Education

Murray's Work

PASS Act

On August 1, Senator Murray introduced the PASS Act to help America’s teenagers graduate from high school, go on to college, and enter the working world with the skills they need to succeed.

Many of America’s high schools, and their students, are in serious trouble- and it’s getting worse. Each school day, about 3,000 secondary students drop out of school. This year alone, nearly 540,000 young people will leave school without attaining a high school diploma. Overall, the nation’s high school graduation rate hovers at an abysmal 69 percent, but in urban areas that figure is even worse, with many districts graduating less than 50 percent of their students.

These shocking statistics should - and must - serve as a clarion call to our nation’s leaders. In order for our country to retain its economic strength and leadership, we can no longer ignore the educational needs of our adolescents. The PASS Act will ensure that students in America’s high schools receive the same intensive attention that No Child Left Behind provides for elementary school students.

Bill Introduction | Bill Summary

....................................................................................

No Child Left Behind

In 2001, Congress updated our nation’s federal education policy and put more emphasis on standards and accountability. Senator Murray worked on the legislation for more than three years as a member of the HELP Committee. She used her first-hand experience as an educator, school board member and parent to improve the legislation by offering amendments both in committee and on the Senate floor. Two of her priorities were: ensuring the law helps rather than punishes students and giving local schools the resources they need to meet the new requirements.

12/18/01 - Education Reform Bill Supported by Murray Passes Senate

This year, Senator Murray will continue her work to fund the bill and will help oversee its implementation.

See the Department of Education’s website for more information on NCLB.

.........................................

Class Size & Teacher Quality

Senator Murray is recognized as the Senate’s leading voice for making classrooms less crowded and more productive. Smaller classes help kids learn the basics with fewer discipline problems.

Since 1998, her efforts have allowed districts to hire more than 29,000 new, qualified teachers nationwide. As a result, by 2000, more than 1.7 million students nationwide were benefiting from smaller classes.

The No Child Left Behind Act continues the class size reduction effort and combines it with a new teacher quality program to help districts ensure smaller classes and high quality teachers. For Fiscal Year 2003, Senator Murray helped secure $2.95 billion for the combined Teacher Quality and Class Size Grants.

Research Shows the Benefits of Smaller Classes

Smaller Classes Help Close the Black-White Achievement Gap - by Alan Krueger and Diane Whitmore.

U.S. Department of Education study on Local Success Stories: Reducing Class Size - (November 1999)

SAGE Student Achievement Guarantee in Education Programs - (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)

West ED publications on Class Size - (WestEd is a nonprofit research, development, and service agency)

California' s Class Size Reduction Program - CSR Research Consortium

Star Study

DOE Classsize Reduction Resource Page

....................................................................................

Early Childhood

As a former pre-school teacher, Senator Murray believes that all children should start school ready to succeed. She supports fully funding Head Start to ensure access to the program for all eligible 3 and 4 year olds. She also supports expanding access to Early Head Start. Murray has worked successfully to secure funding for programs and non-profit organizations that distribute free books to young children to encourage reading and improve literacy.

This year, Congress is updating both the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and the Head Start/Early Head Start program. Senator Murray will work actively on these authorizations to improve the quality of child care and help more kids access Head Start. Senator Murray believes that high quality early education efforts can help all kids start school ready to succeed. Murray supports increased funding for this critical and successful program. In addition, Senator Murray will continue her work on the Early Care and Education Act, which she helped write and introduce in 2002.

....................................................................................

Even Start

Again the President has rolled out a budget that attempts to terminate programs such as Even Start which could result in a potential loss of over $2 million in funding for family literacy in Washington State. Even Start, which supports literacy programs for low-income families, integrates early childhood education, adult literacy, and parenting education into a unified family literacy program. The greatest predictor of a child’s educational success is the level of education of the parents. Senator Murray will fight to restore full funding for this program.

....................................................................................

Disadvantaged Kids

Every child deserves a high quality education in a safe, supportive environment. Senator Murray is committed to providing the resources that disadvantaged students deserve. Since 1965, one of the federal government’s most important roles is to target funding to our neediest students.

In the U.S. Senate, Murray supports adequate funding for programs like migrant education, drop-out prevention, and the education of homeless youth. For example, she worked to secure almost $62.5 million for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth program in fiscal year 2005.

....................................................................................

Foster children

Foster children face a unique set of challenging circumstances. They have often been separated from their biological families as a result of child abuse. With a shortage of foster parents, children in foster care are sometimes shuttled between many different homes and families. Their experiences can leave them with unmet needs that make functional, productive lives much harder to achieve. To help address these needs, Murray worked as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee to secure $42 million for new education and training vouchers for foster children. These vouchers provide up to $5000 each for college tuition or vocational training to those leaving foster care upon turning 18. In the 109th Congress, she will continue to fight to ensure that these children’s needs are met as Congress reauthorizes Head Start and the Higher Education Act.

