Recently in Education Category

Source: Mark Ginsberg, and Rae Pica With Marcy Whitebook, NAEYC Radio, February 2010

From the press release:
In this segment, Dr. Whitebook says that most child care professionals make less than parking lot attendants. In fact, on average child care providers make about $15,000-$20,000 a year depending on where they live and what age group they care for. Dr. Whitebook says the reason for such low pay is that the United States never placed the same value on early childhood education as it has for the rest of the K-12 spectrum. While she says some attitudes have changed some, especially based on research of brain development in the early years, attitudes haven't changed enough to make a significant impact on wages.
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Animal Trainer. Parking Attendant. Child Care Professional.
Source: Lisa Guernsey, Early Ed Watch Blog, February 17, 2010

Source: Zoë Neuberger and Tina Fritz Namian, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, January 29, 2010

From the summary:
In anticipation of Congressional reauthorization of the federal child nutrition programs, some have called for increased federal reimbursement rates for school meals to improve their nutritional quality. Under current rules, however, federal payments for free and reduced price meals are not used solely to underwrite the cost of producing those meals.

Source: Sherrilyn M. Billger, IZA Discussion Paper No. 4739, February 2010

In our current challenging budgetary environment, school closures remain a potentially attractive choice. With a large panel of Illinois schools from 1991 to 2005, I investigate which factor contribute to school closures. Among elementary schools, declining enrollments and rural locations coincide with closures. However, schools with higher per-pupil spending are ceteris paribus less likely to close. Furthermore, better test scores also yield lower probabilities. High expenditures contribute to junior high closure, but the most significant predictors are the proportions of black and low income students. Administrators may claim that low enrollments and high spending motivate school closures, but in Illinois, that is not the whole story.

Source: New America Foundation, Federal Education Budget Project, Issue Brief, February 2010

The president's 2011 budget request marks the second time the Obama administration has submitted funding recommendations for every federal education program and a comprehensive list of new education policy initiatives. The administration has proposed a $49.7 billion budget for education programs subject to the annual appropriations process (excluding Pell Grants), up from $46.2 billion in fiscal year 2010. This issue brief provides a summary and analysis of the president's fiscal year 2011 education budget request.

Source: Teamster, Vol. 107 no.1, January/February 2010
(scroll down)

Their goal was in sight and nothing was going to deter these workers from what was rightfully theirs. They had worked hard for it, and finally, it was their turn. They were going to become a part of labor history-- they were going to become Teamsters. More than 1,700 bus workers with the Baumann transportation companies on Long Island are now the newest members of Local 1205, headquartered in Farmingdale, New York. This is a truly historic election, as only 26 certification election victories have taken place for bargaining units of 1,700 or more employees through the National Labor Relations Board in the past 20 years. This is one of those victories.

Source: James C. Palmer, Grapevine Editor, Center for the Study of Education Policy, 2010

From the press release:
Federal stimulus monies cushioned the impact of the Great Recession on state support for higher education in fiscal year 2009‐2010 (FY10), but they were not enough to prevent declines in most states. According to data reported by the states from September through December 2009 (and still subject to change as states adjust their budgets in the face of ongoing revenue shortfalls) total state support for higher education nationwide--including stimulus monies was approximately $79.4 billion in FY10, a decline of 1.1% from $80.3 billion in FY09 and 1.7% from $80.7 billion in FY08. But without factoring in the stimulus monies, the one year and two year declines in state fiscal support were significantly higher--3.5% and 6.8% respectively. This two‐year decline substantially eroded the recovery in state support from the 2001 recession achieved between FY05 and FY08. During that three year period state support grew 24% from $65.1 billion to $80.7 billion.

Source: National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, January 2010

In 2008, America's children saw the nation's financial system melt down and the worst recession in decades commence. In 2009, the nation's children paid the price. At least 42 states have cut public health, programs for children with disabilities, K-12 and early education, and higher education. Next year doesn't look any better with states needing to close as much as $260 billion dollars in budget deficits.

Congress will need to make investments in children's programs a priority in both the jobs bill and the 2011 federal budget if children's programs are not to be cut further.

This is grim news for America's children. They make up more than 35 percent of those in
poverty, yet they comprise only 24.6 percent of the population. Children did not cause the
recession, but they certainly are feeling the effects of it. States cut the most basic of services
for children this year with deeper cuts on the horizon for next year. This report includes an illustrative list of state-by-state budget cuts affecting children.

Source: Jennifer Cohen, New America Foundation, Ed Money Watch Blog, January 12, 2009

Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an article highlighting the large number of school districts that will opt to take advantage of an Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provision that allows them to reduce state and local special education spending when their federal funding under the law has increased from the year before. This provision is particularly relevant in 2010 because supplemental IDEA funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has dramatically increased the funding each district will receive. The article, unfortunately, does not fully discuss why so many districts are suddenly able to utilize this provision. It turns out that many states, in an attempt to make more districts eligible for the funding reduction provision, loosened the requirements districts must meet to qualify.

Source: Sara Mead, New America Foundation, Updated Jan 2009

From the blog:
In November, Early Ed Watch's Sara Mead gave a presentation at a Harvard Graduate School of Education PreK-3rd Institute that offers a good primer on federal policy climate for PreK-3rd reforms. The presentation, Federal Context & Funding Opportunities for PreK-3rd, provides a comprehensive overview of the federal funding streams that states, schools, and ECE providers can use to support PreK-3rd work. It also outlines the recent and upcoming federal policy developments that should create potential opportunities for PreK-3rd reformers. Since November, we've made a few updates to keep it current and just published it on our program page. Take a look!

Source: Patricia Benner, Molly Sutphen, Victoria Leonard and Lisa Day, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 2009
(purchase required)

From the summary:
The shortage of well-educated nurses has been part of the nation's health care conversation, with policy leaders as well as President Obama noting the essential role nurses play in ensuring patient safety. The President called them "the bedrock" of health care. Now, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is calling for changes in how we educate nurses, referring both to the current nursing shortage and that nurses are ill-prepared for the profound changes in science, technology and the nature and settings of nursing practice. Informed by the results of three national surveys and extended site visits during a multi-year study, the authors of Educating Nurses: A Call for Radical Transformation recommend essential changes in policy, curriculum and in the way nursing programs approach student learning.
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