05/23/03 ED Review
What's inside...
NCLB Update
State Tables
Funding Opportunities
School Choice
TCO Tool
HBCU Counselor
Quote to Note
Upcoming Events
NCLB Update
To help schools plan for an emergency—whether that emergency be a natural disaster, violent incident, or terrorist attack—Secretary Paige unveiled a new guidebook and announced the availability of $38 million in competitive grants. "Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities" is designed to give districts, schools, and communities the critical concepts and components of good crisis planning, stimulate thinking about the full crisis preparedness process, and provide examples of promising practices. It does not provide a "cookbook" approach to crisis preparedness, recognizing that crisis plans need to be customized to meet the unique needs of students and residents and conform with state and local safety laws. Based on research conducted by experts in crisis planning, the guide lists four areas that all schools should address: Mitigation-Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Meanwhile, school districts can apply for $38 million in grants to help them improve either their crisis management or emergency response plans (http://www.ed.gov/GrantApps/#84.184E). The funds may be used to train staff, parents, and students; coordinate with local emergency responders, like police officers and fire fighters; coordinate with groups responsible for recovery, like health and mental health agencies; and purchase equipment. The Department expects to award about 150 grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each. The deadline for all applications is June 30. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/emergencyplan/.
Over two weeks, six more states (Georgia, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) received formal approval for their state accountability plans. A number of the approved plans are available online at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/CFP/csas/index.html. To date, 23 states have gained approval.
In addition, on May 12, Wisconsin became the 32nd state to pass a rigorous review panel for Reading First funds. The state plans to hold a competition this spring for eligible school districts to compete for $11.1 million in subgrants. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/index.html.
Top
State Tables
State tables showing FY 2002 and FY 2003 enacted appropriations and the FY 2004 budget request under formula-allocated and selected student aid programs have been updated at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/Budget04/04StateTables/index.html. These tables show allocations for the following No Child Left Behind formula grants:
Top
Funding Opportunities
Looking for other funding opportunities? The Department recently posted several grant competitions in the Federal Register. For example, the Foreign Language Assistance Program offers grants to local schools districts for the establishment, improvement, or expansion of model programs providing for K-12 foreign language study (closes 6/13). The Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology Program provides grants to consortia that will increase pre-service teachers' proficiency in the use of modern learning technologies. The consortia must include at least one higher education institution that awards baccalaureate degrees and prepares teachers for their entry into teaching, one state or local education agency, and one other entity, such as another higher education institution, a for-profit business, or a community-based organization (closes 6/23). The Advanced Placement Grant Programs support state and local efforts to increase access to Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes and tests for low-income students. AP Incentive Grants, awarded to states and school districts, must be used to expand access for low-income individuals to prepare for and succeed in AP and IB courses (closes 7/3). AP Test Fee Grants, awarded solely to states, cover all or part of the cost of test fees for needy children who are enrolled in AP or IB classes and plan to take AP or IB tests (closes 6/30). http://www.ed.gov/GrantApps/ lists all the competitions that are currently underway and provides links to electronic application packages, forms, and other key information.
Top
School Choice
Last week, the Department hosted an all-day workshop with education administrators and practitioners from across the U.S. to discuss how to expand school choice capacity so that all students in eligible schools will have more options for education. "There are lots of strategies that states and communities are using to expand school choice," said Undersecretary of Education Gene Hickok, "but there doesn't seem to be a coordinated, concerted effort to take advantage of the strategies. We want to change that, which is what this meeting is all about." Among the participants: the Colorado Department of Education; Miami-Dade County Schools; the Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools; the School District of Philadelphia; and the Council of the Great City Schools. Also, during the workshop, the National Center for Education Statistics released "Trends in the Use of School Choice: 1993 to 1999," which finds that the percentage of students enrolled in public, chosen schools increased from 11 percent in 1993 to 14 percent in 1999 and that parents whose children attended public, chosen schools or private schools were more likely to say they were "very satisfied" with their children's schools, teachers, academic standards, and the order and discipline maintained at such schools. For more information, please go to http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfor.asp?pubid=2003031.
Note: On May 9, Undersecretary Hickok testified before the House Committee on Government Reform regarding the Department's D.C. school choice initiative. While much of his testimony is District-specific, President Bush's FY 2004 budget request includes $75 million for a national Choice Incentive Fund, with a portion reserved for D.C. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-2003/05092003.html.
Top
TCO Tool
Trouble estimating the cost of technology? The Department-funded Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Tool can help districts and schools make sound budgetary allocations, provide an organized approach, establish a baseline for investments, and determine maximum benefit in managing technology. Among other data, the TCO Tool considers assets, staffing, and salary information. The Consortium of School Networking and Gartner, Inc., have also gathered information from four case study school districts of varying sizes that provides information on how to utilize the TCO analysis. For more information, please go to http://classroomtco.cosn.org//.
