From:                              National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity [nape@napequity.org]

Sent:                               Saturday, September 14, 2013 12:56 PM

To:                                   Nancy Tuvesson

Subject:                          NAPE Public Policy Update for September 2013

 

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity

Public Policy Update
September 2013

 

News from NAPE

 

Check out NAPE's newly updated policy pages at www.napequity.org/public-policy!

 

Administration

Martha Kanter, a former community college chancellor, is leaving the U.S. Department of Education to return to academia. She will remain in the position until a replacement is on board. As under secretary Kanter oversaw the federal higher education portfolio. 

On August 1, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Deborah Lee James as Secretary of the Air Force. James is currently President of the Technology and Engineering Sector at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). In addition, the Senate confirmed Samantha Power as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Jo Handelsman, a Yale University microbiologist was appointed as associate director for science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), succeeding Carl Wieman, the physics Nobelist who stepped down in June 2012 for health reasons.

On August 22, President Barack Obama announced his plan to improve postsecondary education access and affordability. The President's plan builds on his previous support for community colleges and access to higher education for low-income students.
 

Congress

On August 5, Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) announced legislation to Strengthen Engineering Programs in Schools Across the US. His bill is  "designed to introduce and strengthen engineering programs at schools across the" United States. The bill would require schools to integrate engineering concepts "into their baseline science educational curriculums." Rep. Tonko hopes the legislation would also help encourage private-public partnerships between companies and schools.

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) turned 15 years old this month, but is 10 years overdue for reauthorization.

In budget news, FY 2013 funding for federal government operations expires on September 30. There is the possibility of a government shutdown if Congress and the President do not act by October 1 on either the FY 2014 appropriations or a continuing resolution (CR) that will extend government funding for a short period of time.

States

As reported by ACTE, a recent report from the National Education Association (NEA) shows the cuts in federal education funding, including Perkins, state-by-state in Fiscal Year (FY) 2013. Based on the most recent estimates from the U.S. Department of Education, the tables illustrate the significant reductions in federal support to states in the wake of sequestration. In FY 2013 most federal education programs were cut by 5.2 percent below the previous year. This is the result of a combination of the 5% sequester cut that went into effect on March 1, 2013, and an additional across-the-board reduction of .2%t in the final FY 2013 Continuing Resolution that will fund the federal government through the end of September. For CTE, this means $58 million cut in Perkins funding for the 2013-14 school year.

The U.S. Department of Education announced that states whose waivers from certain provisions of federal education law will expire at the end of the 2013-2014 school year will soon be able to request renewals of their reform plans, for up to 2 more years.

In addition, on August 20, the U.S. Department of approved Pennsylvania's application to waive key requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Pennsylvania's waiver was the 41st waiver that has been approved and includes CTE programs of study since 2011.

Iowan Senator Herman Quirmbach filed an education appropriations bill requesting $13.5 million to support adult basic education, career pathways programs and navigators, and regional industry sector partnerships. The bill was inspired by the Iowa Skills2Compete Coalition policy agenda. In August, Iowan Governor Terry Brandstad signed legislation providing $10.5 million in state funding to support the bill.

NAPE Partners
 

The National Coalition of Women and Girls in Education (NCWGE, of which NAPE is a member) submitted comments on mandatory Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) on August 20, 2013. The comments advocated for Title IX rights to be guaranteed to every student and for ensuring that Title IX meets its promise of equal educational opportunities for all students, from kindergarten through postgraduate school, regardless of sex.

NCWGE agreed with proposed changes to the CRDC, such as (1) the proposed inclusion of a new question asking local education authorities whether they have "civil rights coordinators for discrimination against students on basis of sex, race, and disability (and contact information)"; and ( 2) the proposed addition of data collection on bullying and harassment incidents against students on the basis of their sexual orientation and religion.

NCWGE urged the Department to reconsider its proposal to eliminate current CRDC questions on whether a district or school has written policies prohibiting harassment and bullying.

Many organizations and individuals marched and/or committed to action on key civil rights issues to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The march is best known for beginning a new era of civil rights in the United States, which ended Jim Crow and saw the passage of the civil rights and voting rights legislation as well as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech.

Over the past six months, National Skills Coalition's (of which NAPE is a member) staff, leadership, and members have been weighing in with the White House on innovative strategies for addressing long-term unemployment in local communities.

The National Skills Coalition received a request from members of the House Committee on Education and Workforce this April to provide input on potential policy changes and amendments to improve the Higher Education Act (HEA), which is set to expire at the end of this year. The recommendations include:

  • Tuition assistance and other financial aid for nontraditional students
  • Better data collection and reporting through inclusive, aligned and market relevant data systems
  • Strengthening of partnerships between postsecondary education institutions and employers and industries
  • Improvement in remedial and adult basic education (ABE) programs associated with postsecondary education

ACTE's priorities for reauthorization include:

  • Reducing barriers to short-term higher education
  • Ensuring adequate access to financial aid programs for all students
  • Supporting CTE teacher preparation programs and alternative paths to certification
  • Evaluating data collection requirements to reduce burden and ensure program integrity  

Publications and Resources

  

The Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) recently released several reports of interest

  • A new Quick Figures by IWPR reveals that gender segregation of training services within Workforce Investment Act (WIA)-funded programs reinforces the gender wage gap. IWPR notes that more proactive career counseling may encourage women's entry into higher earning, high-demand fields and enhance their chances of reaching economic self-sufficiency.
  • IWPR's working paper on Student Parents and Financial Aid, a collaboration with the Institute for Higher Education provides an overview of key federal financial aid programs and policies and their implications for college students with dependent children.
  • A working paper, Prepping Colleges for Parents, outlines a variety of promising supports and services that colleges and universities (and sometimes community service providers) have implemented to mitigate common challenges faced by students with dependent children.  

A Fordham Institute survey demonstrates what parents want from education, including a strong core curriculum in reading and math; an emphasis on STEM education; and the instilment of strong study habits, critical thinking skills and communication skills. Parents listed skills that were critical for their children including hands-on training. CTE was viewed by some parents as important in schools.

General News

Education Week reports that "For the 24th straight year, high school sports participation increased from the year before, according to the latest High School Athletics Participation Survey from the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS)." Girls' participation in high school sports also reached a new all-time high in 2012-13. 

  

************** 

  

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.

 

 

NAPE small


610.593.8038

 

This email was sent to nape@napequity.org by nape@napequity.org |  

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity | 3157 Limestone Road | PO Box 369 | Cochranville | PA | 19330

 

THIS IS A TEST EMAIL ONLY.
This email was sent by the author for the sole purpose of testing a draft message. If you believe you have received the message in error, please contact the author by replying to this message. Constant Contact takes reports of abuse very seriously. If you wish to report abuse, please forward this message to abuse@constantcontact.com.