Spellings Address

[George Sheridan <learn@jps.net>]

January 4, 2008 (Happy New Year!)

...a bi-weekly update on U.S. Department of Education activities relevant to the
Intergovernmental and Corporate community and other stakeholders

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STARTING ANEW

On January 10, at 1:00 p.m. ET, Secretary Spellings will kick-off the new year
with a major address at the National Press Club.  She will highlight states'
progress on core principles of No Child Left Behind and lay out her policy goals
for 2008.  The text of the speech will be available at http://www.ed.gov/ shortly
after it is delivered.  Also, excerpts from the speech will be streamed on the
web site.


At the state level, the Department has begun awarding $125 million in School
Improvement Grants to
help turn around low-performing schools.  These grants assist states in taking a
greater role in creating and delivering leadership and technical assistance to
reform schools and school districts that are not making Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP).  Authorized activities include the development and implementation of
school improvement plans, targeted professional development for teachers and
staff, corrective actions (such as instituting a new curriculum), the development
and implementation of restructuring plans, and the provision of public school
choice and supplemental educational service options for students enrolled in
schools identified for improvement.  The first group of awards ($52 million to 21
states) was announced December 20 (see
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2007/12/12202007.html).  Another group of
awards ($11 million to seven states and the District of Columbia) was announced
last week.  All awards are based on the Title I allocation for each state.  FOR
MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/stateletters/#schimp.

At the local level, the Department is currently accepting nominations for its
2007 American Stars of Teaching awards, which recognize educators who are
improving student achievement -- using innovative instructional strategies -- and
making a difference in the lives of their students.  Anyone can nominate an
American Star.  After the Department receives a nomination, a verification form
is sent to the teacher's principal.  One teacher will be recognized from each
state and the District of Columbia.  The deadline for nominations is March 31. 
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO https://www.t2tweb.us/AmStar/About.asp . 
(Note: 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 award winners are posted at
https://www.t2tweb.us/AmStar/Prior.asp.)

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ACHIEVEMENT ON THE RISE

In celebration of the sixth anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act, the next
"Education News Parents Can Use" broadcast (January 15, 8-9 p.m. ET) will answer
the question, "How do we know that NCLB is working?," by showcasing three No
Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools.  These schools have been effective in
using the law's emphasis on accountability, parental involvement, and doing what
works to close academic achievement gaps and help all students succeed.  Among
other components, the show will feature video stories of the schools' classrooms
in action as well as conversations with the principals and other education
experts about raising the bar as never before by having high expectations for all
students, analyzing student data to track progress, identifying individual
student needs to improve instruction, providing a rich curriculum aligned with
state standards, and using professional development to improve teachers' skills. 
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/edtv/.  (You can watch
archived webcasts at http://www.connectlive.com/events/ednews/.)

Note: Don't want to wait for the good news?  NCLB Success Stories from past
broadcasts are regularly added to
http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/reauth/successstories/.

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APPROPRIATIONS BILL

As the last act of the year, Congress passed and President Bush signed an omnibus
appropriations bill (H.R. 2764) with funding for U.S. Department of Education
programs.  It includes:

  * $13.9 billion for Title I grants to local education agencies, an 8.3%
    increase over fiscal year 2007;

  * $11.8 billion for special education grants;

  * $2.94 billion to help states improve the quality of their teachers;

  * $1.27 billion for career and technical education grants, a small decrease
    from FY 2007; and

  * $16 billion in Pell Grants for low- and middle-income college undergraduates,
    a 16.7% increase over FY 2007 when funding from both the appropriations bill
    and the separate College Cost Reduction and Access Act (approved in
    September) are combined.




Also, the Reading First program was significantly cut from $1 billion last year
to $393 million this year.  FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/news.html#08action.

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<SNIP>
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UPCOMING EVENTS

The National School and Business Partnerships Awards, created by the Council for
Corporate and School Partnerships, recognize strong school-business partnerships
that improve the academic, social, or physical well-being of students. 
Partnerships involving public schools and/or districts and businesses are
eligible to apply.  The Council will make six awards; those selected will receive
$10,000 to support partnership efforts.  Applications are due by January 30.  FOR
MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.corpschoolpartners.org/award.shtml.

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Please feel free to contact the Office of Communications and Outreach with any
questions:
Director, Intergovernmental Affairs -- Rogers Johnson, (202) 401-0026,
mailto:Rogers.Johnson@ed.gov
Program Analyst -- Adam Honeysett, (202) 401-3003, mailto:Adam.Honeysett@ed.gov
To be added or removed from distribution, or submit comments (we welcome your
feedback!),
contact Adam Honeysett.  Or, visit http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/edreview/.

This newsletter contains hypertext links to information created and maintained by
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********************************

George Sheridan