Top
HBCU Counselor
Promoting from within, Secretary Paige named Wilbert Bryant counselor to the secretary for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Bryant is now, and will continue to serve as, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs in the Office of Postsecondary Education. "Will's knowledge and experience in the area of higher education will be a valuable resource in his new role as my counselor on all matters related to the HBCU initiative," Paige said. With more than 100 schools in 24 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands, HBCUs enroll over 370,000 students. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-2003/05212003c.html. (Note: outgoing director Leonard Spearman has been named Special Assistant to the Secretary.)
Top
Quote to Note
"The challenge for the president is balancing all of the priorities within and outside education in a responsible budget. The president believes that the limited sums of available federal funds should be concentrated on programs that have the greatest impact; impact derives from programs that are effective and demonstrate results—in other words, programs that are accountable. This discipline is more difficult in light of the competing demands of the war on terrorism and efforts to restore economic growth.... Program accountability links to resource allocation. The 2004 budget proposes the elimination of funding for 45 education programs totaling $1.5 billion and reduces funds for other programs to focus on higher priority activities. In making such decisions, we considered the history of the program, recent legislative changes, and program effectiveness."
—Deputy Secretary of Education Bill Hansen (5/13/03)
Top
Upcoming Events
The Department's National Center for Education Statistics will hold a briefing on findings from The Condition of Education 2003 on June 10 at the Charles Sumner School (1201 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.). The congressionally mandated report contains 44 indicators on conditions and trends from all levels of education. 2003's special focus is on student instruction and performance in kindergarten and first-grade. To RSVP, please contact Emily Dill at EDill@air.org. (The report, itself, will be released at 10:00 a.m. on May 28 and posted at http://nces.ed.gov/.)
Top
Credits
Please feel free to contact the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs with any questions:
Deputy Assistant Secretary—Terri Rayburn, (202) 401-0404, Terri.Rayburn@ed.gov
Program Analyst—Adam Honeysett, (202) 401-3003, Adam.Honeysett@ed.gov
To be added or removed from distribution, or submit comments (we welcome your feedback!), please contact Adam Honeysett. Or, visit http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/OIA/edreview/.
Top
 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
|
|||||||||
 |
NCLB Update
State Tables
Funding Opportunities
School Choice
TCO Tool
HBCU Counselor
Quote to Note
Upcoming Events
NCLB Update
To help schools plan for an emergency—whether that emergency be a natural disaster, violent incident, or terrorist attack—Secretary Paige unveiled a new guidebook and announced the availability of $38 million in competitive grants. "Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities" is designed to give districts, schools, and communities the critical concepts and components of good crisis planning, stimulate thinking about the full crisis preparedness process, and provide examples of promising practices. It does not provide a "cookbook" approach to crisis preparedness, recognizing that crisis plans need to be customized to meet the unique needs of students and residents and conform with state and local safety laws. Based on research conducted by experts in crisis planning, the guide lists four areas that all schools should address: Mitigation-Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Meanwhile, school districts can apply for $38 million in grants to help them improve either their crisis management or emergency response plans (http://www.ed.gov/GrantApps/#84.184E). The funds may be used to train staff, parents, and students; coordinate with local emergency responders, like police officers and fire fighters; coordinate with groups responsible for recovery, like health and mental health agencies; and purchase equipment. The Department expects to award about 150 grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each. The deadline for all applications is June 30. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/emergencyplan/.
Over two weeks, six more states (Georgia, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) received formal approval for their state accountability plans. A number of the approved plans are available online at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/CFP/csas/index.html. To date, 23 states have gained approval.
In addition, on May 12, Wisconsin became the 32nd state to pass a rigorous review panel for Reading First funds. The state plans to hold a competition this spring for eligible school districts to compete for $11.1 million in subgrants. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/index.html.
State Tables
State tables showing FY 2002 and FY 2003 enacted appropriations and the FY 2004 budget request under formula-allocated and selected student aid programs have been updated at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/Budget04/04StateTables/index.html. These tables show allocations for the following No Child Left Behind formula grants:
- Reading First State Grants
- Comprehensive School Reform
- Improving Teacher Quality State Grants
- Math and Science Partnerships
- 21st Century Community Learning Centers
- State Grants for Innovative Programs
- State Assessments
- Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
Funding Opportunities
Looking for other funding opportunities? The Department recently posted several grant competitions in the Federal Register. For example, the Foreign Language Assistance Program offers grants to local schools districts for the establishment, improvement, or expansion of model programs providing for K-12 foreign language study (closes 6/13). The Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology Program provides grants to consortia that will increase pre-service teachers' proficiency in the use of modern learning technologies. The consortia must include at least one higher education institution that awards baccalaureate degrees and prepares teachers for their entry into teaching, one state or local education agency, and one other entity, such as another higher education institution, a for-profit business, or a community-based organization (closes 6/23). The Advanced Placement Grant Programs support state and local efforts to increase access to Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes and tests for low-income students. AP Incentive Grants, awarded to states and school districts, must be used to expand access for low-income individuals to prepare for and succeed in AP and IB courses (closes 7/3). AP Test Fee Grants, awarded solely to states, cover all or part of the cost of test fees for needy children who are enrolled in AP or IB classes and plan to take AP or IB tests (closes 6/30). http://www.ed.gov/GrantApps/ lists all the competitions that are currently underway and provides links to electronic application packages, forms, and other key information.