....................................................................................

Migrant children

These children are moved between many schools, spending little time in any one place where they may develop the kind of relationships most students do with their teachers and fellow classmates. Murray has worked to ensure that children of migrant workers receive the best possible educational opportunities.

In the Senate she has supported migrant education programs that help keep the American Dream alive for these families. She has worked to secure increased funding for College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) grants as well as to include a nationally linked database to serve migrant children in the No Child Left Behind Act.

She has fought hard to adequately fund English Language Acquisition programs and has received national and state awards as a legislative champion in this area. In February 2006 Murray was presented with an award from the High School Equivalency Program/College Assistance Migrant Program (HEP/CAMP) for her efforts on behalf of children of migrant workers.

This year the President’s budget for FY 2006 freezes funding for Migrant Education in two ways.

First, it “level-funds” (provides the same funding as FY 2005) the High School Equivalency program (HEP). HEP helps migrant students who have dropped out of high school get their GED. Washington State University, Central Washington University, Heritage College and Columbia Basin Community College receive HEP grants.

Second, the president “level-funds” the College Assistance Migrant program (CAMP). CAMP helps igrant students in their first year of college with counseling and stipends. Central Washington University and Heritage College receive CAMP grants.

The President is freezing the funding at the current levels, but the demand for these services are growing. That will hurt students in Washington State. Senator Murray will continue to stand up for HEP-CAMP in the budget fight this year.

....................................................................................

GEAR UP

This year the President has proposed to consolidate several focused education programs under his umbrella proposal, the High School Intervention Initiative. Under this consolidation effort the Administration would eliminate funding for programs such as GEAR UP. Washington State will suffer for the elimination of GEAR UP; a program that reaches out to at-risk students in 7th grade and helps them prepare for college. In WA state, GEAR UP helps more than 20,000 students statewide through 10 partnership grants and a state grant. GEAR UP programs are at work in more than 100 Washington schools and more than 30 communities. Senator Murray is working to restore funding for this invaluable program.

....................................................................................

Homeless children

Homeless children also need stability in their lives, but often lack the continuity of staying in one school or even in one district. In addition, some homeless youth have no legal guardian to watch out for their educational needs. In 1999 Senator Murray introduced legislation to increase funding grants to educate homeless children. In the No Child Left Behind Act, she also supported the right of children to stay in their school of origin when they become homeless and a requirement that school districts appoint liaisons to ensure that the needs of homeless students in their schools are met. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, she has advocated for increased funding for homeless education programs. Since FY2002, Senator Murray has secured some of the largest increases ever in homeless education funding, raising the federal funding from $35 million to $62.5 million in FY2005.

In 2002, Senator Murray received an award from the National Association for Education of Homeless Children and Youth in recognition of her leadership in supporting educational opportunities for homeless students.

....................................................................................

Safe & Drug Free Schools

Senator Murray has long supported the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) program. These funds support efforts to prevent violence in schools and to prevent student use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.

During the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Senator Murray worked hard to keep SDFSC funding separate from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers’ after-school and summer programs. This means that after-school programs and SDFSC programs in Washington state—which are among the nation’s strongest—will not have to compete with each other for funding and will be able to continue their important services for children. Murray was also successful in getting new language in legislation reauthorizing SDFSC. This language is modeled on the successful programs in Washington state and requires that funding be spent on research-based methods that are proven to work.

As a member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Murray helped secure $472 million for Safe and Drug Free Schools state grants within a total of $644 for the overall SDFSC program in fiscal year 2002.

In 2002 Senator Murray was awarded the national network of safe and drug free schools and communities congressional leadership award.

....................................................................................

IDEA

Last year, the Senate updated (reauthorized) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Senator Murray wants to ensure a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for all children with disabilities. Her priorities for reauthorization include the following:

Fully funding IDEA

Ensuring full funding to meet the long-standing promise of federal financial partnership in meeting the needs of children served under IDEA.

Protecting the civil right of students with disabilities to FAPE by:

ensuring that all students who need special education and related services get them;
ensuring that infants, toddlers, and families who need services get them; and
ensuring that all children with disabilities and their families are fully protected by procedural safeguards in IDEA.

Making IDEA work for students, parents, teachers, school administrators and school districts by:

enforcing the implementation of IDEA so that children with disabilities receive FAPE;
making procedural safeguards meaningful and efficient for families and schools;
giving parents the tools they need to be active partners in their children's education;
enhancing coordination among federal, state, and local programs; and
reducing paperwork so more time can be spent helping students with disabilities learn.

