Strengthening American Education:  House GOP Education Accomplishments of the 108^th Congress

UPDATED: October 7, 2004  

• During the 108^th Congress, Republicans have made tremendous progress in education reform -- approving measures to strengthen special education, expand education choice for low-income families, improve the Head Start early childhood program, help states and schools recruit highly-qualified teachers, and help states and communities meet the President’s call for high standards and accountability in our schools. 

• While significant progress has been made to strengthen America’s schools, more work remains.  Republicans will continue working to expand access to higher education for low and middle income students, improve vocational and technical education, and complete action on measures to strengthen special education and support school teachers.  And Republicans will continue to deliver the reforms necessary to ensure no child in America is left behind.

Strengthening American Education: House GOP Education Accomplishments  

• Addressing the Childhood Obesity Epidemic, Enhancing Integrity in School Lunch and Nutrition Programs.  On June 30, 2004 , President George Bush signed into law bipartisan legislation based on Rep. Mike Castle’s (R-DE) Child Nutrition Improvement & Integrity Act.  The bill will strengthen the integrity of federal child nutrition programs, help schools provide healthier meals to students, and help ensure school lunch benefits go to those who actually qualify.  Barry Sackin with the American School Food Service Association (ASFSA) said, “This is the most far-reaching child nutrition bill in a generation,” in a recent interview with Education Daily.  The bill addresses growing concerns about the epidemic of childhood obesity by providing a comprehensive approach that promotes healthy choices, nutrition education, and physical activity while preserving local control for states, communities, and schools.

• Providing school choice to low-income families in the District of Columbia .  In January 2004, President Bush signed legislation passed by the Republican House and Senate establishing a school choice program for low-income children and parents in the troubled Washington , DC public school system.  Under the program, more than 1,000 students in the District of Columbia system are receiving new options, with even more expected to benefit next year.  

• Renewing and Reforming Special Education.  On April 30, 2003 , the House gave bipartisan approval to legislation authored by Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) to strengthen special education and improve results for children with disabilities. H.R. 1350, the Improving Education Results for Children with Disabilities Act, makes significant improvements to special education programs to increase accountability and student learning, reduce over-identification and misidentification of non-disabled students, particularly minority students, reduce the crushing paperwork burden on special education teachers, and foster cooperation and trust to reduce the litigation that has plagued special education – among other reforms that place the needs of children first in special education.  A House-Senate conference this fall is expected to produce a final bill that can be signed by President Bush before the end of 2004.

• Strengthening and Improving Early Childhood Education.  In July 2003, the House passed the School Readiness Act (H.R. 2210), authored by Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE), which would reauthorize the Head Start program while making key reforms.  The School Readiness Act aims to increase the focus on crucial school readiness skills such as letter and number recognition, improve teacher quality, and help states prevent financial abuses.  The bill would strengthen the Head Start program both academically and financially, giving up to eight qualified states the ability to coordinate Head Start with their own successful early childhood programs.  The School Readiness Act would help to ensure the billions of dollars taxpayers invest annually in Head Start are truly used to help children and teachers, addressing recent reports about serious financial abuses at centers in many cities.

• Expanding Access to Higher Education for Low and Middle Income Students.  In 2003, the House approved four bills as part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.  These bills would strengthen teacher colleges through increased accountability, expand loan forgiveness for math, science and special education teachers and reading specialists in high-poverty schools, revamp international education programs to meet the realities of the post-9/11 era, and renew graduate education programs.  On May 5, 2004, the Education & the Workforce Committee unveiled the next step in higher education reform, offering the College Access & Opportunity Act (H.R. 4283) to expand college access for low and middle income students by realigning student aid programs, increasing accountability, and empowering consumers with information on costs and results so they can make informed decisions about quality.  While Democrats fought these reforms, likely pushing the reauthorization into 2005, Republicans on September 30 introduced legislation (the Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act, H.R. 5186) that would shut down excess subsidies for student loan providers this year and use the money to expand loan relief for teachers.

• Protecting teachers and taxpayers.  On October 7, 2004, the House passed the Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act (H.R. 5186), legislation proposed by Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) that would shut down millions of dollars in excess taxpayer subsidies to student loan providers and use the money to support teachers and poor schools.  The bill would expand federal student loan forgiveness from the current maximum of $5,000 to a new maximum of $17,500 for math, science, and special education teachers who commit to teaching for five years in schools located in high-poverty areas.  President Bush has called on Congress to provide these incentives to help poor schools meet the high standards called for in the No Child Left Behind Act, which calls for states to have a highly qualified teacher in every public classroom.  Similar legislation authored by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) passed the House in 2003.

• Improving Vocational and Technical Education.  The Education & the Workforce Committee has given overwhelming bipartisan approval to Rep. Mike Castle’s (R-DE) Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act (H.R. 4496), and the bill is now ready for consideration by the full House.  The bill, offered to renew and reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, would help states better utilize federal funds for secondary and postsecondary vocational education programs; increase accountability and emphasize student achievement; and strengthen opportunities for coordination between secondary and postsecondary vocational and technical education.  The bill continues to move away from the “School to Work” model of the past, building on the No Child Left Behind Act and emphasizing steps to help states and local communities strengthen vocational and technical education programs.

