Education Standing Committee
2005 NCSL Fall Forum
December 7-10, 2005
Chicago, Illinois
SUMMARIES OF THE NCSL EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The NCSL Education Committee met at the 2005 NCSL Fall Forum to discuss current and pressing issues at the state and federal level. Here is a summary of the discussions held at that meeting.
The Education Committee joined with the NCSL Foundation Partnership on Education Technology to visit Horace Mann Academy, a K-8 school in the Chicago Public School district with an enrollment of approximately 957 students. Committee members visited with Principal Lawrence Turner and key administrative staff to discuss why technology is a priority in this school and how they have acquired equipment, trained teachers, and incorporated the technology into learning at all levels. Members visited several classrooms--kindergarten through 8th grade--where they saw technologies such as laptops, smart boards, and audio enhancement--richly incorporated into the daily lessons. Among the observations expressed by committee members: a highly talented teaching and administrative corps who understand and value technology and know how to incorporate it into learning; serious and engaged students at all levels; a principal and key administrative team that have prioritized spending on technology and found ways to make sure it is at the center of daily activities in the school.
Chris Koch, Assistant Superintendent for Special Education, Illinois
Tim Thomas, Superintendent, Special Ed Consortium District, Illinois
Senator Robert Plymale, West Virginia (moderator)
This session explored the states' responsibility in providing IDEA services to students in private and cross jurisdictional school placements. Historically, the district of residence for a child with special education needs has been fiscally responsible for the child's education costs. However, under the new IDEA regulations, when parents place children in schools outside of their home district, many critical responsibilities are transferred to the district in which the student is being educated. This obligation extends to private school placements across state lines. The district where the private school is located is now responsible for providing special education services such as conducting child assessments and determining the private schools' proportionate share of Part B funds. These new regulations allow private schools to consult only their local education agency (LEA) for all special education students enrolled in their school, as opposed to contacting each child's home district LEA. However, the burden on the LEA can increase dramatically in districts that house private schools with nationally-recognized special education services. A district in Illinois was cited as an example: before the new IDEA provision, the LEA was responsible for three students placed in private schools while currently the LEA is now responsible for an additional 1,100 students. Issues including records maintenance, reporting requirements, the management of identifying and evaluating students, and costs to various entities were discussed in this session. The impact of these new IDEA regulations on private schools was also discussed
Art Works for Jobs
(Joint session with the Economic Development Committee)
Rhoda Pierce, Former Executive Dir., Illinois Arts Council
Natasha Smith, Associate Director, Afterschool Matters
Antonia Contro, Executive Director, Marwen Foundation
Nelson Fox, Ohio (moderator)
This session presented ideas from two innovative programs concerning how arts education can reach at-risk youth and provide them with valuable job training skills and college entry opportunities. Experiences in arts education can provide youth with the opportunity to explore self-expression, develop discipline, practice self-critique, and explore and define the meaning of their experiences as an adolescent. Representatives from Afterschool Matters and the Marwen Foundation discussed the program factors that they believe have contributed to their success with at-risk youth. Factors such as the program's relationship with local schools, the quality of staff and programming, the requirements for students attending programs, and training and exposure to job skills and the college application process were discussed. The speakers cited the need for high quality, professional instructors as a key to success and student buy-in. Program funding and costs were also discussed. Attendees had many additional questions about how such programs are developed and sustained and how youth from impoverished families respond to both the arts exposure as well as the opportunities provided through job training and higher education opportunities. Attendees from non-urban areas discussed the significance of such programs in a rural setting. The need for both self-expression and the connection to others that the arts may provide was cited as a critical feature in combating the isolation felt by adolescents in rural areas.
Higher Education on the Edge
(Joint Session with the Budget & Revenue Committee and the Fiscal Leaders Seminar)
David Longanecker, Executive Director, Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education
Senator Susan Bartlett, Vermont
Senator Cecil Staton, Georgia
Delegate John Doyle, West Virginia (moderator)
David Longanecker began this session with an overview of his "Seven Wonders of the World of American Higher Education:"
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Will states be able to afford higher education as a "public good"? States have seen both increasing costs of providing higher education and increasing numbers of students demanding higher education.
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Will citizens be able to afford college? Tuition is up significantly as a share of family income, and the net price per student (after financial aid and tuition) has also increased.
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Are we doing a good enough job? We don't have sufficient data to know whether students are learning what they need to know. We do know that very high numbers of students drop out before completing four-year degrees.
