Education

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010

For millions of families, the meals their children receive at school or in child care are their only chance at a healthy meal all day. In 2008, more than 16 million children lived in homes without access to enough nutritious food. America's children should not have to go hungry -- they should have access to healthy foods year round that will help them thrive physically and academically.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (S. 3307) will dramatically improve children?s access to nutritious meals, enhance the quality of meals children eat both in and out of school and in child care settings, implement new school food safety guidelines and, for the first time, establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools.  This legislation will answer President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama's call to reduce childhood hunger and support school and community efforts to reduce childhood obesity.

The legislation:

Improves Access

  • Increases the number of children enrolled in the school meals programs by using Medicaid data to directly certify eligible children. This provision will connect approximately new 115,000 students to the school meals program.
  • Enhances universal meal access for eligible children in high poverty communities by using census data to determine school wide income eligibility. 
  • Provides more meals for at-risk children nationwide by allowing Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) providers to be reimbursed for meals provided to low-income children after school. This provision will provide an additional 21 million meals annually. 
  • Provides funding for innovative state and local projects to address childhood hunger and promote food security for low-income children.  

Increases Focus on Nutrition Quality and Children's Health

  • Improves the nutritional quality of school meals by increasing the federal reimbursement rate for school lunches for districts who comply with federal nutrition standards. This additional 6 cents per meal will be the first real reimbursement rate increase in over 30 years.
  • Removes junk food from schools by applying nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools.
  • Promotes nutrition and wellness in child care settings by establishing nutrition requirements for CACFP.
  • Connects more children to healthy produce from local farms by helping communities establish farm to school networks, create school gardens and use more local foods in cafeterias with $40 million in mandatory funding. 
  • Strengthens local school wellness policies by updating existing requirements, increasing transparency, providing opportunities for community involvement, and compliance measurements.
  • Supports breastfeeding for low-income women by supporting data collection in WIC and permanently authorizing performance bonuses for exemplary breastfeeding practices at WIC clinics and agencies.

Improves Program Management & Program Integrity

  • Supports schools' food service budgets by ensuring charges to school foodservice accounts are only for allowable expenses.
  • Supports a skilled workforce by establishing professional standards and training opportunities for school food service providers. 
  • Streamlines program administration by giving CACFP providers greater flexibility with their administrative funds and eliminating duplicative paperwork requirements and wasteful monitoring practices. 
  • Increases efficiency and modernizes the WIC program by transitioning to an electronic benefit program.
  • Improves food safety requirements for school meals by improving recall procedures and extending existing HACCP requirements to all places where school meals are prepared or served.

Fully Paid For -- At No Cost to Taxpayers

  • Saves $1 billion over 10 years by extending a provision that allows the Secretary of Agriculture to count commodities purchased for market stabilization toward the required level of federal support (in the form of commodity foods) for the National School Lunch Program.
  • Saves approximately $1.3 billion over 10 years by restructuring nutrition education in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) into a new grant program that distributes Federal funds by formula to the States. 
  • Saves approximately $2.2 billion over 10 years by eliminating a temporary SNAP benefit increase provided by The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).     

State-Level Support for the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010

Alabama

  • Alabama PTA
  • Alabama School Nutrition Association
  • Alabama WIC Program
  • Bay Area Food Bank
  • Food Bank of North Alabama
  • Health Action Partnership
  • Jefferson County Department of Health
  • Jefferson County WIC Program
  • Jones Valley Urban Farm
  • Morris Health Center
  • St. Clair County WIC Program
  • Trussville WIC Program
Alaska

  • Alaska Dietetic Association
  • Alaska PTA
  • Alaska School Nurses Association
  • Alaska School Nutrition Association
  • Food Bank of Alaska
  • Maniilaq WIC Program
Arizona

  • Arizona Dietetic Association
  • Grand Canyon Synod - ELCA
  • Hualapai WIC Department
  • Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
  • Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona
  • Navajo Nation WIC Program
  • Planned Parenthood Arizona
  • School Nurses Organization of Arizona
  • School Nutrition Association of Arizona
  • United Food Bank
  • White Mountain Apache WIC Program
Arkansas

  • 5 A Day Coalition
  • Arkansas Action For Healthy Kids
  • Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families
  • Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association, Inc.
  • Arkansas Food Policy Council
  • Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance
  • Arkansas PTA
  • Arkansas School Nurses Association
  • Bull Shoals Food Pantry
  • Carroll County Community Foundation
  • Choctaw Food Bank
  • Community Services Office, Inc.
  • Economic Opportunity Agency of Washington County, Inc.
  • Franklin County Learning Center
  • Helping Hands of Winchester
  • Hope in Action
  • Hughes Christian Outreach Ministries
  • Kids for Health
  • Mountain Home Food Basket
  • No Kid Hungry Arkansas
  • Oak Forest United Methodist Church
  • Ozark Opportunities, Inc.
  • Seven Harvest, Inc.
  • Sustainable Alternatives
  • The Manna House
  • Wildflowers Christian Ministry
California

  • A Family Helping Agency Inc.
  • A World Fit For Kids!
  • Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association
  • Alameda County WIC Program
  • Alameda Point Collaborative
  • Alliance Medical Center WIC Program
  • Antelope Valley Hospital WIC Program
  • Apricot Producers of California
  • Baby Sips
  • Bay Area Lactation Associates (BALA)
  • Bay Area WIC Association
  • Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County
  • Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles
  • Breastfeeding Task Force of Santa Clara Valley
  • California Association of Nutrition and Activity Programs (CAN-Act)
  • California Center for Public Health Advocacy
  • California Conference of Local Health Department Nutritionists (CCLHDN)
  • California Department of Education
  • California Dietetic Association
  • California District Council Health Professional Auxiliary
  • California Grape & Tree Fruit League
  • California Public Health Association-North
  • California School Health Centers Association
  • California State PTA
  • California State University, Fresno
  • California WIC Association
  • CANFIT
  • Center for Health Leadership
  • Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion
  • Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program
  • Central Valley Indian Health WIC Program
  • Chico Eat Learn Grow
  • City of Long Beach WIC Program
  • Collaboratively Creating Health Access, Opportunities, & Services (cChaos)
  • Community Action Partnership of Kern WIC Program
  • Community Alliance with Family Farmers
  • Community Bridges WIC Program
  • Community Medical Center WIC Program
  • Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley
  • County of Napa WIC Program
  • County of Sonoma DHS WIC Program
  • Cover My Heart
  • CWA
  • Delta Health Care
  • East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital
  • E-Center
  • Family YMCA of the Desert
  • Farm to Table Food Services
  • Feeding America San Diego
  • First 5 Los Angeles
  • First 5 Santa Clara County
  • First 5 Solano Children and Families Commission
  • Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
  • Food for People, Inc.
  • FOOD Share
  • FoodLink for Tulare County, Inc.
  • Fresh Produce & Floral Council
  • Fresno County WIC Program
  • Fresno Metro Ministry
  • Gardner Family Care Corporation WIC Program
  • Glenn County Health Services
  • Greater Los Angeles Breastfeeding Task Force
  • Grower-Shipper Association of Central California
  • Help Choose Your Life
  • HER Consulting
  • Hill Country Health and Wellness Center
  • Humanist Association of Orange County
  • Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley WIC Program
  • Inland Congregations United for Change
  • Inland Empire Veterans Stand Down
  • Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles
  • Kalusugan Community Services
  • Kernville Union School District
  • Kings County Breastfeeding Coalition
  • Kings County Health Department WIC Program
  • La Leche League of Ukiah
  • La Luna Perinatal Services
  • Lactation Advocates of Northern California
  • Lake County Community Action Agency
  • LEAPS Action Center
  • Long Beach Grows
  • Los Angeles Best Babies Network
  • Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
  • Los Angeles County Office of Education
  • Los Angeles Unified School District
  • Lotus Tribe
  • Lutheran Office of Public Policy - California
  • Marin County WIC Program
  • Maternal and Child Health Access
  • Mendocino County Breastfeeding Coalition
  • Mendocino County WIC Program
  • Mono County WIC Program
  • Monterey County WIC Program
  • Native American Health Center
  • Native Breastfeeding Council
  • Network for a Healthy California-ABC USD
  • Newport Mesa Unified School District - Network for a Healthy California
  • North Coast Opportunities, Community Action
  • North County Health Services WIC Program
  • Northeast Valley Health Corporation
  • Northeastern Rural Health WIC Program
  • Oakland Based Urban Gardens
  • Oakland Leaf
  • Oakland Unified School District
  • Orange County Planned Parenthood WIC Program
  • Outrider Ministries
  • Palomar Pomerado Home Health
  • Pasture Pictures
  • People's Grocery
  • Placer Food Bank
  • Planting Justice
  • Plumas Rural Services WIC Program
  • Private Lactation Consulting, Contra Costa
  • Psi Chi, San Jose State University
  • Public Health Foundation WIC Program
  • Riverside County Community Health Agency Lactation Services
  • Sacramento ACHIEVE
  • San Benito Health Foundation
  • San Diego American Red Cross WIC Program
  • San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition
  • San Diego State University Research Foundation WIC
  • San Francisco Breastfeeding promotion Coalition
  • San Francisco Department of Public Health
  • San Francisco WIC Program
  • San Mateo County WIC Program
  • San Ysidro Health Center WIC Program Imperial Beach Office
  • Santa Clara County Public Health Department WIC Program
  • Santa Clara County WIC Program
  • Santa Clara County WIC Program
  • Save Mart Supermarkets
  • Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County
  • Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency
  • Siskiyou County Public Health
  • Siskiyou County WIC Program
  • Slow Food Urban San Diego
  • Solano County WIC Program
  • South Los Angeles Health Projects
  • Southern California Public Health Association (SCPHA)
  • St. Joseph Health System
  • Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA)
  • Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento
  • The Childbirth Connection, LLC
  • The Peace and Justice Community of St. Cross Episcopal Church, Hermosa Beach
  • The Resource Connection - Amador
  • The Sisters of the Holy Family, Fremont
  • Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, Inc. WIC Program
  • Tulare County WIC Program
  • Ubuntu Green
  • UCLA High Risk Infant Follow-up Program
  • United Way Silicon Valley
  • Urban and Environmental Policy Institute
  • Valley Presbyterian Hospital
  • Ventura County Public Health WIC Program
  • WalkSanDiego
  • Watts Healthcare Corporation WIC Program
  • Well-Being Center of Novato
  • Yolo County Health Department
Colorado

  • Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado
  • Colorado Children's Campaign
  • Colorado PTA
  • Colorado School Nutrition Association
  • Food Bank for Larimer County
  • LiveWell Colorado
  • Lutheran Advocacy Ministry - Colorado
  • Mesa County WIC Agency
  • Moms for Kids
  • Pueblo City-County Health Department
  • Rocky Mountain Farmers Union
  • Summit Prevention Alliance
  • Weld Food Bank
  • Women of Reform Judaism – Colorado
Connecticut

  • Connecticut Association for Human Services
  • Connecticut Dietetic Association
  • Connecticut Food Association
  • Connecticut Food Bank
  • Connecticut Parent Teacher Student Association
  • Fairfield County WIC Program
  • Foodshare, Inc.
  • Justice and Peace Committee of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery/West Hartford
  • The Collaborative Center for Justice, Hartford
  • Uncas Health District
Delaware

  • Delaware Dietetic Association
  • Delaware PTA
  • Delaware School Nurse Association
  • Delaware School Nutrition Association
District of Columbia

  • D.C. Farm to School Network
  • D.C. WIC State Agency
  • United Way National Capital Area
Florida

  • All Faiths Food Bank
  • Bay Area Food Bank
  • Better School Food Sarasota
  • Charity Express Inc.
  • Christ Fellowship Church
  • City of North Miami ACHIEVE
  • CROS Ministries
  • Damayan Garden Project
  • Evangelical Christian Bible Ministries International, Inc.
  • Feeding South Florida
  • First Baptist Church of Lantana
  • Florida Association of Food Banks
  • Florida Association of School Nurses
  • Florida Dietetic Association
  • Florida PTA
  • Florida Public Health Foundation
  • Florida Tomato Exchange
  • Harry Chapin Food Bank
  • Miami Dietetic Association
  • OSAY Child Development Center
  • Palm Beach County Community Food Alliance
  • Palm Beach Harvest Inc.
  • Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
  • Second Harvest North Florida
  • The Peace & Justice Committee of the Florida Benedictine Sisters
  • Treasure Coast Food Bank
Georgia

  • America Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia
  • Cobb & Douglas Public Health
  • Cotillion of the South
  • Feeding the Valley, Inc.
  • Georgia Dietetic Association
  • Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
  • Georgia Organics
  • Georgia PTA
  • Georgia Public Health Association
  • Georgia School Nutrition Association
  • Health Matters
  • Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta
  • Lithonia WIC Program
  • Piedmont Park Conservancy
  • Queen of Hearts Foundation
  • Second Harvest of South Georgia, Inc.
  • Southside Medical Center WIC/Nutrition Department
  • The Holistic Chamber of Commerce Atlanta
  • The Youth Becoming Healthy Project, Inc.
  • Voices for Georgia's Children
Guam

  • Department of Public Health & Social Services, Bureau of Nutrition Services, WIC Program
Hawaii

  • Bay Clinic Inc.
  • Bay Clinic WIC Program
  • Blueprint for Change
  • Good Beginnings Alliance
  • Hawaii Dietetic Association
  • Hawaii Farmers Union
  • Hawaii Island Rural Health Association
  • Kau Rural Health Community Association Inc.
  • Lanai Community Health Center
  • Malama I Ke Ola Health Center WIC Program
  • Rural Maui
  • Wahiawa WIC Program
  • Waimanalo Health Center
  • Waimanalo Market

House Expected to Vote on Child Nutrition Bill This Week

This week, the House is expected to vote on S. 3307, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, the child nutrition reauthorization legislation that has already passed unanimously in the Senate. The legislation would dramatically improve the quality of meals children eat in school and in child care, increase the number of healthy meals available to needy children and provide the first real increase in the Federal reimbursement rate for school lunches in over 30 years. The legislation would also eliminate junk food from schools by requiring schools, for the first time, to apply nutritional standards to food served outside the cafeteria.

Listen to Chairman Miller, Speaker Pelosi and other legislators discuss the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act on a November 29 press conference call.   
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), issued the following statement after the National Assessment Governing Board released its report on the 2009 12th Grade National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), which measures the progress of high school seniors across the country in math and reading. For the first time this year, the report showed the performance of high school seniors in 11 states. The report shows that 12th graders nationwide improved in math and reading since 2005, but the average reading score was lower as compared with scores from 1992. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement after the College Board released its annual “Trends in Higher Education Series” highlighting trends in both student aid and college pricing for the 2009-2010 school year. 
Chairman Miller discussed public education and college affordability at Contra Costa Community College in San Pablo, Calif. on Tuesday.

The committee has held seven hearings on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (currently known as No Child Left Behind) during the 111th Congress. Chairman Miller has consistently stated his belief that the key to long-term economic recovery is a strong public education system. Richmond Confidential reported:

“‘In the middle of this economic chaos,’ [Miller] said, ‘this president knows we can’t compete in a world economy unless we modernize some of our basic systems.’”



“Creating a new standard educational model should incorporate the way that young people share information, he said.

“‘All of you create a huge amount of content every day, you teach your peers how to use that new phone, that new program,’ he said. ‘How do we call on people to participate in the educational process who are your peers?’”

Miller also spoke about the rising cost of college and how many students struggle to attain a college degree -- he wrote the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act to make college more affordable by increasing federal financial aid and making federal student loans easier to repay. Richmond Confidential recorded his comments:

“‘About half the people that show up for community college, they don’t show up for the second year,’ Miller said. ‘They don’t get the certificate they’re after, they don’t get the career opportunity, they don’t get the academic degree they were after and they may end up in debt.’

“Miller spoke in detail about recent reforms to the student loan industry. Subsidies worth $60 billion will be diverted over ten years from banks, which manage loans, to students in the form of grants and federal loans.

“The new law, he explained, also rewards those pursuing public service jobs. ‘If you get in the public health and education sectors, after ten years your loans go away,’ he said, ‘because you’re giving something back.’”

Pell Grants Available to More Students: News of the Day

More students are taking advantage of the Pell Grant scholarship nationwide; the scholarship has become critical for students and families during these tough economic times.

The maximum Pell Grant was raised to a record $5,550 in 2010 due to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), authored by Chairman Miller and signed by President Obama in March. Not only has Miller worked to increase federal financial aid, he has made college loans more affordable – the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 has lowered interest rates on need-based student loans from 6.8 percent to the current 4.5 percent.  The rates will drop again to 3.4 percent in July 2011.

Springfield, Ohio’s Springfield News-Sun wrote that the number of undergraduates relying on Pell Grants has increased:

“An increasing number of students locally and nationally have been receiving financial aid through the Federal Pell Grant Program.

“In Clark County, the recipients of the need-based grant increased more than 5,500 students between academic year 2008-2009 and 2009-2010, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Education. In the same time period, the grant disbursement increased by $26.9 million.”

The Herald Sun of Durham, North Carolina had similar news to report:

“According to recent figures issued by the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor, the number of Pell Grant recipients in North Carolina's 4th Congressional District rose 35 percent last year. The district, which includes all of Durham and Orange counties and parts of Wake and Chatham, had 27,471 students who qualified for the aid during the 2009-10 academic year, an increase of 7,145 over the year before.”



“Adding to the increase is that under a new student-loan bill signed by President Barack Obama in March, the Pell's Grant's eligibility criteria have changed, and that's made it a little easier to qualify than in the past, Ort and Rome both said.

“Equally important is that the Pell Grant is now authorized for summer school, for the first time.”

Tips for Applying for Federal Student Aid
The Associated Press wrote today that the 111th Congress holds a “record of achievement unseen in years.” The report read:

“Not since the explosive years of the civil rights movement and the hard-fought debut of government-supported health care for the elderly and poor have so many big things -- love them or hate them -- been done so quickly.

“Gridlock? It may feel that way. But that's not the story of the 111th Congress -- not the story history will remember.”

The AP specifically referenced many of Chairman Miller’s achievements when listing important legislation Congressional Democrats have passed, including “a giant step toward universal [health care] coverage”, “an economic stimulus package… to avoid a full-blown depression”,  “making college loans more affordable” and “making it easier for women to challenge pay discrimination.”

Chairman Miller pledged in 2008 to keep the Education and Labor Committee focused on rebuilding and strengthening the middle class during the 111th Congress.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, applauded today’s announcement by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan that he will convene a national conference on how labor-management collaboration at the state and local level has advanced education reform. The conference will include the presidents of the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers.

“I applaud today’s announcement by Secretary Duncan and the presidents of the NEA and AFT, that they will come together to continue the national conversation on moving our nation’s education system forward and the critical role that teachers play in this effort.  We all agree that education reform is key to our economic future and it will take everyone working together to fix this broken system on behalf of schoolchildren. Many local districts and unions are already leading the way by showing that real and sustained education reform is most successful when all stakeholders – including teachers – have a seat at the table. This is because after parents, teachers are the single most important factor in affecting student achievement. It is important that reform be done in collaboration with teachers, not just imposed on teachers.”

National School Lunch Week: News of the Day

This week is National School Lunch Week (October 11-15), as proclaimed by President Obama:

"No child should have to learn on an empty stomach.  Nearly 65 years ago, America made protecting the health of our children a national priority by developing the National School Lunch Program.  This groundbreaking program has prevented hunger and promoted education by enabling our young people to have access to safe, balanced, and affordable meals at school.  It has also supported their development, encouraged their learning capacity, and instilled life-long healthy habits.  This year, during National School Lunch Week, we recognize the vital importance of this historic program, and we recommit to serving meals that will contribute to the health and well-being of a new generation."

...

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of October 10 through October 16, 2010, as National School Lunch Week.  I call upon all Americans to join the dedicated individuals who administer the National School Lunch Program in appropriate activities that support the health and well-being of our Nation's children."

The Committee passed the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act (H.R. 5504) on July 14, 2010 to dramatically improve children’s access to nutritious meals, enhance the quality of meals children eat both in and out of school and in child care settings, implement new school food safety guidelines and, for the first time, establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools.
Chairman Miller, alongside NFL representatives, visited Pinole Valley High School on Monday to talk to students and parents in his congressional district about the dangers of concussions and unveil a new CDC poster that helps athletes understand the signs and symptoms of a concussion. The West County Times reported:

“A national campaign aimed at curtailing the number of brain injuries suffered by student athletes was introduced Monday at Pinole Valley High School, where a concussion awareness poster was unveiled at a news conference held by federal officials and representatives of the National Football League.

“‘There was a time when athletes who left the field because of a concussion were told to suck it up and go back out and play,’ said Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez. Instead, he said, athletes should be told, ‘When in doubt, sit it out.’

“The poster being distributed by the federal Centers for Disease Control is similar to one now found in NFL locker rooms and describes possible symptoms on brain injuries that could be worsened if not diagnosed.”

Chairman Miller also spoke about legislation he recently introduced, the Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act. San Francisco’s ABC affiliate, KGO, reported:

“Miller has introduced legislation that would set safety standards for public schools in dealing with concussions. This after hearing horror stories from student athletes during a Congressional hearing.

“‘In one case, a student is fully disabled because of an injury in a softball game with multiple concussions [which were] improperly diagnosed,’ says Miller.

“The stories were enough to move Miller to carry the ball on the danger of concussions.”

Watch a Contra Costa Times report on Chairman Miller's press conference below:


Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, authored an op-ed in the Miami Herald yesterday calling community colleges “America’s gateway to the future.” A community college instructor herself, Dr. Biden chaired yesterday’s White House Summit on Community Colleges. Her sentiments are shared by Chairman Miller, who wrote key community college provisions into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act to improve community college job training programs and give students the academic support they need to succeed. Dr. Biden wrote:

“In order to restore America's economic competitiveness and prosperity, the Obama administration has set a goal of once again having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the year 2020 -- 10 short years away. Community colleges are central to this effort, and the president has specifically called on community colleges to help an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates in that time. Our challenge is to help these institutions meet the pressing education and job training needs of millions of students working to achieve the American dream. Students just like the ones in my classroom, whose lives are changed by the confidence and opportunity they gain from a quality education.”



“In the coming months, we will announce the first $500 million of a $2 billion, four-year investment in community colleges authorized by Congress and signed into law on March 30. This federal investment will support new state-of-the-art education, training and skills development programs to help out-of-work Americans re-enter the job market with increased knowledge and more marketable skills. The funds will enable community colleges to work with universities, business, government and unions to develop career pathways leading to more college graduates ready for the workforce as our economy recovers. In addition, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Obama administration has invested billions of dollars specifically in community colleges.”

White House Summit on Community Colleges Today

Today, the White House is hosting a summit on community colleges, chaired by Dr. Jill Biden.  The event will highlight the critical role that community colleges play in developing America's workforce and reaching our country's educational goals.

Earlier this year, the Democratic Congress passed the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, a law that invests $500 million a year in community colleges for the next four years. All students -- including those who are returning to school after being in the workforce -- will have access to high-quality, low-cost higher education. More courses will be available, at times that work for students.   

Pell Grant Awards: District by District

pell chart.JPG
Under the Democratic Congress, Pell Grant awards have reached an all-time high. For the current academic year, the Pell Grant scholarship increased to $5,550, and beginning in 2013 the maximum scholarship will increase with the cost of inflation by linking the scholarship to the Consumer Price Index. Approximately 8 million U.S. students rely on the Pell Grant scholarship each year to help pay for college.

Click on the state or territory below for Pell Grant award totals and number of recipients for academic year 2008-09 and preliminary figures for academic year 2009-10, organized by congressional district.  (Source: U.S. Department of Education)

States

DC and U.S. Territories



Pell Grants Help California Students Attend College: News of the Day

The University of California system has reported that 39% of its undergraduates receive Pell Grants – the highest level of students receiving federal financial aid in UC history. The Los Angeles Times reported:

“An estimated 70,000 UC undergraduates are receiving federal Pell grants, which typically are awarded to students with family incomes below $50,000. According to the report, that is the largest number in UC history and represents 39% of its undergraduates, up from 35% last year.”

Last year, the Democratic Congress raised Pell scholarships to their highest level in history, $5,550 in 2010. The increase in federal financial aid was part of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), legislation drafted by Chairman Miller. SAFRA will help the country reach President Obama’s goal of producing the most college graduates by 2020 by helping make college affordable for American families.

University of California President Mark Yudof shared his news by visiting Grant Union High School in Del Paso Heights, Calif., telling students that a college education is not out of reach. The Sacramento Bee heard reaction from students:


“‘I'm from a low-income family and this makes me want to go to college even more,’ said Grant High junior Alana Gerasimchuk. ‘It makes me confident that I can go to UC Berkeley.’

“Former Grant High student CrystalKay Fairrington said it's important for kids in Del Paso Heights and other communities to know there are opportunities out there. Fairrington, who also spoke at the pep rally, attends UC Berkeley.

‘Students think it's beyond their reach, and it's not,” she said.” 

VIDEO: Chairman Miller at the Closing Session of Education Nation Summit

On September 28, Chairman Miller joined Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other elected officials to hear from students, parents, teachers and principals in the closing session at NBC's Education Nation Summit.  Watch an archived webcast of the session:


Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over $250 million in federal investments to help fund innovative programs that help students graduate college and aid historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) in better serving their students will be released today by the Department of Education, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) announced this morning.

