Last week, both the House and Senate got down to the business of responding to President Obama's proposed budget for FY 2010. It is a document that not only reflects his spending priorities for all federal agencies but also provides a roadmap for his legislative agenda for the year. It is an ambitious plan on both the spending (discretionary and mandatory) and revenue (tax) sides of the budget equation. It is also a plan that lacks specifics. The administration has told the House and Senate that detailed spending recommendations for all federal agencies will not be prepared or distributed to Congress until mid-May. Regardless, the House and Senate Budget Committees hosted mark-ups of the FY 2010 Budget Resolutions this week.

Budget consideration was contentious on both sides of the Capitol due to the massive new spending; an overall increase of 12 percent for domestic programs; the significant changes in the tax code affecting primarily businesses and high-income earners; proposals to create new entitlements (Pell Grants, Home Visiting Programs) and eliminate longstanding mandatory investments, such as the federal student loan program; and reform of both energy policy and the health care system. It also set off a major national lobbying effort from the president, who is anxious to win congressional endorsement of these initiatives.

The outcome in both of the budget committees, not surprisingly, was partisan. Both Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.), House Budget Committee chairman, and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Senate Budget Committee chairman, modified the president's plan in light of new information about deficits and national debt, reducing the overall increase in domestic spending in FY 2010 to 6 percent. The reduction was not nearly enough to satisfy Republicans such as Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), ranking Budget Committee members. Both voiced great concern about the building economic and financial crisis we are creating for future generations by overspending on programs that should be capped and overtaxing those individuals and entities that could otherwise generate recovery. The debate revealed divisions that are wide and deep about the appropriate role of government to address the current crisis. The budget resolutions drafted by the respective chairman were adopted on strictly party line votes.

One unresolved budget issue is whether or not a process called "reconciliation" will be used to develop and adopt some of the more controversial and thorny policy proposals Obama is anxious to address in the next six months. The House Budget Resolution includes reconciliation instructions. The Senate Budget Resolution does not. The underlying issue is all about vote counts. If reconciliation is allowed and a package or reconciliation policy proposal is put together, a mere 51 votes wins the day in the Senate. In the House, given its stronger majority, passage of such a measure is not as worrisome. Without the relative safety of being deemed a "reconciliation" measure, these proposals would surely be filibustered in the Senate, requiring 60 votes for anything to be agreed upon. Reconciliation also severely limits the time for debate and gives the parliamentarian great authority to make decisions related to germaneness because of something known as the "Byrd Rule." The real issue here is whether or not the House of Representatives will succeed in dictating Senate procedure. The end result is anybody's guess at this point. Both budget resolutions will be the focus of floor activity this week.

On March 24, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) held a briefing titled, "An Army of Great Teachers?" The briefing focused on whether K-12 improvement requires schools to recruit, nurture and retain outstanding teachers or if reformers and practitioners can devise highly effective school models that are less reliant on standout teachers. Frederick Hess, AEI's director of education policy studies, suggested the strategies that have yielded some of America's greatest schools may not be feasible nationwide. According to Hess, teachers may be the most important element of an effective school, but he questions whether K-12 improvement should focus on the ability of schools or school systems to recruit, nurture and retain outstanding teachers.

Steven Wilson from Ascend Learning Inc. spoke about his new paper, "Success at Scale in Charter Schooling." In his paper, Wilson examined eight Boston-area charter schools that have created a "No Excuses" culture, reliant upon attracting and hiring talented and passionate teachers. Wilson questioned whether the No Excuses schools depend on rare human capital. If so, he wondered what that might mean for bringing the model to scale. Wilson explained that his research shows that the Boston charter schools do seem to be attracting rich human capital, meaning that more than 77 percent of the teachers are drawn from the most selective and competitive colleges and universities. He stated, "The result is a labor pool with not only fundamentally different academic preparation for the classroom but also attitudes and beliefs different from those of the traditional teacher labor pool." Wilson suggested that if school systems are going to rely on rare and scarce human capital to close the achievement gap there are several steps that will help to bring this model to scale. He believes legislative action should be taken to encourage young and highly educated students to go into teaching, especially in urban schools. This includes eliminating certification requirements requiring completing courses in education schools. Wilson also supports increasing teacher pay as well as implementing pay for performance.

Katherine Merseth from Harvard University spoke about what makes urban schools successful. Merseth believes there are limits to human capital building, and she does not believe the quality of a teacher is what makes urban schools successful. According to Merseth, organizational factors and school structure have a big impact on creating a successful urban school. Merseth stated that within urban charter schools every person, program, system, structure and decision has a special role, and they work together toward the fulfillment of clear, widely embraced goals related to academic achievement. She stated, "The unrelenting passion and commitment of a school's many stakeholders fuel this process, but it is the thoughtful coordination of all of the school's activities - its coherence with regard to purpose, people and planning - that channels the passion and commitment into consistently outstanding results."

