Sorry again I’ve fallen behind on the CEF updates. Here is the latest one. I’ll pick out any highlights from the ones I missed sending and share those with you in a batch later on. In related news, the CEF board is making slow but steady progress in our efforts to secure Joel’s replacement. We are in the final stretch and I expect there will be an announcement next week. Joel’s last day is May 13th. In addition to my work on the CEF transition, I’ve been on the Hill meeting with senior appropriations staff with Joel and some of the other CEF officers over the last several weeks. as usual, I have nothing too revelatory to share; I can get into what I little I have learned during our call at 4pm. As you’ll read below, some believe (as do I) that there is a deal to use a portion of the Pell surplus to pay for other things — the rumor now is some version of summer Pell, $1 billion toward an NIH increase, and $500 million for ESSA programs. This will cause a problem for higher ed advocates because in general they are against in principle raiding the Pell surplus but OTOH some universities might benefit from research money that might come out of NIH. My impression is that those of us in adult ed would be happy to see the restoration of year-round Pell, right? On the House side, a few weeks ago when we met with Jennifer Cama, she assured me that adult ed was not a specific target for cuts, and I wouldn't expect it would be, but, as you can read below, we are also not among her boss’s priorities, which are programs like IDEA, Title I, Title IV of ESSA, TRIO and GEAR UP, Impact Aid, and Indian Education. Talk to you in a few minutes. Jeff Jeff Carter — President, National Coalition for Literacy www.national-coalition-literacy.org Email/Phone: Use general contact info below General Contact Info — jcarter@literacypolicy.org or jeffcrtr@gmail.org Personal Twitter: @jeffcrtr | literacypolicy.org Cell: (202) 374-4387 > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Joel Packer <jpacker@cef.org> > Subject: Tuesday Update > Date: May 3, 2016 at 2:17:38 PM EDT > To: Joel Packer <jpacker@cef.org> > > > > > THANKS TO OUR ELEVEN SPONSORS: > American Alliance of Museums (AAM), Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE), ISTE, NACAC, NAfME, National PTA, ProLiteracy, Scholastic, SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), Taylor Strategies, and Washington Partners > > 1. No CEF Meeting This Week: With Congress on recess this week, we will not have a CEF meeting this Friday, May 6. Our next meeting will be Friday, May 13 at 1307 New York Ave., NW. Our guest speaker will be Robin Juliano, who now works at the White House National Economic Council. > > 2. FY 2016 Omnibus: At last, the text of Public Law 114-113 <https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-114publ113/pdf/PLAW-114publ113.pdf> - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, is available! > > 3. FY 2017 Appropriations: No real news. > · Senate: When the Senate returns next week, it has scheduled its third cloture vote for Monday at 5:30 PM on the Energy\/Water bill. Unless a deal is reached, I do not expect cloture to be invoked. If not, it is not clear whether the Senate will continue to try and work out a way to pass the Energy/Water bill or set it aside. The next bill is expected to be THUD packaged together with MilCon/VA. > > As of now, the Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet announced any markups for next week. They might not have any markups next week. > > · House: The House Republican leadership is continuing to try to find a way to pass their Budget Resolution, but so far, no breakthroughs have occurred. The House is expected the week of May 16 to take up on the floor its first appropriations bill, MilCon/VA. The House Appropriations Committee has not yet announced any markups for next week, though I expect there will be at least one subcommittee markup (likely defense) and probably Leg Branch in full committee. > > · Kline/Scott letter: Last week, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman Kline and Rankling Member Scott sent a letter <https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwToOUJsWW1ocXFWVXM/view?usp=sharing> to the leadership of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations subcommittee urging them to: > · Fund Title I at least equal to the combined FY 2016 levels for Title I and School Improvement Grants plus 0.649%. That would be an increase of $99.7 million above the president's request, for a total of $15.459 billion. > · Provide at least the full authorized level of $1.65 billion for the ESSA Title IV black grant, which would be an increase of $1.15 billion above the president’s budget > · Support for the Preschool Development Grant program > > · Labor-HHS-ED: At Friday’s CEF meeting, there were reports that the Senate Labor-HHS-education appropriations subcommittee has a tentative deal to use a portion of the Pell surplus to restore some version of summer Pell, use $1 billion toward an NIH increase, and use $500 million for ESSA programs. > > Jennifer Cama, from the House Labor-HHS-ED subcommittee staff who spoke, said at this point, she is not planning to use the Pell surplus for other programs. Jennifer said the likely education priorities of the House subcommittee are IDEA, Title I, Title IV of ESSA, TRIO and GEAR UP, Impact Aid, and Indian Education. > > 4. REMINDER: BBA Groups Meeting Tomorrow, 5/4/2016 (2:30) - Senate Dirksen Building: On behalf AFSCME, NEA, and CBPP, we would like to invite you to an important meeting on Wednesday (5/4) to discuss both the threat of a constitutional balanced budget amendment (BBA) and a possible constitutional convention at the federal and state levels and how they can potentially build off each