Education Policy Program: Policy Papers

The Next Step in Systems-Building

Education Policy — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:44:00 -0500

Today, preschool and other services for young children are delivered through what is widely recognized as a non-system, with programs like child care, pre-kindergarten, special education services and Head Start operating in separate policy silos, each with differing objectives and different funding streams. This uneven and uncoordinated character of early childhood policy can impede access, quality, and return on investment to these programs. Indeed, stories of avoidable dysfunction-of low-income parents who are unaware that their child

On the Cusp in California

Education Policy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:00 -0400

If children are the future, then looking at a state's educational system is like peering into a crystal ball. California is a state teeming with young children -- 4.7 million under age 8, to be exact. One in every eight young American children lives in California. And many of these children come from minority ethnic and racial backgrounds and speak languages other than English. If Americans want to get a glimpse at our future as a "majority minority" country they don't have to look beyond California.

Rethinking the Middleman

Education Policy — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0400

Each year, the federal government guarantees billions of dollars in loans disbursed through the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, a public-private partnership that provides financial aid to students attending institutions of higher education. Despite the significant investment of taxpayer dollars, the actual administration of the FFEL Program is largely handled by participating lenders and a group of 35 non-federal guaranty agencies across the country. Guaranty agencies perform a number of administrative functions, such as disbursing federal default insurance provided to private lenders issuing FFEL loans, preventing loan default, and collecting or rehabilitating loans that borrowers have failed to repay.

Equitable Resources in Low Income Schools

Education Policy — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:44:00 -0400

Teachers with the least experience and fewest credentials teach in our poorest schools, putting low-income students at a disadvantage. School finance disparities in teacher spending within school districts are a major cause of this problem. However, school district budgeting techniques mask these intra-district disparities, allowing administrators and policymakers to ignore them.

Student Loan Purchase Programs Under the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008

Education Policy — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:19:00 -0400

Building a Solid Foundation

Education Policy — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:59:00 -0400

In April, the states and school districts began receiving the first installment of more than $48 billion in federal economic stimulus funds for education and child care appropriated under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). This unprecedented federal investment in education—from early childhood through college—is a tremendous opportunity for state and local investments to improve our nation's schools. The danger is that states and school districts may squander these funds on ill-conceived projects or use them simply to maintain the status quo.

Summary and Analysis of President Obama’s Education Budget Request

Education Policy — Mon, 11 May 2009 02:04:00 -0400

President Barack Obama submitted his first budget request to Congress on May 7, 2009. This request follows the initial summary budget request he submitted in February that included only aggregate funding levels for federal programs and agencies.

Key Questions on the Obama Administration’s 2010 Education Budget

Education Policy — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:05:00 -0400

President Barack Obama submitted his first budget request to Congress on Thursday, May 7, 2009. This request follows the initial summary budget request he submitted in February that included only proposed funding levels for federal programs and agencies in aggregate. The detailed budget request includes proposed funding levels for federal programs and agencies in aggregate for the upcoming five to ten fiscal years, and specific fiscal year 2010 funding levels for programs subject to appropriations. The president's 2010 budget request marks the first time the Obama administration has submitted funding recommendations for every federal education program and a comprehensive list of new education policy initiatives.

10 Ideas to Ensure College Readiness in the No Child Left Behind & Higher Education Acts

Education Policy — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:53:00 -0400

It is a stark, indisputable fact that many of America's high school graduates are not ready for the rigors of college. Fewer than half of the high school juniors and seniors who took the ACT national college admissions test in 2008 met its college readiness benchmark in mathematics.^[1] Of the 40,000 freshmen admitted into the California State University system in 2007, more than 60 percent needed remediation in English or math.^[2] Nationwide, nearly a third of all incoming freshmen—42 percent of first-year students at public two-year colleges—require remediation.^[3]

A Stimulus for Second-Generation QRIS

Education Policy — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:03:00 -0400

On April 1, 2009, the states began to receive education and child care funds appropriated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, or "the stimulus").^[1] Child care advocates in several states have urged policymakers to use some of the stimulus funds to launch or expand a statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for providers of early childhood education and care.

A Primer on the 2009 Budget Resolution’s Impact on Education Funding

Education Policy — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:07:00 -0400

The budget resolution put forward by Congress each year sets out a budget plan for the next five to ten years. The budget resolution and the ensuing budget process itself can have significant effects on education funding. The arcane procedures Congress uses to produce and act upon the budget resolution, however, are often confusing to the media and education advocates alike. This confusion is made worse by political rhetoric and partisan spin.

2009 Education Appropriations Guide

Education Policy — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:42:00 -0400

Congress completed the fiscal year 2009 appropriations process on March 10th, 2009, finalizing annual funding for nearly all federal education programs through September 2009 at $62.6 billion, up $3.4 billion from the prior year. Making sense of the federal education budget and the appropriations process can be a frustrating task for education advocates, state and local policymakers, the media, and the public. The now concluded fiscal year 2009 appropriations process is no exception due to numerous stopgap funding measures and emergency economic stimulus legislation.