PHOTO: Chairman Miller Meets With President Obama in the Oval Office

On September 15, 2010, Chairman Miller met with President Obama in the Oval Office to discuss education.

GM-President-09.2010.JPG

(Photo credit: White House)

PHOTOS: Chairman Miller Meets With Education Secretary Duncan

On September 30, 2010, Chairman George Miller met with Education Secretary Arne Duncan to discuss education issues.


Created with flickrSLiDR.
“This country keeps talking about – they want a moon shot, they want a Sputnik moment. Folks, this is it. Education is more gradual than a moon shot, but remember how the moon shot happened. It was free fellowships for the brightest people in this country to go to universities without borrowing money, without a job, just a focus on what this nation needed to land a man on the moon and bring him back. And we did it.”
-- Chairman George Miller at NBC's Education Nation Summit.


Chairman Miller was in New York City on September 28 taking part in NBC’s Education Nation Summit. Before discussing his views on education reform with other policymakers, teachers, students and parents he appeared on The Today Show, Squawk Box, and Morning Joe to discuss education policy and jobs.
 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


Watch Chairman Miller on Morning Joe, the Today Show and Squawk Box:


 
 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy



In early March, the House approved legislation to protect children from harmful restraint and seclusion in school. The Keeping All Students Safe Act was a response to a 2009 GAO report that uncovered hundreds of allegations that schoolchildren have been abused, and some even died, as a result of inappropriate uses of seclusion and restraint in classrooms. These practices have been used disproportionately on children with disabilities. A recent article by NBC 8 of Grand Rapids, Mich. demonstrates the importance of this legislation:

“The family of a pre-schooler filed a lawsuit against the Mona Shores School District for restraining the disabled child in a chair for the entire school day for one semester, according to the suit.

“Ethan Holden was a special ed student at Ross Park Elementary School, documents say. His mother came to a class Christmas party in December 2008 and saw her son strapped in a chair, his feet lifted off the ground.

“She later learned this is how Ethan spent his days, the lawsuit says. Alan and Nichole Holden claim they were never informed of their son's restraint. Ethan has a speech problem and couldn't communicate easily with his teachers and other staff.

“The child had fallen over while strapped in the chair as he tried to escape, according to the suit, filed in July in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.”

The Holden family traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak with Chairman Miller about their experience in late 2009. The Keeping All Students Safe Act would establish minimum safety standards in schools to protect children like Ethan from this abuse.

Chairman Miller at NBC's Education Nation Summit

On September 28 at 11:30am ET, Chairman George Miller will join Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other elected officials in hearing from teachers, parents, students and principals at NBC's Education Nation Summit.  The panel, "Taking Our Ideas to the Policymakers," will be moderated by Brian Williams.  Watch live on MSNBC or on Education Nation's website.

Concussion Safety and Awareness is a Priority: News of the Day

| Comments (1)
In the past four years, there were nearly 400,000 reported concussions in high school athletes. These young athletes are at the highest risk for long-term brain damage from concussions and often are not even aware that the injury has occurred.

The Education and Labor Committee today held a hearing on legislation that would better educate students, parents and coaches about the danger of concussions in young athletes. Witnesses included a former NFL player, a neurologist, a high school athlete and a mother grieving the loss of her young son. CNN reported on the hearing:

“The House Education and Labor Committee's hearing came after news last week about the first active college football player known to have a debilitating condition usually seen in retired or aging athletes who've suffered repeated head injuries.

“Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy revealed that a 21-year-old defensive lineman, Owen Thomas, had mild stages of a type of brain damage called chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

“Thomas, a captain of the University of Pennsylvania football team and a student at the Wharton School of Business, hung himself in his room in April.

 “Owen Thomas, 21, was found to have mild stages of a type of brain damage called chronic traumatic encephalopathyCTE, which is a type of brain damage, has been more typically seen in older former athletes and can cause neurobehavioral disorders and bizarre behavior, including suicide. It is impossible to determine whether Thomas' brain condition and suicide were linked.

“‘The only possible explanation we can see for the presence of CTE is that Owen started to play football at the age of 9,’ his mother, Rev. Katherine Brearley of Allentown, Pennsylvania, said in her testimony at the hearing.”

The Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act would help improve concussion safety and management for student athletes by requiring school districts to develop and implement a community-based plan for concussion safety and management.

And it’s not just football players who are at higher risk, as witness Alison Conca-Cheng showed. USA Today wrote:

“That point was brought home by Alison Conca-Cheng, a 17-year-old high school soccer player and honors student from Ellicott City, Md., who suffered a concussion when she collided with a teammate's head in a practice game.

“‘I had tunnel vision,’ she told the committee. ‘Then I had severe balance problems and lingering headaches. I was dazed and confused.’

“Conca-Cheng had taken a pre-season computerized baseline concussion test, which she was required to repeat after the injury. In two attempts, she failed to match her pre-injury scores on tests of short-term memory and reading and was kept out of practice for two weeks.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – New legislation to set minimum safety standards for concussion management in public schools across the country would help protect student athletes, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. At the hearing, the National Football League (NFL) endorsed the legislation in a letter to U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, noting, “The NFL is grateful for the opportunity to work closely with you in developing this important legislation which will further our shared goals of increasing concussion awareness and preventing these injuries among our youngest athletes, not only in football but in all sports.” 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With strong bipartisan support, the House of Representatives approved Rosa’s Law, legislation to remove offensive language related to persons with intellectual disability.  The bill passed by a voice vote Wednesday evening.

H.R 6172, Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act

Full Committee Hearing 10:00 AM, September 23, 2010 2175 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC
On, Thursday, September 23, the House Education and Labor Committee discussed legislation to reduce and more safely manage concussions in student athletes.  At the request of several members of the Education and Labor Committee, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigated the prevalence of concussions in high school athletics and found that concussions often go unrecognized. Recent research shows that concussions can have serious repercussions for student athletes both on the field and in the classroom. During the 2005-2008 school years, an estimated 400,000 concussions occurred in high school athletics – brain injuries that often go unnoticed and untreated.

The Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act would establish minimum standards in K-12 schools on concussion safety and management, including educating students, parents and school personnel about how to recognize and respond to concussions. The Education and Labor Committee held a full committee hearing on the issue in May and hosted a field hearing in Long Island, New York in early September.

Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act

School sports are a great way for students to stay healthy while learning important team-building skills.  However, some students are staying in the game not recognizing the risks of playing hurt — especially when they’ve had a concussion.

Concussions for student athletes are a growing problem that demands immediate attention. According to recent research, high school athletes suffered 400,000 concussions in the 2005-2008 school years and studies show many sports-related concussions go unreported.

Youth athletes are at greater risk of sports-related concussions than college or professional athletes because their developing brains are more susceptible to injury. Female youth athletes are even more susceptible to concussions.

It’s up to parents and coaches to help recognize and make the decision to pull a student athlete off of the field, ice, court, or track if they think a student athlete might have a concussion. The Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act would make this decision easier by making sure school districts have concussion management plans that educate students, parents and school personnel about how to recognize and respond to concussions.

Specifically, this legislation will:

Increase Awareness of Concussion Signs, Symptoms and Risks

  • Provide student athletes with information about how to prevent and manage concussions by requiring school districts to develop and implement a standard, community-based plan for concussion safety and management, as well as conduct outreach to parents and students about concussion and the plan.

Improve Concussion Safety and Management for Student Athletes

  • Inform and empower student athletes, parents and school personnel about concussions by requiring schools to post information about concussions in a way that is publicly visible within the school and on the school website.
     
  • Support students’ health and recovery by implementing “when in doubt, sit it out” policies that require a student suspected of sustaining a concussion during a school-sponsored athletic activity to be removed from participation, prohibited from returning to play that day and evaluated by a health care professional. Parents must also be notified. 
     
  • Prevent prolonged recovery by making sure students recovering from concussions have the supports they need as they return to athletic and academic activities in school.

This Week: Hearing on Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act

On, Thursday, September 23, the Committee will examine legislation to reduce and more safely manage concussions in student athletes.  The Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act would establish minimum standards in K-12 schools on concussion safety and management, including educating students, parents and school personnel about how to recognize and respond to concussions.

At the request of several members of the Education and Labor Committee, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigated the prevalence of concussions in high school athletics and found that concussions often go unrecognized. Recent research shows that concussions can have serious repercussions for student athletes both on the field and in the classroom. During the 2005-2008 school years, an estimated 400,000 concussions occurred in high school athletics – brain injuries that often go unnoticed and untreated.

The Education and Labor Committee held a full committee hearing on the issue in May and hosted a field hearing in Long Island, New York in early September.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today released the following statement after the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law passed H.R. 5043, the Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2010 (H.R. 5043). Miller is a cosponsor of the legislation which would allow borrowers to discharge their private student loans in bankruptcy, the same way they can discharge other private debt.
 
“I applaud Congressman Cohen and the other members of the subcommittee for their decisive action to restore fairness and to protect students. This legislation reverses a Republican loophole that protected for-profit lenders and slighted student borrowers. This legislation finally and rightfully puts students’ needs above special interests and lobbyists. It is a clear, common sense step in the right direction to stand up for students and borrowers. I look forward to voting for this legislation when it comes to the House floor. It's a victory for students and families struggling to pay for college in this economy.”

For more information about the legislation, click here
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the effectiveness of federal programs that exist to help students with disabilities transition from high school to college or the workforce. Recent studies show that about only half of students with disabilities graduate from high school with a regular diploma. In 2009, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities was 14.5 percent.
Today, while members of the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee held a hearing on concussions among young athletes, the medical journal Pediatrics published a study that showed a steady increase in traumatic brain injuries among youth basketball players. The authors concluded that, “the large number of injuries in this popular sport is cause for concern.”

CNN Health summarized the report and its implications:

“More and more children and teenagers are suffering traumatic brain injuries while playing basketball, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

“Researchers examined emergency room visits of people under the age of 20 who were treated for basketball related injuries between 1997 and 2007 and found the number of traumatic brain injuries shot up  by 70%.

“Overall the proportion for traumatic brain injury doubled for boys and tripled for girls, said senior study author Dr. Laura B. McKenzie.

“Coaches, athletes and parents need to understand what can cause traumatic brain injuries and learn to recognize a possible concussion  according to McKenzie.”

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of New York today chaired a field hearing in Long Island to explore the prevalence of concussions among youth athletes and examine the best prevention strategies. Witnesses included two former NFL players, a high school athletic trainer, and a former high school athlete who suffered numerous concussions. After hearing their testimony, committee members concluded “legislative action is needed to ensure safety in all high schools.”

Today’s hearing marks the second time the Education and Labor Committee has investigated the prevalence of concussions in youth sports and its impact on academic outcomes.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Promoting community involvement and engagement about concussion management can help protect youth athletes from the risks of concussion both on the athletic field and in the classroom, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee’s Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities. The hearing highlighted best practices for educating schools, parents, and young people about the risk of concussions, protocols for avoiding head injury and procedures for safe care after such injuries.
 
“The risk of concussions for millions of the nation’s young people who play high school sports has received too little attention,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities. “We must change the 'warrior mentality' culture that discourages immediate treatment, and I look forward to working with Chairman Miller, Rep. Bishop and my colleagues on how we can address this issue.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement in response to Governor Schwarzenegger's decision to sign legislation freeing up $1.2 billion in federal school jobs grants for the state of California.

"I am very pleased the Governor has decided to sign legislation to use the money for teachers' jobs in California that Congress approved this summer. Saving teachers' jobs is vital to our economy and to the education of our children, which is why the legislature took decisive action to expedite the bill. The money Congress approved will help 16,500 California teachers stay in their classrooms, and I am glad to see the Governor's support for this critical effort."

Education Jobs Fund Keeping U.S. Teachers on the Job: News of the Day

The Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, approved by the House during a rare emergency vote in early August, provides critical aid to communities struggling with budget shortfalls by supporting 319,000 American jobs in local communities, including 161,000 teacher jobs. Local news from communities across the country shows that this education funding is allowing school districts to keep teachers in the classroom.


Iowa’s Waterloo Courier reported:

“Iowa school districts will split a pot of $96.5 million in federal funding intended to save or create education jobs.

“Districts will receive monthly payments throughout the 2010-11 fiscal year starting in September or October based on enrollment. In Northeast Iowa, that means a total of $2.35 million for Waterloo Community Schools, $885,245 for Cedar Falls Schools, $386,161 for Waverly-Shell Rock, $300,669 for Independence and $134,235 for Hudson.”

The Salt Lake Tribune has similar good news to share, “The Alpine district already has added more teachers and the Provo district is paying for full-day kindergarten.”

The Austin Daily Herald of Austin, Minn. also reported that many local school teachers are able to keep their jobs due to the Congress’ action:

“More Austin Public School teachers will keep their jobs thanks to an estimated $1 million dollars in federal aid from the Education Jobs Fund.”



“The incoming aid helps ease the district’s projected $1 to 1.5 million deficit for next year, acting as an insurance against possible job cuts in the immediate future.”

Saving Education Jobs: Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act

The Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, signed into law in August, will save or create an estimated 319,000 American jobs in local communities, including 161,000 teacher jobs

States are applying for and receiving funds:

Subcommittee to Hold Field Hearing to Explore Concussion Awareness in Schools

On Monday, September 13th, the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee, chaired by U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), will hold a field hearing in Long Island, New York to explore how schools and communities can help raise awareness of the risks of concussions and improve concussion management for students.

In May, the committee held a hearing that looked at the effect of concussions on student achievement. Witnesses testified that student athletes’ academic performance in school suffers when concussions are not properly managed. Each year, about 140,000 high school athletes suffer concussions.

WHAT:         
Field hearing on “The Impact of Concussions on High School Athletes: The Local Perspective”

WHO:               
Craig LoNigro, Athletic Trainer, Physical Education and Health Teacher, Comsewogue High School, Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.
Caitlin Monaghan, former high school athlete, Garden City, N.Y.
Dr. Hayley Queller, M.D., Orthopedic Associates of Long Island, East Setauket, N.Y.
Additional Witnesses TBA

WHEN:         
Monday, September 13, 2010
11:00 AM EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
Babylon Student Center
Suffolk County Community College-Ammerman Campus
2nd floor
Selden, New York

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Congressman George Miller (D-CA), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following joint statement announcing that the U.S. Department of Education approved California’s application to receive $1.2 billion as part of the recently passed Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, which will fund an estimated 16,500 teacher jobs in California.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education announced the winners of the second round of the Race to the Top competition.

Quiz: What's the current federal student loan interest rate?

On July 1, 2010, the interest rate for subsidized federal student loans dropped for the third year in a row, as required by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007.

What is the new federal student loan interest rate?

  1. 4.25%
  2. 4.5%
  3. 5.5%
  4. 6.25%
Continue reading for the answer.

News of the Day: Miller Investigates School Turnaround Companies

CQ reported today that Chairman Miller plans to, “hold a hearing this fall to probe companies that contract with school districts to improve failing schools.” Miller issued a statement on the issue yesterday:

“…with increased focus on school reform under this administration, it seems some companies with little or no expertise in education are purporting to be experts in school turnaround to try and take advantage of available federal money. Companies who are hired to help turn around schools as partners should have the best expertise and the best qualifications. I plan to hold a hearing and use the committee’s oversight authority to investigate the process of hiring providers to help turn around schools.”

Turning around under-performing and failing schools is one of the objectives of the committee’s bipartisan rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (currently known as NCLB). Miller chaired a hearing on successful school turnaround in May and made the importance of the issue clear, saying to his fellow committee members:

“There are 5,000 chronically low-performing schools in this country doing a disservice to
hundreds of thousands of students.

“Two thousand high schools produce 70 percent of our nation’s dropouts.”

Turning around chronically under-performing schools can have significant impact on local communities, and many private companies have begun offering turnaround services to school districts. But, a recent New York Times investigation revealed that some of these companies lack the necessary experience to effectively overhaul a failing school:

“With the Obama administration pouring billions into its nationwide campaign to overhaul failing schools, dozens of companies with little or no experience are portraying themselves as school-turnaround experts as they compete for the money.”



“Many of the new companies seem unprepared for the challenge of making over a public school, yet neither the federal government nor many state governments are organized to offer effective oversight, said Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy, a nonprofit group in Washington.”

News of the Day: Florida Teachers Go Back to Work

Last week, the House approved H.R. 1586, the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act. President Obama signed the legislation into law the very same day, sending $10 billion to local school districts to prevent education layoffs and rehire teachers who had already received pink slips. The law is expected to save the jobs of 161,000 American teachers, and is already impacting communities across the county. Today’s Miami Herald reported that the Broward County School Board recently approved plans to rehire nearly 100 teachers due to the influx of federal aid:

“With days to go before classes begin, the Broward County School Board gave the OK Tuesday for its superintendent to start recalling nearly 100 laid-off teachers and other teachers whose work has been curtailed.

“Broward schools will receive about $54 million to rehire teachers and other employees, thanks to a new federal stimulus package with $10 billion earmarked for education jobs.”

Chairman Miller has been a lead congressional advocate for emergency aid to stop teacher layoffs, saying on many occasions, “We can’t allow a child’s education to become a casualty of what is happening in our economy.”

Miller proposed a $23 billion dollar emergency “Education Jobs Fund” in late 2009 and authored the Local Jobs for America Act, which would help save local communities from devastating public sector layoffs. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee today announced plans for a hearing to review companies who contract with school districts to help improve schools.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement after U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced that California will receive more than $487 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The recovery dollars will fund teacher jobs and strengthen ongoing education reform efforts in California public elementary and secondary schools.  Chairman Miller authored key education portions of the Recovery Act in 2009, and recovery funding has helped create 47,000 California education jobs from April 1 to June 30, 2010 alone.  California has received approximately $11 billion in education assistance under the Recovery Act since 2009.


WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after today’s announcement that the University of California’s postdoctoral scholars overwhelmingly approved a long-sought after first contract with the university. 

News of the Day: Making College Affordable Again

Chairman George Miller authored a column on college affordability as part of Forbes Magazine’s yearly America’s Best Colleges feature. Increasing access to America’s higher education system is one of the primary goals of the Education and Labor Committee under Chairman Miller.

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, written by Miller, became law on March 30, 2010 as part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. The law, which saves taxpayers $61 billion over 10 years by switching to the more efficient Direct Loan program, will help America reach President Obama’s goal of producing the highest proportion of college graduates by 2020. Miller wrote:

“We’ve taken important steps to ensure the stability of the student loan programs, to make college more affordable and help families and students manage their student loan debt.

“First, we increased the efficiency of the loan program so that we have more to invest in our students, and we increased the reliability of the programs so that students and families are never again left wondering where to turn in a difficult economy.

“Earlier this year, as part of the historic health care legislation, we made the single largest investment in federal student aid ever and transformed the way student loans programs operate.

“With President Obama’s direction we made the common-sense decision to stop wasting taxpayer money on subsidies to big banks and instead use that money to invest directly in students.

“By making the switch to direct lending, we saved $61 million that we gave directly back to the student. We raised the Pell grant scholarship, we made it easier for borrowers to repay their loans, regardless of their income, and we invested in community colleges and historically black colleges and universities. Most significantly, we made all of these investments in students and our economic future at no cost to taxpayers.

“Second, too often recent graduates look beyond careers in public service because they worry they will not be able to afford to pay back their loans. Recognizing this struggle, we made it easier for students to consider careers in public service.

“Under a program passed in 2007 as part of sweeping college affordability legislation, college graduates who enter into public service careers, such as teachers, public defenders and prosecutors, are eligible for complete loan forgiveness after 10 years of qualifying public service and loan payments. At a time when Americans’ interest in public service jobs is surging, this program is especially helpful.

“Third, we instituted a means for students to repay their loans that caps borrowers’ monthly loan payments at just 15% of their discretionary income. After 25 years in the program, borrowers’ debts will be completely forgiven.”

“Take, for example, a recent graduate with $30,000 in federal student loans and a starting salary of $25,000. Under this repayment program, this borrower’s monthly loan payment would be $110--one-third of the $345 monthly payment under a standard plan.

“Starting in 2014 new borrowers who are eligible for this repayment program will be able to cap their monthly loan payments at just 10% of their discretionary income. Borrowers who responsibly make their monthly payments will see their remaining balance forgiven after 20 years of repayment.”

News of the Day: Saving Local Jobs

Yesterday, President Obama signed H.R. 1586, the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, legislation that will prevent mass teacher layoffs, keep police and firefighters on the job, and close tax loopholes that encourage corporations to ship American jobs overseas. The new law will save or create 319,000 American jobs in local communities, including 161,000 teacher jobs. These much-needed funds are expected to reach the states in 45 days. Communities across the country are already celebrating the passage of this legislation:

The News-Leader of Springfield, Mo. reported:

“The bill would send Missouri $292 million for Medicaid and $189.7 million to help cash-strapped schools rehire staff or prevent future layoffs. The education funding will save 3,000 jobs statewide and more than 1,200 in the 4th, 7th and 8th congressional districts. The Medicaid funding would help states meet other budget needs, such as keeping thousands of police officers, nurses and other public workers employed.”

Montana’s Great Falls Tribune passed on similar news:

“Montana will receive $38 million in Medicaid funding and $30.7 million to avoid layoffs, mostly of K-12 teachers, from the bill. The U.S. Education Department estimates that the money will save about 700 teachers' jobs in Montana.”

California’s Coachella Valley will also benefit greatly, according to The Desert Sun:

“Valley schools may be able to rehire teachers and shrink the size of classes when school starts now that a $26 billion jobs bill has become law.

“‘I guess there is such a thing as Christmas in August,’ said Ricardo Medina, superintendent of Coachella Valley Unified School District.”

Chairman Miller appeared on MSNBC yesterday morning to voice his passionate support for the legislation and discuss why job creation is vital to the economic recovery:

“What we’re talking about is creating jobs for teachers, for firemen, for police, for nurses – the people that hold our public spaces together in this country. And we should not have our children lose a year’s education because the Republicans refuse to create jobs.

“And you know what they call teachers and firemen and nurses and policemen with jobs? You know what small businesses call them? They call them customers.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives today approved legislation that will save or create 319,000 American jobs in local communities, including 161,000 teacher jobs, and also discourages American corporations from shipping jobs overseas. By a vote of 247 to 161, the House passed H.R. 1586, the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act.   President Obama indicated he would sign the legislation into law later today.

“With this vote today, we’re taking decisive action to prevent our children from becoming victims of this economy by ensuring more teachers remain in the classroom. This legislation won’t save every job but it will certainly provide much-needed relief and a critical lifeline to schools,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

House to Vote TODAY on Education Jobs & State Aid

The House will reconvene for a rare August vote today to approve H.R. 1586, the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, and send it to President Obama for his signature.  The bill is expected to save approximately 161,000 teacher jobs nationwide.

This morning Chairman Miller appeared on MSNBC to explain why the House is returning from its 6-week district work period to vote on this important piece of legislation.





Chairman Miller also wrote a letter to the editor about the importance of saving teacher jobs.

After the Senate passed the measure last week, Chairman Miller said:

“I applaud the Senate for passing this emergency legislation that protects not only our teacher jobs but our economic competitiveness. Next week, my colleagues and I in the House will return to Washington to take this important vote -- a vote we’ve taken twice already in the House -- to keep thousands of teachers in their jobs. We need this bill to ensure our teachers remain in the classroom and our students continue to learn. It’s clear our students, our teachers and our country will reap the benefits of our decisive action. This investment will save jobs and help prevent districts from shortening the school year, increasing class sizes and closing libraries in the wake of horrific and damaging budget cuts. While this latest round of funding isn’t enough to avert all layoffs, it is a critical investment in our children and in our future.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement after the Senate passed the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement after the Senate passed H.R. 1586, the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act. The House will reconvene for a rare August vote this coming Tuesday to approve the legislation and send it to President Obama for his signature.  The bill is expected to save approximately 140,000 teacher jobs nationwide. 

Based on analysis from the Council of Economic Advisors of projected State budget shortfalls for FY 2011, we estimated that as many as 100,000 to 300,000 education jobs could be at risk across the country in the upcoming school year.

We know States and districts are working hard to find ways to minimize job losses and keep cuts away from classrooms, but some are making cuts that we know will have an impact on kids. Furlough days, cutting after school programs, and cutting or reducing summer school are some of the tough choices being made when we know we need to be expanding learning time.

We also know these job losses would ripple through the wider economy and undercut ongoing efforts to create jobs.

That is why the House will take a rare August vote to pass this legislation and send it to President Obama for his signature prior to the start of the new school year.


TeacherJobsSavedInfographic.jpeg
See below the fold for a table of each state's allocation and an estimation of teacher jobs saved. [Updated to reflect new projection on August 9, 2010]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement after Speaker Pelosi announced the House of Representatives will return to Washington next week to vote on legislation recently moved forward by the Senate to invest $10 billion to save teachers jobs.
First Lady Michelle Obama refers to pending child nutrition legislation as “a major opportunity to make our schools and our children healthier… an opportunity we haven't seen in years, and one that is too important to let pass by” and urges swift passage of a child nutrition bill in a recent Washington Post op-ed. The Education and Labor Committee approved the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act on a bipartisan vote in July. The First Lady continues:

“We owe it to the children who aren't reaching their potential because they're not getting the nutrition they need during the day. We owe it to the parents who are working to keep their families healthy and looking for a little support along the way. We owe it to the schools that are trying to make progress but don't have the resources they need. And we owe it to our country -- because our prosperity depends on the health and vitality of the next generation.”