other to become even greater threats. We will provide updated information on the impact of the Senate Republican BBA proposal, and discuss ways to address it. > > LOCATION: SD-106 (Dirksen Senate Office Building) > DATE: 05/04/2016 > TIME: 2:30 EST PM > > Please remember to give yourself enough time to get through Senate security. > > If you are able to join the meeting, please RSVP to Daniel Estes (destes@cbpp.org <mailto:destes@cbpp.org>). > > 5. President Obama Celebrates Great Teachers and Our Nation’s Educational Progress: The White House today released FACT SHEET AND REPORT: President Obama Celebrates Great Teachers and Our Nation’s Educational Progress <https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/05/03/fact-sheet-and-report-president-obama-celebrates-great-teachers-and-our>. The report is entitledGIVING EVERY CHILD A FAIR SHOT: PROGRESS UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION’S EDUCATION AGENDA <https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/giving_every_child_fair_shot_050316.pdf>, and is a comprehensive review of the Obama Administration's plans and results in education from PreK through higher education. > > Tune in at 4:30 pm Eastern to watch President Obama thank our nation’s top educators for their hard work and celebrate teachers across the country who are giving students a chance to succeed. <https://click.mail.whitehouse.gov/?qs=10b7ff3ad2f382889e5f324a1e3b79eb2a409e640a1ffd15386b5e0a5dd4dbba2f2cd5e084d64460> > > 6. ESSA: > · At last, the text of Public Law 114–95 <https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-114publ95/pdf/PLAW-114publ95.pdf>, the Every Student Succeeds Act is now available! As previously reported, the text of ESEA as amended by ESSA <http://legcounsel.house.gov/Comps/Elementary%20And%20Secondary%20Education%20Act%20Of%201965.pdf> is available through the House Legislative Counsel’s website. > > · NegReg Language: ED has posted Title I, Part A assessments – Final Consensus-Based Regulatory Language <http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/title1a-assessment-consensus-regulatory-lang.pdf>. > > · Warren/Murphy Letter; “United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), along with seven other senators, urged the U.S. Department of Education <https://www.warren.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=1124> (ED) to use the authority that it was given by Congress to fully enforce the "supplement, not supplant" provision in the recently-passed Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This provision helps ensure the law meets it goal of protecting the civil rights and educational opportunity for all students. The letter was signed by Senators Warren, Murphy, Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).” > > Read a PDF copy of the senators' letter to ED here <http://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/2016-05-02%20Letter%20to%20ED%20re%20ESSA%20Fiscal%20Accountability%20in%20SnS_OCR.pdf>. > > Also see: Democratic Senators to King: Don't Back Down On ESSA Rules Fight <http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2016/05/senators_to_king_dont_back_dow.html> (Politics K12) > > · ESSA stories: > · Ed Trust Has Advice for Secretary King on ESSA Accountability Regulations <http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2016/05/ed_trust_has_advice_for_secret.html> (Politics K12) > · Sticker Shock? Figuring Out the Cost of Potential ESSA Spending Rules <http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2016/05/essa_possible_spending_regulations_title_I.html> (Politics K12) > · Civil Rights Groups To Feds: Your ESSA Rules Must Push Equity, Disruptive or Not <http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2016/04/civil_rights_groups_essa_must_push_equity.html> (Politics K12) > · New Education Law Opens Door to Education Data <http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-26/new-education-law-opens-door-to-education-data> (U.S. News and World Report) > > 7. SOAR: Last week, the House passed H.R. 4901 <https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4901> — "To reauthorize the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act, and for other purposes." The vote on final passage was 224 - 181 (Roll no. 179) <http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.asp?year=2016&rollnumber=179>. > > 8. OSEP Memos, Dear Colleague Letters and Policy Letters: ED updated the OSEP page that lists <http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/index.html> OSEP Memos and Dear Colleague Letters, which are listed chronologically starting from the most recent issuance and going back to 2005. > > 9. CEF Gala Awardees: We encourage all CEF members to submit Gala 2016 Award Nominations using this form <https://drive.google.com/a/rabengroup.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwToUERWakZ2ZGlQMEE/view?usp=sharing>. > > 10. Digest of Education Statistics: Last week, NCES released the Digest of Education Statistics, 2014 <http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2016006>. Some key findings below. Also check out the fabulous Chronology of Federal Education Legislation form 1787 through 2014 starting on page 720. > > · The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) projects record levels of total public elementary and secondary enrollment from 2014 (50.0 million) through at least 2024 (52.9 million). The total public school enrollment projected for fall 2014 is a record-high number, and new records are expected every year through 2024, the last year for which NCES enrollment projections have been developed. > · The average salary for public school teachers in 2013–14 was $56,689 in current dollars (i.e., dollars that are not adjusted for inflation). In