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Is American higher education capable of increasing productivity and effectiveness? States and institutions are looking for ways to make improvements such as the use of technology.
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Is state government capable of supporting higher education as a public good? States are all over the board as to how much money they spend on higher education. Kentucky has made a major investment in recent years, while Colorado has had a significant decrease in state investment.
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How will we know whether we are accomplishing our goals? Accountability is key. Some promising activities include the recommendations made from the SHEEO National Commission on Accountability; the prospects of a national student record data base; and the NCPPHE Report on Measuring Student Learning.
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Can public policy adequately address the issue of "higher education on the edge?" Yes. Policy can address finance by ensuring that appropriations, tuition and financial aid policies are 'in sync' with the public agenda. Policy can address quality by looking at student learning to measure quality and relevance. Policy can address accountability by focusing on results, not process. Some promising activities include the work of NCSL's Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education, the "Changing Directions" project from Lumina/NCSL/WICHE, gubernatorial engagement through the NGA and state high schools initiatives, and Secretary Spelling's Commission on the Future of Higher Education and America's Work Force.
The session closed with a discussion of the "Seven Wonders of the World of American Higher Education", featuring a response from Senator Susan Bartlett from Vermont and Senator Cecil Staton from Georgia.
Arlene Parisot, Director for Workforce Development and Two Year Education, Montana
Phil Berkenbile, Director, Department of Career and Technology Education, Oklahoma
This session featured state directors of career and technical education from two states, Oklahoma and Montana.
Dr. Arlene Parisot, Montana's Director for Workforce Development and Two-Year Education, gave an overview of the Montana University System before discussing some of the issues involved in governance of the career and technical education system. Some challenges Montana faces include:
- Two-year colleges in Montana are seen as a 'second choice' - not first.
- Montana needs to improve streamlining of the two-to four-year college process and transfer of credits issue.
- Articulation currently occurs program to program, but there are no statewide articulation agreements.
- Improved data collection would allow Montana to better understand workforce needs and to align course offerings with need in the work force.
Montana is working toward a career cluster system to engage a broader work force system and improve the transition from secondary to postsecondary education.
Dr. Phil Berkenbile, State Director for the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, spoke about the career-technical education landscape in Oklahoma, focusing on the following issues:
- Oklahoma is seeing tremendous growth in higher education enrollments and has a growing budget and economy.
- The state has 328 cooperative agreements with 18 institutions of higher education.
- The state's "Alliance Project" unites three technical education providers with three higher education institutions, allowing high school juniors to dual enroll and offering guidance and counseling from vocational education and higher education institutions.
- Math and science specialists ensure that needed skills are incorporated into the curriculums.
- Oklahoma also provides vocational education pathways for adults.
- Oklahoma tracks "completers" for retention and placement purposes, so that the career and technical education programs are accountable for completers. If a program is not meeting completion goals, it goes on probation and after a second year of missing goals is closed.
- The Perkins federal grants provide money for accountability, development of curriculum, and development of partnerships and pathways to promote needed programs.
Calvin Kent, Center for Business and Economic Research, Marshall University,
West Virginia
Kay Henderson, State Board of Education, Illinois
Senator Robert Plymale, West Virginia
This session focused on the economic impact of pre-kindergarten programs for states and how states are financing large-scale programs. The session commenced with a discussion about the various approaches to assessing the economic impact of pre-kindergarten. Marshall University's report, entitled "The Economic Impact of Early Child Development Programs in West Virginia," concluded that early child development benefits children, society, the regional economy, employers and employees and economic development. In addition, there was some discussion on how the state economic impact may differ from that found in prior studies based on program quality, target population, and other factors. Pre-K financing options vary across the states with a mix of local, state and federal funds and partnerships and collaborations. The Illinois Early Childhood Block Grant was illustrated in detail. The West Virginia's Universal Pre-kindergarten model was highlighted. The presentation included the rationale, partnerships and guiding principles, legislation and policy, financing, implementation, and successes.
David Shreve, Senior Committee Director, NCSL
Scott Young, Communities for Quality Education
Katherine Gigliotti, Policy Specialist, NCSL
NCSL's Federal Affairs staff David Shreve summarized some of the major events in education policy at the federal level. IDEA was reauthorized in December 2004 and resulted in several changes, including details around compliance monitoring and how states’ calculate their maintenance of effort. The “highly qualified teacher” definition is still highly problematic, however. Recent litigation declares that parents of special education students, not the school, have to prove the school system is providing an inadequate Individualized Education Plan if the parents contest it. This is a relief to schools and districts as the burden does not rest with them.