Providing quality services and instruction at all stages, from early childhood through graduation from high school by:

requiring that all special education teachers be highly qualified;
ensuring that all relevant personnel, including regular education teachers, are skilled in working with students with disabilities;
supporting early intervention programs to minimize or prevent learning and behavior problems later in life;
ensuring that students with disabilities have the services, supports, and instruction they need to meet high academic and competency-based standards;
ensuring that classroom technology is accessible to students with disabilities, promoting the effective use of technology to enhance student learning; and
strengthening supports and services to help children with disabilities successfully transition from early childhood to school, and from school to employment and/or post-secondary education.

In her continuing effort to improve the education of the nations most needy children Senator Murray worked successfully to include the following provisions in IDEA.

IDEA now improves special education services and coordination of services for children with disabilities who transfer school districts, including homeless, foster kids, and children with disabilities in military families.
IDEA now clarifies which appropriate adults can advocate for children with regard to their special education services, including situations when the parents cannot be located or are uninvolved with the child.
Provisions are included to improve coordination between the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and IDEA. The overall representation of homeless and foster children in IDEA has been improved.
IDEA has strengthened and expanded early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities who are homeless, in foster care, or in military families.

Fully funding IDEA

Senator Murray has pledged to fight for full funding to meet the long-standing promise of federal financial partnership in meeting the needs of children served under IDEA.

....................................................................................

Education Technology

As I grew up, schools taught students to read and write. Today's standards, though, dictate that students not only read and write, but also be able to log on and print out. Education technology is all about putting relevance back into our schools. We must prepare our children for a future that is vastly different from the one our generation faced.

-- Senator Patty Murray
September 12, 1996

Since 1993, Senator Murray has worked to give students the skills and tools they need to master technology in the classroom.

As a member of two key committees, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Murray:

Wrote the legislation that helps new teachers get technology training;
Developed a program to give leftover government computers to public schools;
And worked to fund initiatives that connect schools to the Internet and promote innovative uses of technology in the classroom.

Promoting Education Technology: An Overview

Training Teachers in Technology

Senator Murray wrote and successfully passed the Teacher Training in Technology Act. The law ensures that new teachers receive technology training before they enter the classroom. (This law is now included in the Higher Education Act). Murray has also protected funding to support training for these new teachers—she fought successfully to ensure that the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers for Technology program was funded at $62 million in FY2003.

Senator Murray is also working to ensure current teachers get technology training. For example, in 2000, Senator Murray, along with Senator Bingaman, offered an amendment that would fund technology training for existing teachers.

Over the past three years, Senator Murray expanded funding for education technology and teacher technology training on the Appropriations Committee.

Connecting Schools to the Internet Through the E-Rate

Senator Murray strongly supports the E-Rate. The E-Rate offers discounted Internet access to schools, libraries, rural health clinics and hospitals. Senator Murray cosponsored an amendment to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which provides schools and libraries with a 20-70 percent discount on Internet access.

When the E-Rate was threatened by budget cuts, Murray defended this important resource for Washington’s schools. For example, she wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission protesting the cuts. Murray's efforts succeeded. The program avoided severe cuts that would have hurt access to the Internet in the classroom.

As of June 2000, the E-Rate benefited more than 80 percent of America's public schools and provided internet access for 30 million children in more than one million classrooms and 47,000 schools and libraries.

In 1994, just 35 percent of public schools were connected to the internet. By 1999, 95 percent of schools had internet connections.

Go to USAC Schools & Libraries to learn what E-Rate grants your community has received.

Wrote and Passed Legislation To Send Surplus Government Computers to Schools

"Surplus computers continue to pile up here in the Senate, while children in some public schools wait in line for access to today's technology."

-- Senator Murray
July 19, 1996

In 1996, Senator Murray noticed that surplus computers were piling up in basement hallways of the United States Senate. Her investigation revealed that each year the Senate alone disposes of about 1500 computers. At the same time, many Washington state schools needed help buying computers. Senator Murray saw a common-sense way to help students.

Murray's Actions:

May 17, 1996: Sen Murray passes a resolution putting the Senate on record in support of an Executive Order by President Clinton directing the General Services Administration (GSA) to inventory surplus computers in all government departments and agencies.
July 19, 1996: Senator Murray includes an amendment to the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill directing the Senate's Sergeant at Arms and the GSA to establish a process to send surplus Senate computers to public schools.
July 23, 1996: Senator Murray includes language in the Treasury/Postal Appropriations bill urging the GSA to comply with President Clinton=s Executive Order to put surplus computers from all government agencies in schools.

Surplus Government Computers Sent to Washington State Schools Thru Murray's Legislation.
Equipment	10/99-10/00	10/00-1/01
Computers	2524	2544
Monitors	2315	2135
Printers	567	226
Laptops	203	70
Related Equipment	836	943