School Choice
Last week, the Department hosted an all-day workshop with education administrators and practitioners from across the U.S. to discuss how to expand school choice capacity so that all students in eligible schools will have more options for education. "There are lots of strategies that states and communities are using to expand school choice," said Undersecretary of Education Gene Hickok, "but there doesn't seem to be a coordinated, concerted effort to take advantage of the strategies. We want to change that, which is what this meeting is all about." Among the participants: the Colorado Department of Education; Miami-Dade County Schools; the Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools; the School District of Philadelphia; and the Council of the Great City Schools. Also, during the workshop, the National Center for Education Statistics released "Trends in the Use of School Choice: 1993 to 1999," which finds that the percentage of students enrolled in public, chosen schools increased from 11 percent in 1993 to 14 percent in 1999 and that parents whose children attended public, chosen schools or private schools were more likely to say they were "very satisfied" with their children's schools, teachers, academic standards, and the order and discipline maintained at such schools. For more information, please go to http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfor.asp?pubid=2003031.
Note: On May 9, Undersecretary Hickok testified before the House Committee on Government Reform regarding the Department's D.C. school choice initiative. While much of his testimony is District-specific, President Bush's FY 2004 budget request includes $75 million for a national Choice Incentive Fund, with a portion reserved for D.C. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-2003/05092003.html.
TCO Tool
Trouble estimating the cost of technology? The Department-funded Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Tool can help districts and schools make sound budgetary allocations, provide an organized approach, establish a baseline for investments, and determine maximum benefit in managing technology. Among other data, the TCO Tool considers assets, staffing, and salary information. The Consortium of School Networking and Gartner, Inc., have also gathered information from four case study school districts of varying sizes that provides information on how to utilize the TCO analysis. For more information, please go to http://classroomtco.cosn.org//.
HBCU Counselor
Promoting from within, Secretary Paige named Wilbert Bryant counselor to the secretary for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Bryant is now, and will continue to serve as, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs in the Office of Postsecondary Education. "Will's knowledge and experience in the area of higher education will be a valuable resource in his new role as my counselor on all matters related to the HBCU initiative," Paige said. With more than 100 schools in 24 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands, HBCUs enroll over 370,000 students. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-2003/05212003c.html. (Note: outgoing director Leonard Spearman has been named Special Assistant to the Secretary.)
Quote to Note
"The challenge for the president is balancing all of the priorities within and outside education in a responsible budget. The president believes that the limited sums of available federal funds should be concentrated on programs that have the greatest impact; impact derives from programs that are effective and demonstrate results—in other words, programs that are accountable. This discipline is more difficult in light of the competing demands of the war on terrorism and efforts to restore economic growth.... Program accountability links to resource allocation. The 2004 budget proposes the elimination of funding for 45 education programs totaling $1.5 billion and reduces funds for other programs to focus on higher priority activities. In making such decisions, we considered the history of the program, recent legislative changes, and program effectiveness."
—Deputy Secretary of Education Bill Hansen (5/13/03)
Upcoming Events
The Department's National Center for Education Statistics will hold a briefing on findings from The Condition of Education 2003 on June 10 at the Charles Sumner School (1201 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.). The congressionally mandated report contains 44 indicators on conditions and trends from all levels of education. 2003's special focus is on student instruction and performance in kindergarten and first-grade. To RSVP, please contact Emily Dill at EDill@air.org. (The report, itself, will be released at 10:00 a.m. on May 28 and posted at http://nces.ed.gov/.)
Credits
Please feel free to contact the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs with any questions:
Deputy Assistant Secretary—Terri Rayburn, (202) 401-0404, Terri.Rayburn@ed.gov
Program Analyst—Adam Honeysett, (202) 401-3003, Adam.Honeysett@ed.gov
To be added or removed from distribution, or submit comments (we welcome your feedback!), please contact Adam Honeysett. Or, visit http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/OIA/edreview/.
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
| |
||||||||||||
Last Modified: 05/05/2008