Hers is a sentiment shared by many – that there is no more important investment we can make for our country’s future than feeding our children healthy meals. Television host and author Rachael Ray has also been vocal on the issue, appearing with Chairman George Miller to introduce the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act and publishing an op-ed in today’s issue of the Albany Times-Union. Ray also pushes for quick passage of a child nutrition bill and argues passionately in favor of the legislation:

“Nearly 17 million American children struggle against hunger. For these children, school food programs are sometimes the only access they have to food. At the same time, one in three American kids is overweight or suffering from childhood obesity, because their families simply cannot afford fresh, nutritious foods. School food systems are one of the few ways we have to provide good nutrition to all of our kids.


“Child hunger and malnutrition in the world's wealthiest nation is morally unacceptable. The U.S. economy loses at least $28 billion per year due to poor school performance and long-term health care spending due to poor child nutrition. We can pay now or pay a much greater price in every sense later.”

President Obama yesterday signed a bill into law that solves a funding equity issue regarding independent living centers. This new law is especially significant in light of the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which Congress celebrated on Monday. The Independent Living Centers Technical Adjustment Act, sponsored by Chairman Miller, ensures that independent living centers for disabled adults receive sufficient federal funding.

These centers provide independent living skills training, peer counseling, and other vital training services for Americans with disabilities. Disability Scoop commented on the necessity of the new law:

“The law comes in response to a funding disparity which emerged as a result of last year’s stimulus package, leaving some independent living centers eligible for far more money in future years, while other centers would be underfunded.

“The legislation signed by Obama this week closes the gap, ensuring that stimulus dollars won’t compromise future funding of the centers.”

Chairman Miller praised the President’s support for the Independent Living Centers Technical Adjustment Act and stated:

“In many areas, independent living centers are the primary provider of services in a community for people with disabilities. Staff at these centers work to empower people with disabilities with choices and the opportunities to help themselves live more independent lives.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement after President Obama signed in to law H.R. 5610, the Independent Living Centers Technical Adjustment Act. This new law will ensure independent living centers have the appropriate level of funding to continue providing services to people with disabilities. 
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act continues to benefit communities around the country. Today, The Record of Hackensack, New Jersey reported that their community is set to receive $1.3 million in recovery funding for early childhood education programs. The article titled Programs for children and babies get stimulus boost, stated:

“Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will contribute more than $1.3 million in additional federal support in providing vital services to Bergen County families, according to the Bergen County Community Action Partnership (BCCAP). The stimulus funds have allowed for the expansion of both Head Start to 40 additional families and the inception of Early Head Start for 72 families.”

The Head Start programs provide early childhood education services to over one million children, and families and workers depend on these programs not only for invaluable early education, but for employment. Nancy Griner, Head Start Director for the area, attested to the benefits of early education in the article:

"This holistic program includes education, health, mental health, social services, and nutrition services for children from income eligible families. Also, additional special services are provided for children with disabilities. We focus on the total development of the child, while creating a more stable family environment."

Head Start programs are services that our communities cannot afford to lose, especially in tough economic times -- and this isn’t a story that’s limited to New Jersey. Local papers around the United States have written on the importance of Recovery Act funds for early education in their communities, including UNR News in Nevada, The New Mexico Independent, and Oklahoma’s The Express-Star. The story of the Recovery Act’s success is being told in communities nationwide.

UPDATE: The breakfast has concluded. Visit their website for the archive of the event.

Join Chairman Miller, Randi Weingarten, Tim Daly, Lisa Guernsey and Carmel Martin for a lively discussion about education and education policy in America.

The National Journal's website says: 

There is consensus in the education sector that the American school system must transition from one designed around an agrarian and industrial society to one that meets the demands of the knowledge economy. The Obama administration has poured an unprecedented amount of money—upwards of $100 billion—toward accomplishing that goal. How far have we come and how much further do we need to go? As a means of addressing this question, we will take stock of the administration's key education initiatives as well as state-led efforts and ultimately, how the weakened economy has affected these programs. Race to the Top, reauthorization of No Child Left Behind and Common Core, among other topics, will be examined.

News of the Day: A Quiet Revolution in Public Education

During remarks to the National Press Club, Education Secretary Arne Duncan today observed a “quiet revolution” in our nation’s public education system:

“From journalists and educators to politicians and parents -- there is a growing sense that a quiet revolution is underway in our homes and schools, classrooms and communities.”

During his presentation, Secretary Duncan announced the 19 finalists for the Race to the Top grant program, the impetus behind this education revolution. He continued:

“With a budget of just $5 billion dollars -- less than one percent of total education spending in America -- this minor provision in the Recovery Act has unleashed an avalanche of pent-up education reform activity at the state and local level.

“Forty-eight states voluntarily collaborated to raise the bar and create common college and career-ready standards -- solving the single biggest drawback of NCLB -- without a federal mandate or a federal dollar. So far, 27 states have adopted those standards. Even Massachusetts -- universally viewed with the highest standards in the country -- voted unanimously to adopt last week.”

Race to the Top was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and provides competitive grants to selected states that commit to key areas of education reform.

The success of Race to the Top has helped encourage education reform across the country and sets the stage for the kind of bipartisan overhaul The Education and Labor Committee is currently undertaking to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This “quiet revolution,” as Secretary Duncan put it, is welcome news for students, parents, and teachers across the country.

Chairman Miller to Keynote National Journal Breakfast Discussion on Education

On Wednesday, July 28, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, will keynote National Journal’s “Inside the Issue: Education” breakfast discussion. Miller will answer questions from National Journal’s Eliza Krigman and then take questions from the audience.

WHO:            
U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee

WHAT:         
National Journal LIVE’s Education Week Event, “Inside the Issue: Education” featuring Chairman George Miller

WHEN:         
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
8:30 A.M - Keynote program begins

WHERE:      
Top of the Hill (Reserve Officers Association)
One Constitution Avenue NE
Washington DC

Note: This event will be live webcast on the National Journal website. To RSVP, click here.

News of the Day: Twenty Years of the ADA

Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), who was partially paralyzed at age 16, presided over the House of Representatives today  — marking the first time in our history that a member in a wheelchair has ascended to the speaker’s podium.  Langevin’s achievement coincides with the 20-year anniversary of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which opened public spaces, employment and education opportunities to people with disabilities.

Chairman Miller, who championed the bill in 1990 and worked to strengthen the legislation in 2008, stated:

“We wrote the ADA to ensure America works for all Americans. The law broke down barriers, prohibited discrimination, promoted access and provided basic civil rights to people with disabilities. Over the past 20 years, people with disabilities have been able to access educational opportunities and employment.  They’ve been able to use buildings, transportation, and communities that once presented huge obstacles.”

While today is a day to celebrate a great accomplishment, there is still much work to do. The Washington Post reported today that Americans with disabilities still face large challenges in the job market:

“It is a brutal job market for many workers, but even more so for those with disabilities, who can struggle in the best of times. For them, the unemployment rate is now 14.4 percent -- 50 percent higher than it is for other workers, and the jobs gap is larger still because so many are not counted as being in the workforce.”

Chairman Miller also noted that disabled Americans still face unfair burdens and urged Congress to continue its work on their behalf:

“It’s time for us to look to the future, to honor the successes of the past and build upon them to continue to increase the options of people with disabilities. We still have a long way to go to improve educational outcomes for all students, especially students with disabilities and to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“Today, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we share in a very proud moment for this country.

“It wasn’t too long ago that people with disabilities were invisible, shut out and segregated by structural barriers that literally kept them out of buildings and off of public transportation. They were denied access to education and job opportunities. 

News of the Day: Expanding Access to Healthy Meals

boy-lunch-tray.JPGNutritious meals often prove too expensive for families struggling to make ends meet. As an NPR report demonstrated on Tuesday, nutrient-rich foods and drinks are often replaced by cheaper, less healthy substitutes:

"A gallon of milk is $3-something. A bottle of orange soda is 89 cents…Do the math."

The Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, recently approved by the Education and Labor Committee on a bipartisan vote, aims to help solve this problem by increasing access to nutritious foods year-round in school, after school, during holidays, on the weekends, and during the summer. Among other improvements to childhood nutrition programs, the legislation increases the reimbursement rate for school lunch for the first time in more than 30 years – a move that will significantly increase the availability of healthy foods to children. Cliff Toomey of the Indian River School District in Delaware attests to the importance of the increase in today’s News Journal:

“‘Higher reimbursement rates would mean more food choices,’ he said. ‘It would allow us to possibly go with more fresh fruits and vegetables.’”

Today, approximately 22 percent of the nation’s children lack access to nutritious food and one in three children is overweight or obese. Pam Fessler of NPR succinctly describes the relationship between hunger and obesity:

 “Hunger in America is complicated. It's not just getting enough food, but getting the right food — and making the right choices.”

Quiz: How many young Americans are too overweight to join the military?

| Comments (1)
Q: How many young Americans are too overweight to join the military?

  • 9 percent
  • 16 percent
  • 27 percent
  • 65 percent

Continue reading for the answer.
The Education and Labor Committee today approved the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act with a bipartisan vote of 32 to 13. The legislation expands year-round access to healthy meals in schools, afterschool programs, and other child care settings for our nation’s students. The legislation aims to significantly reduce the interrelated problems of childhood hunger and childhood obesity by recognizing that nutritional needs don’t take a summer vacation.

After the vote, First Lady Michelle Obama released her first-ever formal statement on pending legislation. She praising the committee for its work on her signature issue: reducing childhood obesity. The First Lady stated:

“I congratulate Chairman Miller and the House Education and Labor Committee on the successful bipartisan passage of a child nutrition reauthorization bill out of the Committee today. This important legislation will combat hunger and provide millions of schoolchildren with access to healthier meals, a critical step in the battle against childhood obesity. I urge both the House and Senate to take their child nutrition bills to the floor and pass them without delay. The President looks forward to signing a final bill this year, so that we can make significant progress in improving the nutrition and health of children across our nation.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Education and Labor Committee today passed bipartisan legislation to support children’s health and reduce childhood hunger by dramatically  improving federal child nutrition programs. The Committee passed the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, H.R. 5504 with a bipartisan vote of 32-13.

The bill includes sweeping reforms to significantly increase access and remove barriers to child nutrition programs, improve the quality of the meals served and implement new school food safety guidelines. The bill would increase the reimbursement rate for schools -- the first increase in over 30 years. Additionally, for the first time, it would require schools to set standards for foods served outside the cafeteria, including vending machines.

TODAY: Committee to Consider Child Nutrition Bill

| Comments (2)
Note: The Committee will resume consideration of H.R. 5504 at 10am on Thursday, July 15.

Today, the Committee will consider the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act to expand access and improve the nutritional quality of meals in schools and child care.

The legislation would help set American children on a path of healthy eating and healthy living at a time when approximately 22 percent of the nation’s children lack access to quality food and one in three children are overweight or obese. Today, over 32 million children rely on federal child nutrition programs.

H.R. 5504 would dramatically expand access for millions of children to healthy meals year-round in schools, child care, and community based settings, and for the first time, establish nutrition standards for foods sold outside of the cafeteria.

This Week: Mine Safety Hearing and Vote on Child Nutrition Bill

On Tuesday, July 13, 2010, the Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on “H.R. 5663, the Miner Safety and Health Act of 2010.” H.R. 5663 will bring our nation’s mine health and safety laws up to date, give MSHA the ability to effectively protect miners’ lives, hold mine operators accountable for putting their workers in unnecessary danger, and expand protections to all other workers by strengthening OSHA.

In April, 29 miners were killed at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, the worst coal mine disaster in America in 40 years. In the last decade, more than 600 miners have died while working in our nation’s mines.

On Wednesday, July 14, the House Education and Labor Committee will consider bipartisan legislation to expand access and improve the nutritional quality of meals in schools and child care. The committee examined H.R. 5504, the “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act” earlier this month.

The legislation would help set American children on a path of healthy eating and healthy living at a time when approximately 22 percent of the nation’s children lack access to quality food and one in three children are overweight or obese. Today, over 32 million children rely on federal child nutrition programs.

H.R. 5504 would dramatically expand access for millions of children to healthy meals year-round in schools, child care, and community based settings, and for the first time, establish nutrition standards for foods sold outside of the cafeteria.
On Wednesday July 14th, the Education and Labor Committee will vote on H.R. 5504, the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act. Recognizing that students need access to nutritious meals year round in order to succeed in school, the legislation would provide eligible children with increased access to healthier, nutritious foods. Approximately 22 percent of the nation’s children lack access to quality food and one in three children is overweight or obese-- it’s clear that nutritional needs don’t take a summer break.

Communities around the county are taking steps to provide their students with year-round access to quality meals and are demonstrating why ensuring access to healthy food is vital:

In Sioux City, SD, increasing numbers of children are eating healthy meals through the Summer Food Service Program, which serves children from low-income families. The Argus Leader reported:

“At the YWCA in downtown Sioux Falls on Wednesday, primarily elementary-aged boys and girls filed through a serving line while workers filled their trays with a sloppy joe sandwich, green beans, pineapple and milk. On average, the agency dishes out 220 lunches and 110 breakfasts each weekday, said Karla Johnson, director of child care services.

“‘There's no question in my mind that this program is really helping those children and their families. And we're seeing more of that,’ she said.”

According to the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore’s Pimlico Road Youth Program has been similarly successful and has witnessed increased need for their services. The Baltimore Sun reported:

“Workers at the Northwest Baltimore center say at least half the students have come to depend on the sponsored meals to tide them over for the evening, food that serves as a substitute for the free lunches the children receive during the school year.

“With school out, state and federal officials say about 25 percent of the 328,000 low-income Maryland children who received free school meals during the year got them last summer. The numbers, however, are on the rise.”

Committee to Consider Child Nutrition Legislation

On Wednesday, July 14, the House Education and Labor Committee will consider bipartisan legislation to expand access and improve the nutritional quality of meals in schools and child care. The committee examined H.R. 5504, the “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act” earlier this month.

The legislation would help set American children on a path of healthy eating and healthy living at a time when approximately 22 percent of the nation’s children lack access to quality food and one in three children are overweight or obese. Today, over 32 million children rely on federal child nutrition programs.

H.R. 5504 would dramatically expand access for millions of children to healthy meals year-round in schools, child care, and community based settings, and for the first time, establish nutrition standards for foods sold outside of the cafeteria.  

WHAT:         
Full Committee Markup of H.R. 5504, the “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act”.

WHEN:         
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
2:00 p.m. ET
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This markup will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website. 

Retaining Jobs in Student Lending

Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced the availability of $25 million to help retain employees working for companies that will service loans under the new Direct Lending Program.  By transitioning to all Direct Lending and eliminating wasteful subsidies to private bankers, this Democratic Congress was able make college dramatically more affordable by investing billions of dollars in additional student aid – all at no new cost to taxpayers.

Below is a statement from Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, author of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act:

“Secretary Duncan has taken an important step forward today for America’s workers and the future of this country. By getting this money out the door quickly, he’s accomplished the critical tasks of both helping to save jobs and retrain and retain workers while also ensuring our student loan programs are operating in the best interest of students and families working hard to pay for college.”

Read the Department’s full release.

More information about investments in students and families.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The bipartisan child nutrition reauthorization legislation introduced earlier this month will improve children’s health, increase access to healthy meals, and create more year-round meal opportunities for children, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee yesterday. At the hearing, Miller announced that he plans to markup the legislation when Congress returns after the July 4th recess.

“We need to get our country back on a pathway of healthy eating and healthy living – this starts by not only ensuring our children are eating healthy meals in schools, but also teaching them healthy habits that will last them a lifetime,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee. “This bill is a great opportunity to improve our school meal programs, to meet children’s nutritional needs at every venture and to change the future of this country.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, tonight issued the following statement on the House passage of H.R. 4899, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010.

Rep. Lynn Woolsey: Fighting Childhood Obesity at School

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, Education and Labor Committee Member.)

It’s been 30 years since the regulations limiting junk food sales in schools were updated, despite big changes in nutrition science.‪

Today, 23 million children and adolescents are obese or overweight.‪

Obesity rates for children between 6 and 11 years old have more than tripled over the last 40 years. ‪

Throughout their lives, these children are at greater risk for heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, stroke, cancer, and social and psychological problems.‪

One of the most important ways to help fight this epidemic is to ensure that higher quality, more nutritious foods are sold throughout the day in our schools.‪

This is why I have introduced H.R. 1324, the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act, which requires that all foods sold in schools throughout the entire school day are based on the most current nutrition science.‪

This bill has 170 cosponsors and has been endorsed by over 90 public health, school, food and beverage industry, and nutrition groups, including the American Beverage Association, General Mills, and the American Heart Association.‪ I am pleased that this language has been included in Chairman George Miller's (D-CA) H.R. 5504, the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act.

This provision does not affect school parties or foods sold during sporting events or band concerts in which parents are present. It only regulates foods sold in schools, and allows USDA to exempt foods sold as part of fundraisers. It’s also important to realize that schools that are switching to selling healthier foods and are not losing revenue.‪

Studies by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Center for Weight and Health at U.C. Berkeley found that the majority of schools switching to healthier foods in their vending machines and a la carte lines actually increased their total revenues.

‪In other words, it is a win-win situation for schools—healthier students and a healthier bottom line as well‪‪

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Student aid benefits increase today, as the Pell Grant scholarship increases to an all-time high and interest rates on need-based student loans decrease. Additionally, all federal student loans will originate through the Direct Lending program, as a result of a measure passed earlier this year that eliminates wasteful subsidies to banks and invests those savings to help students and families, all at no new cost to taxpayers.

Making College More Affordable: New Benefits on July 1st

New Benefits on July 1st: What Every Borrower Should Know

The cost of paying for college has become a heavy burden for many Americans. Young people and adults across country are pursuing higher education in record rates, but even as the economy recovers, American families are still struggling to pay tuition bills. The cost of college, moreover, continued to rise during the economic downturn and currently shows no sign of slowing.

Given these challenges, it’s critical for current college students, new or soon-to-be graduates, and workers to know about new benefits that go into effect July 1, 2010 to make student loan payments manageable for millions of Americans. From eliminating wasteful subsidies to private bankers and switching to a system of direct lending of federal student loans to increasing the maximum Pell Grant scholarship, to reducing the monthly payment borrowers must pay back on their loans, this Democratic Congress has made historic investments in our economic future – all at no cost to taxpayers.

Specifically, borrowers will see the following changes go into effect:


Rep. Dina Titus: Student Loans Become More Affordable Today

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Dina Titus, Education and Labor Committee Member.)

Thumbnail image for Dina Titus.jpgOne of my top priorities in Congress is making higher education more affordable.  Especially in this difficult economic climate, when competition for jobs has increased at the same time that many students’ ability to pay for college has decreased, it is important for the federal government to make smart investments in our students.  These investments will make our young people – and our economy – more competitive in the global marketplace. That is why I am proud to be a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, where I have the opportunity to advocate for students in Southern Nevada and across the country.  The Education and Labor Committee and Congress have done tremendous work over the last few years in making a higher education more affordable and accessible to students than ever before, and this summer we will see some of the effects of those changes.

For example, starting today, students will see lower interest rates on their student loans, down to 4.5% from 5.6%.  This change will result in substantial savings for students over the life of their loan.  For 2010 we have raised the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarship to $5,550; the maximum Pell Grant will continue to increase in the years to come, up to $5,975 by 2017.  And this summer all new federal student lending will be converted to the effective and cost-efficient Direct Loan program.  Instead of providing banks with taxpayer subsidies, students will receive loans directly from the government, saving taxpayers $61 billion.
The deadline to apply for federal student aid online is midnight CDT tonight. If you plan to apply for federal financial aid for the coming school year, you must submit your FAFSA form by midnight. In 2008, the Democratic congress simplified the FAFSA form as part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, making federal aid more accessible to all students.

Tips for Applying for Federal Loans and Grants

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and U.S. Rep. Dale E. Kildee (D-MI), Chairman of  the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and Democratic Chairman of the House Native American Caucus, issued the following statements after the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) released its National Indian Education Study.  The study showed no significant gains in mathematics performance among fourth and eighth graders since 2005. Reading scores showed a slight increase since 2007 for eighth graders but again showed no significant improvement for fourth graders since 2005. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Leading members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives released a summary and discussion draft today of major reforms responding to serious health and safety concerns raised by workers and their families since Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine tragedy and other recent workplace accidents.

The reforms would provide stronger oversight to ensure that employers comply with the law, empower workers to speak up about safety concerns and give the Department of Labor the tools it needs to ensure that all workers go home safely at the end of the day.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller applauded today the release of newly announced federal grants to improve struggling schools in the Bay Area and across California.  

Miller (D-Martinez), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, said that the new grants for low-performing schools will boost school quality improvement efforts in his congressional district.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –  The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report yesterday that found schools provide students with and without disabilities similar opportunities to participate in physical education (PE), but face serious challenges when serving students with disabilities in general PE classes and extracurricular athletics.  

The report was conducted at the behest of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chair of the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee, U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Assistant to the Speaker and U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the Senate Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Supporters of the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act

The Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act (H.R. 5504) will dramatically improve children’s access to nutritious meals, enhance the quality of meals children eat both in and out of school and in child care settings, implement new school food safety guidelines and, for the first time, establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools.

Supporters of H.R. 5504 include:


WASHINGTON, D.C. – In light of recent press reports raising concerns about the for-profit education sector Democratic lawmakers called for a review today of for-profit or “proprietary” institutions of higher education.  U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), Assistant Majority Leader and U.S. Reps. Timothy Bishop (D-NY) and Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess the quality of for-profit institutions, as well as how much of their revenue is comprised of Federal student aid and other Federal funding sources.

Subcommittee to Examine Cyber Safety for Students

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, June 24, 2010, the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, chaired by U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), will hold a hearing to examine rising safety concerns about students using the Internet, social networking and other technology, especially the increased occurrence of cyber bullying. The hearing will also explore the role schools, students, parents and communities can play to keep students safe.

A recent Pew survey shows in 2009, 73 percent of American teens with access to the Internet use social networking websites, up from 65 percent in 2008. The survey also shows that American teens and young adults say the Internet is a central and indispensable element in their lives.

WHAT:         
Hearing on “Ensuring Student Cyber Safety”

WHO:            
Dr. Phil McGraw, syndicated daytime television talk show host and best-selling author, Hollywood, Calif.
Parry Aftab, Executive Director, WiredSafety, Wyckoff, N.J.
Dominique Napolitano, teen member of Girl Scouts of the USA’s Let Me Know (LMK) program, West Islip, N.Y.
Barbara-Jane Paris, Principal, Canyon Vista Middle School, Austin, Texas 
Dr. Jorge Srabstein, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
Other Witnesses TBA

WHEN:         
Thursday, June 24, 2010
10:00 a.m. EDT

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Accrediting agencies responsible for assessing how institutions of higher education determine program length and assign credit hours to coursework should establish definitions of credit hours and minimum standards for program length to ensure federal student financial aid is disbursed appropriately, the Department of Education’s Inspector General told the House Education and Labor Committee today.

Credit hours are used to determine the amount of federal aid for which a student is eligible.   Accrediting agencies recognized by the Department of Education are intended to ensure that institutions provide quality content and academic rigor at the postsecondary level.  The Inspector General found that in one case an accrediting agency approved an institution of higher education for accreditation even though its evaluators noted the institution had an “egregious” credit hour policy and granted students an inflated number of credit hours for certain education programs. 
The House is expected to vote on the Work-Life Balance Award Act on Tuesday, June 15.  This measure would establish an annual Work-Life Balance Award at the Department of Labor to be given out annually by the Secretary of Labor to employers with exemplary work-life workforce policies.

On Wednesday, June 16, Chairman Miller will urge the Senate to put the 401(k) fee disclosure provision back into H.R. 4213 by delivering pies to each Finance Committee Senator with a slice missing representing the fees Wall Street takes from accountholders.

The 401(k) fee disclosure provisions were part of the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act (H.R. 4213), important legislation that the House of Representatives approved and sent to the Senate on May 28. Last week, Sen. Max Baucus introduced proposed changes to the legislation that included the elimination of the requirement that 401(k)-type plans disclose all fees that participants pay.

On Thursday, June 17, 2010, the Committee will hold a hearing to examine recent reports from the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education looking at how higher education accrediting agencies review institutions’ policies on credit hours and program length.

On Thursday, June 17, 2010, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine recent reports from the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education looking at how higher education accrediting agencies review institutions’ policies on credit hours and program length.

WHAT:         
“Hearing on “The Department of Education Inspector General’s Review of Standards for Program Length in Higher Education”

WHO:            
Witnesses TBA

WHEN:         
Thursday, June 17, 2010
10:00 a.m. EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website. 

Seven.

Answer: Seven
Question: How many hearings has the committee held this year on ESEA reauthorization?