ASCA, along with other organizations, was successful once again in urging Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) and Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.) to distribute a "Dear Colleague" letter to all the members of the House of Representatives urging their colleagues to sign a letter requesting the House Appropriations Committee to provide $61.5 million for this essential program in fiscal year (FY) 2010 (see below). By funding the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program program at $61.5 million, monies will be made available to both elementary and secondary schools to provide comprehensive school counseling services. This is due to ESSCP's statuary funding trigger; secondary schools (i.e., middle and high) are not eligible to participate in the program until total funding exceeds $40 million. In fiscal year 2009, Congress appropriated $52 million for ESSCP. This program has slowly but steadily been climbing and has surpassed that funding trigger for two years now. It is imperative that we keep this momentum going as more school budgets are being cut and more school counseling positions are becoming eliminated. Therefore, it is critical to show congressional support for ESSCP by having as many representatives as possible sign the Langevin/Ehlers letter.

ACTION NEEDED
Call, write or e-mail your representative and urge him/her to show support for the ESSCP by signing onto the Langevin/Ehlers Dear Colleague Letter, which requests the House Appropriations Committee provide $61.5 million for this essential program in fiscal year 2010. You can call your representative by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or finding his/her direct line via the online congressional directory. If you do not know who your representative is you can locate that information on the Web. If you would like to e-mail your representative but are unable to locate the appropriate address please e-mail Amanda Fitzgerald at ASCA and include your name and home address including your ZIP code for assistance. What should you say? Tell your representative your name and where you are from; you may be asked for your name and number. As a constituent, your call is important to your representative's office. Ask to speak with the education legislative assistant because you want the representative to sign on to the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Representatives Jim Langevin and Vern Ehlers requesting that the House Appropriations Committee provide $61.5 million in funding for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program in FY 2010. Feel free to emphasize the meaningful role school counselors play in our students' lives.

If congressional staff have any further questions, they can contact Kirtley Fisher in Rep. Langevin's office at (202) 225-2735 or kirtley.fisher@mail.house.gov or Rachel Fenton in Rep. Ehler's office at (202) 225-3831 or rachel.fenton@mail.house.gov. The following representatives have already signed on to this letter upon introduction: Rep. Conyers (D-Mich.), Rep. Yarmouth (D-Ky.), Rep. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rep. Platts, (R-Pa.), Rep. Ehlers (R-Mich.) and Rep. Langevin (D-R.I.). If one of these people happen to be your representative please feel free to send this supporter of school counseling a thank you. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Amanda Fitzgerald. PLEASE DO THIS TODAY! DEADLINE FOR SIGNATURES IS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1.

Project Tomorrow Releases Speak Up Survey Results: Project Tomorrow hosted a briefing on March 24 to release the results of the annual "Speak Up" survey gauging the ideas and views of teachers, students, parents and administrators on education and technology. Since 2003, the Speak Up National Research Project has collected the views of 1.5 million survey respondents. This year's results show that while there is overwhelming support for effective implementation of technology in schools and agreement that it is crucial to student success, students say they "step back in time" when they enter the school building. Further, there is a disconnect between the different groups of respondents. Fifty-six percent of school principals think their schools are doing a good job of preparing students for the jobs of the future, while only 32 percent of parents agree and only 39 percent of high school students agree. Project Tomorrow asserts that districts are already using these findings to guide federal investments, including stimulus dollars, into education technology. The findings point to several recommendations, including: un-tether learning and leverage mobile devices to extend learning beyond the school day and meet all learners in their own world; create new, interactive, participatory learning spaces using tools such as online classes, gaming and simulations, online tutors and virtual reality environments; incorporate Web 2.0 tools into daily instruction, especially those that develop collaborative or social-based learning and provide unique opportunities for students to be content developers; expand digital resources in the classroom to add context and relevancy to learning experiences through new media tools; and get beyond the classroom walls and make learning truly experiential such as using high-tech science instrumentation and creating podcasts with content experts. More info.

House Science and Technology Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Legislation to Create International Science Partnerships: The House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Science Education held a hearing on March 24 to discuss draft legislation that would crate a Committee on International Science, Engineering and Technology (CISET) under the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) within the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The International Science and Technology Act of 2009, written by Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) would create CISET to coordinate international science and technology activities, research, education and partnership programs that take place within federal agencies. CISET would also work with foreign governments and the Department of State to identify and coordinate opportunities for advancements in science. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.), subcommittee chairman, explained that this legislation would give the United States "a chance to take advantage of our pre-eminence in science and technology to strengthen diplomatic ties, help ensure that decision makers around the world have access to the best scientific advice and leverage other countries' resources to tackle common challenges in energy, climate, water resources and health." More info.

