set in the Budget Control Act (P.L. 112-25) of $44.8 billion and $18.7 billion, respectively. Among the resolution's provisions, H.J. Res. 59 would allow states to delay payment of Medicaid costs for prenatal and preventive care when a third party is liable. In addition, states would be permitted to collect medical child support in cases where the noncustodial parent has health insurance. The Senate is scheduled to consider the measure this week.

New STEM Bill Targets Underrepresented Groups
On December 10, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Reps. Mike Honda (D-CA) and Joe Kennedy (D-MA) introduced new legislation to encourage women, minorities, and economically disadvantaged students to pursue STEM careers. The STEM Gateways Act would provide grants for classroom learning, career preparation, mentoring, internships, informal learning, and other appropriate educational activities.

Minorities are drastically underrepresented in STEM fields, accounting for only 3 of 10 professionals. Not only are the number of women and minorities in STEM fields low, but also their numbers are decreasing. The number of engineering B.S. degrees awarded to African-American women has steadily declined since the late 1990s. Additionally, students from economically disadvantaged communities struggle to access STEM opportunities, with the vast majority of federal resources channeled into higher education institutions where these populations are significantly underrepresented. This Act would provide USDOE funding to help schools implement rigorous STEM academics, with a focus on reaching underrepresented groups.

Selected elementary and secondary schools in partnership with community colleges, nonprofits, and other partner organizations would be able to use federal funding to support STEM classroom activities, extracurricular and after-school learning, summer programs, student tutoring and mentoring, and professional development for educators. Such focused efforts on expanding STEM opportunities for girls, minorities, and economically disadvantaged students will broaden and strengthen the pipeline of American STEM workers.

The FAMILY Act Is Badly Needed to Update the Outdated Workplace Policies That Are Hurting America's Families
Most Americans have no access to paid leave when babies are born or when serious personal or family medical needs arise, but that will change when Congress passes the Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, which was introduced for the first time by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). It would establish a national paid family and medical leave insurance program, bringing the country's employment safeguards in line with the needs of its workforce and the rest of the world. 

 "No legislation would do more to make this a family friendly nation than the FAMILY Act. It is simply unacceptable that millions of Americans work hard every day, yet are one birth, accident or illness away from financial devastation because our public policies fail to provide paid leave," said Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. The Partnership wrote and led the effort to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), which is the only federal law designed to help people manage job and family, and is now leading the coalition of more than 415 members pushing for the FAMILY Act. "The FMLA was a great first step, but it cannot be the last--especially as the nation faces a tsunami of elder care needs. With the FAMILY Act, Congress can fulfill the promise of the FMLA and better meet the needs of working families, employers and our economy."

Election of Katherine Clark Increases Women Numbers in House
Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) was elected in a special election to fill the seat once held by then Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), who was elected to the Senate in July. Her swearing-in on December 12 increases the number of women serving in the House to 82 (19 Republicans and 60 Democrats), including the 3 delegates from DC, Guam, and Virgin Islands. There are 20 women serving in the Senate; the total number of women serving in Congress is 102.

ADMINISTRATION

USDOE Releases Updated Financial Aid Shopping Sheet to Provide Students with Additional Transparency in College Costs
USDOE released an updated version of the administration's financial aid model award letter, known as the Shopping Sheet, and announced that nearly 2,000 institutions of higher education have voluntarily committed to using this important consumer tool. Unveiled in July 2012, the Shopping Sheet makes it easier for students to understand the type and amount of aid for which they qualify and to easily compare aid packages offered by different higher education institutions. It also provides a host of outcome information about each school, such as graduation, loan default, and median borrowing rates. When the tool was released in 2012 Secretary Duncan sent an open letter to college and university presidents asking them to voluntarily adopt the Shopping Sheet, to replace or supplement their financial aid award letters for the 2013-14 school year.

USDOE Announces Highest-Rated Applications for Investing in Innovation 2013 Competition
On December 13, USDOE announced that the 25 highest-rated applications for the fourth round of the Investing in Innovation (i3) program competition have secured private-sector matching funds and will be awarded approximately $134 million to expand innovative practices designed to improve student achievement. The grantees were selected from 618 applications representing 13 states and DC. With this new cohort, the i3 program will encompass a total of 117 projects that are using more than $1.2 billion in federal and private-sector funds to address some of the most important challenges in education.

The 2013 i3 competition required all grantees to secure private-sector matching funds and submit evidence of 50% of the required private-sector match before the award. Evidence of the remaining 50% of the required private-sector match must be provided no later than 6 months after the project's start. Eighteen are in "Development"--supporting implementation of new and promising, but relatively untested projects--and 7 are in "Validation"--supporting building of organization capacity of projects that have evidence of effectiveness in improving student outcomes.

