[ECP] ED Review (11/03/06)
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ED REVIEW
November 3, 2006
HIGHER EDUCATION ACTION PLAN
During the last two weeks, Secretary Spellings presented her action
plan for improving the accessibility, affordability, and
accountability of America's higher education system at three different
venues. First, on October 23, she addressed students and faculty at
Ohio State University's John Glenn School of Public Affairs. "In
1957, the year I was born, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik and set
off the space race. Senator Glenn and many others risked their lives
to secure America's leadership on this new frontier.... Today, we
have no symbol as obvious as a Russian satellite streaking through the
sky to galvanize our nation to action, but there are many smaller
signs approaching on the horizon. The world is changing faster than
ever. We must act to make sure our system of higher education remains
the best in the world..."
(http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2006/10/10232006.html).
Then, on October 26, she delivered remarks at DePauw University in
Greencastle,
Indiana. "For generations, a college education has meant the
difference between a life lived on the edge of promise and one lived
in the full embrace of the American Dream. Among college graduates,
the unemployment rate is a mere two percent -- compared to 4.6 percent
overall. Moreover, the earnings difference, between a worker with a
college degree and one with a high school diploma, is almost 40
percent" (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2006/10/10262006.html).
Finally, on November 2, she keynoted the National Symposium on
Postsecondary Student Success, a three-day forum on what constitutes
success and what factors impact the chances of success for different
types of students in different types of institutions
(http://nces.ed.gov/npec/symposium.asp).
MORE INFORMATION
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2006/09/09262006.html.
In other higher education news:
The College Board recently released its annual analysis of the cost of
colleges and universities. For the third consecutive year, the
average increase in tuition and fees at four-year public schools
slowed -- increasing 6.3 percent from 2005-06 to 2006-07, versus 13
percent in 2003-04, 10 percent in 2004-05, and seven percent in
2005-06. However, adjusting for inflation, costs are still up 35
percent from five years ago. The group also unveiled a report on
student aid (finding total aid is up but not keeping pace with costs)
and a supplement to a 2004 study on the monetary and non-monetary
benefits of higher education (finding men ages 25-34 with bachelor's
degrees earned 63 percent more than those with high school diplomas,
while for women that age the difference was 70 percent). FOR MORE
INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.collegeboard.com/press/releases/150634.html.
"Where Are They Now?," a new study by the Department's National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), provides a detailed overview of the
status of 1992-93 college graduates 10 years after graduation.
Specifically, the study looks at five areas: graduate education (by
2003, 20 percent had earned a master's degree), employment, opinions
about education, family status, and civic participation. FOR MORE
INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007159.
The Department's Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) has announced
it will establish up to four negotiated rulemaking committees to
prepare regulations under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. The
last of four regional hearings to solicit issues that should be
considered by these committees is scheduled for November 8 at the
agency's Washington headquarters. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2007/hearings.html.
EMERGENCY PLANNING WEBCAST
In follow-up to the Conference on School Safety, the Department's
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) will host a webcast
(November 15, 1-2 p.m. ET) to review emergency planning and share ways
schools can help mitigate, prevent, prepare for, respond to, and
recover from a crisis. Details on the webcast, including registration
and how to submit questions, will be posted shortly at
http://www.ed.gov/emergencyplan/.
TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES
The next "Education News Parents Can Use" broadcast (November 21, 8-9
p.m. ET) will feature a conversation with experts from school
districts, associations, and other organizations about what is being
done in our nation's schools and communities to ensure that students
graduate with the ability to communicate in critical languages, such
as Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, and Hindi. The benefits of studying
foreign languages are well known, from expanding one's view of the
world to improving one's knowledge of one's own language. And, in a
world where security and economic and political success depend on
mutual respect and understanding, it is vital that American students
learn additional languages. Yet, less than one percent of American
high school students study any of the critical-need languages. That
is why the President proposed, and the Department is helping
implement, the National Security Language Initiative, designed to
dramatically increase the number of Americans learning critical
foreign languages. Just last month, the agency awarded $22 million in
grants to states and school districts. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE
GO TO http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/. (You can watch live and
archived webcasts at http://www.connectlive.com/events/ednews/.)
NCLB UPDATE (http://www.ed.gov/nclb/)
On October 23, in Ohio, Secretary Spellings announced the first of 16
Teacher Incentive Fund grants, totaling $42 million, to be awarded
through the coming weeks. The funding will provide financial
incentives for teachers and principals who boost student achievement
in high-need schools (where at least 30 percent of students are
receiving either free or reduced-price lunch). The funding will also
be used to recruit effective teachers to those schools, especially for
hard-to-staff subjects like math and science. The goals of the
program are two-fold: to improve student achievement by increasing the
effectiveness of teachers and principals and to increase the number of
high-quality teachers for minority and disadvantaged students.
Another $43 million in grants will be awarded next spring. FOR MORE
INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/.
Concerning teachers, the "Secretary's Fifth Annual Report on Teacher
Quality" gathers data from all 50 states, the District of Columbia,
and outlying areas on such items as the completion rates for regular
and alternative route teacher preparation programs, state teacher
assessments and certifications, and use of emergency licenses and
waivers. The 2005 data shows states have made considerable progress
toward the nation's goal of a highly qualified teacher in every
classroom as well as describes areas that need improvement. FOR MORE
INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/teachprep/.
Today, as part of Education Trust's 17th National Conference, the
Secretary will help honor five "Dispelling the Myth" schools. FOR
MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www2.edtrust.org/EdTrust/Press+Room/DTM+Winners+2006.
SINGLE-SEX REGULATIONS
Recognizing that some students learn better in single-sex
environments, the Department last week released amended Title IX
regulations that grant more flexibility to offer single-sex classes,
extracurricular activities, and schools at the elementary and
secondary education levels. Title IX regulations have always
permitted school districts to provide single-sex schools under certain
circumstances. The new regulations expand on this exception and make
it easier to offer additional choices while still upholding
non-discrimination requirements. Interested schools must have an
"important objective," like improving the educational attainment of
students; provide a "substantially equal co-educational class" in the
same subject; make student enrollment in a single-sex class completely
voluntary; and re-evaluate their single-sex programs every two years.
The regulations take effect on November 24. FOR MORE INFORMATION,
PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2006/10/10242006.html.
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK
This year marks the seventh annual celebration of International
Education Week (November 13-17), jointly sponsored by the U.S.
Departments of Education and State. This year's theme is
"International Education: Engaging in Global Partnerships and
Opportunities." Keeping with that theme, the Education Department is
partnering with NASA to highlight the importance of a rigorous math,
science, and foreign language curriculum. The agency will also link
up with local schools to showcase foreign language studies. FOR MORE
INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://iew.state.gov/.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"The world is changing faster than ever, shrinking distances and
barriers between people. And the ramifications are felt across every
aspect of our society. For example, issues we have always put in a
domestic policy box, such as health care and education, have taken on
global dimensions. This is seen in our efforts to combat diseases
such as pandemic flu and AIDS and also our work to prepare students
for a world where what you know means far more than where you live."
-- Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings (10/26/06),
delivering remarks for DePauw University's Discourse 2006
UPCOMING EVENTS
November is National American Indian Heritage Month, honoring American
Indians and Alaska Natives who have added to the character of the U.S.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061030-16.html.
(For a list of relevant FREE resources, see
http://www.ed.gov/free/past/2005/111.html.)
On November 15, NCES will release results from the Trial Urban
District Assessment in science. Ten school districts participated in
this pilot effort. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.
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