10 New Ideas for Early Education in the 111th Congress

Education Policy — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:17:00 -0500

As a new congress and new administration take their places in Washington, early education is attracting more attention. The 111^th Congress will have numerous opportunities to enact policies that improve access, quality, efficiency, and alignment in early education, including the forthcoming economic stimulus package and the scheduled reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The New America Foundation's Early Education Initiative proposes

Video

Education Policy — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:13:00 -0500

Bridging the Gap

Education Policy — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:16:00 -0500

Far too many students leave high school unprepared for the rigors of college and the workplace. Nearly a third of all incoming freshmen- 42 percent of first-year students at public two-year colleges-require remediation. At some postsecondary institutions, more than 90 percent of first-time freshmen need to take remedial classes before enrolling in courses that count toward their degrees. Remedial courses are offered at 99 percent of public two-year colleges and more than 75 percent of public four-year institutions.

Student Loan Purchase Programs Under the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008

Education Policy — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:05:00 -0500

An updated version of this paper can be found here.

In May of 2008, Congress passed the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act (ECASLA) in response to concern that credit market conditions could disrupt federal student loan availability. The law gives the U.S. Department of Education temporary authority to purchase federally backed student loans made by private lenders, effectively providing a secondary market for the loans. Congress opted to leave the new purchase authority largely undefined in statute, giving the Department considerable discretion to design and administer it. To date, the Department has created four separate loan purchase arrangements under ECASLA: a put option; a short-term purchase program; a financing arrangement; and an asset-backed commercial paper support program. This issue brief provides a detailed description of these arrangements and will be updated as new information becomes available.

Slipping Through the Cracks

Education Policy — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:52:00 -0400

When Congress resumes consideration of the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, strengthening the federal role in supporting high school reform will be a key issue on the agenda, and with good reason. While elementary school students, on whom most of NCLB’s funding and accountability requirements focus, have made significant achievement gains in recent years, high school achievement has stagnated. Only 70 percent of high school freshmen graduate within four years. Among those who do make it to graduation, only a third have the skills they need to succeed in college.

Cost Estimates for Federal Student Loans

Education Policy — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:36:00 -0400

In an ongoing debate about the relative costs of the federal government’s direct and guaranteed student loan programs, some budget experts and private lenders have argued for the use of “market cost” estimates. They assert that official government cost estimates for federal student loans differ from what private entities would likely charge taxpayers to deliver the benefits and services the program provides. A market cost estimate would take such information into account.

Partners In Closing the Achievement Gap

Education Policy — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:47:00 -0400

Over the past eight years, states have dramatically expanded their support for publicly-funded pre-k programs, and the number of children enrolled in these programs has grown significantly. States are investing in pre-k because research shows that high-quality pre-kindergarten programs can have a positive long-term impact on children’s life outcomes, help narrow the achievement gap between poor and affluent youngsters, and that the benefits of these investments to children and the taxpaying public outweigh their costs. In other words, high-quality pre-k is a key weapon in the arsenal of public policies that we can use to combat poverty and inequality and strengthen the skills of our workforce for the modern economy.

A similar argument could be made for charter schools. Charter schools are independent public schools that are publicly funded and accountable to the public for results. More than 4,250 charter schools serve more than 1.2 million students in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Although aggregate charter school performance nationally is mixed, some of our nation’s most effective schools in educating disadvantaged youngsters are charters, and charters in several states are outperforming their district-operated public school counterparts.

The charter school and universal pre-k movement have the potential to be important partners in improving education for America’s children. But despite their similarities and shared goals, these movements generally operate on separate tracks, with little cooperation or exchange of ideas between the two sectors. That’s unfortunate, because both sectors face similar challenges such as building capacity and ensuring high quality across diverse providers, and could help one another develop solutions. For instance, charter schools offer a potential source of new pre-k capacity. And, by the same token, policies to incorporate charter schools into state pre-k programs could support growth and quality in the charter movement. Because achievement gaps are in place long before children start kindergarten, charter schools seeking to narrow achievement gaps must be able to begin working with children in pre-k.

This issue brief analyzes ways to bridge the gap that currently exists between charter schools and early childhood education. Specific recommendations include:

Eliminate state policies barring charter schools from offering Pre-K
Allow public charter schools to access per-pupil funds to educate 3- and 4-year-olds
Build charter authorizer capacity and expertise in early education
Allow charter schools to access state and federal Pre-K funds
Ensure adequate Pre-K funding to ensure quality
Include Pre-K charters in the Federal Charter Schools program
Eliminate caps on the number of charter schools which may serve children

For the full text of the policy briefing memo, please see the PDF attached below.

A Primer on the Budget Resolution’s Impact on Education Funding

Education Policy — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:31:00 -0400

The budget resolution put forward by Congress each year -- which sets out the congressional budget plan for the next five years -- and the ensuing budget process itself are enormously significant for education funding. However, the arcane procedures under which Congress produces and acts upon the budget resolution are often confusing to the media and education advocates alike. This confusion is made worse by political rhetoric and partisan spin. This brief by the New America Foundation’s Federal Education Budget Project is meant to shed light on how the budget resolution affects education funding.

This primer clarifies certain aspects of the budget resolution and the budget process. They include:

Budget Functions and Committee Allocations;
How the Appropriations Committee Allocation Affects Education Funding;
Why the Appropriations Process Matters More than the Budget Resolution;
Mandatory Funding Allocation Matters for Education;
Reserve Funds and Discretionary Cap Adjustments;
Points of Order and Budget Enforcement;
Advance Appropriations for Education; and,
Budget Reconciliation.

For the full text of the FEBP's primer, please see the PDF attached below.