Greetings to all EdLabor Insider e-newsletter readers looking for the answer to this week's committee trivia question!  (Non-subscribers can click here to subscribe to the Committee's e-mail updates.)

And, drum-roll, please...The full list of hearings held by the Committee in 2010 on ESEA reauthorization is as follows:

Research and Best Practices on Successful School Turnaround
Full Committee Hearing
10:00 AM, May 19, 2010
2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC

Supporting America’s Educators: The Importance of Quality Teachers and Leaders
Full Committee Hearing
2:00 PM, May 4, 2010
2175 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC

How Data Can Be Used to Inform Educational Outcomes
Full Committee Hearing
10:00 AM, April 14, 2010
2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC

Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization: Addressing the Needs of Diverse Students
Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee Hearing
10:00 AM, March 18, 2010
2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC

The Obama Administration’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization Blueprint
Full Committee Hearing
2:40 PM, March 17, 2010
2175 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC

Building a Stronger Economy: Spurring Reform and Innovation In American Education
Full Committee Hearing
9:30 AM, March 3, 2010
2175 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC

H.R. 4330, the All Students Achieving through Reform Act of 2009
Full Committee Hearing
10:00 AM, February 24, 2010
2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The meals children eat during and after school and in child care would be dramatically improved under bipartisan legislation introduced today by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, U.S. Rep. Todd Russell Platts (R-PA), ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, and other lawmakers.

At a press conference, daytime host, author and child nutrition advocate Rachael Ray urged swift passage of the bill.

The legislation, “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children,” will dramatically improve the quality of meals children eat both in and out of school and in child care settings, support community efforts to reduce childhood hunger and, for the first time, establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools.  Nationally, one-third of children are either overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

“We are on the brink of a national crisis with our children’s health. The barriers that prevent children from accessing quality meals mean more children are at risk of obesity and poor nutrition and this has serious implications for the health and well-being of the future of this country,” said Miller. “This legislation creates a nutritional safety net for millions of children who rely on the child nutrition programs by meeting children’s nutritional needs at every step along the way -- in school, on the weekends and during the summer. Child hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation” 

Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010

Improving Meal Quality, Expanding Access and Filling Nutritional Gaps

For millions of families, the meals their children receive at school or in child care are their only chance at a healthy meal all day. In 2008, more than 16 million children lived in homes without access to enough nutritious food. America’s children should not have to go hungry – they should have access to healthy foods year round that will help them thrive physically and academically.

We expect children to come to school prepared to learn but hunger and poor nutrition can present major barriers to their success in the classroom. And, since hunger does not take a summer vacation, providing children with year round access to healthier, nutritious foods means children won’t go hungry just because school is out.

The Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act (H.R. 5504) will dramatically improve children’s access to nutritious meals, enhance the quality of meals children eat both in and out of school and in child care settings, implement new school food safety guidelines and, for the first time, establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools. (Original bill text)

This new legislation, which was amended and passed by the Committee on July 14, 2010, will answer President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s call to reduce childhood hunger and support school and community efforts to reduce childhood obesity. (Supporters of H.R. 5504)

Specifically, these new investments in child nutrition will:

Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers to Introduce New Child Nutrition Legislation

Daytime Host and Author Rachael Ray to Join Lawmakers to Unveil New Legislation to Put Children on a Path to a Healthier Future

On Thursday, June 10 at 11:00am Eastern, Chairman George Miller and Reps. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Todd Russell Platts (R-PA) will unveil the details of new legislation to dramatically improve the quality of meals children eat both in and out of school and in child care settings, support community efforts to reduce childhood hunger and, for the first time, establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools. 

The lawmakers will be joined by daytime host, author and child nutrition advocate Rachael Ray and anti-hunger and child nutrition advocates.

The “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act” mirrors key investments proposed by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in her “Let’s Move” initiative, including reducing childhood obesity, improving school wellness,  implementing new school food safety guidelines, and supporting public and private partnerships to improve child nutrition.

College Acceptance: Now We Can Afford To Be Excited

Now more than ever, Americans need affordable, quality education opportunities to help make our economy strong and competitive again. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act was included in the health care reconciliation bill that was signed into law on March 30, 2010. Reforms in this law will move America toward producing the most college graduates by 2020 by making the single largest investment in federal student aid ever.



Specifically, these provisions will:

  • Invest the bill’s savings to make college affordable and help more Americans graduate
  • Provide reliable, affordable, high-quality Federal student loans for all families
  • Meet Pay-As-You-Go fiscally responsible principles and reduce the deficit
See how SAFRA will benefit students living in each congressional district

Sign up for the EdLabor Insider newsletter to get timely updates.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more informative videos such as this one.
Today, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued the following statement, emphasizing the President’s emphatic support for emergency legislation to help prevent teacher layoffs and create and save 300,000 education jobs.

“As the House prepares to vote on the emergency spending bill today, communities across this country are facing an education crisis with hundreds of thousands of teachers at all levels at risk of losing their jobs.The President shares the concern of millions of Americans  that cuts to state and local budgets are forcing states and localities to cut education spending drastically, impacting the learning and growth of our nation’s children. While some states may not feel the impact yet, there are thousands of teachers who will receive pink slips in the coming months.  The President strongly supports targeted aid focused on preventing these  teacher layoffs in order to stem the education crisis.”

The House Appropriations Committee will vote on the legislation later today. [Note: This vote was postponed.]

U.S. Rep. George Miller, chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, and a lead champion to help save teacher jobs, applauded the White House for their clear message.

“The President knows the desperate situation in our schools. He knows the cost of inaction for our schools, our teachers, our students, our families and our communities. Today, he’s sent us the clear message that Congress has to act now to help prevent these layoffs that would punish teachers, devastate communities and set back the significant progress out students are making in school. ”

Yesterday, the White House released state-by-state estimates of the number of jobs that will be saved or created through the $23 billion Education Jobs Fund.

View the state-by-state job estimates.

View the White House fact sheet, “Keep Our Teachers Working

Examining GAO’s Findings on Efforts to Improve Oversight of Low-Income and Minority Serving Institutions

Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness Subcommittee Hearing 10:00 AM, May 27, 2010 2175 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC
On Thursday, May 27th, the Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine the results of a new GAO report on post-secondary institutions that serve low-income and minority students. The panel will review efforts to monitor the financial and programmatic performance of institutions that receive funding under Titles III and V of the Higher Education Opportunity Act. 

More than 1,200 colleges in the United States serve predominantly minority populations.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the White House released state-by-state estimates of the number of jobs that will be saved or created through the $23 billion Education Jobs Fund, that is included as emergency spending in the FY2010 Supplemental Appropriations Bill. The $23 billion emergency investment will help fund an estimated 300,000 education jobs across the country, including teachers, librarians, principals, guidance counselors, school cafeteria workers, and janitors, among others.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee and author of the Local Jobs for America Act, today issued the following statement applauding U.S. Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, for including key investments in education in the FY2010 Supplemental Appropriations Bill. Specifically, the legislation, which the House Appropriations Committee will vote on tomorrow, includes $23 billion to save education jobs in schools across the country. 

News of the Day: Chairman Miller Talks About ESEA, Higher Education and More

Chairman George Miller is featured today in Politico’s video series called the “The Politics of America’s Youth” with Mike Allen. He discusses ESEA reauthorization, higher education, and the bipartisan spirit and support for education reform.

Watch the three part video here.

On ESEA Reauthorization:

"We now have the opportunity to really take that rigid system and make a trade-in, if you will, of some additional flexibility at the local level for outcomes, for results. The Secretary [of Education] has made that clear, the President has made that clear, and I think we've made that clear in the series of hearings that we have held. We'd really like now to put more emphasis on better teachers, more emphasis on better leadership, more emphasis on the use of those resources and the flexible use of those resources, and really put teaching and learning and leadership back into the classroom, back into the local systems, and then stand back and hold them accountable for those--for those results, and we're getting a lot of encouragement as we've held our hearings."

On Higher Education:

"And what we tried to address ... was to see whether or not we could bring down the cost of college for families with an increase in the Pell Grant, by lowering the interest rates on student loans over the next couple of years, and then make it easier for the students and the families to manage that debt that they're required to take out to get the degree that they desire. And one of the ways we do that is we have--we let them have an income determinant payment system. How much you pay every month depends upon how much you're making. So, if you start a career with a low entry wage, you can still have that career and you can manage your payments.

"If you go into public service or you work for a non-profit, if you want to become a nurse, a doctor, a teacher, a prosecutor, a public defender and you're working for a public agency, in ten years, your loans go away, and you never have to pay more than 10--10 percent of your discretionary income to pay that loan back. All of a sudden, people can envision careers that otherwise they couldn't have, where they may really wanted to be a teacher, to be a health nurse, to be a physician's assistant, but they couldn't see how they could balance the pay and the education. We need those people, and so this is really in the public interest.

"We also--when we moved to the direct loan programs, it required the companies bring jobs back to America because they're now managing federal assets when they manage the repayment of these loans, and that requires people--that it be done here in America."

On Bipartisanship:

"There is--clearly, whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, you have a big interest in children. It's about our children, our neighbor's children, our constituents' children, it's about the country, and that passion is on both sides of the aisle, certainly in our Committee."

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Student athletes’ academic performance in school suffers as a result of concussions, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress should encourage, incentivize and support the universal elements that research and best practices show are working to turn around the country’s lowest performing schools, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today.  
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A government report released today found some Head Start employees were engaging in fraudulent behavior to allow ineligible children into programs in eight cases in six states and the District of Columbia. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after the Council of Great City Schools released their report “Investing Wisely and Quickly -- Use of ARRA Funds in America's Great City Schools,” highlighting the effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) on urban school districts across the country. The report shows the law helped save jobs, build capacity and advance reforms in education

This Week: Hearings on Head Start, School Turnaround, and Concussions

| Comments (2)
May 18: Hearing on GAO investigation on reportedly fraudulent behavior by some Head Start grantees regarding enrollment and eligibility processes.

May 19: Hearing to explore best practices and research on proven models that work to turn around chronically underperforming schools in communities across the country.

May 20: Hearing to examine the prevalence of concussions among high school athletes and how the injury can impact academic achievement.

News of the Day: Time for Bold Action to Save Teachers' Jobs

The White House has a blog post about the upcoming financial crisis that many states are facing and the cuts to education they will have to make.

President Obama said:

And it’s why, through our recovery efforts, we’ve provided emergency aid that saved the jobs of more than 400,000 teachers and other education jobs -– and why I believe these efforts must continue. I believe these efforts must continue as states face severe budget shortfalls that put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk. We need and our children need our teachers in the classroom. We need your passion and your patience, your skill and experience, your determination to reach every single child.
The White House says, "Now we need swift, bold action from Congress to respond to state and local budget cuts that are placing public education at risk and endangering teacher jobs.  Thanks to the leadership of Senator Harkin and Congressmen Miller and Obey, we have legislation to avert this crisis."

Chairman Miller has been making the case that that additional funding for states is vital to our continued economic expansion. He was a co-sponsor of the Jobs for Main Street Act that passed the House in December and waits on Senate action.

Chairman Miller along with House Democrats and a bipartisan group of mayors are behind the Local Jobs for America Act, authored by Rep. George Miller, that will save and create jobs quickly in both the public and private sectors and help restore vital services that families and local communities rely on.

See the Obama Administration’s letter of strong support to Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid on this legislation.

Committee to Explore Best Practices to Save Failing Schools

On Wednesday, May 19, the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to explore best practices and research on proven models that work to turn around chronically underperforming schools in communities across the country. According to the U.S. Department of Education, approximately 5,000 U.S. schools have been labeled as chronically low-achieving or underperforming.

This is a continuation of hearings the committee is holding as part of a bipartisan, transparent effort to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind.  

WHAT: 
       
Hearing on “Research and Best Practices on Successful School Turnaround”

WHO:          
Susan Bridges, Principal, A.G. Richardson Elementary School, Culpeper, VA
Dr. Thomas Butler, Ph.D., Superintendent, Ridgway Area School District, Ridgway, PA
Jessica Johnson, Chief Program Officer- District and School Improvement Services, Learning Point Associates, Naperville, IL
Dr. Daniel P. King, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools, Pharr San-Juan Alamo Independent School District, Pharr, TX
David Silver, Principal, Think College Now Elementary, Oakland, CA
Dr. John Simmons, Ph.D., President, Strategic Learning Initiatives, Chicago, IL

                        
WHEN:        
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
10:00 a.m. EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:     
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.
On Thursday, May 20th, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine the prevalence of concussions among high school athletes and how the injury can impact academic achievement. In the 2008-2009 school year, an estimated 400,000 concussions occurred in high school athletics. Concussions are notoriously difficult to diagnose due to the wide range of symptoms they produce and, if mistreated or left untreated, can lead to chronic impairment.
 
WHAT:          
Hearing on “The Impact of Concussions on High School Athletes”

WHO:            
Gerard A. Gioia, Ph.D., Chief, Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology, Director, Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery & Education (SCORE) Program, Children’s National Medical Center, Rockville, MD
Linda Kohn, Ph.D., Director, Health Care Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington D.C.
Michael Monacelli, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach, Caledonia-Mumford Central High School, Caledonia, New York
Michelle Pelton, Former High School Athlete, Swansea, MA

WHEN:   
      
Thursday, May 20, 2010
9:00 a.m. EDT (updated May 14)
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website. 

Committee to Hold Hearing on GAO Investigation of Head Start Grantees

On Tuesday, May 18th, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine an investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office that reveals reportedly fraudulent behavior by some Head Start grantees regarding enrollment and eligibility processes.

Head Start, a successful early childhood education program, has served more than 25 million children since its inception in 1965. There are over one million children enrolled in Head Start programs across the country.

After learning about the GAO investigation into some Head Start grantees, Chairman Miller wrote a letter to Secretary Sebelius asking her to review the claims of fraud.

WHAT:          
Hearing on “Examining GAO's Review of Selected Head Start Grantees”

WHO:            
Gregory D. Kutz, Managing Director of Forensic Audits and Special Investigations, GAO, Washington, DC
Carmen R. Nazario, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC


WHEN:         
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
1:30 p.m. EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee,  issued the following statement today after the White House released its report “Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation: A Report to the President from the Task Force on Childhood Obesity.” 

Communities Across the Country Face Devastating Layoffs

| Comments (1)
Teachers, firefighters and policemen nationwide are losing their jobs due to local budget shortfalls.  Chairman Miller has urged Congress to pass the Local Jobs for America Act to create or save one million public and private sector jobs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to an announcement earlier today that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s budget will cut the jobs of 11,000 city workers, including teachers, firefighters and police officers, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) again called on Congress to act immediately on legislation that would save or create one million public and private sector jobs. Miller is the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee and the author of the legislation, the Local Jobs for America Act.

News of the Day: Saving the Teachers

Both the New York Times and the Washington Post highlighted the looming deficit problems for states and localities and how it could mean a loss of nearly 300,000 teachers' jobs nationwide.

In the New York Times editorial, Saving the Teachers, they say:

Last year’s $100 billion education stimulus plan insulated the public schools from the worst of the recession and saved an estimated 300,000 jobs. With the economy still lagging and states forced to slash their budgets, Congress must act again to prevent a wave of teacher layoffs that could damage the fragile recovery and hobble the school reform effort for years to come.

In March, Representative George Miller, a Democrat of California, introduced a jobs bill that included a $23 billion school rescue plan. Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat of Iowa, has since introduced a similar plan fashioned as an emergency spending bill. The House version is the better of the two.

The need for a second school stimulus plan was underscored on Monday by a new analysis from the American Association of School Administrators, which reported that cash-strapped districts were prepared to cut as many 275,000 jobs in the 2010-2011 school year.

The loss of that many paychecks — and the resulting decline in consumer spending — could kill off still more jobs in the communities where teachers and other school employees live.
(emphasis added)

Harold Meyerson wrote about the school recession in the Washington Post:

The worst recession since the 1930s is clobbering the nation's schools.

In Indiana and Arizona, the legislatures have eliminated free all-day kindergarten. In Kansas, some school districts have gone to four-day weeks. In New Jersey, 60 percent of school districts are reducing their course offerings. In Albuquerque, the number of school district employees is down 10 percent. In the D.C. suburbs, Maryland's Prince George's and Virginia's Prince William counties have increased their class sizes.
The Local Jobs for America Act allocates $23 billion this year to help states support 250,000 education jobs. And it does a lot more for local communities like funding for firefighters and police.

Local Jobs for America Act Will Help Save Teachers' Jobs

Teacher job crisis looming

The American Association of School Administrators recently estimated that budget cuts will leave 275,000 educators out of work in the 2010-11 school year. In addition, Dr. Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute estimates that for every 100,000 education jobs lost, 30,000 jobs will be lost in other sectors because of the lost spending by schools and the laid-off educators.  A loss of 275,000 education jobs would translate into more than 82,000 job cuts in other industries.

Committee Chairman Miller: “Teacher layoffs threaten our economic recovery and long-term stability at every level. Our teachers can’t afford to lose their jobs, our children can’t afford to lose a year of learning, and our nation can’t afford to stall the progress we’ve made to get our economy back on track.”

Watch Chairman Miller speak about investing in education jobs through the Local Jobs for America Act at a press event:



Local Jobs for America Act can help

The Local Jobs for America Act, introduced earlier this year, would invest $75 billion directly in local communities to save and create jobs in both the public and private sectors and restore vital services that families rely on.  The bill also includes an additional $24 billion investment to support 250,000 education-related jobs, including teachers, janitors, cafeteria workers, guidance counselors and principals.


In related news: yesterday, on National Teacher Day, the Committee held a hearing to examine how to best support teachers and leaders in schools. Studies show that teachers are the single most important factor in affecting student achievement.

Supporting America’s Educators: The Importance of Quality Teachers and Leaders

Full Committee Hearing 2:00 PM, May 4, 2010 2175 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC
On Tuesday, May 4, the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing to examine how to best support teachers and leaders in schools. Studies show that teachers are the single most important factor in affecting student achievement.

This is part of a continued series of hearings the committee is holding as part of a bipartisan, transparent effort to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind.

News of the Day: More than 80% of school districts to cut jobs

CNN reports that more than 80% of school districts to cut jobs. According to the article, "a total of 275,000 education jobs are expected to be cut in 2011." The Local Jobs for America Act contains $23 billion this year to help states support 250,000 education jobs. It also contains $75 billion over two years to local communities to hire vital staff, funding for 50,000 on-the-job private-sector training positions, $1.18 billion to put 5,500 law enforcement officers on the beat and $500 million to retain, rehire, and hire firefighters, plus many other benefits.

Read the entire article at CNNMoney.com or after the jump.

UPDATED: The American Association of School Administrators have posted their report. According to the press release, "Cutting 275,000 education jobs would deal a devastating blow to public education and will have a negative effect on economic recovery. Dr. Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute told AASA, ‘Every 100,000 education jobs lost will be roughly 30,000 jobs lost in other sectors due to the lost spending by schools and those laid off.’"

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In light of an ongoing government investigation into reportedly unlawful actions by Head Start grantees, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today called on the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Kathleen Sebelius, to conduct an immediate review of Head Start programs investigated by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). 

News of the Day: More Students and Families Need Help Paying for College

The New York Times reports today on the increased demand for college financial aid:

"The envelope arrives with good news. The college is pleased to announce that the student has been offered acceptance and, if he or she is fortunate, some scholarship money.

"But in this busted economy, more parents are saying they need more money and are filing appeals. Then the waiting starts again, for a phone call.

"The job of delivering that news — after weighing hopes and dreams against limited budgets — falls to people like Sandra J. Oliveira, the executive director of the financial aid office at Providence College."

Federal student aid is a key component in enabling many students to pay for college:

"'With the change in circumstance, they may get another $1,000, $2,000 in grant,' she said, using shorthand for a direct scholarship, as opposed to loans. Moreover, the precipitous drop in income will most likely qualify the family for a federal Pell grant, perhaps as much as $5,550."

Just a reminder: the maximum Pell Grant award was increased for the 2010 school year, thanks to the education reconciliation bill President Obama signed into law in March, which invests $36 billion over 10 years to increase the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarship to $5,550 in 2010 and to $5,975 by 2017. 

The law also makes federal loans more affordable for borrowers to repay by investing $1.5 billion to strengthen an Income-Based Repayment program that currently allows borrowers to cap their monthly federal student loan payments at 15 percent of their discretionary income. These new provisions would lower this monthly cap to just 10 percent for new borrowers after 2014.

Committee to Examine Supporting Teachers and Leaders in Schools

On Tuesday, May 4, the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine how to best support teachers and leaders in schools. Studies show that teachers are the single most important factor in affecting student achievement.

This is part of a continued series of hearings the committee is holding as part of a bipartisan, transparent effort to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind.  

WHAT:         
Hearing on “Supporting America’s Educators: The Importance of Quality Teachers and Leaders”
               
WHO:            
Panel I: 
Deborah Ball, Ph.D, Dean, School of Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Pamela S. Salazar, Ed.D Assistant Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation Teachers, Washington, DC
Marcus A. Winters, Senior Fellow, The Manhattan Institute, New York, NY

Panel II:
Jeanne Burns, Associate Commissioner of Teacher Education Initiatives, Office of the Governor, Louisiana Board of Regents,
Baton Rouge, LA    
Tony Bennett, Superintendent, Indiana Office of Public Instruction, Indianapolis, IN
Monique Burns Thompson,  President, Teach Plus in Boston, Boston, MA
John Kaplan, President, Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Marie Parker-McElroy, Instructional Coach, Fairfax County Public Schools, Falls Church, VA
Chris Steinhauser, Superintendent, Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach, CA
                                            
WHEN:         
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
2:00 p.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.

 
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) today with U.S. Reps. Zach Wamp (R-TN), George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, fitness  guru Richard Simmons, and representatives from the American Heart Association, Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association (SGMA), and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) celebrated the passage of the Fitness Integrated with Teaching (FIT) Kids Act, which combats childhood obesity by strengthening physical education programs in schools across the country. Click here for photos of the event.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House education committee and the lead author of a historic new college affordability law, announced his support for legislation that would allow Americans to discharge their private student loans in bankruptcy, the same way they can discharge other types of private debt. The House Judiciary Committee today held a hearing to examine the bill, the Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2010 (H.R. 5043), which was introduced last week by U.S. Reps. Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Danny Davis (D-IL). U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Al Franken (D-MN) have introduced a companion bill in the Senate. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Education and Labor Committee works to reauthorize Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, the committee should implement significant policy changes that will spur systemic change, prevent juvenile delinquency, provide appropriate treatment and create safer communities, witnesses told the committee today.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) reversed a clarification the Bush administration issued to Title IX  in 2005. The clarification, “Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three Part Test – Part Three” allowed universities to use an emailed survey to count towards their compliance with equity in athletics and undermined the ability of colleges and universities to assess the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex in sports.

Committee to Examine Reforming the Juvenile Justice System

On Wednesday, April 21st, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to explore how reforming the juvenile justice system can help increase public safety and protect children’s well-being.  This is the first full committee hearing of the 111th Congress looking at the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA).

WHAT:        
Hearing on “Reforming the Juvenile Justice System to Improve Children’s Lives and Public Safety”
               
WHO:            
Michael Belton, Deputy Director of Juvenile Corrections, Ramsey County, Minnesota
A. Hasan Davis, Deputy Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice
Tracy McClard, mother of a child who committed suicide in an adult jail, Jackson, Missouri
Judge Steven Teske, Juvenile Court, Clayton County, Georgia
John Solberg, Executive Director, Rawhide Boys Ranch, New London, Wisconsin
                       
WHEN:         
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
10:00 a.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:   
   
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website. 

Committee to Explore Using Data Systems to Improve Student Achievement

On Wednesday, April 14, the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine how the use of data systems in schools across the country can help improve education outcomes.

This is part of a series of hearing the committee is holding as part of a bipartisan, transparent effort to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind.  

WHAT:        
Hearing on “How Data Can Be Used to Inform Educational Outcomes”

WHO:           
Witnesses TBA
                        
WHEN:         
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
10:00 a.m. EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.

How Student Aid Will Change Now That SAFRA Is Law

Direct Lending

Beginning July 1, 2010, all Federal student loans will be originated through the Direct Loan program.  Students should contact their schools with any questions.

For a 1 year period (July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011) current students who have FFEL loans with a lender and also have FFEL loans that were sold to the Department of Education, or also have Direct Loans, may choose to consolidate the loans while still enrolled in school into the Direct Loan program.  All borrowers may consolidate their loans 6 months after graduating or leaving school, regardless of the date.

Pell Grants

The maximum Pell grant award for the 2010-2011 school year will be $5,550, and increases in the maximum award will be indexed to the cost of inflation beginning in 2013.  By 2017, it is expected that the maximum grant will reach $5,975.

Income Based Repayment & Public Service Loan Forgiveness

For current students, anyone with a Federal student loan, and new borrowers between now and June 30, 2014:

The Income Based Repayment option caps student loan payments at 15% of discretionary income (adjusted gross income less 150% of the poverty level based on family size) and remaining balances will be forgiven after 25 years of repayment.  (More information on IBR from the U.S. Department of Education.)

Additionally, those serving in public service or non-profit employment are eligible to have remaining balances forgiven after 10 years of employment in an eligible occupation and repayment.  (More information on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program from the U.S. Department of Education.)

