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Advocacy Update

April 10, 2009

At BHEF’s 2009 winter meeting, members agreed upon a set of advocacy items related to the administration and congress’ education priorities that BHEF would pursue. With these priorities in mind, BHEF is closely tracking education-related advocacy items that align with the College Readiness and STEM initiatives. This Advocacy Update includes information on:

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
In a recent letter Secretary of Education Arne Duncan noted that the ARRA provides the largest one-time federal investment in education in our nation's history. The ARRA’s State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) provides states with vitally needed funding to avoid layoffs and maintain facilities, and it offers additional funds for new programs focused on pre-K students, teacher quality, data systems, and disadvantaged students. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and other departments will receive additional funds for STEM focused education programs. The Department of Education provides detailed information on ARRA’s education focused funding.  

BHEF is watching the following aspects of the ARRA in particular:

  • $5 billion in funds to be distributed through competitive grants (made in late fall 2009 and summer 2010) through the Department of Education. Of this, $650 million is allocated to the “Investing in What Works and Innovation” fund that will be distributed through grants to local education agencies and non-profits that have made significant gains in closing achievement gaps. The remaining $4.35 billion is allocated to the “Race to the Top” fund which provides competitive grants to states making progress toward achieving equity in teacher distribution, improving collection and use of data, standards and assessments, and supporting struggling schools.
  • $100 million for the NSF for the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). The EHR has allocated $15 million of these funds for a Professional Science Masters program, $60 million for awards under the Robert Noyce Scholarship program, and $25 million for the Math and Science Partnership program. Noyce and Math Science Partnership awards will be made following a merit review of proposals already submitted.
  • $250 million for state-wide data systems through the Institute for Education Sciences. BHEF works closely with the Data Quality Campaign to ensure alignment of state-wide data systems across the P-16 pathways.

The President’s and Congress’ FY10 Budgets
In February, President Obama released a budget outline (pdf) for fiscal year 2010 (FY10), which proposed extensive investments in education. The FY10 budget expands access to early childhood education, supports standards and assessments aligned with the demands of the global economy, focuses on preparing effective teachers and leaders, and continues funding for research and innovation. The budget also aligns with BHEF’s focus on college readiness by expanding Pell grants, simplifying the student aid application process, and creating a new five-year $2.5 billion “College Access and Completion Incentive Fund” to support students through postsecondary degree completion. On April 2, 2009 the House of Representatives and the Senate both passed budget resolutions for FY10 that accommodate President Obama’s plans to expand access to college and ensure that all children succeed elementary and secondary school. Differences between the House and Senate budget resolutions will be negotiated when lawmakers return from Easter recess during the week of April 20.

Serve America Act
In late March both the House and Senate passed the Senator Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The act amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and expands national community service programs by creating new service learning opportunities for elementary, secondary, college, and graduate students as well as veterans and citizens over 50. The Serve America Act increases the number of funded service positions to 250,000 from 75,000 and creates a new Education Corps which will place volunteers in schools, after-school programs, and other education focused positions designed to improve outcomes such as student engagement, achievement and graduation. The bill also raises the education stipend paid to volunteers to $5,350, the same amount as a Pell Grant college scholarship. The act also includes funding for research into service learning and best practices regarding how federal government and businesses can more effectively collaborate with nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and creates a new Community Solutions Funds Pilot program to expand proven solutions to community challenges and the Volunteer Generation Fund, which is designed to increase the availability and capacity of volunteers to work with nonprofit civic organizations.

STEM Coordination Bills
In late March the House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research and Science Education advanced two bills on federal coordination of STEM education programs. The STEM Education Coordination Act of 2009, introduced by Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), draws on recommendations from a 2007 National Science Board report, “A National Action Plan for Addressing the Critical Needs of the U.S. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education System” to improve the coordination of STEM education programs across federal agencies.  The International Science and Technology Cooperation Act of 2009 would create a committee to coordinate all international science and technology activities and partnerships between and among federal research agencies and the Department of State. Both bills are expected to be brought to a floor vote by the House in April. It is unclear at this time whether similar action will take place in the Senate.

Additionally, Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA) plans to re-introduce the Enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (e-STEM) Act in 2009, which was first introduced with then-Senator Barack Obama in 2008. The act provides federal agencies and states with the infrastructure required to work collaboratively, establish national STEM education goals, and to coordinate STEM education initiatives.   The act would complement the STEM Education Coordination Act of 2009 mentioned above.
  
We would be delighted to share our Advocacy Update with your staff or colleagues.  To include them on future mailings, or for more information on the items included in this newsletter or other policy issues, please contact Kirstin McCarthy, associate director of programs, at kirstin.mccarthy@bhef.com or 202-367-2433.