A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

A weekly look at progress on the Secretary's priorities

BUDGET

A second one-week continuing resolution (CR) was passed by the House and Senate on March 21 and signed by the President March 22. Under this CR, Department funding is extended through March 29, keeping our operating budget levels where they've been since January 26. In the meantime, a House and Senate conference committee meets this week to resolve differences on the full appropriations bill (H.R. 3019) -- sometimes called an "omnibus" bill -- for the remainder of the current fiscal year. Conferees must tackle such issues as the $1.6 billion gap between Senate and House (base) discretionary spending levels for education and D.C. school vouchers in the House version.

How do the House-passed appropriations bill and the Senate version compare with each other, as well as with the Department's fiscal year 1995 appropriation and the President's budget request for fiscal year 1997? A chart showing these differences is available in the Online Library at: http://www.ed.gov/updates/96-03-18.html

GOALS 2000

Minnesota's plan was approved last week, bringing the number of state comprehensive, standards-based education improvement plans that have been approved through the peer review process to 16. Thirty-nine states (including Washington, D.C.) have received second-year funding under Goals 2000.

IN CONNECTICUT, 50 teachers of mathematics and language arts are learning about assessment and are sharing the experience with others in their schools, thanks to a consortium of East Haven and Guilford Public Schools. The consortium is using Goals 2000 funds to provide "models of performance tasks" that teachers discuss and try in their own classrooms. Samples of student work are helping the teachers articulate what students should know and be able to do, and *how well* students should know and be able to do those things at different grade levels.

SCHOOL-TO-WORK

The Advisory Council for the School-to-Work Opportunities program will meet -- for the first time -- this week to identify priorities and develop a strategic action plan to further the implementation of School-to-Work Opportunities systems. Co-chaired by John McKernan, former Governor of Maine, and Dr. Jacquelyn Belcher, President of Dekalb Community College (Decatur, GA), the Advisory Council consists of educators and employers, state and local officials, labor and community representatives, and parents and students. The Council was established to assess, report, and advise the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor on progress in building comprehensive school-to-work systems.

Since President Clinton signed the School-to-Work Opportunities Act in May 1994, more than 42,000 employers have formed School-to-Work partnerships with educators, parents, students, organized labor, and community organizations. These partnerships prepare students for both college and careers by offering opportunities to apply what they learn in school to real life and work situations.

FLEXIBILITY and WAIVERS

On March 14, Secretary Riley awarded Vermont authority to waive federal education rules and regulations that get in the way of community efforts to improve teaching and learning. Vermont became the sixth "Ed- Flex state." Ohio, Oregon, Kansas, Massachusetts, and Texas have also earned this designation which, under the Goals 2000 Act, allows waiver decisions to be made by the state -- not the federal government.

To qualify for the waiver authority under the Education Flexibility Partnership Demonstration Program, Vermont developed its own comprehensive, standards-based school improvement plan (known as the "Green Mountain Challenge") with input from parents, educators, community members and the private sector. Vermont also pledged to waive numerous state requirements that apply to education and to hold schools and districts accountable for students' academic performance.

Schools and school districts in Vermont will be able to seek waivers from requirements of the Perkins Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), including Title I, the Safe and Drug-free Schools and Communities provisions, Eisenhower Professional Development, and other programs. Civil rights requirements will not be waived. Likewise, waivers are not allowable under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

TECHNOLOGY

In the 1997 budget released last week, the President is requesting $250 million for education technology, a significant increase over the 1995 and 1996 budgets. It includes the Technology Literacy Challenge, which would provide $2 billion in federal matching funds (over 5 years) to stimulate state, community, and private sector investments in bringing the future to the fingertips of every child through computers and connections.

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[Past Issues of ED Initiatives]

Last Updated -- March 27, 1996, (pjk)