An Opportunity for Education Reform: A Look at Fiscal Year 2011 Education Appropriations, by Melissa Lazarín

In this education briefing, Lazarin argues that, although Congress must also reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, there are other opportunities for reform available in the fiscal year 2011 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill.  These opportunities include: funding another Race to the Top Competition; making essential investments in innovation (including in “nonprofit educational entrepreneurs” such as College Summit); supporting robust interventions in chronically failing schools; investing in great teachers and leaders; and using innovations that expand the concept of schooling.

Center for American Progress, April 2010

A Blueprint for Reform: Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, by the United States Department of Education

“Raising standards for all students. We will set a clear goal: Every student should graduate from high school ready for college and a career, regardless of their income, race, ethnic or language background, or disability status. Following the lead of the nation’s governors, we’re calling on all states to develop and adopt standards in English language arts and mathematics that build toward college- and career-readiness by the time students graduate from high school. States may choose to upgrade their existing standards or work together with other states to develop and adopt common, statedeveloped standards.”

U.S. Department of Education, March 2010

Don’t Leave Accountability Behind: A Call for ESEA Reauthorization

This paper lists four reasons ESEA reauthorization is necessary to support long-term reform and ensure strong accountability for student outcomes and improvement:

1.    NCLB and ARRA have inconsistent accountability goals and measures that send mixed signals to educators and parents and have the potential to confuse local administrators and increase bureaucracy at the state and federal levels.

2.    While ARRA’s programs rightly prioritize the lowest-performing schools, too many other low-performing schools and students do not receive attention and support.

3.    There is limited accountability for states’ implementation of ARRA requirements.

4.    The NCLB accountability framework needs to be updated to recognize the transition to higher, common standards and improved assessments while maintaining accountability for results.

Alliance for Excellent Education and Commission on No Child Left Behind, Aspen Institute, March 2010

The Role of Simplification and Information in College Decisions: Results from the H&R Block FAFSA Experiment, by Eric P. Bettinger, Bridget Terry Long, Philip Oreopoulos, and Lisa Sanbonmatsu

“Comparing the outcomes of participants in the treatment groups to a control group using multiple sources of administrative data, the analysis suggests that individuals who received assistance with the FAFSA and information about aid were substantially more likely to submit the aid application. High school seniors among this group were also much more likely to enroll in college and receive need-based financial aid the following fall. The program also increased college enrollment for independent adults with no prior college experience, and it increased aid receipt among independent adults who had previously attended college. These results suggest that simplifying the process and providing direct help with the application along with better information could be effective ways to improve college access. However, only providing aid eligibility information without also giving assistance with the form had no significant effect on FAFSA submission rates or college outcomes.”

September 2009