For NEW borrowers after July 1, 2014 (students who have never taken out a loan before- even if they are going back to college after a time away):

The Income Based Repayment option will cap student loan payments at 10% of your discretionary income and remaining balances will be forgiven after 20 years of repayment.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today President Barack Obama signed into law legislation that makes key improvements to the historic health reform law enacted last week, and makes the single largest investment in college aid ever, at no additional cost to taxpayers. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and the House co-author of health insurance and student loan reforms, congratulated the Senate on passing an additional measure that improves the new health reform law and makes college dramatically more affordable. The House first passed this package on Sunday. Early this morning, the Senate made small technical changes to the bill. The House will vote later today to send this bill to President Obama for his signature. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and the House co-author of both health insurance and student loan reforms, released the following statement after President Obama signed the health insurance reform bill into law. This week, the Senate will vote on a second measure that will make critical corrections and improvements to what the President signed and also make the single largest investment in federal student aid ever, at no cost to taxpayers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education Committee and the author of student loan reforms that would end wasteful taxpayer subsidies for banks and instead invest that money directly in students, called out Sallie Mae for continuing to spread misinformation in an effort to kill the bill in the Senate. The House passed the legislation last night along with historic health insurance reforms; the Senate is expected to vote on the legislation this week.
"Members of Congress have a clear choice.  We can side with the American people by making health insurance and college more affordable and accessible – while creating millions of jobs and reducing the deficit. Or, we can side with the insurance companies and the banks. That’s it. That’s the choice. I’m siding with the American people." – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee

Below is a copy of U.S. Rep. George Miller’s (D-CA) remarks, as prepared for delivery, during floor debate on the health insurance and student loan reform legislation. Miller is the House author of both pieces of reform.

***

Madame Speaker, I rise in support of this truly historic legislation that addresses two of America’s greatest troubles – the crushing costs and high obstacles of obtaining both quality health care and a college education.

Our nation and its economy have suffered from our longstanding failure to make health care and college accessible and affordable to all of the American people.

Americans have waited a long time for health insurance reform – nearly 100 years.

Today, Congress and President Obama will deliver on a central promise, on a dream deferred, on a crucial demand. 

Student Loan Reform: What’s In It For You?

Now more than ever, Americans need affordable, quality education opportunities to help make our economy strong and competitive again. Recognizing that young people and adults across the country are seeking out new educational opportunities in record rates, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act helps students realize their dreams of higher education by making college affordable.  By eliminating wasteful subsidies to private bankers and switching to a system of direct lending of federal student loans, SAFRA makes historic investments in our economic future by making college dramatically more affordable – at no cost to taxpayers. 

TODAY: House to Vote on Health Care and Student Loan Bill

The House will consider a bill to reform both health insurance and student loans today, March 21.  The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, a landmark measure to make college more affordable and create jobs that stay in the U.S. at no cost to taxpayers, is included in historic health care legislation.  The health insurance reform measure achieves the three key goals of affordability for the middle class, accessibility for all Americans, and accountability for the insurance industry.

Education Reconciliation: Landmark Investments State-by-State

Now more than ever, Americans need affordable, quality education opportunities to help make our economy strong and competitive again. President Obama has identified an opportunity to make historic investments in our economic future by making college dramatically more affordable – at no cost to taxpayers.The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) embraces the president’s challenge. It will help us reach his goal of producing the most college graduates by 2020 by making the single largest investment in higher education ever.

See how SAFRA will benefit students living in each congressional district:

Alabama Alaska American Samoa
Arizona Arkansas California

Updated SAFRA Fact Sheets

Please note that original posts on the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act and SAFRA Myths vs. Facts were updated today.  
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A landmark measure to make college more affordable and create jobs that stay in the U.S. at no cost to taxpayers will be included in the historic health care legislation scheduled for an upcoming vote in Congress, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, announced today.  The measure represents the single largest investment in federal student aid in history, and includes many of President Obama’s key education initiatives.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization: Addressing the Needs of Diverse Students

Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee Hearing 10:00 AM, March 18, 2010 2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC
On Thursday, March 18, the House Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee will examine how schools can properly address the needs of diverse students under Elementary and Secondary Education Act, particularly low-income students, minority students, English Language Learners, students with disabilities, Native Americans, and homeless students. This is part of a series of hearings the committee is holding as it works to reauthorize ESEA, currently known as No Child Left Behind.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Below are the prepared remarks of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, for a committee hearing on “The Obama Administration’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization Blueprint”.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry released the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, a bill that will help improve child nutrition across the nation.

The Obama Administration’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization Blueprint

Full Committee Hearing 2:40 PM, March 17, 2010 2175 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC
On Wednesday, March 17, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will appear before the House Education and Labor Committee to discuss the Obama administration’s blueprint for overhauling the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind.  The committee is currently working in a bipartisan and transparent way to rewrite the law.
A national study of student financial aid found that in 2008, two-thirds of college seniors graduated with debt averaging more than $23,000. A student loan reform bill Congress is expected to consider in the coming days would help address this, by ending wasteful subsidies to banks in the federal student loan programs and use the savings – about $68 billion according to CBO – to boost Pell Grants and help low- and middle-income students pay for college.

Over the past year of public debate, we’ve heard a lot about what banks think of these reforms. But what about students? They can’t afford powerful PR firms and lobbyists – but there’s a reason students across the country are calling for Congress to pass the bill.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after the Department of Education released their blueprint for rewriting the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind. 
Chairman Miller and House leaders are working this week on the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act and health insurance reform.

There will also be three hearings this week on the Protecting America's Workers Act, the administration's ESEA reauthorization blueprint, and addressing the needs of diverse students.

Subcommittee to Examine the Needs of Diverse Students

On Thursday, March 18, the House Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee will examine how schools can properly address the needs of diverse students under Elementary and Secondary Education Act, particularly low-income students, minority students, English Language Learners, students with disabilities, Native Americans, and homeless students. This is part of a series of hearings the committee is holding as it works to reauthorize ESEA, currently known as No Child Left Behind.

WHAT:        
Hearing on “Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization: Addressing the Needs of Diverse Students”
               
WHO:           
Dr. Daniel Curry, Superintendent, Lake Forest School District, Felton, DE
Dr. Jack Dale, Superintendent, Fairfax County Public Schools, Falls Church, VA
Arelis Diaz, Assistant Superintendent, Godwin Heights Public Schools, Wyoming, MI
Jacqui Farmer Kearns, Ed.D., Principal Investigator, National Alternate Assessment Center, Lexington, KY
Marcus Levings, Chairman, Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, New Town, ND
Michael T. S. Wotorson, Executive Director, Campaign for High School Equity, Washington, DC
                       
WHEN:         
Thursday, March 18, 2010
10:00 a.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – News reports this afternoon indicate that Senate leaders are leaning toward including student loan reforms along with health insurance reform as part of one reconciliation package – a move that would allow Congress to take an up or down vote on legislation that would invest tens of billions of dollars in students instead of banks, without costing taxpayers a dime.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Including student loan reforms in a reconciliation package will help pass health insurance reform in Congress because it is a once-in-a generation opportunity to make historic investments in college students and families, instead of banks – and at no cost to taxpayers, said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House education committee, at a press conference on Capitol Hill today.

Miller was joined by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), the chair of the Senate education committee, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) and Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Xavier Becerra (D-CA), who underscored the importance of the bill for the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, because it invests billions of dollars to help low-income and minority students pay for college and graduate.

“Senators have a clear choice here: they can either continue to send tens of billions of dollars in wasteful subsidies to banks – or they can start to invest that money directly in students,” said Miller, who is the author of the student aid bill in the House. “This choice speaks to what our priorities will be for the next generation. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change Washington and do the right thing, the fair thing, and the fiscally responsible thing for hard-working families. This is very important to the members of the House Democratic Caucus.”

 
Created with flickrSLiDR.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Below are the prepared remarks of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, from his press conference on the urgent need to include student loan reform as part of the reconciliation.
On Wednesday, March 17, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will appear before the House Education and Labor Committee to discuss the Obama administration’s blueprint for overhauling the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind.  The committee is currently working in a bipartisan and transparent way to rewrite the law.

WHAT:         
“The Obama Administration’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization Blueprint”

WHO:            
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
            
WHEN:         
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
2:30 pm. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE: 
      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.
 

Subcommittee to Examine Challenges Girls Face in Juvenile Justice System

Please note the time for this hearing has changed to 10:30 a.m.

In light of the rising number of girls in the nation’s juvenile justice system, on Thursday, March 11th the House Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities will hold a hearing to examine the unique challenges girls face in today’s juvenile justice system as the committee works toward reauthorizing the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act. Among other things, the subcommittee will examine confinement conditions, mental health,  victimization, and public safety.

WHAT:        
Hearing on “Meeting the Challenges Faced by Girls in the Juvenile Justice System”      
               
WHO:           
Professor Francine Sherman
Clinical Professor and Director
Juvenile Rights Advocacy Project
Boston College Law School
Newton, MA
The Honorable J. Brian Huff
Jefferson County, Birmingham, AL
Ms. Rachel Carrion
Community Connections for Youth, Board Member
New York, NY
Professor Linda A. Teplin
Director of the Psycho-legal Studies Program
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
Cameron Romer
York County Probation Officer
York, PA
Gary Ivory
Southwest President and National Director of Program Development
Youth Advocate Programs
Harrisburg, PA

                       
WHEN:         
Thursday, March 11, 2010
10:30 a.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to a recent government investigation that found widespread allegations that children were being abused through misuses of restraint and seclusion in classrooms, the U.S. House of Representatives today approved bipartisan legislation to protect children from inappropriate uses of these practices in schools. The Keeping All Students Safe Act (H.R. 4247) passed by a vote of 262 to 153.
(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Tim Bishop, Education and Labor Committee Member.)

Thumbnail image for bishop-headshot-square.jpgToday, Secretary Duncan spoke about the Obama administration’s commitment to ensuring that high school graduates are truly prepared for college study and careers through the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.  I applaud the administration for recognizing the importance of focusing on students all the way from the pre-school years through their postsecondary education.  In addition, it is noteworthy that both the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House Education and Labor Committee (Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Kline, respectively) have committed to work together in a bipartisan fashion on this legislation. They understand that the quality of education our young people receive will have a direct impact on the quality of life of future generations of Americans.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a hearing on Capitol Hill today, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan called on Congress to take several steps to build a lasting economic recovery by helping all students get a world-class education. In his second appearance before the House Education and Labor Committee to discuss the Obama administration’s education agenda, Duncan specifically urged lawmakers to take quick action on a bipartisan rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – currently known as No Child Left Behind – that focuses on preparing students for the rigors of college and careers. 

Building a Stronger Economy: Spurring Reform and Innovation In American Education

Full Committee Hearing 9:30 AM, March 3, 2010 2175 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC
On Wednesday, March 3, at 9:30 am eastern, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appeared before the House Education and Labor Committee to discuss how strong and innovative education reforms can help rebuild the U.S. economy and restore our competitiveness.

Secretary Duncan discussed President Obama’s education agenda, including his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2011, which called for Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act originated in the Education and Labor Committee and was approved by the House in September.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With child obesity and child hunger both on the rise, Congress has a critical opportunity to help children be healthy and succeed in school by improving access to and the quality of the U.S. child nutrition programs and the Women Infants and Children (WIC), witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. Providing children with access to healthy food during the critical years of early development, in child care, at school and during the summer can help fight the childhood obesity epidemic and bolster students’ achievement.


(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, Education and Labor Committee Member and Chair of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.)

mccarthy2-square.jpgToday’s hearing is an important first step toward strengthening the federal nutrition and school meal programs in the upcoming child nutrition reauthorization.  Improving child nutrition is also part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s recent efforts in tackling the epidemic of childhood obesity and in President Obama’s recently-established Task Force on Childhood Obesity.   

As a longtime nurse and the Chairwoman of the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee, I believe it is important that we examine practices which can help increase access to child nutrition programs and to more healthy foods for our children in schools.  Given the current harsh financial realities for many families in my district and throughout the nation, schools have an increasingly important role to play since they provide students with more than 50% of their food and nutrient intake. 
On Tuesday, March 2, the Committee will hold a hearing on strengthening the federal nutrition and school meal programs through the upcoming the child nutrition reauthorization.  Improving federal child nutrition programs is one of the four pillars of First Lady Michelle Obama’s recently announced “Let’s Move” campaign to combat childhood obesity.

On Wednesday, March 3, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will appear before the Committee to discuss how strong and innovative education reforms can help rebuild the U.S. economy and restore our competitiveness. Secretary Duncan will discuss President Obama’s education agenda, including his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2011, which called for Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act originated in the Education and Labor Committee and was approved by the House in September.

Also on March 3, the Keeping All Students Safe Act is expected to be voted on by the House.


Education Secretary Duncan to Testify Before House Education Committee

On Wednesday, March 3, at 9:30 a.m., U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will appear before the House Education and Labor Committee to discuss how strong and innovative education reforms can help rebuild the U.S. economy and restore our competitiveness.

Secretary Duncan will discuss President Obama’s education agenda, including his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2011, which called for Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. The Education and Labor Committee kicked off its first hearings on ESEA on February 24th, with a hearing on improving access to high quality charter schools. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act originated in the committee and was approved by the House in September.

WHAT:    
    
Hearing on “Building a Stronger Economy: Spurring Reform and Innovation In American Education”

WHO:           
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

WHEN:        
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
9:30 a.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.

Committee to Examine Strengthening Child Nutrition Programs

On Tuesday, March 2, the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on strengthening the federal nutrition and school meal programs through the upcoming the child nutrition reauthorization.  Improving federal child nutrition programs is one of the four pillars of First Lady Michelle Obama’s recently announced “Let’s Move” campaign to combat childhood obesity.

WHAT:        
Hearing on “Improving Children’s Health: Strengthening Federal Nutrition Programs”

WHO:           
Witnesses TBA
                        
WHEN:         
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
2:30 p.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Congress begins efforts to rewrite and strengthen the nation’s federal education laws, lawmakers should examine ways to expand students’ access to high-performing charter schools, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. 
(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Jared Polis, a member of the Committee on Education and Labor.)

polis-square.jpgAs the House Education and Labor Committee launches its bipartisan efforts to reform the nation’s federal education laws, we must examine ways to replicate and expand successful innovation.  Our goal must be closing the achievement gap and ensuring that every child, regardless of economic or ethnic background, receives a quality education and the opportunity to succeed.  Several high-quality public charter schools have demonstrated outstanding results at providing a world-class education to all students.  As a former chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education and superintendent of charter schools serving disadvantaged youth, I know firsthand the life-changing and transformative effect that such schools can have on students, their families and communities.

At the Committee’s June hearing on charter schools, members heard about the success of top-performing charter schools emphasizing a rigorous curriculum, high standards and expectations, strong performance-based accountability, and autonomy at turning around student achievement very quickly and effectively.  Serving as laboratories of educational innovation, charter schools have pioneered some of the most promising and influential public school reform strategies, such as extended learning time, principal autonomy, data-driven research and instruction, and a laser focus on results.

The All Students Achieving Through Reform (All-STAR) Act

H.R. 4330, the All Students Achieving through Reform (All-STAR) Act, introduced by Education and Labor Committee Member Rep. Jared Polis, would help close our nation’s achievement gap in education by expanding and replicating successful, high-quality public charter schools serving at-risk students.
To kick off its bipartisan efforts to reform the nation’s federal education laws, on Wednesday, February 24, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine proposals that would expand access to quality charter schools. The hearing will discuss the “All Students Achieving through Reform Act,” H.R. 4330, legislation that would create a new competitive grant program to expand and replicate successful charter schools to serve additional students, with a priority for low-income students, students in schools with low graduation rates and students in schools in need of improvement.

Earlier today, the committee announced plans for a bipartisan, transparent effort to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind.

WHAT:         
Hearing on “the All Students Achieving through Reform Act” (the All-STAR Act)

WHO:            
Eileen Ahearn, Director, National Association of State Directors of Special Education
Eva Moskowitz, Ph.D, CEO and Founder, Harlem Success Academy
Thomas Hehir, Ed.D, Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Robin Lake, Associate Director, Center for Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington
Greg Richmond, President, National Association of Charter School Authorizers
Caprice Young, Ed.D, President, CEO KC Distance Learning, Knowledge Universe
                       
WHEN:         
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
10:00 a.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democratic and Republican leaders of the House Education and Labor Committee today made an announcement about their plans for a bipartisan reform of the nation’s primary federal education law, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) – currently known as No Child Left Behind. U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the committee, John Kline (R-MN), the senior Republican of the committee, Dale E. Kildee (D-MI), the chairman of the subcommittee on elementary and secondary education, and Michael N. Castle (R-DE), the senior Republican of that subcommittee, issued the following joint statement:

There's an Act for That

One year ago, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In the last year, economists judging the stimulus by job data declare it a success.

But not everyone knows what it has done for them or their communities. The Education and Labor Committee has put together a 30-second video to emphasize the benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.



One year ago today, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was enacted with the goal of keeping our recession from turning into a deeper Depression, and saving and creating jobs. A year later, it’s clear that the Recovery Act pulled our economy back from the brink of financial collapse, protected teachers, policemen, firefighters, and other vital workers from losing their jobs, and made strategic investments in education reforms and worker training that will help lay the groundwork for a long-term economic recovery. Newspapers from coast to coast have documented how the Recovery Act has helped students, workers and families:

Recovery Act Jobs: State-by-State

STATE FUNDS AWARDED RECIPIENT-REPORTED JOBS EDUCATION JOBS
Alabama $2,879,946,703 13,871 5,866
Alaska $1,599,388,595 1,596 268
Arizona $3,392,939,821 6,811 2,849
Arkansas $1,584,748,636 2,829 655
California $21,650,138,095 71,015 49,982
Colorado $3,229,978,450 9,407 3,900
Connecticut $1,851,708,850 7,048 3,975
Delaware $720,689,064 1,523 705
District of Columbia $3,044,036,584 3,719 661
Florida $9,094,185,017 34,966 24,055
Georgia $4,861,526,252 24,103 14,397
Hawaii $1,007,797,512 3,014 2,083
Idaho $1,858,250,061 6,160 4,057
Illinois $7,805,527,172 11,375 2,602
Indiana $4,153,669,041 15,278 12,046
Iowa $2,059,557,824 9,096 6,203
Kansas $1,565,844,902 6,561 3,883
Kentucky $2,511,040,050 10,677 7,381
Louisiana $2,515,219,042 11,322 7,023
Maine $889,318,291 2,182 336
Maryland $4,680,473,252 6,759 1,467
Massachusetts $4,713,047,794 9,261 3,215
Michigan $7,319,327,513 20,140 9,313
Minnesota $2,978,457,783 12,291 6,952
Mississippi $2,071,100,200 3,412 602
Missouri $3,390,575,173 16,074 11,462
Montana $1,162,870,408 4,121 1,579
Nebraska $1,079,872,241 3,849 1,703
Nevada $1,427,100,987 3,149 2,005
New Hampshire $824,716,551 1,295 261
New Jersey $4,582,612,624 21,512 15,907
New Mexico $2,223,479,041 4,582 2,373
New York $12,373,720,643 43,061 30,157
North Carolina $5,437,207,212 26,119 19,039
North Dakota $885,135,966 2,698 1,613
Ohio $6,445,027,536 24,705 11,881
Oklahoma $2,329,598,907 7,999 4,903
Oregon $2,241,634,383 9,657 5,623
Pennsylvania $6,816,672,122 12,238 2,661
Rhode Island $794,028,907 1,345 194
South Carolina $5,765,646,903 11,024 4,947
South Dakota $950,346,898 3,244 602
Tennessee $5,941,032,774 10,259 3,749
Texas $12,423,955,147 28,460 18,577
Utah $1,761,439,655 4,740 1,955
Vermont $624,753,124 1,624 294
Virginia $4,319,924,264 9,877 5,079
Washington $7,867,066,655 14,413 5,464
West Virginia $1,480,743,335 2,195 641
Wisconsin $2,948,665,736 10,316 4,338
Wyoming $562,557,420 851 18
       
TERRITORY FUNDS AWARDED RECIPIENT-REPORTED JOBS EDUCATION JOBS
Northern Mariana Islands $84,398,311 138 55
Puerto Rico $2,340,754,806 14,506  
       
TOTAL $199,662,327,231 599,108  

Note: “Funds Awarded” includes federal contract, grant, and loan awards for individual states and territories, as reported by prime recipients for the period February 17-December 31, 2009. “Recipient-Reported Jobs”covers the period October 1-December 31, 2009.
Source: recovery.gov 

“Education Jobs” are reported from the Department of Education for the period October 1-December 31, 2009, and include jobs such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors. Source: Department of Education
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement after First Lady Michelle Obama announced her “Let’s Move” initiative to end childhood obesity. Miller will help lead the effort in Congress to reauthorize the federal school meal and child nutrition programs – one of four pillars of the First Lady’s initiative. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Last night, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced new efforts to improve the safety and quality of all foods purchased and served in the federal school meal programs, including changes recently called for by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA). These initiatives come after recent investigations by USA Today revealed serious flaws in federal efforts to protect foods served in schools, including revelations that some fast-food chains, like McDonald’s, are stronger in checking the safety of their foods than the federal government. Miller, a leading advocate for school food safety in Congress and the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today applauded these initiatives: 

Key Investments in the President’s 2011 Education Budget

President Obama’s 2011 Education Budget continues an impressive funding commitment in education. His budget sends the right message about balancing incentives with resources – spurring major school improvements and providing the resources needed to make them.

The President’s proposed budget includes  a request for $49.7 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education, a $3.5 billion increase from last year’s request. It streamlines programs through consolidation and program elimination with an eye on program effectiveness. Specifically, the President’s budget will:


WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Education and Labor Committee today passed bipartisan legislation to make classrooms safer for students and school staff by preventing the misuse of restraint and seclusion.  The Committee passed the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (H.R. 4247) by a vote of 34 to 10.

Education Secretary Duncan to Testify Before Committee

Due to inclement weather, this hearing has been postponed.

On Wednesday, February 10, at 10:00 am eastern, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will appear before the House Education and Labor Committee to discuss how strong and innovative education reforms can help rebuild the U.S. economy and restore our competitiveness.

Secretary Duncan will discuss President Obama’s education agenda, including his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2011, which called for Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act originated in the Education and Labor Committee and was approved by the House in September.

WHAT:        
Hearing on “Building a Stronger Economy: Spurring Reform and Innovation In American Education”
 
WHO:           
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

WHEN:        
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
10:00 a.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
 

Rep. Joe Courtney: Congress Must Make Schools Safe Havens for Children

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Joe Courtney, Education and Labor Committee Member.)

courtney photo - square.jpgIn 1998, the Hartford Courant earned a Pulitzer Prize for a series of stories on the use of restraint and seclusion tactics on students with disabilities in treatment facilities.  The tales of children who were injured, or in some cases, died, shocked parents and educators across the country.  As a parent of two, I was among those who were horrified.  While previous Congresses passed legislation to reduce this abuse in treatment facilities, no federal laws were ever created to protect children from dangerous physical restraint in schools.

In 2009, the House Committee on Education and Labor, of which I am a member, held hearings on the use of seclusion and restraint.  The testimony we heard from various experts was disturbing and signaled that Congress must act expeditiously to end once and for all seclusion and restraint. The most powerful testimony came from parents whose children were killed or severely injured as a result of dangerous restraint techniques.  

In response to those stories, and the countless cases in which children have been injured or died, Education and Labor Chairman George Miller introduced the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act.  I am a proud cosponsor of this bipartisan bill, which I believe will accomplish a number of important goals.  

The proposal wisely bans the use of chemical or mechanical restraint and will prohibit the use of physical restraint or seclusion as a disciplinary measure.  As experts throughout the medical and educational field have testified, the use of these harsh methods of controlling a child must never be utilized unless an imminent danger to a child or staff exists.  Furthermore, this legislation ensures accountability and transparency, requiring that parents and school officials be notified immediately when an incident occurs.  The bill requires data collection when restraint techniques are used to ensure that incidents are recorded and later used to establish best practices.  We must continue to promote training for staff, and this valuable information will increase awareness to avoid future tragedies.

Tomorrow, the Committee will consider the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act.  I look forward to working with Chairman Miller and my colleagues on the Committee to pass this legislation and to ensure that our schools are safe havens for children and staff.

MYTH VS. FACT: Keeping All Students Safe Act

The Keeping All Students Safe Act (formerly the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in the Schools Act) will help make all classrooms safer for students, teachers, staff and the entire school community. To help clear up any confusion or misinformation about this legislation, here is a rundown of how the rumors stack up to reality.

MYTH:  Restraint and seclusion are effective therapeutic interventions that can help students improve behavior.

FACT: 
No evidence-based research has demonstrated restraint or seclusion to be therapeutically effective in modifying behavior. To the contrary -- research has shown that restraint and seclusion can be physically and psychologically harmful and can even result in more emotional and behavioral disruptions.

MYTH: This legislation doesn’t outright ban seclusion and restraint and therefore won’t be effective.

FACT:  It would be naïve to ban all restraint and seclusion – there are rare and extreme emergencies when it may be necessary to physically intervene, but only when administered by properly trained staff and only in situations when a student is posing imminent danger of physical injury to himself or to others.