Katherine Gigliotti presented a summary of the NCSL Immigrant Policy Project. Since 2001, nine states have authorized legislation that allows in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.
Scott Young, former NCSL employee, summarized federal and state actions on No Child Left Behind. Many states are trying to “grandfather in” their own state accountability plans instead of conforming to the federal requirements of NCLB. (MT, VI are two such examples). In 2004, 31 states passed legislation trying to “fix” NCLB, while only 20 states passed such legislation in 2005. However, 2005 legislation was far more complex than the prior year. Six states conducted cost studies on NCLB in 2005 and most found that their state required a 1 percent--2 percent increase in their education budgets just to comply with the requirements, but not to raise student achievement to meet AYP. Nine states conducted AYP projections, and most determined they would miss AYP by 2014 based on current trends.
M. Lynne Corn, Ph.D, Specialist in Natural Resources, Congressional Research Service, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Tom Madden, Lamont High School Township, Illinois
Scott Nemanich, Esq.
Sen. John Vratil, Kansas (moderator)
The federal PILT program was highlighted during this session, in addition to a similar federal program called Impact Aid for Public K-12 Education.
The PILT program is run by the Department of Interior and pays local governments for the presence of federal land in lieu of the property taxes the locals would acquire if the federal government did not occupy the land. PILT is:
- NOT tax-equivalent
- NOT an entitlement
- NOT applicable to all federal land
- NOT focused on education specifically
- Does NOT include most Department of Energy, Indian, or military land
There are several current issues around the PILT program.
- It is not permanently appropriated or fully appropriated.
- Additional land is being considered to be eligible for this program.
- The OMB and Bush administration recently proposed the program be rescinded.
In order to qualify for PILT payments, a local government must:
- Know the number of eligible acres of land in a county exist that qualify for PILT payments.
- Know the population of the county
- Understand state laws and whether they require passing through federal payment to another local government
- Know the prior year’s consumer price index.
As opposed to the PILT Program, the Impact Aid program is specifically for education. Currently, approximately 10 percent of districts qualify for impact aid either because the federal government’s presence puts more students into a school system than would otherwise be the case (military bases, for example) or because federal properties exist, removing land from the local tax roles leaving public school districts with fewer tax revenues. Additional requirements include the fact that 3 percent or 400 students in the district must be federally connected, and federal land must be 10 percent of a district’s value in tax rolls. There has been a total of $1.2 billion of land removed from local tax rolls while only $60 million has been appropriated, meaning local districts are only receiving $.05 for every dollar of tax revenues lost. The burden then falls on the remaining tax-payers when the federal lands are removed from the local tax base.
Richard Longworth, Chicago Council on Foreign Relations
Clark Plexico, Clark Plexico Consulting, Inc., Former state senator, North Carolina
Dan Langenberg, Professor of Physics and Chancellor Emeritus, University of Maryland
Manuel Medina, Chief Officer, Office of Language and Cultural Education, Chicago Public Schools
Anne Winchester, Vermont (moderator)
Thomas Friedman's recent book, The World is Flat, has had a significant impact with state policymakers. Several states are taking innovative steps to respond to the challenges of global competitiveness. This session examined how states and schools are paving the way to prepare students for the new global economy.
Richard Longworth presented some observations about how globalization is impacting on states, even though state policymakers tend to think that it is more of a national concern. He argued that global competition comes in all areas of business and industry and that states should begin to consider how their economy is being impacted by other countries. Former senator Clark Plexico sponsored statewide legislation in North Carolina to enhance opportunities in the schools for students and teachers to engage more actively in global learning.
Don Langenberg spoke about one model for responding to global challenges. The Professional Science Masters Degree is a new degree for a new century, combining an academic foundation in an area of science or math with courses in business or information technology in order to prepare students for positions in business, government, or non-profits. The PSM is a more flexible degree than a Ph.D., allowing those who prefer a more practical career the ability to pursue their interests in business, industry or government but still focus on the study of math or science.
Chicago Public Schools are leaders in the country in offering exchanges and other opportunities for students to engage with others around the world. Dr. Manuel Medina who directs the Office of Language and Cultural Education discussed that on-going activity.
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