Stormy Weather for Grants and Funding
November 5, 2012
As Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast, the U.S. Department of Education extended the deadline for the Race To The Top District Competition. The new deadline for districts located in states affected by Hurricane Sandy and for which the President issued a major disaster declaration or an emergency declaration is November 7, 2012. All other districts had to submit application by November 2, 2012. Funds will still be awarded in December 2012.
In other Race To The Top news, on October 26, 2012, the Department of Education announced that all five eligible states have applied for the Race To The Top Early Learning Challenge Fund. These five states, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon and Wisconsin, were the only states eligible to apply because they were the next highest scoring applicants from the previous year's competition. They are competing for a total of $133 million in funding for comprehensive early education reform. These awards will also go out in December 2012.
As the last of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 federal funding is obligated, attention turns to FY 2013. Regardless of the outcome of the election, much is still unknown about the future of federal education programs. Congress has a lot of work to do. In addition to finalizing the FY 2013 budget and addressing budget sequestration which could lead to across-the-board cuts to both defense and non-defense spending, there are also some general housekeeping issues to address. With every new Congress there are new members and new committee assignments. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the House Education and Workforce Committee must appoint new members to serve on the committee and reorganize the subcommittee structure. This reorganization will likely occur in January or February. Once committee assignments are decided, they will begin talks to determine if they will once again try to negotiate the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and other important education legislation.
As stations wait for these decisions to be made, it's important to look closely at what is moving -- the implementation of state flexibility waivers. The Department of Education has granted 34 states and the District of Columbia flexibility through waivers for certain provisions in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and more states are awaiting approval. Approved states must continue to focus on accountability and preparing all students for college and careers. They are required to identify and focus on the lowest-performing schools in the state. These schools will be referred to as "priority schools" and districts must implement meaningful interventions aligned with the turnaround principles in each of these schools.
Turnaround principles, as defined by the Department of Education, include: ensuring that teachers are effective and able to improve instruction; redesigning the school day, week, or year to include additional time for student learning and teacher collaboration; strengthening the school's instructional program based on student needs; and ensuring that the instructional program is research-based, rigorous, and aligned with state academic content standards, among other things. In addition, states that receive waivers have the option of using their 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant funds for expanded learning time in addition to before- and after-school or summer learning.
States and districts will need to build capacity to address these requirements and successfully increase student achievement, and the stakes are very high. States and districts want flexibility from the federal government, but they are under significant pressure to perform. All eyes are on them. Stations can be effective partners. For example, stations can provide research-based, educational video and web content to address the needs of all children. They can help deliver effective professional development for teachers, and they can work with rural areas to provide distance learning. Congress may take a while to focus on the work at hand, but that work doesn't stop with them. It is essential to continue to build relationships with states and local school districts as they implement their plans to improve the public education system.