This bill is consistent with the Children’s Health Act of 2000 and federal protections already in place in other settings. The bill allows physical restraint and seclusion in cases where danger is imminent, when there is no other choice, and only when administered by trained staff. Rather than taking an unrealistic approach, this bill makes a balanced effort to make classrooms safer for kids without taking away necessary emergency interventions from trained staff.

TODAY: Committee to Consider Legislation to Protect Children From Abuse in Schools

On Thursday, February 4th, the House Education and Labor Committee will consider legislation that will protect schoolchildren from harmful uses of restraint and seclusion in their classrooms.

A recent investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found hundreds of allegations that children have been abused, and some even died, as a result of misuses of restraint and seclusion in public and private schools, often at the hands of untrained staff. Unlike in hospitals and other medical and community-based facilities that receive federal health funding, there are currently no federal laws addressing restraint and seclusion in schools.

The Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (H.R. 4247) is the first national effort to address this troubling problem and ensure the safety of everyone involved – both students and school staff. It would establish minimum safety standards in schools and increase transparency, oversight and enforcement to prevent future abuse, among other things.

WHAT:         
Full Committee Mark-Up of H.R. 4247 “The Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act”

WHEN:         
Thursday, February 4, 2009
11:00 a.m. ET

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee today met with First Lady Michelle Obama, Cabinet members and congressional leaders to discuss ending childhood obesity. Miller will help lead efforts in the House to rewrite the nation’s child nutrition laws this year. He issued the following statement:

News of the Day: Obama wants to raise bar in education

| Comments (1)
In today's USA Today, Greg Toppo writes that Obama wants to raise the bar of No Child Left Behind law. In the budget released yesterday, the Obama administration laid out several proposals. One was to rework the No Child Left Behind Act.

Toppo reports:

The proposal would rework the way the federal government judges public schools, scrapping a requirement that states increase the percentage of students meeting standards each year, though it allows states to set their own standards.

In its place, President Obama wants lawmakers to consider rewarding states that show progress toward internationally benchmarked, nationally developed standards.

...

Obama and Arne Duncan, his Education secretary, have long said No Child Left Behind doesn't hold states to high enough standards. On a conference call Monday, Duncan told reporters the law "often does little to reward progress" of schools that help students achieve — and lets states set standards that are too low to allow U.S. children to get into college or compete internationally.

"In too many states, those standards are too low, and the existing law doesn't provide states with incentives to raise their standards," Duncan said. "In fact, quite the opposite is true."
And the Administration has put their money where their mouth is. In the budget, they requested nearly $3 billion dollars in increased resources to help schools meet this higher standards.

About the budget request, Chairman Miller said:

I applaud the President’s continued funding commitment to early education and our K-12 schools. His budget sends the right message about balancing incentives with resources – spurring major school improvements and providing the resources needed to make them. I agree with his focus on rigorous standards, effective teachers and turning around our lowest performing schools. We will examine these and other key areas as we begin working on a bipartisan rewrite of our federal education laws.
Learn more about the Elementary and Secondary Act and the President's educational budget proposals.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement today on President Obama’s budget for Fiscal Year 2011:

“Last week President Obama presented his vision for how we can continue to rebuild our economy and our middle class. His budget delivers on that vision, making smart investments in working families while working to reduce the deficit responsibly.
Congressional scholar, Norm Ornstein, wrote a column in Sunday's Washington Post declaring the 111th Congress "very productive Congress, despite what the approval ratings say."

He said: (links added)

There seems to be little to endear citizens to their legislature or to the president trying to influence it. It's too bad, because even with the wrench thrown in by Republican Scott Brown's election in Massachusetts, this Democratic Congress is on a path to become one of the most productive since the Great Society 89th Congress in 1965-66, and Obama already has the most legislative success of any modern president -- and that includes Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson. The deep dysfunction of our politics may have produced public disdain, but it has also delivered record accomplishment.

The productivity began with the stimulus package, which was far more than an injection of $787 billion in government spending to jump-start the ailing economy. More than one-third of it -- $288 billion -- came in the form of tax cuts, making it one of the largest tax cuts in history, with sizable credits for energy conservation and renewable-energy production as well as home-buying and college tuition. The stimulus also promised $19 billion for the critical policy arena of health-information technology, and more than $1 billion to advance research on the effectiveness of health-care treatments.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has leveraged some of the stimulus money to encourage wide-ranging reform in school districts across the country.

The Education and Labor Committee was vital to the accomplishments of this Congress. In addition to the successes outlined above, the Committee has passed the 401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act.  Early in the 2009, President Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, two Committee priorities.

Unfortunately, the economic crisis is not yet over -- there is still more work to be done.  The Education and Labor Committee is proud of our accomplishments so far in the 111th Congress, and look forward to continuing the fight for America's middle class in 2010.

News of the Day: Obama to Seek Up to $4 Billion Boost for Education

Alyson Klein at Education Week has an excellent round up of President Obama's 2011 education budget proposal:

The president’s fiscal year 2011 budget, slated to be released Monday, will seek a 6.2 percent increase to the U.S. Department of Education’s budget, including up to $4 billion more for K-12 education. The department’s discretionary budget for fiscal 2010 is roughly $63.7 billion.

A large piece of the increase, $1.35 billion, would be aimed at extending beyond this year the $4 billion in economic-stimulus program Race to the Top grants and opening up the competition—now limited to states—to school districts. The president highlighted the Race to the Top saying it had “broken through the stalemate between left and right,” and pledged to expand the reform priorities of that competition—among them turning around failing schools and increasing the supply of effective teachers—to all 50 states.

“The idea here is simple,” he said. “Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success. Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform­—reform that raises student achievement, inspires students to excel in math and science, and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans, from rural communities to inner cities.”

...

President Obama also called on Congress to pass legislation that would make sweeping changes to the student loan program and redirect money from the projected savings to building new school facilities and bolstering community colleges, early-childhood-education programs, and Pell Grants, which help low-income students pay for college.
Chairman Miller said after the speech:

“I am especially pleased that President Obama called on Congress to rewrite our nation’s federal education laws. The key to getting this done will be bipartisanship. I plan to begin working on this immediately with this administration, Congressman Kline, our colleagues on the House Education and Labor Committee and all parties that have ideas about how to improve our schools.

“Throughout his speech, President Obama talked about changing the way Washington works. One way we can do just that is by enacting legislation already passed by the House that would invest billions of dollars to help families pay for college – at no cost to taxpayers – by eliminating taxpayer subsidies for student loan middle men. Ending these subsidies will save $87 billion that we can invest directly in our college students and in improving early education and community colleges. It’s a much better use of taxpayer dollars.
We encourage you to read the entire Education Week article. Click on the links to learn more about the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Race to the Top, and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In his first State of the Union address tonight, President Barack Obama discussed his administration’s efforts to rescue the economy and laid out a strong framework for rebuilding America’s middle class. President Obama also called on Congress to pass key pieces of legislation under the House Education and Labor Committee’s jurisdiction, including the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and comprehensive health insurance reform. U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement on the President’s remarks:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the White House’s Task Force on Middle Class Families unveiled new proposals to help strengthen the middle class by helping families struggling to pay for college and save for retirement. Several of the proposals, including an initiative to further reduce student loan repayments and new protections to provide workers with greater transparency and disclosure on their 401(k) style retirement plans, build on bills championed by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. Miller issued the following statement today:

“These proposals are welcome news for the millions of families whose retirement and college savings were devastated by the financial crisis. The painful financial insecurity facing middle class families is not new – the previous administration seriously eroded progress workers and families had fought for decades to achieve – but it has become much, much worse in this economy. We cannot rebuild a strong economy without rebuilding a strong middle class, which is why for the last several years the Education and Labor Committee has been laser-focused on recovering and growing our middle class. These proposals to make repaying student loans more affordable, to encourage employers and employees to do their part to strengthen workers’ retirement savings, and to help protect those savings from Wall Street middle men are an important step toward this goal. I look forward to working with the Obama administration and Congress on these and other initiatives that will rightly put the interests of Main Street and hardworking Americans first.”

Supporters of the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in the Schools Act

Supporters of H.R. 4247, the Keeping All Students Safe Act (formerly the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in the Schools Act)

Reps. George Miller, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Carolyn McCarthy, Todd Platts
Congressional Black Caucus Education Leadership

Access Living
ADAPT Montana
Advocates for Children of New York (NY, NY)
Alliance to Prevent Restraint, Aversive Interventions and Seclusion
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Association on Health and Disability
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
American Counseling Association
American Federation of Teachers
American Group Psychotherapy Association
American Humane
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
Association of University Centers on Disabilities
Autism National Committee
Autism Society
Autism Speaks
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Burton Blatt Institute
California Mental Health Planning Council
Center for Self-Determination
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Coalition for Community Integration
Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth
Community Parent Resource Center of New Mexico (Bernalillo, NM)
Congress of the Statewide Independent Living Councils
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
Council for Exceptional Children
Council for Learning Disabilities
Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates
Crisis Prevention Institute
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Division for Learning Disabilities
Easter Seals
Epilepsy Foundation
Families Against Restraint and Seclusion
Families Together, Inc.
Family Alliance to Stop Abuse and Neglect
Family to Family Health Information Center (New Jersey)
Family Voices
Family Voices (New Jersey Chapters)
Family Voices of Tennessee
Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization
Higher Education Consortium for Special Education
JKM Training
Justice for All Action Network
Learning Disabilities Association of America
Little People of America
Maine Parent Federation
Mental Health America
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors
National Association of Private Special Education Centers
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Association of State Directors of Special Education
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
National Association of the Deaf
National Autism Association
National Center for Environmental Health Strategies
National Center for Learning Disabilities
National Coalition of Mental Health Consumers/Survivor Organizations
National Council on Independent Living
National Disability Rights Network
National Down Syndrome Congress
National Down Syndrome Society
National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
National Jewish Council for Disabilities
National Parent Teacher Association
National Rehabilitation Association
National Respite Coalition
National School Boards Association
National Spinal Cord Injury Association
National Youth Leadership Network
New Jersey’s Parent Training and Information Center
New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS)
Non-Abusive Psychological and Physical Intervention
Northwest Arkansas Community Parent Resource Center (Springdale, AR)
Not Dead Yet
PACER Center
Parent to Parent of Georgia (Atlanta, GA)
Pennsylvania TASH
Pyramid Community Parent Resource Center (New Orleans, LA)
Resources for Children with Special Needs, Inc.
Respect ABILITY Law Center
School Social Work Association of America
South Dakota Parent Connection (Sioux Falls, SD)
Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of New Jersey (Newark, NJ)
Statewide Parent to Parent (NJ)
TASH
Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children
The Advocacy Institute
The Arc of the United States
The Mandt System, Inc.
Therapeutic Communities of America
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention
Tourette Syndrome Association
United Cerebral Palsy
United Spinal Association
U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association
Witness Justice
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after President Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced plans to strengthen efforts to improve the nation’s schools by expanding the Race to the Top grant program. Their proposal includes a funding request of  $1.35 billion for the program in the FY 2011 budget and allowing districts to apply for funds, along with states. Today marks the deadline for the first round of Race to the Top grants. Thirty states have announced their intention to apply for funding.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the release of $25 million in grants for  school food service equipment to help support high quality and safe school meal programs. Congress invested in these grants as part of a one year extension of the child nutrition programs enacted last October to address immediate challenges schools and food service directors are facing amidst state budget cuts.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement  today after Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced a new plan for teacher evaluations and development.

REBUILDING AMERICA’S ECONOMY AND MIDDLE CLASS

A Top 10 List for Children, Students, Workers and Families

The 111th Congress inherited the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the legacy of eight years of failed Bush economic policies. Over the past year, House Democrats have led an unprecedented effort to prevent a devastating recession from turning into a depression and revive our economy.

The House Education and Labor Committee has been at the center of this effort by working to address the direct concerns of the working Americans feeling the deep pain of this crisis and help rebuild our nation’s middle class. While much more needs to be done, below is an overview of the top ten areas the Committee made progress on in 2009 to improve the lives of children, students, workers and families.
Today Secretary Arne Duncan published an editorial in the Wall Street Journal stating that banks don't belong in the student loan business. He starts by considering if every program within the Department of Education helps students learn and if it is a good use of taxpayer dollars. He says that in the case of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFEL), the answer is no.

He says:

Under the current FFEL program, banks make loans to students. While those students remain in school, the federal government pays the interest on their loans; otherwise the interest accrues. Once the borrowers leave school or graduate, the lending agency collects on the loans. But if the student defaults, my department pays back the loan—plus the interest owed. The FFEL program, in short, is a great deal for bankers but a terrible one for taxpayers.
Secretary Duncan goes on to explain how the Department of Education would originate the loans, but private banks would service them. That is how roughly 80% of student loans are done today. He notes that those colleges who have already moved to the Direct Loan program report that it was quick and easy. With the $87 billion in savings, the reform would substantially increase scholarships in the Pell Grant program and other financial aid for low-income students. Additionally the reforms would start new programs to raise college graduation rates and strengthen our community colleges.

We encourage you to learn more about the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act and to read Secretary Duncan's editorial.
Last night the House passed the Jobs for Main Street Act. It makes a a $23 billion investment in a State Education Jobs fund that will be distributed by formula to states. This sort of backstop is vital because of stories like that faced by Prince George's County schools in Maryland.

According to the Washington Post:

Hundreds of jobs would be eliminated, furloughs would be imposed and student-teacher ratios would increase in many grades under a $1.67 billion budget for 2010-11 proposed by the Prince George's County superintendent Wednesday night.

...

The budget calls for $42.5 million less in spending than this year's plan. Although spending would increase for some purposes -- such as the addition of 75 positions to staff four new schools -- the budget contains about $110 million in cuts, including the elimination of 490 positions.
The Jobs for Main Street Act would provide money for teachers and programs within early education, K-12, and higher education. Some money could go toward school facilities. Districts are required to use the funds for compensation and benefits and services related to school modernization, renovation, and repair.

As Alyson Klein at Education Week's blog, Politics K-12, says:

-States can't use education jobs money to replenish their rainy day and reserve funds, directly or indirectly, according to the bill. So no supplanting!

-States can't use any more than 5 percent of the money for administrative purposes, including to retain or create jobs at the state higher education agency.

-There's no governor's fund that can be used for education, but also for public safety and other purposes. It's all education, all the time.

The measure also includes an additional $4.1 billion for school construction bonds. The stimulus had over $20 billion for the bonds, and so far, they have proved very popular.
Learn more about the Jobs for Main Street Act or watch Chairman Miller's Floor Statement in Support of the Jobs for Main Street Act.

House Approves Bill to Create Jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation today to create urgently needed new jobs for construction workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters and others, and to extend critical assistance for the unemployed and those who have lost health insurance. The Jobs for Main Street Act is the most recent step in Congress’ year-long effort to rescue the economy and stem the crippling impacts of the worst recession in generations.


WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the House passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes critical investments in education, worker training, job creation, and other priorities that will help the U.S. economy move toward recovery. U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today praised new recommendations released by the Business Roundtable to create a well-educated and trained workforce as part of efforts to strengthen the nation’s economic recovery and competitiveness.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) today introduced legislation that would, for the first time, protect all children in schools from harmful uses of restraint and seclusion. The legislation embodies principles outlined in a letter U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent to Miller today. U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) is also expected to introduce companion legislation today in the Senate. The lawmakers unveiled the bill at a press conference this morning; click here to watch (67.4 MB file).

Keeping All Students Safe Act

Myth vs. Facts
Supporters of H.R. 4247
Definitions of terms used in H.R. 4247


Every child should be safe and protected while in school. But a recent investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found hundreds of allegations that children have been abused, and some even died, as a result of misuses of restraint and seclusion in public and private schools, often at the hands of untrained staff. Many of these interventions were used disproportionately on some of our most vulnerable students -- children with disabilities. Unlike in hospitals and other facilities that receive federal funding, there are no federal laws that address how and when restraint or seclusion can be used in schools. State regulations and oversight vary greatly and have often failed to protect children. It is also impossible to determine the full extent to which these interventions are used because there is currently no consistent reporting of data.  

H.R. 4247, the Keeping All Students Safe Act (formerly the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in the Schools Act) is the first national effort to address this problem and ensure the safety of everyone involved – both students and school staff. (Bill text »)
Specifically the legislation would:

Definitions of Terms Used in the Keeping All Students Safe Act

H.R. 4247, the Keeping All Students Safe Act (formerly the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in the Schools Act) will establish minimum safety standards in schools, similar to federal protections already in place in hospitals and other community-based facilities. The bill uses definitions from existing law and creates new definitions relevant to schools: 
Today at 11:00 am Eastern, U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) will hold a press conference to introduce new legislation to protect all children in schools from misuse of restraint and seclusion. Miller is the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a member of Democratic leadership, McMorris Rodgers is a member of the Committee and the Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference.

This legislation is the first national effort to prevent and reduce harmful restraint and seclusion in schools. A recent U.S. Government Accountability Office investigation found hundreds of allegations that schoolchildren have been abused, and some even died, as a result of the inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion in classrooms; a disproportionate number of them were children with disabilities. Yet unlike in hospitals, and other medical and community-based facilities that receive federal funding, there are currently no federal policies that prevent the misuse of restraint and seclusion in schools. State regulation and oversight varies greatly; many states provide no guidance or assistance regarding these behavioral interventions.

WHO:            
U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee
U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), a member of the House Education and Labor Committee and Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference
Curt Decker, Executive Director, National Disability Rights Network
Michael A. Resnick, Associate Executive Director, National School Boards Association
Nicole and Alan Holden whose 3-year-old son was repeatedly inappropriately restrained in his public pre-school classroom, Muskegon, MI
Other families of children who have been the victims of harmful restraint and seclusion in classrooms

WHAT:         
Press Conference to Introduce Legislation to Prevent Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools

WHEN:         
Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 11:00AM EST

To watch an archived webcast of the press conference, click here (67.4 MB file)

Committee to Examine State Efforts to Adopt Competitive Education Standards

On Tuesday, December 8, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to learn more about states’ efforts to help improve the nation’s competitiveness by adopting a common core of college and career readiness standards. To date, 48 states have joined the initiative.

WHAT:          
Full Committee Hearing on “Improving Our Competitiveness: Common Core Education Standards”

WHO:            
The Honorable Bill Ritter, Jr., Governor of Colorado
Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, D.C.
Doug Kubach, President and CEO, Pearson Assessment and Information, San Antonio, TX
Cathy Allen, Vice Chair for the Board of Education at St. Mary’s County Public Schools, Leonardtown, MD
            
WHEN:         
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
10:00 a.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website. Access the webcast when the hearing begins » 

News of the Day: Congress' Best (And Worst) Committee Web Sites

| Comments (1)
The National Journal commissioned 3 new media experts to review 16 Senate and 20 House committee Web sites and offer their criticisms and suggestions. They results are in and the House Education and Labor website was number ONE overall.

The National Journal said:

Visit the House Education and Labor Committee and you get a sleek Web site with a legislative calendar, embedded videos, a blog, recent markups and RSS feeds.
...
The panelists graded committee Web sites for design and content on an ascending scale of 1-10. Sites were ranked based on the average combined scores, out of a possible 20 points.

House committee sites fared better in our review, scoring an average of 12.7 total points, compared to 11.8 total points for Senate sites. The top-rated sites featured legislative calendars, effective use of YouTube and social media, FAQ pages, up-to-date committee news and crisp, clean homepage designs.
The Education and Labor website scored 19 out of 20 and was accompanied with this: "Modern layout, colors and style; RSS feeds; social media engagement; multimedia/multiplatform info; social bookmarking; staff directory; and it goes on and on. Really nice site that sets a good standard."

See the entire story for the complete listing of all Congressional committees.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democratic lawmakers announced today they will introduce critical legislation to address the high school dropout crisis, which poses a growing threat to the nation’s economic stability and global competitiveness. Nearly one-third of all high school students do not to graduate every year, costing the U.S. economy billions of dollars in lost revenue. 

The Graduation for All Act of 2009

Strengthening Our Schools, Our Community and Our Future Competitiveness

The high school dropout crisis poses one of the greatest threats to our nation’s economic growth and competitiveness. Each day 7,000 U.S. students drop out of high school. More than half of all students who drop out are from the so-called “dropout factories” – the 2,000 high schools with dropout rates above 40 percent. Many of these students come from a struggling middle school. President Obama has challenged Congress and the American people to take action by asking every American to commit to at least one year of higher education or training. This will require addressing our nation’s dropout crisis and dramatically improving graduation rates.

The Graduation for All Act (H.R. 4122) will make a down-payment on our future competitiveness by helping our lowest-performing middle and high schools improve student achievement, increase graduation rates, and promote college enrollment. Specifically, the legislation would:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its report on the food security. The report, Household Food Security in the U.S, showed that in 2008, 17 million households in the United States were at times unable to provide food for their families. The number of children who at times went without food in 2008 rose from approximately 700,000 to 1.1 million.

This Week: Hearing on H1N1 and Sick Leave Policies, and Hearing on Literacy Skills

The Committee has a full schedule this week, including:

November 17: Hearing on how employer paid sick leave policies can help slow the spread of contagious diseases, like the H1N1 flu virus.

November 19:
Hearing to review current federal literacy initiatives and explore ways to improve the reading comprehension skills of all children from birth through high school.

Note: The previously-scheduled Committee vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act has been postponed.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In light of several recent deadly outbreaks of E. coli that led to a recall of ground beef from major supermarkets, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the risk of contaminated beef from the commercial market entering the school meal programs.  This would be part of an investigation GAO launched at Miller’s request last year into the safety of meat served in school cafeterias.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – More school districts are implementing ways to directly enroll more eligible students for free and reduced priced school meals, according to a new report out today.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Many states have lowered the bar on what their students are expected to learn -- meaning that fewer children are being held to expectations that will adequately prepare them for a competitive economy, according to a new report released today.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a chief architect of the education investments included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, issued the following statement after the White House released preliminary estimates yesterday showing that recovery funding has already created or saved at least 250,000 education jobs across the country.

“While this was just the first step in our greater efforts to spur job growth and get our economy on the road to recovery, this early data shows exciting signs that our education investments are working to save and create jobs and ensure that the quality of education our students receive isn’t compromised in this economy. Whether it’s 30 teaching jobs saved in Macon, Georgia, 60 layoffs prevented in Akron, Ohio, or 1,100 jobs saved in Las Vegas, it is clear President Obama’s recovery plan is helping our economy avert disaster and keeping educators in our schools when our children need them the most.”

To view the preliminary estimates released yesterday, click here.

###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, and U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chair of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities today issued the following statement after the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM) released its recommendations to revise the standards and requirements for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. The IOM recommends increasing the variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, setting a minimum and maximum level of calories, eliminating foods with trans fats and offering only fat-free and low-fat milk.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), issued the following statement after the National Assessment Governing Board released its report on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), which measures the performance of fourth and eighth grade students in math. The report, “The Nation’s Report Card: Mathematics 2009,” studies student achievement in mathematics at the state and national level. The report shows eighth grade students made gains in math, while fourth grade students made no significant improvements from 2007 to 2009 for the first time since 1990.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed legislation that will ensure more children have year-round access to healthy and nutritious meals at school, in child care settings, and during the summer months, at no new cost to taxpayers, as part of the 2010 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Conference Agreement. The legislation, which  passed with a bipartisan vote of 263-162, temporarily extends expiring provisions of the law governing child nutrition provisions and makes investments to help meet critical child nutrition needs for families across the country.

Teacher Equity: Effective Teachers for All Children

Full Committee Hearing 11:00 AM, September 30, 2009 2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC
On Wednesday, September 30, the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing to examine the progress states and schools districts have made toward ensuring that every child is taught by an effective teacher. Current law requires states to make sure teacher talent is distributed fairly in school districts, so that all children – including poor and minority children – have access to outstanding teachers. Several of the witnesses are former teachers.

The Obama administration has already taken steps toward improving teacher equity. In order to be eligible for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, states are required to take steps to place effective teachers in the classrooms that need them most.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement after U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan convened a meeting of stakeholders and education advocates to discuss education reform and the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Duncan has visited schools in over 30 states as part of his “Listening and Learning” Tour, which Secretary Duncan launched in May to seek input from stakeholders, teacher and parents on President Obama’s education agenda.

 

News of the Day: Obama's Quiet Success on Schools

Ruth Marcus has a column in today's Washington Post about President Obama's quiet success on schools. She writes:

Cutting out this "unwarranted subsidy," as Obama put it in a speech Monday, would free up almost $90 billion over 10 years. The House would use the largest chunk of that money to raise Pell Grant amounts for low-income college students; the grant amounts have lagged far behind increases in tuition costs.

The money is also directed in other, innovative ways. About $10 billion would go to community colleges -- the biggest infusion of federal cash ever to these institutions.

Colleges would get $2.5 billion to figure out how to keep track of how many students manage to graduate, as opposed to piling up debt and then dropping out. In the House, private colleges were able to wiggle out of this requirement; the Senate ought to hold them to it.

Another $8 billion would go to early childhood education programs, which vary widely in quality, with the goal of establishing some standards and accountability for preschool programs.

