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E-Update for July 24, 2015
EducationCounsel E-Update for July 24, 2015
U.S Congress
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Holds Hearing Exploring Barriers and Opportunities within Innovation: Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) held a hearing on how to address barriers and opportunities within innovation as they seek to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. Witnesses included: Jamie P. Merisotis, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lumina Foundation; Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley, President, Higher Learning Commission; Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc, President, Southern New Hampshire University; and Michael B. Horn, Co-founder and Executive Director, Education Programs, Clayton Christensen Institute.
Student Privacy Protection Act Introduced in the House: The Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN) and Ranking Member Marcia Fudge (D-OH) introduced the "Student Privacy Protection Act" (H.R. 3157), bipartisan legislation to update student privacy protections under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA. Reps. Kline (R-MN) and Scott (D-VA) circulated a FERPA discussion draft earlier this year, and this bill comes out of discussions on their draft.
U.S Department of Education
ESEA Flexibility Renewal Approved for Seven Additional States: The U.S. Department of Education approved ESEA flexibility renewal for seven additional states: Alaska, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah. An additional four years of flexibility is provided for Tennessee, and three years of flexibility for Alaska, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey and Oregon.
White House Hosts School Discipline Summit: The White House gathered educators, researchers, and nonprofit leaders for a summit this week called, "Rethink School Discipline." They discussed ways to dismantle the so-called school-to-prison pipeline and how to create positive school climates. They also shared new tools and resources to be released by the Obama administration's Supportive School Discipline Initiative, first launched in 2011.
Dr. George Cooper, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on HCBUs Passed Away: The U.S. Secretary of Education released a statement expressing his sadness at Dr. Cooper's passing and his appreciation of Dr. Cooper's commitment "to promoting excellence, innovation, and sustainability across our nation's HBCUs."
U.S. Department of Education Joins Key Partners to Release Parent Checklist to Help Children Thrive at School: The U.S. Department of Education joined America Achieves, National Council of La Raza, National PTA, and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to release a parent checklist with questions and resources that parents and caregivers can use to help ensure their children are getting the education they deserve. The checklist suggests key questions, tips for educational success, and resources for more information.
U.S. Department of Education Announces Student Support Services Awards: The U.S. Department of Education announced the award of $270 million for 968 Student Support Services (SSS) Program Projects to provide thousands of students with academic and other support services they need to succeed in college. The grants are aimed at helping increase the number of low-income college students, first-generation students and those with disabilities to successfully complete a program of study at the postsecondary level. SSS is one of seven Federal TRIO Programs, which provide outreach and student services for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, low income individuals, and first-generation college students.
Secretary Duncan Releases Statement on the Signing of the "Oregon Promise" to Offer Free Community College: The U.S. Secretary of Education released a statement on the Signing of the "Oregon Promise" to offer free community college to students. Secretary Duncan said, "Oregon's work builds on the momentum we are seeing across the country, including the recent introduction of the America's College Promise Act in Congress."
On July 28, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce will hold a hearing entitled, "Reviewing the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." The hearing will take place at 10:00 AM in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Watch it here.
On July, 29, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing, entitled "Reauthorizing the Higher Education Act: Combating Campus Sexual Assault." The hearing will take place at 9:00 AM in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building. Watch it here.
On July 30, the National Academy of Science's new Committee on Assessing Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Competencies will hold an open session from 10:45 AM to 12:45 PM in the Keck Center, Room 206 (500 Fifth Street, NW). This new committee has taken on a request from the National Science Foundation to examine how to assess interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies (e.g., teamwork, communication skills, academic mindset, and grit). To register, email Kelly Arrington.
H.R.3157: Student Privacy Protection Act.
Sponsor: Rep. Todd Rokita. [IN-4] (introduced 7/22/21015) Cosponsors (3)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce
H.R.3141: Safe Relationships Act of 2015.
Sponsor: Rep. Carolyn Maloney. [NY-2] (introduced 7/21/2015) Cosponsors (7)
H.R.3087 : Education Stability for Foster Youth Act
Sponsor: Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] (introduced 7/16/2015) Cosponsors (1)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce; House Financial Services
H.R.3096 : To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to award grants to State and local educational agencies for the establishment, improvement, and expansion of world language education programs.
Sponsor: Rep Price, David E. [NC-4] (introduced 7/16/2015) Cosponsors (3)
H.R.3141 : To support the provision of safe relationship behavior education and training.
Sponsor: Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-12] (introduced 7/21/2015) Cosponsors (6)
S.1787 : Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2015
Sponsor: Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH] (introduced 7/16/2015) Cosponsors (1)
Committees: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.1793 : Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act
Sponsor: Sen Murray, Patty [WA] (introduced 7/16/2015) Cosponsors (1)
Leading in an Era of Change: On the Ground: How Districts and Schools Can Make the Most of Course Access: The Foundation for Excellence in Education released a white paper with support from EducationCounsel which profiles ten districts and charters employing Course Access or similar strategies. Course Access is a state-level policy that provides public school students with expanded course offerings from diverse, accountable providers in a variety of learning environments.
Race, Class, and College Access: Achieving Diversity in a Shifting Legal Landscape: The American Council on Education's Center for Policy Research and Strategy released a report which examines contemporary admissions practices at four-year colleges and universities across a wide range of selectivity in the context of recent legal challenges to race-conscious admissions, including the pending U.S. Supreme Court case Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. The report offers insight into evolving practices institutions employ as they seek to further access and diversity. The report was co-authored by Pearson's Center for College & Career Readiness and the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and was supported by EducationCounsel.
Driving Toward Greater Postsecondary Attainment Using Data: A Tactical Guidebook: The Institute for Higher Education Policy released a guidebook to educate individuals and organizations about the different data tools that communities use to support students and improve educational outcomes, and about how they could implement the tools in their own communities.
Alternative Student Growth Measures for Teacher Evaluation: Implementation Experiences of Early-Adopting Districts: State requirements to include student achievement growth in teacher evaluations are prompting the development of alternative ways to measure growth in grades and subjects not covered by state assessments. These alternative growth measures use two primary approaches: (1) value-added models (VAMs) applied to end-of-course and commercial assessments; and (2) student learning objectives (SLOs) selected by teachers with the approval of their principals. Information is limited, however, on how these alternative growth measures can be used to evaluate teachers and on their costs and benefits. REL Mid-Atlantic sought to develop new information by conducting case studies to examine the implementation experiences of eight districts that were early adopters of alternative measures of student growth. District administrators, principals, teachers, and teachers' union representatives were interviewed for the study.
The articles published in this newsletter are intended only to provide general information on the subjects covered. The contents should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Readers should consult with legal counsel to obtain specific legal advice based on particular situations.
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