Education

$18.4 Million for 24 Agrilife Programs That Protect Food Supply, Family Farms & Economy

At the request of Congressman Edwards, Texas A&M Agrilife Research and Agrilife Extension received a total of $18.4 million for 24 research programs under the House bill.    » read more »

Legislation Will Bolster NOAA’s Key Environmental Education Programs

October 15, 2009 -- The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife, today holds a hearing to consider expansion of key environmental education and training programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Congresswoman Lois Capps (CA-23) introduced the bipartisan legislation last month to improve ocean, coastal, and watershed education and literacy. H.R. 3644, which currently has 11 co-sponsors, is called the Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Regional Program and National Environmental Literacy Grant Program Act.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued the following statement on The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2009, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) at Grades 4 and 8:

“Today's results are evidence that we must better equip our schools to improve the knowledge and skills of America's students in mathematics. Our students have made real gains in math over the past two decades, but for the first time since NAEP's mathematics test started in 1990, student achievement in fourth grade has not improved. More must be done to narrow the troubling achievement gap that has persisted in mathematics, and to ensure that America's students make greater gains toward becoming competitive with their peers in other countries.    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- The New York City Department of Education's test-based promotion and retention policy, which identifies and provides support for struggling students, has demonstrated positive effects for student achievement in fifth grade that continue into seventh grade, according to a new RAND Corporation study issued today.

Researchers found that the policy helped students boost their performance on state assessment tests, a critical step toward advancing to the next grade level. The study also found that students retained under the policy didn't suffer negative social or emotional effects as a result of repeating a grade level.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- Washington, DC - The Sierra Club, with the Sierra Student Coalition today launched the second in its series of online video ads, part of its nationwide campaign to kick coal off campuses. With organizers on the ground in several of the more than 60 campuses with on-site coal plants, the Campaign is working to transition schools to 100% clean energy.

The second ad takes the stereotypically “dirty” college behavior of the first ad and bumps it up a notch. Though college life allows for leniency in the socially acceptable, coal still crosses the line. Watch the ad here: http://www.2dirty4college.com/    » read more »

ARRA bonds to fund energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy installations at public schools

October 14, 2009 -- FREDERICKSBURG -- Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the availability of $119 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) bond authorizations for local school divisions to finance energy efficiency improvements and renovations, as well as renewable energy projects for public school buildings.    » read more »

Advocates in the public and private sector, legislators, and educators to advise on statewide agenda for STEM education

BOSTON – Wednesday, October 14, 2009 – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today joined Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray and other elected officials and community leaders to sign an executive order establishing the Governor’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Advisory Council.

The new council will serve as a central advisory body, bringing together public and private sector stakeholders involved with STEM planning and programming, with the goal of increasing student interest in, and preparation for, careers in STEM.    » read more »

Join Bipartisan Group to Introduce New Legislation Prohibiting Interest from Accruing on Student Loans for Active- Duty Service Members; Bill Would Save Average Service Member Between $1,183 - $1,479

October 13, 2009 -- Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, U.S. Senators for Colorado, today joined a bipartisan group of senators in introducing legislation that provides immediate student loan debt relief to active-duty service soldiers and members of the National Guard. Bennet, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Pension and Labor Committee (HELP), vowed to push for the bill in the committee.    » read more »

Oct. 9, 2009 -- The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) has distributed to school districts a total of $74.6 million in federal stimulus funds for the current fiscal year, Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist announced today (October 8th, 2009).

The funds, made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), are meant to save and create jobs and improve student achievement by advancing reform in four essential areas: improving teacher effectiveness, supporting and intervening in the lowest-performing schools, establishing world-class standards and assessments that are internationally benchmarked, and developing data systems to track progress and foster improvement.    » read more »

Governor says Legislature must act to protect police and fire services, K-12 education, Medicaid, Promise scholarships

October 12, 2009 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signed fiscal year 2010 appropriations bills for the departments of Corrections, Education and Transportation.

"While I have now signed six budget bills, work is far from done on the budget," Granholm said. "The Senate needs to send me the six budgets they are withholding, and both the Senate and the House need to finish their jobs. We must protect police and fire services, K-12 education, Medicaid, and the Promise scholarships, but so far, the Legislature has failed to provide the necessary funding."

Department of Corrections    » read more »

Bill Reduces Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Encourages Continuing Education

October 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Reps. John Tanner (D-TN) and Dave Reichert (R-WA) have introduced a bill to increase and make permanent the maximum tax deduction available for teachers purchasing classroom supplies. The Teacher Tax Relief Act (H.R. 3758) also expands the deduction to include expenses associated with qualified professional development pursuits, such as continuing education.    » read more »

October 9, 2009 -- Concord, NH -- Congressman Paul Hodes appeared with AnnMarie Morse and the Plymouth State University President Sara Jayne Steen to honor Michelle’s Law taking effect as a federal law today. Michelle’s Law, named after the late Michelle Morse, allows college students to take up to a one year medical leave without losing their health insurance. The New Hampshire-based law passed Congress last year and was signed by President Bush. It will officially take effect today, October 9, 2009.    » read more »

Berkeley, CA - 10/08/2009 - Nearly one in 10 community college students in the U.S. cannot get a federal student loan – the safest, most affordable way to borrow for college – because their schools choose not to participate in the federal loan programs.

A new issue brief from the Project on Student Debt found that more than 20 percent of the community college students in seven states have no access to federal loans, including six states (AL, GA, NC, LA, TN, VA) in the southern U.S. African-American and Native-American students were twice as likely as other students to lack access to federal student loans.    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) has introduced H.R. 3701, the More Books for Africa Act of 2009. The bill establishes the More Books for Africa Program to facilitate the donation, processing, shipping, and distribution of text and library books to African schools, libraries, community centers, and other centers of learning in partnership with United States-based entities.

“Ensuring access to and availability of textbooks and library books in countries on the continent of Africa is a critical component of our nation’s public diplomacy. The More Books for Africa Program will be a powerful cross cultural initiative to help create a more educated global community,” Congresswoman McCollum said.    » read more »

October 06, 2009 -- MIDDLETON – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today signed into law AB 119, a bill requiring children to complete five−year−old kindergarten as a prerequisite to being admitted to first grade in a public school. The Governor signed the bill at West Middleton Elementary School in Cindy Littel’s kindergarten classroom.    » read more »