• Ensuring Military Recruiters Have Equal Access to College Campuses.  On March 30, 2004 , the House approved the ROTC and Military Recruiter Equal Access to Campus Act (H.R. 3966), strengthening current law to ensure ROTC and military recruiters have the same access to college students as other employers.  The bill was introduced by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL).

• Providing Student Loan Relief for Active Duty Military Personnel.  On August 18, 2003 , President Bush signed the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act (HEROES), legislation authored by Rep. John Kline (R-MN) that allows the U.S. Secretary of Education to excuse military personnel from their federal student loan obligations while they are on active duty.

• Strengthening Coordination Among Schools, Libraries, & Museums.  In September 2003, President Bush signed legislation authored by Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) reauthorizing the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA).  The legislation provides federal support for libraries and museums, which play a vital role in educating children.  It ensures federally-supported library activities are coordinated with activities under NCLB, encouraging coordination between learning resources at libraries and classrooms in schools across the country.

• Supporting School Teachers.  On October 4, 2004, President Bush signed tax relief legislation extending a law enacted in 2002 that allows school teachers to deduct up to $250 a year for out-of-pocket classroom expenses such as books and crayons.  House Republicans in 2003 passed two bills that directly support the nation’s school teachers as they work to meet the high standards of the No Child Left Behind Act.  H.R. 438, the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act, more than triples the amount of student loan forgiveness available to highly qualified reading specialists, and math, science, and special education teachers who commit to teaching in high-need schools for five years. The bill, introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), embodies the President’s proposal to help states and schools meet the goals set forth in NCLB.  This financial incentive, increased from $5,000 to $17,500, will help schools recruit and retain the high quality teachers they so desperately need.  The Wilson proposal was the model for legislation passed by the House on October 7, 2004 that would shut down excess profits for student loan providers and use the money to provide loan relief to teachers in high-need schools.  The Ready to Teach Act (H.R. 2211), authored by Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), reauthorizes teacher training programs under the Higher Education Act to ensure teachers are prepared to meet the needs of the nation’s students, and are highly qualified.  The bill makes specific improvements to align teacher training programs with the high standards in NCLB, while strengthening reporting and accountability requirements to ensure the availability of accurate and useful information on the quality of the nation’s teacher training programs.  

• Implementing No Child Left Behind.  The Education & the Workforce Committee has conducted nine hearings to study the progress states and local schools are making in implementing the NCLB reforms.  These hearings have shown NCLB is helping schools improve learning for children with disabilities and for students in inner-city schools; states are receiving more than enough funding to implement the law; some states are not doing enough to implement the NCLB provisions allowing children to transfer out of unsafe schools; and some states and districts can do more to inform parents of their school choice options under NCLB.  In addition, new test data recently released by several states for 2003 – 2004 show student test scores in reading and math are improving.

• Education Funding.  Republicans have provided more than enough funding for states and schools to improve student achievement.  Under NCLB, the federal government is providing far more money than at any other time in history for K-12 education, and local schools have more flexibility than ever in spending such funds.  According to U.S. Department of Education data, federal K-12 spending has increased more than 34% since NCLB became law – from $28 billion in fiscal 2001 (the final level under President Clinton) to $37.6 billion in fiscal 2004.  As a nation, we are spending more than $500 billion annually on education – more than we spend on national defense.

• Keeping Children Safe.  President Bush in June 2003 signed the Keeping Children & Families Safe Act, legislation that will help prevent child abuse and family violence and improve treatment services for victims.  The bill, authored by Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), is designed to prevent child abuse and family violence before it occurs, and strengthen community-based partnerships that can provide help and hope for victims of violence, abuse, and maltreatment.

• Protecting Vulnerable Children.  The Runaway, Homeless, and Missing Children Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), passed the House of Representatives in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote on May 20, 2003 , and was signed into law by President Bush in October 2003.  The legislation authorizes funding for the organizations, shelters and centers that serve and protect runaway, homeless, missing and sexually exploited children, increasing the authorization for runaway and homeless youth programs by 19% over FY2003 and reauthorizing the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for five years.  The Act also funds a Presidential initiative to create maternity group homes.

• Expanding Access to Technology for Individuals with Disabilities.  On June 14, 2004 the House approved, with overwhelming bipartisan support, the Improving Access to Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities Act (H.R. 4278).  The measure, authored by Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), reauthorizes the Assistive Technology Act, which assists states in providing assistive technology such as wheelchairs, communication devices, computer hardware, and other technologies to individuals with disabilities.  The bipartisan bill will strengthen assistive technology programs by refocusing efforts toward more direct aid to individuals with disabilities.  The bill encourages states to invest in the programs that have been shown most effective in providing assistive technology devices.

For more information on education issues, see http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/issues.htm