constant (i.e., inflation-adjusted) dollars, the average salary for teachers was 2 percent lower in 2013–14 than in 1990–91. > · Between 1990 and 2013, the status dropout rate declined from 12.1 percent to 6.8 percent. Although the status dropout rate declined for both Blacks and Hispanics during this period, their rates in 2013 (7.3 and 11.7 percent, respectively) remained higher than the rate for Whites (5.1 percent). > · College enrollment was 20.4 million in fall 2013, which was 3 percent lower than the record enrollment in fall 2010. College enrollment is expected to set new records from fall 2018 through fall 2024, the last year for which NCES enrollment projections have been developed. Between fall 2013 and fall 2024, enrollment is expected to increase by 14 percent. > · Between 2002–03 and 2012–13 (the last year of actual data), the number of degrees conferred increased at all levels. The number of associate’s degrees was 59 percent higher in 2012–13 than in 2002–03, the number of bachelor’s degrees was 36 percent higher, the number of master’s degrees was 45 percent higher, and the number of doctor’s degrees was 44 percent higher. > · Total expenditures for education were an estimated 7.1 percent of the gross domestic product in 2013–14. The percentage of GDP was higher in 2009–10 (7.6) than in 2003–04 (7.2); however, the percentage has declined since 2009–10. > · From FY 2000 to FY 2013, after adjustment for inflation, federal on-budget funding showed a net increase of 35 percent for elementary and secondary education, 213 percent for postsecondary education, 33 percent for other education, and an estimated 10 percent for research at educational institutions. In FY 2009, federal on-budget funding for elementary and secondary education was at a record-high level ($186.9 billion in FY 2014 dollars) due to funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (table 401.10).1 For FY 2014, federal program funds totaled $80.1 billion for elementary and secondary education, $57.0 billion for postsecondary education, $9.5 billion for other education programs, and an estimated $32.9 billion for research at educational institutions (tables 401.10 and 401.30). > > > > 11. Child Nutrition: Josh Westfall from the PTA asked me to share this: The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA) coalition, Child Nutrition Forum and other organizations are asking local, state and national organizations to sign on to this letter   <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Jrq8EkHVsLNmB35oIuhxfC5VJgprg0pPMwHaTZRo8p8/viewform?c=0&w=1> by Friday, May 6 in opposition to the House Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill (HR 5003). A markup of the bill is expected in the House Education and the Workforce Committee as early as the second week of May. > > 12. NPR on School Funding; NPR has been running a series called School Money, The Cost Of Opportunity <http://www.npr.org/series/473636949/schoolmoney>. Recent episodes include Is There A Better Way To Pay For America's Schools? <http://www.npr.org/2016/05/01/476224759/is-there-a-better-way-to-pay-for-americas-schools> and Can More Money Fix America's Schools? <http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/04/25/468157856/can-more-money-fix-americas-schools> > From that later story: > “Make no mistake, money can make a difference in the classroom. If: > > · Takeaway #1: The money reaches students who need it most. > · Takeaway #2: The increases come steadily, year after year. > · Takeaway #3: The money stays in the classroom: paying, training and supporting strong teachers, improving curriculum and keeping class sizes manageable. > · Takeaway #4: How do we define success? > > 13. My Brother’s Keeper: Last week the White House released FACT SHEET: My Brother’s Keeper – Two Years of Expanding Opportunity & Creating Pathways for Success <https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/04/22/fact-sheet-my-brothers-keeper-%E2%80%93-two-years-expanding-opportunity-creating>. Quite a bit relates to education. > > 14. National Science Board on Higher Education: Thanks to Juliane Baron for bringing this to my attention! The National Science Board, part of NSF, recently issued Higher Education as a Public and Private Good <http://nationalscienceboard.com/human-Capital/> > “As these and other pressures mount, policy discussions about higher education have become increasingly limited, focusing on its near-term, individual, and private benefits. This approach fails to recognize the full range of near- and long-term public and private benefits of higher education, and that these benefits are deeply intertwined and mutually reinforcing. At the same time that our higher education system prepares individuals for gainful employment, it also positions the United States to compete in a global knowledge economy and meet domestic and international challenges. Our higher education ecosystem simultaneously serves public and private purposes – contributing to our collective economic prosperity, a well-functioning public sector, a globally competitive private sector, and the creation of a STEM-literate populace that can navigate a data- and technology-intensive world. It also plays a vital role in shaping a thriving, democratic society, as highlighted in the “Sense of the National Science Board Regarding the Broad Value to the Nation of Higher Education <http://nationalscienceboard.com/sense-of-the-board>.” > > > > Joel Packer > CEF Executive Director > JPacker@cef.org <mailto:JPacker@cef.org> > 202-383-0083 > 202-255-0915 (cell) > www.cef.org <http://www.cef.org/> > www.Twitter.com/edfunding <http://www.twitter.com/edfunding> > NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS > 1341 G Street, NW > Fifth Floor > Washington, DC 20005