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NCLB Update
FY 2004 Budget
King Scholars
Mentoring Program
Teacher of the Year
From the Interagency Staff...
Quote to Note
Upcoming Events
NCLB Update
On January 23, Secretary Paige announced the very first Early Reading First grants. These 30 multi-year awards to organizations in 22 states, totaling some $72.1 million, are intended to ensure that preschool age children have the instruction, experiences, and environment that they need to enter kindergarten prepared for continued learning. The grants complement the Reading First State Grants Program, which provides support for high-quality, scientifically based classroom-focused reading instruction for kindergarten through third-grade. Nearly 800 pre-applications were received and reviewed by panels of experts. Of these, 252 were invited to submit full applications, which were again reviewed by experts. For the upcoming fiscal year, President Bush is requesting $75 million in additional funds for the Reading First and Early Reading First programs, increasing federal support for reading to over $1.1 billion. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/
earlyreading/index.html. (A synopsis of each grantee is available at http://www.ed.gov/programs/earlyreading/index.html
2002abstracts.doc.)
To aid in some key calculations, the Department has published Fiscal Year 2002 Title I allocations by school district. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, school districts must spend up to 20 percent of their Title I, Part A allocation to cover school choice-related transportation costs and pay for supplemental educational services. Districts have some discretion to determine the allocation of funds between transportation and supplemental services, but districts must spend at least one-quarter (five percent) of the 20 percent "reservation" on each activity if there is demand for both. Moreover, for supplemental services, districts are required to pay the lesser of the actual cost or an amount equal to the district's Title I, Part A allocation divided by poor students in the district, as determined by estimates produced by the Bureau of the Census. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/
titlei/fy02/index.html.
FY 2004 Budget
Although the formal release of the President's Fiscal Year 2004 budget is scheduled for next week (February 3), the White House has already declared its intentions for several key education programs: $1 billion more for Title I, which serves needy students (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030104.
html); a five percent increase for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/01-2003/wh-030119.html ); and greater funding for the nation's 34 Tribal Colleges and Universities, enrolling 30,000 students (http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/01-2003/01272003.html). In addition, the budget will include student loan forgiveness (more than three times the $5,000 in forgiveness now allowed for other qualified elementary and secondary teachers) for math, science, and special education teachers who work in schools that serve high-poverty populations. (http://www.ed.gov/
PressReleases/01-2003/01212003.html). For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/budget.html. (Note: A briefing on the agency budget will be held February 3 @ 3:30 EST in the Auditorium.)
King Scholars
In recognition of the legacy of Dr. King (whose birthday was observed on January 20), the Education Department is again soliciting applications under the Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholars Program, offering as many as 10 summer internships at its Washington, D.C., headquarters. Selected students—either undergraduate or graduate students with an interest in education or public policy and administration—will receive temporary federal appointments for an eight week period from June 16 to August 8. They will be hired at federal pay grades GS-4, 5, 7, or 9, depending on qualifications and the level of education completed, and be assigned to the Office of the Secretary or the immediate office of one of the assistant secretaries to assist with a variety of projects designed to offer developmental experiences and exposure to government and public policy. Applications are due by February 21. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/index.html. Select "ED Jobs Openings" and "Group I."
Also: February is National Black History Month. This year's theme is "The Souls of Black Folk: Centennial Reflections," after a famous work by scholar W. E. B. DuBois. For more information, please go to http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/blackhis/.
Mentoring Program
Yesterday, Secretary Paige joined President Bush to celebrate the first anniversary of the USA Freedom Corps and to unveil a new, $300 million mentoring program to help match disadvantaged children with caring mentors—who can help them find hope and opportunity. "President Bush is committed to engaging all Americans in service to their neighbors and their nation," the Secretary said. "One of his priorities is to make sure our children, especially disadvantaged ones, have positive adult role models in their lives, people to whom they can count on for compassion, guidance, advice, and support." These new funds will build on the Mentoring for Success Act, an amendment to the No Child Left Behind Act, by further engaging nationally affiliated, youth-serving organizations and independent community and faith-based organizations that link students to mentors. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will manage a three-year, $150 million program to help 100,000 children of prisoners find adult mentors. For more information, please go to http://www.usafreedomcorp.gov/about_usafc/whats_new/
announcements/20030130-2.asp.
Teacher of the Year
On January 16, the Council of Chief State School Officers and Scholastic, Inc., revealed the four finalists for the nation's top teaching honor—National Teacher of the Year. The 53rd recipient of the award, chosen by a panel of educators representing fifteen national education organizations, will be a public school teacher from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, or North Dakota. President George W. Bush will announce the winner in April 2003. During the year of recognition, the honoree is a spokesperson for the entire teaching profession, addressing forums and meetings across the country and internationally. For more information, please go to http://www.ccsso.org/projects/national_teacher_of_the_year/. (A list of each state's Teacher of the Year is available at http://www.ccsso.org/projects/national_teacher_of_the
_year/State_Teachers/.)
From the Interagency Staff...
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) administrator Sean O'Keefe has made education a top priority of his agency, bolstering NASA's Education Office and promoting a number of exciting opportunities for students—and their teachers. For example, NASA is directing each of its 10 field centers to enter into three-year partnerships with five regional schools. Students in these NASA Explorer Schools (http://explorerschools.nasa.gov/—available soon) will participate in authentic science and technology experiences; apply math, science, and technology knowledge to real-world issues and problems; access unique NASA resources and materials; and learn about NASA careers. A team of educators from each school will receive an all-expenses-paid, one-week professional development workshop at the field centers, while each school will receive a grant of up to $10,000 to assist with the implementation of a plan that addresses a local need in math, science, or technology. Under the Educator Astronaut Program (http://edspace.nasa.gov/), NASA is recruiting K-12 educators to become permanent members of the Astronaut Corps, performing the jobs and responsibilities of Mission Specialists assigned to multiple missions. To be eligible, teachers must have three years of classroom teaching within the past four years and a bachelor's degree in one of the following fields: mathematics, biological science, physical science, engineering, or education (with a minimum of 18 hours in the same fields listed above).
Quote to Note
"Let me be clear: It is not right to fight discrimination with discrimination...and that is why I absolutely support the President's position [on affirmative action], in his remarks to the nation last week and in the Administration's brief filed with the Supreme Court. I have arrived at this conclusion through a lifetime of experiences that includes teaching, coaching, managing the seventh-largest school district in America, and serving for a decade as the dean of a college of education at an historically black college.... I have directed our Office for Civil Rights to step-up efforts to share information about race-neutral alternatives with the education community throughout America. As part of that effort we will soon release a report on programs nationwide to provide ideas and help. And later this year, the Department will host a national conference that will bring together leading education experts to highlight innovative ways to diversify our nation's colleges and universities."
—Secretary of Education Rod Paige (1/24/03)
Upcoming Events
The Secretary's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics will present its findings and recommendations to Secretary Paige in early February. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/
athletics/index.html.
The Department's next "Education News Parents Can Use" broadcast, on helping children become good citizens, is scheduled for February 18. For more information, please go to http://registerevent.ed.gov/
downlink/event-flyer.asp?intEventID=164.
On February 18, in San Diego, the White House and the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, and Labor are hosting a conference to help faith-based and community organizations learn more about President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The federal government is committed to helping these groups compete on an equal footing for federal dollars, receive greater private support, and face fewer bureaucratic barriers. For more information, please go to http://www.fbci.gov. (Interested parties are asked to register by today.)
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/.
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Last Modified: 05/05/2008