As in the past, the grantees address a variety of issues, including 4 projects focusing on family and parent engagement, 4 serving rural students and communities, and 5 focusing on STEM course content and instructional practices to increase student engagement and academic achievement.

Obama Nominates Assistant Secretary for DOLETA
On December 12, President Obama announced the nomination of Portia Wu to be the next assistant secretary for the employment and training administration at DOL. Wu is currently a special assistant to the president at the White House Domestic Policy Council, and she has also worked for the National Partnership for Women and Families and for the Senate HELP committee. The ETA administers funds for job training and dislocated worker programs, including the Workforce Investment Act.

President Obama's New Grant Opportunity for CTE Partnerships Housed in DOL
As reported in November's Update, President Obama announced a new, $100 million competitive grant opportunity named "Youth CareerConnect." DOL will award the funds from the H-1B visa program and will administer the grants. Reportedly, 25-40 grants will be awarded to partnerships of at minimum, a local education agency, a local workforce investment system entity, an employer, and an institution of higher education. Grants will range from $2 million to $7 million, and the lead fiscal agent must be a public or nonprofit local workforce entity, a local education agency, or a nonprofit entity with program model experience. Applicants are required to provide a match of 25% of the grant award through case or in-kind contributions.
Applications must incorporate small learning communities, and be designed around six core elements:

  • Core Element 1: Integrated Academic and Career-Focused Learning
  • Core Element 2: Employer Engagement
  • Core Element 3: Individualized Career and Academic Counseling
  • Core Element 4: Work-based Learning and Exposure to the World of Work
  • Core Element 5: Program Sustainability
  • Core Element 6: Program Performance and Outcomes 

OTHER NEWS

PISA Results Show Educational Stagnation in U.S.
U.S. students continue to perform poorly on international tests, with 15-year-olds scoring in the middle of the global pack on the latest math, reading, and science tests administered by the OECD. In a familiar hierarchy, Asian countries and regions topped the rankings for 2012. 

Average American scores on PISA tests haven't budged in a decade, despite bipartisan efforts to shake up the status quo through reforms such as mandating more frequent testing, publicizing student proficiency rates, and opening public schools to competition from charter and private schools. Education Secretary Arne Duncan called the U.S. performance "a picture of educational stagnation." Top-line takeaways from the volumes of data released:

  • In math, the U.S. ranked 26th in the world, on par with nations such as Hungary, Russia, and the Slovak Republic. American students had particular trouble with geometry, modeling, and real-world applications of mathematical concepts.
  • In science, the U.S. came in 21st, ahead of Russia and at the same level as Italy, Latvia, and Portugal.
  • In reading, the U.S. posted its best showing, with a rank of 17th in the world, on equal footing with the United Kingdom, France, and Austria.

One possible explanation: Unlike the state standardized tests most American teens are accustomed to, the PISA tests include open-response questions designed to measure critical thinking and problem-solving. The Common Core academic standards that are rolling out nationwide this year are meant to push students toward that "deeper learning" but have stirred considerable opposition on both left and right.

CTE Activities
In November the bipartisan Congressional CTE Caucus held a briefing for congressional staffers to discuss Perkins reauthorization from the perspective of different CTE stakeholders. As the House moves forward with reauthorizing the Perkins CTE Act, ACTE, and NASDCTEc are working closely with the Caucus to better inform Members of Congress on the importance of Perkins and CTE through in-person meetings, schools visits, policy recommendations and informational briefings like this one.  
 
There are a couple of other notable events in Perkins reauthorization that will be coming in the next few weeks. ACTE has organized a CTE school visit for congressional staff later this month at the Arlington Career Center in Arlington, VA. These schools visits allow policymakers to see CTE teachers and students in action. This is a great time for all ACTE members to contact their Senators and Representative to arrange a school visit during the upcoming congressional recesses. Check the CTE Policy Watch blog for more Perkins updates.

PUBLICATIONS

Keeping Pell on Track to Help Low-Income Americans Afford College
The Save Pell Coalition, of which CLASP is a member, has released new findings on the current state of the Pell Grant program and the many students who are counting on it. Key takeaways include (1) students rely on Pell Grants more than ever, (2) business and the public demand higher skills, and (3) Pell Grants have already been hard hit.  

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About NAPE

  

The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) is a national, nonprofit consortium of state and local agencies, corporations, and national organizations that collaborate to create equitable and diverse classrooms and workplaces where there are no barriers to opportunities. Through its Education Foundation, NAPE has been involved in a number of initiatives to increase diversity in America's workforce and to increase opportunities in high-skill, high-wage, high-demand careers. Among these is the National Science Foundation-funded STEM Equity Pipeline Project, which works with educational systems to increase the participation of underrepresented populations in STEM education.

 

 

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