Meanwhile, the administration has seized on education funding in the stimulus bill to push its reform agenda. The stimulus included $4.35 billion for competitive grants to states to improve elementary and secondary education -- the largest-ever amount of discretionary federal funding for school reform. The administration's proposed regulations on these Race to the Top funds require that any state wishing to compete for the money must lift restrictions on the number of charter schools and get rid of laws or rules that prohibit linking teacher pay to student performance.

Seven states -- Tennessee, Rhode Island, Indiana, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Colorado and Illinois -- have revoked their limits on charter schools. The California legislature set aside a 2006 law that prohibited using student performance data to evaluate teachers.

Finally, the appropriations bills moving through Congress would further the reform push. Most important, they would dramatically boost funding -- from $97 million in 2009 to as much as $446 million in 2010 -- to offer higher pay to teachers and principals who improve performance in high-poverty schools.
The Education and Labor Committee has been a strong partner with the White House in passing the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act as well as ensuring funding for the Race to the Top.

News of the Day: GAO audit: Schools slow to get alerts about tainted food

Today's front page story in the USA Today about a recent GAO audit is recommended reading. The audit is in response to an investigation request by U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), and U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY).

The USA Today says:

Federal agencies that supply food for 31 million schoolchildren fail to ensure that tainted products are pulled quickly from cafeterias, a federal audit obtained by USA TODAY finds.

The delays raise the risk of children being sickened by contaminated food, according to the audit by Congress' Government Accountability Office.

In recent recalls, including one this year in which salmonella-infected peanut butter sickened almost 700 people, the government failed to disseminate "timely and complete notification about suspect food products provided to schools through the federal commodities program," the audit says.

Such alerts sometimes took more than a week to reach schools, "during which time (schools) unknowingly served affected products."
Chairman Miller said, “Ensuring that all children have access to healthy and nutritious meals during the school day is vital to our efforts to help all children learn and succeed. Every possible effort must be made to make sure that the foods served to our schoolchildren are safe to eat. As we work toward reauthorizing the school meal programs, it is clear that further actions must be taken to strengthen the communications, planning and procedures needed to prevent recalled or contaminated foods from entering our cafeterias.”

We recommend you read the entire USA Today article, Democratic lawmakers' statements, and the GAO report.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – To ensure that foods served to children in the nation’s schools are safe, the federal agencies that oversee school meals and food safety must work more collaboratively and establish better communications procedures, according to a government report released today by Congressional Democrats.

Video from yesterday's floor debate on SAFRA

This afternoon, the House passed the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (HR 3221) by a vote of 253-171. The bill ensures that higher education is more affordable at no additional expense to taxpayers – in fact, it saves money. More students will go to college, they will graduate with less debt, and the federal loan initiatives that they and their families depend upon will be strengthened for decades to come. The legislation will generate almost $100 billion in savings over the next 10 years that will be used to increase Pell Grant scholarships, keep interest rates on federal loans affordable, and safeguard federal student loan access for families.

Speaker Pelosi:

Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA):

Chairman Miller:
“My colleague on the other side of the aisle said that this legislation is the wrong way and the wrong place to make this investment. He’s got it exactly backwards. This is the exact way to make this investment. To take the savings by cutting the subsidies to the lenders and recycling those on behalf of families and students and our community institutions so that we can expand the educational opportunities in this country. we cannot continue just to wring our hands about our competitive place in the world..we must do something about it.”

Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX):

Hinojosa:
“The legislation will increase affordability, accessibility and college completion rates particularly for first generation college low-income, minority and middle-class students. It invests $40 billion to increase the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarships to $5,550 by 2010 and 2019, $6,900 and provides low and middle income families with affordable, direct federal student loans and simplifies the application process for financial aid.”

Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ):

Andrews:
“The issues before the House tonight are these. Do you agree or disagree that the time has come to make college more affordable for men and women around this country by making Pell Grant scholarships more available, student loans less expensive and more available? I think most people would say, yes, we do agree with that.”

Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) on the investments the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act makes to community colleges:

Chu:
“As a Professor for over 20 years, I know firsthand how important community colleges are to helping hard working Americans achieve their dreams. About one out of every two college students attends a community college and they are some of the hardest workers I have ever met. My students came from all walks of life - they were immigrants, single moms and laid-off workers and many of the students were the first in their families to go to college. Community colleges are the backbone of our nation’s workforce.”

Chairman Miller responds to criticism of the bill and Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) explains how this legislation reforms student loan practices for the benefit of both the taxpayer and the borrower:

Bishop:
“What we are doing is we are paying private lenders a subsidy so that they will have the privilege of lending federally originated money to their borrowers. We guarantee repayment of that money to the tune of 97% of the amount outstanding and the private lenders reap whatever interest payments are paid by the borrowers. This is a really, really good deal for private lenders. It is a deal that costs the American taxpayer approximately $8 billion to $9 billion a year that we don’t need to spend in that fashion. We can provide, We, the federal government, can provide the loan capital that students need.”

Chairman Miller on Bloomberg TV after passage of SAFRA

Chairman Miller appeared on Bloomberg TV to talk about House passage of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act by a bipartisan vote of 253 to 171. He highlighted how the bill:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation to dramatically transform early learning settings for low-income children to ensure they arrive at school with the skills they need to succeed.  The bill, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R 3221) was passed by a bipartisan vote of 253 to 171.

Among other investments, H.R. 3221 establishes an Early Learning Challenge Fund to award competitive grants to states that implement comprehensive standards-based reforms to their early learning systems to help transform early education standards and practices, build an effective early childhood workforce, and improve the school readiness outcomes of young children. Transforming early education is a top domestic policy agenda item for President Obama.  Today, almost 12 million children under 5 regularly spend time in child care.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation that will make college dramatically more affordable for millions of Americans, at no new cost to taxpayers, overwhelming passed the U.S. House of Representatives today.

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 3221), which was approved by a bipartisan vote of 253 to 171, will move the U.S. closer to reaching President Obama’s goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.

It will generate almost $90 billion in savings over the next ten years that will be used to boost Pell Grant scholarships, keep interest rates on federal loans affordable, create a more reliable and effective financial aid system for families, and enact President Obama’s key education initiatives. The legislation represents the greatest investment in federal student aid in history, and is one of President Obama’s three top domestic policy priorities, along with energy and health care.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Below are the prepared remarks of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, during House consideration of H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009.

***

I rise today in support of H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, a bill that will be transformative for our children, our economy, and our future.

Like President Obama’s other two pillars for economic growth – health reform and energy –this bill is about the future.

As he recently said: “In a world where countries that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow, the future belongs to the nation that best educates its people.”

The legislation before us takes that challenge seriously.

News of the Day: Someday, a Bill Will Pass

Today Gail Collins in the New York Times writes an editorial about how the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act makes sense and is needed for today's American students:

Let us stop here and recall how the current loan system works:

1) Federal government provides private banks with capital.

2) Federal government pays private banks a subsidy to lend that capital to students.

3) Federal government guarantees said loans so the banks don’t have any risk.

And now, the proposed reform:

1) The federal government makes the loans.

....

If it all works out, Congress will have come a way toward fixing this problem, at least when it comes to federally financed student loans. There’s already a new law that forgives part or all of the debt for graduates who go into careers in public service. Terms will be easier for low-income debtors.

The House will vote on the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act today. Stay tuned to our Twitter feed for updates on the debate and the vote.
Both the New York Times and the Washington Post editorial boards called for Congress to pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, H.R. 3221, this morning.

The New York Times said:

Congress has a chance, starting this week, to end the boondoggle that allows private lenders to earn a handsome subsidy for making risk-free student loans that are guaranteed by the federal government. It’s a wonderful deal for the lenders — and an emphatically bad one for the taxpayers.

The House is expected to vote on Thursday on a bill that would simplify the loan system — and save the country nearly $90 billion over the next decade — by ending the subsidy program and allowing students to borrow directly from the government through their colleges and universities. To get this done, however, lawmakers will need to see through the spin and misrepresentations that have become all too common lately.

...

Lawmakers need to put aside all the noise and pass this bill.
The Washington Post said:

EXCEPT FOR a lucky few, paying for college isn't easy. Judging from how long it has taken, neither is reforming how the government provides the loans that make higher education affordable to millions. Yet Wednesday, as the House considers a bill that promises to save taxpayers billions of dollars, it's clear that the right choice is to vote yes.

Historically, the government has kept student-loan interest rates low through two programs: one in which the feds do the lending directly; and one in which the government subsidizes private entities that offer students loans at low, set interest rates. For more than a decade, private lenders fought back attempts to end the expensive subsidy system that kept them profitable at taxpayer expense. Then came the financial crisis, during which the public-private system fell apart, and the election of President Obama, who is intent on getting rid of the private middlemen.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), if the government directly financed all federally sponsored student loans, it would save $80 billion over 10 years. House Democrats have advanced a version of the president's plan that will probably get a vote in the House Thursday; the measure would put those savings into a range of worthy programs, from aid for community colleges to school renovation to larger Pell grants.
The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act will be considered on the House floor today and tomorrow. Stay tuned for updates.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Below are the prepared remarks of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, for a press conference on H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009.

***

Good afternoon. I’d like to thank U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Reps. Tom Petri, Tim Bishop, Ruben Hinojosa, and all our colleagues for joining us today.

I’d especially like to thank all the students for coming, and Jelisa Difon who will be sharing her story with us shortly.

We are here today under very exciting circumstances.

Over the next several days, the House will consider – and I believe will overwhelmingly pass – legislation that will be transformative for our students, families and taxpayers.

News of the Day: Early childhood programs pay off

The Lincoln (NE) Journal Star wrote an editorial last week about the importance of investing in early learning.

Pay heed to local hard-headed law enforcement professionals who deal with the worst that society has to offer on a daily basis.

Speaking out in support of increased funding for early childhood education this week were Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady, Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey and his chief deputy Joe Kelly.

"It's a concept that makes complete sense to all of us in this line of work," Kelly said. "The mission is validated by research."

Studies show a return of as much as $13 for every dollar invested in care and learning systems for disadvantaged children, according to Jen Hernandez of the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation.

The return comes in the form of savings in the cost of operating the criminal justice system, welfare, schools and other public systems. Research shows that participants in early childhood programs are as much as 29 percent more likely to graduate from high school and 40 percent less likely to repeat grades or be placed in special education.
The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act will invest $1 billion each year in competitive grants to challenge states to build comprehensive, high quality early learning systems for children birth to age 5. It will also:

  • Build an effective, qualified, and well-compensated early childhood workforce by supporting more effective providers with degrees in early education and better compensation, and providing sustained, intensive, classroom-focused professional development to improve the knowledge and skills of early childhood providers
  • Best practices in the classroom by implementing research-based early learning and development standards aligned with academic content standards for grades K-3.
  • Promote parent and family involvement by developing outreach strategies to parents that will help them support their children’s development.
  • Fund quality initiatives that improve instructional practices, programmatic practices, and classroom environments that promote school readiness.
  • Quality standards reform that moves toward pre-service training requirements for early learning providers, and adoption of developmentally appropriate standards for teacher-child ratios and group size.
The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act will be on the House floor for debate and a vote this week. Learn more about it.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today commemorating September 11th as a national day of service, an initiative that was part of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. Miller was a lead House author of the law, which was signed by President Obama earlier this year.

“Eight years ago today, our country suffered devastating losses. But in the aftermath of this tragic and senseless act, we witnessed the best of the American spirit – the ability to stand up and help friends, neighbors and even complete strangers in the face of extreme hardship and grief. Today and every day, we honor the memory of those we lost by asking all Americans to give back, to play an active role in their communities and show the strength through action and service that we know dots the American landscape. Today marks an anniversary, a time to remember but also an opportunity to rebuild and grow. By commemorating this day as a national day of service, we honor the valiance and resolve of the American people.”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today congratulated Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) for becoming chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Sen. Harkin replaces Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) who passed away in August.

“I congratulate Senator Harkin for becoming the next chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Tom is a longtime friend and I can attest to his strong commitment to improve our nation’s schools, workplaces, and the quality of life for all working families. Although Senator Harkin has some very large shoes to fill, I believe that he is the right person to help continue Senator Kennedy’s agenda.  I look forward to working with Chairman Harkin to grow a vibrant economy by rebuilding and strengthening our nation’s middle class.”

Senator Ted Kennedy and Rep. George Miller

| Comments (3)
Chairman Miller's statement on Senator Kennedy's passing.


Created with flickrSLiDR.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today released the following statement after California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger requested a special session of the California legislature to ensure California will be eligible to receive ‘Race to the Top’ grants. The unprecedented $4.35 billion competitive grant program, included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will incentivize states to make progress in key areas of education reform.

"This is an important step forward to push for real reform for every child in California and, if done correctly, to provide more transparency that will end the educational inequities and improve classrooms all across the state. It's time to ensure that all of California's students have access to the world-class education they need to grow, thrive and succeed.”

For more information on ‘Race to the Top’ funding, click here.
 

News of the Day: Schools prepare for H1N1 flu

The Chicago Tribune has an excellent back-to-school article about how schools are preparing for the upcoming flu season.

"As far as being a bellwether and a potential hot spot for epidemics, schools are probably No. 1 on the list," said Bill Mays, community health director with the Lake County Health Department.

How schools handle the virus is shaped by health experts. Last spring, when the first cases were diagnosed in the U.S., the federal government urged schools to shut down for up to 14 days if they had a confirmed case. More than 700 schools in the nation closed, including nearly three dozen in the Chicago area.

But schools this year likely will be slower to call off classes, based on new information. The CDC now says schools should be conservative about closing entirely. The agency instead urges parents to check their children each morning for flulike symptoms and keep them home from school if they have a fever.

What's more, the CDC has changed its recommendation about when students can return to class after a bout of swine flu. Previously, it said that students with confirmed cases should stay home for up to seven days. Now it's saying that students can return to class 24 hours after the fever ends.

"We can't stop the tide of flu, but we can reduce the number of people who become very ill by preparing well and acting effectively," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC.
According to the CDC, students should:

  • Stay home when sick: Those with flu-like illness should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines. They should stay home even if they are using antiviral drugs. (Visit for more information)

  • Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette: The new recommendations emphasize the importance of the basic foundations of influenza prevention: stay home when sick, wash hands frequently with soap and water when possible, and cover noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or a shirt sleeve or elbow if no tissue is available).
UPDATED: The Department of Education, in conjunction with the CDC, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security have issued federal guidelines with many options for schools during the 2009 H1N1 flu season.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after the House passed the Labor, Health and Education Appropriations Bill for 2010.

“With this bill, this Congress has taken another step to help our economy down the road to recovery and lay the foundation for a competitive future. It makes good on many of the promises President Obama has put forth to provide our students with a good education, to restore protections for workers, to get more jobless Americans back to work in industries that are growing, and to give every American who wants to serve in their communities the opportunity to do so. 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement about the Race to the Top guidelines issued today by the Department of Education. The Race to the Top Fund is an unprecedented $4.35 billion competitive grant program, included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to incentivize states to make progress in key areas of education reform.

“President Obama and Secretary Duncan have demonstrated that they are serious about transforming our schools and building a world-class education system for all children. These guidelines are further proof that this administration is staunchly committed to ending the status quo that is failing our students and our teachers and is threatening both our global competiveness and our economic recovery. I hope states that don’t presently meet the eligibility requirements will decide to take the steps necessary to meet them to take full advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to take our schools to the next level.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation that will make college dramatically more affordable for millions of Americans, at no new cost to taxpayers, was approved today by the House Education and Labor Committee by a bipartisan vote of 30 to 17. The full House of Representatives will vote on the bill next.

The legislation, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, will generate almost $100 billion in savings over the next ten years that will be used to boost Pell Grant scholarships, keep interest rates on federal loans affordable, create a more reliable and effective financial aid system for families, and enact President Obama’s key education priorities.
 

Committee to Consider Landmark Student Aid Legislation

| Comments (1)
On Tuesday, July 21st, the House Education and Labor Committee will consider legislation that will make college dramatically more affordable by investing billions of dollars in additional student aid, at no cost to taxpayers. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 will generate almost $100 billion in savings over the next ten years that will be used to boost Pell Grant scholarships, keep interest rates on federal loans affordable, safeguard federal student loan access for families, and enact President Obama’s key education priorities. The legislation, which was introduced earlier today, pays for itself by making the federal student loan programs more reliable, effective and cost-efficient for students, families and taxpayers.

WHAT:         
Full Committee Mark-Up of H.R. 2187 “H.R. 3221, The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009”

WHEN:         
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
11:00 a.m. ET
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act

(This post was updated on March 18, 2010 to reflect final changes made to SAFRA.)

Education Reconciliation: The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act
A Landmark Investment in America’s Economic Future

Now more than ever, Americans need affordable, quality education opportunities to help make our economy strong and competitive again. President Obama has identified an opportunity to make historic investments in our economic future by making college dramatically more affordable – at no cost to taxpayers. (See how SAFRA will benefit students living in each congressional district.)

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which was included in the health care reconciliation bill that passed on March 21, 2010 by a vote of 220-211 and signed into law on March 30, 2010, embraces the president’s challenge. It will help us reach his goal of producing the most college graduates by 2020 by making the single largest investment in federal student aid ever. Specifically, these provisions will:

SAFRA: Reliable, Affordable College Loans for Families

The financial crisis exposed serious vulnerabilities in the lender-based federally guaranteed student loan programs – putting the low-cost federal loans that millions of families count on in jeopardy. Now more than ever, students and families need access to reliable, stable forms of federal student aid to pay for college. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act will make our federal student loan program more cost-effective and efficient for those they were intended to serve: students and families working hard to pay for college. Specifically, the legislation will:

Create a more reliable, affordable, student-focused federal loan program by switching to all Direct Loans by 2010


  • Converts all new federal student lending to the stable, effective and cost-efficient Direct Loan program. Beginning July 1, 2010, all new federal student loans will be originated through the Direct Loan program, instead of through lenders subsidized by taxpayers in the federally-guaranteed student loan program. Unlike the lender-based program, the Direct Loan program is entirely insulated from market swings and can therefore guarantee students access to low-cost federal college loans, in any economy.
  • Provides students with low-cost federal college loans with the same interest rates, terms and conditions as loans made by lenders – and the peace of mind of knowing those loans will never disappear. Loans made through both the Direct Loan and the federally-guaranteed student loan programs carry an interest rate of 6.8 percent – a much more affordable interest rate than private loans carry. Under this legislation, federal student loan borrower will be able to borrow the same loans, at the same good rates as before – but these loans will be more cost-effective for taxpayers.  

Ensure that all student borrowers can benefit from high-quality, state-of-the-art customer service when repaying their loans

  • Upgrades the services all federal student loan borrowers receive. Rather than force private industry out of the system, the bill will forge a new public-private partnership that both maintains jobs and provides all borrowers with the highest-quality customer service when repaying their loans. It will establish a competitive bidding process that allows the U.S. Department of Education to select lenders based on how well they serve borrowers, provide financial literacy counseling, and prevent loan defaults. The legislation will also provide a role for non-profits to continue servicing student loans.
  • Preserves servicing jobs in communities across the country. Between this new public-private partnership and the more than $500 billion in outstanding federally-guaranteed student loans that will still need to be serviced, there will be tremendous demand for workers to continue providing great service to Americans repaying their loans.

Streamline financial aid operations for colleges and universities

  • College financial aid offices already have the infrastructure in place to administer Direct Loans. Schools will be able to operate these loans using the same on-site system currently used to administer Pell Grant scholarships; almost all schools participate in the program. Colleges and universities that have switched to Direct Loans, including those that converted in the midst of last year’s credit crisis, report that it was a fairly easy and inexpensive process. Currently about 1,700 schools participate in the Direct Loan program, including 500 colleges that switched in the past year alone. Under this bill about 4,500 colleges will need to switch to Direct Loans.

SAFRA: Groundbreaking Community College Reforms

A college degree continues to be the best pathway to the nation’s middle class. It’s also the best way to prepare our workers for the jobs of the future, to compete in a global marketplace, and to rebuild our economy so that it’s strong, innovative, and once again sets an example for the rest of the world. With more Americans than ever looking to go to college or return to school to get additional skills needed in new and emerging fields, community colleges have an increasingly important role to play in educating and training America’s workforce.

Just this week, President Obama set a new goal of graduating 5 million more Americans from community colleges by 2020. This legislation includes President Obama’s groundbreaking community college reforms that will help reach this goal and prepare students and workers for 21st century jobs by:


Creating a new Community College Challenge Grant Program that will transform community colleges into excellent education and job training centers


  • Build a 21st century workforce by encouraging historic partnerships between community colleges, businesses, job training and adult education programs. The bill will create a new competitive grant program for community colleges to improved instruction, work with local employers, improve their student support services, and implement other innovative reforms that will lead to a college degree, certificate or industry-recognized credential to fulfill local workforce needs. The Secretary of Education will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of all programs and policies funded through these grants by using 2 percent of these funds to commission the Institute for Education Sciences to conduct a rigorous study to help the Secretary determine which reforms may be replicated at other colleges and states.
  • Incentivize community colleges to achieve excellence by requiring them to meet benchmarks in order to participate in the challenge grant program. Under the program, the Secretaries of Education and Labor will award four-year grants to community colleges and other 2-year degree granting institutions on a competitive basis to support innovative pilot programs and policies. In order to continue to receive funding for year three of the grant period, community colleges must meet benchmarks they set in consultation with the Secretary of Education’s approval. Pilot programs and policies must also demonstrate that they can be replicated either in the state or nationwide. The minimum grant that can be awarded is $1 million. Funds can be used to carry at least two of the following activities:
  1. Facilitating transfer of credit articulation agreements;
  2. Expanding academic and training programs that provide relevant job-skill training for high-wage occupations in high-demand industries; 
  3. Improving student support services including those identified under the Workforce Investment Act; 
  4. Creating workforce programs that blend basic skills and occupational training leading to industry-recognized credentials; 
  5. Building and enhancing linkages including dual enrollment programs and early college high schools as well as improving remedial and adult education programs; and
  6. Implementing reform programs to increase completion rates and provision of training for students to enter high-wage occupations in high-demand industries.
  • Ensure that more students graduate with the expertise needed for high wage jobs and high-demand industries. Targets grants to high-need students and programs that focus on preparing students for jobs in fields that need workers and will continue to grow. The Secretaries would also be able to award six-year competitive grants to states to implement successful Challenge Grant Program reforms at other community and junior colleges within the state. Funding could be discontinued if the state does not make progress meeting benchmarks it develops with the Secretary by year three of the grant period.

Expanding access to education by supporting free, high-quality, online training, and high-school and college courses.

  • The U.S. Department of Education would be authorized to make competitive grants available to eligible colleges, workforce programs or other entities to help support the development of these courses.

Ensuring that Americans can learn in modern, updated, and state-of-the-art community college facilities.

  • Helps community colleges construct, renovate and repair their facilities by providing $2.5 billion, which will leverage additional funds, and ensures that funding is used for facilities that are primarily used for instruction, research, or student housing.
 

SAFRA: Preparing the Next Generation for a Lifetime of Success

A key piece of President’s Obama’s education agenda is helping children enter kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed by supporting comprehensive and effective early learning programs for children from birth to age 5. The first five years of a child’s life have a lasting impact on their learning, health, and behavior. Economists, business leaders, and child development experts agree that smart investments in early education are vital if we want to close the achievement gap and ensure our children are well prepared to thrive in school and in life.

Nearly 12 million children under age 5 regularly spend time in child care arrangements and children with working mothers spend on average 36 hours per week in such settings. But currently federal and state policies for child care leave families with a patchwork system of child care with mediocre quality. Our children deserve and need better. By 4 years old, children from low-income families are already 18 months behind most other 4 year-olds. From the start, education reform should include high quality early learning opportunities from birth through age 5 to help give children what they will need to grow and succeed.

To ensure more kids reach kindergarten ready to succeed, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act includes an Early Learning Challenge Fund to increase the number of low-income children in high quality early learning settings. Specifically, the legislation will:

Invest $1 billion each year in competitive grants to challenge states to build comprehensive, high quality early learning systems for children birth to age 5 that includes:   

  • Early learning standards reform.
  • Evidence-based program quality standards.
  • Enhanced program review and monitoring of program quality.
  • Comprehensive professional development.
  • Coordinated system for facilitating screenings for disability, health, and mental health needs. 
  • Improved support to parents.
  • Process for assessing children’s school readiness.
  • Improved data systems to improve child outcomes.

Transform early learning programs by insisting upon real change in state standards and practices:

  • Build an effective, qualified, and well-compensated early childhood workforce by supporting more effective providers with degrees in early education and better compensation, and providing sustained, intensive, classroom-focused professional development to improve the knowledge and skills of early childhood providers
  • Best practices in the classroom by implementing research-based early learning and development standards aligned with academic content standards for grades K-3.
  • Promote parent and family involvement by developing outreach strategies to parents that will help them support their children’s development.
  • Fund quality initiatives that improve instructional practices, programmatic practices, and classroom environments that promote school readiness.
  • Quality standards reform that moves toward pre-service training requirements for early learning providers, and adoption of developmentally appropriate standards for teacher-child ratios and group size.

SAFRA: What's In It For You?

