New America Releases Two Reports on No Child Left Behind and Federal Education Funding
The New America Foundation released two reports today on the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) reauthorization and the pending federal education budget. The reports identify steps Congress may choose to pursue in expanding early childhood education and eliminate a budget “gimmick” utilized by Democrats and Republicans in Congress to fund next year’s education program before a full federal budget is created. The reports were released today at an event held at the New America Foundation attended by leading experts on NCLB and federal education policy.
10 New Ideas for Early Education in the NCLB Reauthorization
Sara Mead is a Senior Research Fellow of the Education Policy Program and Workforce and Family Program at the New America Foundation. In this issue brief she delivers recommendations for how the No Child Left Behind Law could better support children’s learning in the pre-school and early elementary school years.
“In 2008 Congress will have an opportunity to revisit an issue that was largely ignored in this year’s debate over No Child Left Behind reauthorization: early education for pre-school and early elementary aged youngsters,” said Mead.
“Evidence shows that the foundations of children’s future academic success or failure are largely in place by the end of third grade, and as much as half of the achievement gap between white and African American students exists before children enter first grade. Yet public debate on NCLB has focused little attention on the preschool and early elementary years,” she said. Mead’s paper explains why Congress must not ignore early education in NCLB reauthorization. Her key recommendations include:
- Tap NCLB’s supplemental educational services and public school choice set-aside funds for high-quality pre-k Allow the $1 billion in federal Reading First funds to be used to support pre-k language and literacy activities
- Restructure chronically low-performing elementary schools as PK-3 Early Education Academies
- Read 10 New Ideas for Early Education in the NCLB Reauthorization for seven more great ideas like these listed above.
Advance Appropriations: A Needless and Confusing Education Budgeting Technique
Jason Delisle is the Research Director of New America’s Education Program and is responsible for maintaining the Federal Education Budget Project Initiative. In this issue brief, he criticizes Congress for using “advance appropriations” to fund education programs and recommends that Congress institute new budget rules to end the confusing budgeting technique. The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations conference agreement vetoed by President Bush earlier this month includes the first increase in advance appropriations for education programs since 2003. The advance appropriations process enables Congress to fund education programs for the next school year in part out of this year’s budget and in part out of next year’s budget.
“Nearly all new funding made available for education programs in the conference agreement would be provided through an increase in advance appropriations. Education programs would receive $17 billion in advances, $2 billion more than has been provided in each of the past several years,” said Delisle.
“If Congress wants to provide increases in education funding, it should do so through the regular appropriations cycle, not through advance appropriations. Using advances adds complexity to the education budget, and makes federal education funding less transparent,” said Michael Dannenberg, New America’s Director of Education Policy.
Delisle finds that advance appropriations add complexity to the education funding process and are of no practical benefit to recipients. A Republican controlled Congress began using advances to get around budget rules in the 1990s. Although these rules expired over five years ago, Congress continues to employ the advance appropriations process to mask budget effects.
Related Programs: Education Policy Program, Federal Education Budget Project, Workforce and Family Program
Topics: Education, Family & Children