AEE Hosts Briefing on Increasing College Access in High Schools: On March 25, the Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE) held a briefing titled, "Accelerated Learning for All: How Access to College Courses Can Help Struggling Students Graduate from High School and Succeed in College and Work." Bob Wise, AEE president, said, "Students have different needs and must have access to a variety of options to gain their diploma." Andrew Smiles described the Early College High School Initiative, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and offers traditionally unrepresented students a chance to earn both their high school diploma and an associate's degree or up to two years of college credit. The small schools, which offer a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum, currently serve more than 100,000 students each year. Similarly, the Gateway to College program offers at-risk youth who have dropped out of school an opportunity to earn a high school diploma and college credits at the same time. "We give them a fresh start," said Amy Crowley, program director at the Montgomery College Gateway to College. More info.

House STEM Education Caucus Hosts Briefing on STEM Teacher Preparation Programs: On March 25, the House STEM Education Caucus hosted a breakfast briefing on innovative STEM Teacher Preparation Programs. The attendees were greeted with remarks from Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.), an avid STEM supporter and caucus co-chair. He spoke of his strong commitment to programs that help better prepare teachers to encourage and inspire young people to seek careers in the STEM fields, specifically the Math Science Partnership Programs at the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Skip Fennell, professor of education at McDaniel College, described current math teacher preparation programs as a mixture of content and pedagogy that varies with the level of instruction. He outlined the various routes to certification for teachers, by earning degrees at accredited institutions and through many new alternative certification options. Although there is little evidence about the effectiveness of these specific routes, there is substantial evidence that an effective, well-prepared teacher makes all the difference in terms of student achievement. Jon Pederson, director of The Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education at the University of Nebraska, turned the conversation to science teacher education. He urged a holistic approach to preparing teachers, integrating the content of the various science disciplines. Similarly, science curriculum is best presented to students in an integrated format. He added that technology is a major challenge, with some teachers considered "digital natives" and others "digital immigrants." Pederson believes all teachers must be better prepared going forward to use technology to help students understand important content. More info.

Senate Passes Serve America Act: On March 26, the Senate passed the Serve America Act (S.277) by a vote of 78 to 20. The bipartisan legislation builds upon the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to boost service opportunities for Americans of all ages. "This bill renews a spirit of national service and will make volunteering easier and even more rewarding for all Americans," said Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.). The $5 billion bill provides funding for 250,000 new volunteers in areas of national need, including education, health care and energy conservation. On the Senate floor, amendments were made to encourage charitable giving and improve provisions related to criminal history checks, among others. The House must now approve the Senate's changes before the bill is sent to President Obama, who is expected to sign the legislation. More info.

ED and Labor Committee Holds Hearing on the Economic Impact of the Arts: The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on March 26 to examine how the economy is affecting jobs in the arts and music industries and the role these industries play in communities across the country. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), committee chair, noted that recent news reports have highlighted the tough economic realities arts and music organizations are facing; many are cutting budgets and programs that are the engine of the local economy and provide meaningful employment opportunities for workers. Miller stated, "Without the contributions and influence of the arts, our economy suffers greatly. This industry helps attract audiences, spurs local business development and stimulates learning in classrooms." Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Congressional Arts Caucus co-chair, emphasized that the creative industries have not been immune to the ongoing economic crisis and specifically have been hit hard as corporate donations decrease, consumer spending on arts and culture decrease and organizations struggle to maintain their budgets. She believes the federal government should use this opportunity in time to help our workforce, cities and artistic organizations survive. She urged Congress to push for a greater investment in arts education to prepare students for the creative and innovative economy of the 21st century. More info.

AYPF Hosts Forum to Examine Expanded Learning Opportunities: Expanded learning time, changes in the structure of the school day and after-school opportunities are among the strategies the new administration is investigating in the context of education reform. On March 20, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) hosted a forum to discuss expanded learning opportunities (ELO). Increasingly, policymakers and practitioners are interested in ELOs for various reasons. The forum profiled the most current research findings from the Policy Studies Associates' evaluation of the Citizen Schools program, an expanded learning opportunity program that prepares middle school students for success in high school and beyond. Citizen Schools complements classroom learning by engaging students in experiential learning apprenticeship projects led by adult volunteers and supported by a staff of professional educators. Evidence from the evaluation demonstrates that the program is increasing academic engagement and achievement of students in Boston. Specifically, former participants selected high-quality high schools at a higher rate than nonparticipants; former participants had higher school attendance rates than nonparticipants and were more likely to pass their English and math courses; former participants were more likely to pass the high-stakes standardized English exam and to score proficient or advanced; and former participants were more likely than matched nonparticipants to be on-track to graduate from high school on time. More info.