More Help Covering College Tuition and Expenses

  • Higher Pell Grant scholarship of $5,550 in 2010 and $6,900 in 2019.
About 6 million students received the Pell Grant scholarship in 2007-2008.
  • Lower interest rates on need-based (subsidized) federal student loans.
Nationwide about 5.5 million students borrow these loans each year.
  • More access to Perkins loan program by expanding it to every U.S. college campus.
Last year approximately 495,000 students received a Perkins Loan.
  • Shorter, simpler FAFSA form that makes applying for financial aid easier.
In 2003-2004, over 1.5 million college students who likely were eligible to receive Pell Grants didn’t apply for financial aid because they found the FAFSA form too confusing.

Better Opportunities to Prepare for Good Jobs

  • New college access and completion programs to help you stay in school and graduate.
  • Innovative partnerships between colleges, businesses and job training programs to help you get the real-world experience and skills you need to be ready for the jobs of the future.
  • Free, high-quality, online training and high school and college courses.

Financial Aid Programs That Are Worry-Free and Operate In Your Best Interest

  • Gives you the peace of mind of knowing that your federal student loans are stable.
  • Removes any potential for conflicts of interest between lenders and colleges.
  • Guarantees you the best customer service available when you repay your student loans.

News of the Day: Fix loan system for a stronger future

Chairman Miller has an op-ed in the Politico today about the plan to reform federal student loans.

Here it is in its entirety:

Fix loan system for a stronger future
By: Rep. George Miller

This summer, millions of students will sit down with their families to figure out how to pay for college. They will unwittingly enter into a financial lending system that is badly broken — and not benefiting them as intended.

However, if Congress and President Barack Obama are successful, this system is about to undergo a major change.

The college financing system that was supposed to ensure all students access to college is dangerously out of control, for three reasons.

First, tuition has skyrocketed and shows no signs of abating.

Second, the roller-coaster credit markets have put the federally guaranteed student loan program, which for years has originated almost three-quarters of all federal college loans, on life support.

SAFRA: Myths vs. Facts (updated 3.18.10)

(This post was updated on March 18, 2010.)

Investing in Students, Not Banks

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act invests billions of dollars in students and families, at no costs to taxpayers. Not surprisingly, critics are using scare tactics to try to mislead the American public about this effort. They’re desperate to preserve the status quo – a system that for too long has favored banks at the expense of students and taxpayers.
Representative McCarthy was on CNN this morning talking about yesterday's hearing regarding Strengthening School Safety through Prevention of Bullying. After you are done watching the interview, check out the photos, videos and some statements from Representatives and witnesses.

Subcommittees Hold Hearing on Improving School Safety

On Wednesday, July 8, the House Subcommittees on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and Healthy Families and Communities will hold a joint hearing to examine strategies for improving school safety, including ways to prevent violence, bullying and harassment. Recent studies show students are more likely to succeed academically and graduate when learning environments are free from harassment and violence.

WHAT:         
Subcommittee Hearing on “Strengthening School Safety through Prevention of Bullying”
 
WHO:            
Witnesses TBA

WHEN:          
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
10:00 a.m. EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today applauded the Obama administration for acting quickly to send additional recovery funding to states that need help maintaining critical services, like education and public safety, and rebuilding their economies. The U.S. Department of Education announced this afternoon that nearly $2.7 billion will be allocated to states today as the last third of the government services fund under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This fund, included as part of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, is specifically intended to help support education, repair and modernize school facilities, and to backfill cuts to public safety and other essential state government services.
Today new benefits go into effect that will make monthly student loan payments more manageable and affordable for millions of students and borrowers struggling to stay afloat in this tough economic climate.

These benefits were enacted as part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, a law I sponsored in 2007 that made historic investments to help more Americans earn a college degree. With the economy against this year’s college graduates, this relief couldn’t come at a better time.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today praised President Barack Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan for announcing a new effort to simplify the federal student aid application, called the FAFSA. The Obama administration will be able to implement some of their proposed changes immediately; other proposals would require legislative action. Miller today said that the House will consider these proposals as part of its upcoming efforts to enact student loan reforms that will make college more accessible for American families:

“Confusing paperwork shouldn’t stand between qualified students and a college degree. As families’ needs for college aid continue to grow in this economy, we have to ensure that students and parents can access an easy-to-navigate financial aid process designed to help them get the federal aid they are eligible for. Secretary Duncan has put forth commonsense proposals for streamlining the FAFSA, and Congress will examine how we can build on these steps as we work to make college more affordable by safeguarding and strengthening our federal student aid programs.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Innovative uses of technology in U.S. classrooms are increasing student achievement and engagement, improving teacher effectiveness and teaching critical thinking and problem-solving skills, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. This is the first in a series of hearings the committee will hold to explore how technology-based education tools are transforming American education.

Future of Learning Showcase

Immediately following the hearing on The Future of Learning: How Technology is Transforming Public Schools, over 20 presenters displayed how the newest in technology and innovative education tools are transforming and improving education in America.


Created with flickrSLiDR.

Committee to Examine Innovation and Technology in the Classroom

The House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday, June 16 to examine how technology and innovative education tools are transforming and improving education in America.

WHAT:          
Hearing on “The Future of Learning: How Technology is Transforming Public Schools”

WHO:            
Witnesses TBA

WHEN:         
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
10:00 a.m., EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »
                        
WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Access the webcast when the hearing begins at 10:00 am EDT »
Jonathon Alter has an article, Peanut-Butter Politics - Education funding is a sticky issue, in this week's Newsweek about the importance of Sec. Duncan's Race to the Top Fund. This fund would offer money to states that have a successful track record in improving student achievement.

Cut to 2009, when Barack Obama thinks education is the most exciting of subjects. Even so, Obama and his education secretary, Arne Duncan, get Barzun. They understand that the key to fixing education is better teaching, and the key to better teaching is figuring out who can teach and who can't.

...

Like Obama and Duncan, Rep. George Miller, the leading reformer in Congress, wants the money to be targeted on just a few programs with track records in turning around poorly performing schools and training teachers better. He rightly figures we know what works now and should just go ahead and fund it.
There are difficulties in implementing the program and Mr. Alter identifies some. The entire article is worth your attention.

Committee to Hold Hearing on Charter Schools

The House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday, June 4 to examine how supporting outstanding charter schools can help build an innovative, world-class American school system that educates all students to high levels.

President Obama has repeatedly called on states to lift restrictions that limit the growth of successful charter schools and encourage rigorous accountability of them.

WHAT:          
Hearing on "Building on What Works at Charter Schools”

WHO:            
Steve Barr, founder and chairman of the board, Green Dot Public Schools, Los Angeles, CA
David Dunn, director, Texas Charter School Association, Austin, TX
Jim Goenner, board chair, National Association of Charter School Authorizers and lead authorizer at Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI
John King, managing director, Excellence Preparatory Network, Uncommon Schools, New York, NY
Barbara O’Brien, Lt. Governor, Colorado
Jim Shelton, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Innovation and Improvement, Department of Education        
                                                                      
WHEN:         
Thursday, June 4, 2009
10:00 a.m, EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »
                       
WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) today issued the following the statement following Governor Schwarzenegger’s recent call to expand learning opportunities for California’s high school students by providing them with free digital textbooks. The textbooks will be aligned with a rigorous core of standards.

“Governor Schwarzenegger has taken a historic step to help prepare California’s high school students to compete in a global, 21st century economy. Research shows that technology-friendly classrooms help teachers teach more effectively and boost student learning. By requiring these digital textbooks to be aligned with California’s high standards, he is raising the bar for students. I hope other states will follow California’s lead and incorporate digital textbooks into their schools, so that all students in this country can benefit from innovative and effective learning tools. As California grapples with this budget crisis, I hope Governor Schwarzenegger will make the education of our students a top priority.”

For more information on the Governor’s initiative, click here.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A wide and growing consensus of stakeholders, including the Obama administration, Sallie Mae, colleges and students, agree that major reforms must be made to the federal student loan programs in order to make college more affordable for years to come, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today.

In the last year, the crises in the credit markets and the economy have dramatically altered the student loan landscape, putting the federally-guaranteed student loan program that private lenders participate in on life support. As a result, the student loan programs aren’t working as effectively as they could be for students, families or taxpayers, witnesses explained.

“The status quo has become impossible to defend. Students and families are not being served as well as they could be and taxpayers are spending billions of dollars annually to finance a broken system,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the committee. “Momentum is building for reforms that will deliver aid to families in a more stable and sustainable way, shielded from any ups and downs in the markets. We can either continue sending billions of dollars to banks and lenders or we can start sending it to students who need more help than ever paying for college in this economy.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan made his first official appearance before the House Education and Labor Committee to discuss the Obama administration’s agenda for improving educational opportunities for all Americans, from “cradle to career.”

“President Obama is committed to building the world-class education system our economy needs and our students deserve. He put us on the right track by putting Arne Duncan at the helm of our nation’s schools,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chair of the committee. “Secretary Duncan and President Obama are both committed to making the real education reforms that families deserve and our economy needs. I look forward to working closely with both of them to build a stronger economy that gives all Americans the opportunity to receive a world-class education.”
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a hearing on Capitol Hill today, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told members of the House Education and Labor Committee that he intends to begin monitoring how states are using seclusion and restraint in public schools. Duncan also said he plans to ensure that all states have clear policies in place on seclusion, restraint and other physical interventions that are used in schools for the coming academic year.

Rep. Tim Bishop: On July 1, New Benefits Will Make College More Affordable

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Tim Bishop, Education and Labor Committee Member.)

bishop-headshot-square.jpgAn article in Newsday recently declared that the “recession is pushing college out of reach.” That’s a sobering thought—particularly because a college education can be a key path to a stronger financial future for many Americans.

Current statistics on costs at local colleges and universities help explain why this is the case. At Stony Brook University on Long Island, the average debt incurred by 2007 graduates had increased by 9% over the previous year. That’s nearly three times the annual cost of living adjustment. Completing college in New York or any other state is an increasingly expensive proposition: the average student graduates with nearly $22,000 in debt. With the current economic downturn, a college degree may appear even further out of reach for many Americans.

As a former college administrator, I understand the importance of college affordability for American students. I am heartened by the steps that President Obama and my Congressional colleagues have taken to date, including the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This legislation includes billions of dollars to repair and construct school facilities and improve services for the children most in need, which will better prepare our next generation for the challenges of college and the globalized economy.

On July 1st, some new benefits for students will go into effect thanks to the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. On July 1, the interest rate on need-based federal student loans will be reduced to 5.6% down from the current 6% (rates will drop even further to 3.4% by 2011). The maximum Pell Grant scholarship will increase to $5,350 which will reduce the amount that students need to borrow in the first place. In addition, monthly loan payments may be capped at 15% of discretionary income, so student loans will become less of a burden on young people getting started in their careers.

Alex, a student on Long Island who will graduate with a whopping $70,000 in debt, puts it well: “Higher education shouldn’t come at the price of indebtedness for life.”

That’s a goal for our college graduates on which I hope we all can agree.

We can get there by increasing grant aid from all sources (federal, state, and institutional), making it less expensive for students and families to borrow, and working with institutions to implement best practices to hold down costs.

The Obama Administration’s Education Agenda

Full Committee Hearing 10:00 AM, May 20, 2009 2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC
On Wednesday, May 20, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan testified before the House Education and Labor Committee about President Obama’s agenda for transforming American education. This marked Secretary’s first appearance on Capitol Hill to outline the President’s education goals.

Meet the Freshmen: Rep. Paul Tonko

In the second installment of our Meet the Freshmen series, Rep. Paul Tonko of New York shares with us why he wanted to be on the committee, what he hopes to achieve and what he has learned so far.

On Tuesday, May 19, the House Committee on Education and Labor will hold a hearing to examine abusive and deadly uses of seclusion and restraint in U.S. schools. Seclusion and restraint are physical interventions used by teachers and other school staff to prevent students from hurting themselves or others.

On Wednesday, May 20, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will testify before the House Education and Labor Committee about President Obama’s agenda for transforming American education. This will mark Secretary’s first appearance on Capitol Hill to outline the President’s education goals.

On Thursday, May 21, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine proposals that will make historic increases in college aid by enacting reforms that will make the nation’s federal student loan programs more reliable, effective and efficient for students, families and taxpayers.

One of the proposals the committee will examine is President Obama’s FY 2010 budget proposal, which would increase the Pell Grant scholarship and other forms of student aid by almost $100 billion over ten years – and at no cost to taxpayers. The President’s plan would be paid for by ending the subsidies the federal government currently pays to lenders in the federally-guaranteed student loan programs and re-directing those savings back into additional aid for low- and middle-income students.
On Thursday, May 21, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine proposals that will make historic increases in college aid by enacting reforms that will make the nation’s federal student loan programs more reliable, effective and efficient for students, families and taxpayers.

One of the proposals the committee will examine is President Obama’s FY 2010 budget proposal, which would increase the Pell Grant scholarship and other forms of student aid by almost $100 billion over ten years – and at no cost to taxpayers. The President’s plan would be paid for by ending the subsidies the federal government currently pays to lenders in the federally-guaranteed student loan programs and re-directing those savings back into additional aid for low- and middle-income students.

WHAT:         
Hearing on “Increasing Student Aid through Loan Reform”

WHO:           
Witnesses TBA

WHEN:         
Thursday, May 21, 2009
10:00 a.m. ET
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.


Secretary Duncan to Testify before Committee on Obama’s Education Agenda

On Wednesday, May 20, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will testify before the House Education and Labor Committee about President Obama’s agenda for transforming American education. This will mark Secretary’s first appearance on Capitol Hill to outline the President’s education goals.

WHAT:         
Hearing on “The Obama Administration’s Education Agenda”

WHO:           
The Honorable Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education

WHEN:         
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
10:00 a.m. ET
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Committee to Examine Abusive and Deadly Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Schools

On Tuesday, May 19, the House Committee on Education and Labor will hold a hearing to examine abusive and deadly uses of seclusion and restraint in U.S. schools. Seclusion and restraint are physical interventions used by teachers and other school staff to prevent students from hurting themselves or others.

WHAT:           
Full Committee Hearing on “Examining the Abusive and Deadly Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Schools”

WHO:            
Witnesses TBA
                                               
WHEN:            
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
10:00 a.m. EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
The cost of paying for college is becoming even more burdensome for Americans in this economy. While families are losing income, benefits and jobs, college tuition prices continue to rise. The average student now graduates with over $22,000 in total student debt, including federal and private student loans.

This year’s class of graduating college seniors also enters one of the toughest jobs markets in decades for recent graduates. Of the 1.2 million jobs lost last year, 60 percent were held by workers aged 25 or younger. Their wages may also suffer: Economists have found that workers who graduated during recessions typically earn less over a lifetime than workers who graduate in better economic times. Many borrowers already spend high percentages of their paychecks making student loan payments – and it’s only likely to get worse.

Given these challenges, it’s critical for current college students, new or soon-to-be graduates, and workers to know about new benefits that went into effect July 1, 2009 that will make student loan payments manageable for millions of Americans. (These benefits were signed into law in 2007 as part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act.) They include:

On May 14, the House passed the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act by a vote of 275-155. The bill would make critical investments to provide more students with modern, healthier, more environmentally-friendly classrooms.

Estimates of State and School District Funding Provided by Green Schools Bill

(Updated on May 14, 2009 to reflect bill as passed by House.)

Below are estimates of the amount of funding that each state and school district would receive to modernize, upgrade and repair school facilities under the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, if it were to be enacted.  These are estimates only based on available and current data and may not reflect exact allocations that states or school districts receive when these funds are actually allocated. 

Preliminary estimates from the Congressional Research Service (as calculated on May 13, 2009):

Click here to download state-level data (PDF, 10KB) »
Click here to download school district-level data (PDF, 775KB) »

Subcommittee to Examine Reducing Childhood Obesity

On Thursday, May 14, the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, will hold a hearing to examine how improvements to child nutrition programs can help fight the nation’s childhood obesity crisis.

Child nutrition experts across the board agree that childhood obesity poses the greatest threats to the nation’s physical and financial health. Today, one-third of U.S. children and adolescents, about 25 million, are obese or overweight. Child nutrition programs provide children with access to low-cost, nutritious food to support healthy growth and development. 
The House is scheduled to vote this week on the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act.  The bill would make critical investments to provide more students with modern, healthier, more environmentally-friendly classrooms. It would also support hundreds of thousands of new construction jobs and invest more than half a billion dollars for school facility improvements in the Gulf Coast, where many schools still face considerable damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.


On Tuesday, May 12, the Committee will hold a hearing to examine how policies for addressing the high school dropout crisis and improving graduation rates can strengthen America’s economic competitiveness.

Nationally, only 70 percent of students graduate from high school with a regular high school diploma. Approximately 10 percent of high schools in this country produce close to half of these dropouts. In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Obama called on lawmakers to address the dropout crisis.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after President Obama released his complete budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2010.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Protecting health care workers, first responders, and other employees on the frontlines of a pandemic outbreak is key to strengthening the nation’s ability to fight viral outbreaks and keep the public safe, experts told the House Education and Labor Committee today.

The witnesses were testifying before the committee at a hearing examining how the current H1N1 flu outbreak has challenged schools, childcare centers, colleges, and workplaces.

Ensuring Preparedness Against the Flu Virus at School and Work

Full Committee Hearing 10:00 AM, May 7, 2009 2175 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC
On Thursday, May 7, the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing to examine how federal agencies can help child care, schools, colleges and workplaces prepare for the H1N1 flu virus and future pandemics. The hearing will also provide an update on how schools and workplaces are being affected by and responding to the current outbreak.
On Thursday, May 7, the Committee will hold a hearing to examine how federal agencies can help child care, schools, colleges and workplaces prepare for the H1N1 flu virus and future pandemics. The hearing will also provide an update on how schools and workplaces are being affected by and responding to the current outbreak.

WHAT:         
Hearing on “Ensuring Preparedness Against the Flu Virus at School and Work"

WHO:            
Jordan Barab, Acting Assistant Secretary, Occupational Safety and
Health Administration, Washington, DC
Ann Brockhaus, Occupational Safety and Health Consultant, ORC Worldwide, Washington, DC
Jack O'Connell, Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education, Sacramento, CA  
Miguel Garcia, Registered Nurse and member, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Los Angeles, CA
Bill Modzeleski, Associate Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Department of Education, Washington, DC
Dr. Anne Schuchat, Deputy Director for Science and Program (Interim), Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA

WHEN:         
Thursday, May 7, 2009
10:00 a.m. ET
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Committee to Consider Legislation to Modernize America’s Schools

On Wednesday, May 6, the Committee will consider legislation that will provide the nation’s public schools with billions of dollars in funding for much-needed repair, renovation and modernization projects, while breathing new life into local economies.  

The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act could create as many as 136,000 new construction jobs nationwide, according to calculations by the Economic Policy Institute, while boosting student achievement by creating healthier, safer, and energy-efficient learning environments. Studies show there is a correlation between facility quality and student achievement. The legislation also would provide significant aid for Gulf Coast Schools still recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

WHAT:         
Full Committee Mark-Up of H.R. 2187 “21st Century Green High-Performing Public School”

WHEN:         
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
10:00 a.m. ET
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act

Improving Education, Creating Jobs, Fighting Global Warming

School buildings should be safe and healthy learning environments for children. But according to recent estimates, America’s schools are hundreds of billions of dollars short of the funding needed to bring them up to good condition. Research shows a correlation between school facility quality and student achievement. Modernizing school buildings would help revive our economy by creating jobs and preparing workers for the clean energy jobs of the future. And by upgrading school buildings to make them more energy efficient and more reliant on renewable sources of energy, modernized school buildings can also help reduce the emissions that contribute to global warming. Congress already has endorsed these principles by making green school modernization, renovation and repair part an allowable use of funds under the state fiscal stabilization fund in H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Click here to download estimates of the amount of funding that each state and school district would receive under H.R. 2187 if it were to be enacted »

The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act (H.R. 2187), passed by the House on May 14, 2009 by a vote of 275-155, would:

Subcommittee to Examine Adult Literacy

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 5, the House Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness will hold a hearing to examine best practices for improving adult education and family literacy. This is the fourth hearing the committee is holding as it works toward reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act, which provides job training, education programs, vocational rehabilitation and other services to Americans.

WHAT:         
Hearing on “"New Innovations and Best Practices under the Workforce Investment Act"
 
WHO:            
David Beré, president and chief strategy officer, Dollar General Corporation, Goodlettsville, TN
Kathy Cooper , policy associate, Office of Adult Basic Education, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Olympia, WA
Martin Finsterbusch, executive director, VALUE, Inc.  (Voice of Adult Learners United to Educate), Media, PA
Donna Kinerney, Ph.D., instructional dean, Adult ESOL & Literacy Programs, Montgomery College, Wheaton, MD
Roberta Lanterman, program director, Long Beach Family Literacy, Long Beach, CA
Stephen Reder, Ph.D., university professor and chair, Department of Applied Linguistics, Portland State University, Portland, OR
Gretchen Wilson, Grammy winning recording artist and GED graduate, Nashville, TN

WHEN:         
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
10:00 a.m. ET
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
 

The Flu Virus: Resources for Workers, Families, Educators and Employers

Below is information for workers, families, schools and employers about how to protect our communities by reducing the spread of the H1N1 flu virus.

What is the H1N1 Flu?


General information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the H1N1 flu (commonly mis-referred to as "swine flu"), including what the H1N1 flu is, how it spreads and how to take care of people sick with it »

School Preparedness

Checklists and other tools to help schools, child care providers, colleges and universities to delay or reduce the spread of the flu virus »

Workplace Preparedness

Checklists and other guidance for businesses and employers to protect employees' health and safety while limiting negative impacts to the economy and society »

More information from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration »

Family Preparedness

Advice and strategies to delay or reduce the spread of the flu virus »

Your Rights in the Workplace

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires public agencies, all public and private elementary and secondary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees to provide an eligible employee with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for reasons, including caring for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition, and taking medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.

More about FMLA »
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. George Miller (D-CA) made the following statement today regarding the temporary closure of Highlands Elementary School in Pittsburg, CA.

“I know many of us are worried about the impact of the H1N1 flu on our families and our community, especially our school community.  Obviously, our first concern is that we keep our children and our families as safe as possible.  But we also need to deal with this in a timely manner so we can get kids back into the classroom.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the House voted to approve final passage of the conference report for the Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2010, which help will turn the economy around by investing in strategies for long-term growth – education, health care, and energy and cutting the deficit by two-thirds by 2013. The Senate is expected to vote on final passage tonight.

U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, hailed the budget as a roadmap for rebuilding the nation’s middle class and paving the way for long-term economic growth.

Obama's First 100 Days: Helping Students, Workers and Families

In just 100 days, President Obama and the 111th Congress have already made progress on behalf of America’s students, workers and families. Whether it’s restoring protections for workers or making good on his promises to invest in education, President Obama’s first 100 days delivered on the change Americans have been seeking and show that the President and this Congress are committed to make Washington work for families.

Key measures, many of which the Education and Labor Committee helped enact, have already started improving the quality of life for working families, including:

Committee to Examine How Common State Standards Can Improve Competitiveness

On Wednesday, April 29, the Committee will hold a hearing to examine how states can better prepare their students to compete in a global economy by using internationally benchmarked common standards.

WHAT:         
Full Committee Hearing on “Strengthening America’s Competitiveness through Common Academic Standards”

WHO:            
The Honorable James B. Hunt, Jr., Former Governor of North Carolina and Foundation Chair, James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, Durham, North Carolina
Ken James, Commissioner of Education, Arkansas Department of Education, Little Rock, Arkansas
Greg Jones, Chair, California Business for Excellence in Education (CBEE), Sacramento, California
Dave Levin, Co-Founder, KIPP: Knowledge Is Power Program, New York, New York
Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers, New York, New York
            
WHEN:          
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
10:00 a.m. EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:       
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Rep. Dale Kildee: "Green" Schools Are Healthy and Conducive to Learning

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Dale Kildee, Education and Labor Committee Member and Chair of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education.)

kildee.jpgToday is the 40th celebration of Earth Day – a day of action and of giving back to our planet.  Events are taking place in communities across the nation, in schools and on college campuses.   Through acts as simple as changing a light bulb or planting a tree, and as complex as committing themselves to “going green” in all aspects of their lives, people throughout our country are making a big difference.  Congress has also made a commitment to do its part by helping to make our schools part of the green solution.

School buildings should be safe, healthy and modern learning environments for children and teachers.  By helping school districts to make schools environmentally friendly, or “green,” we can create facilities that have tremendous health, educational, financial and environmental benefits. 

Watch Chairman Miller on ABCNews.com Today at Noon, Eastern Time

Chairman Miller will be discussing the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act on ABC News' Top Line program today at noon, Eastern time.  Click here to watch the program live online.

News of the Day: New York City Mayor Encourages Volunteerism

| Comments (2)
Yesterday, The New York Times' City Room blog reported on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's announcement of a series of programs and partnerships to encourage volunteerism among city residents.

Today, President Obama is scheduled to sign the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act into law.  This week is also National Volunteer Week (April 19-25).

The idea is to capitalize on the local history of activism and volunteerism and channel New Yorkers’ goodwill into worthy causes that could make a palpable difference in these difficult economic times. One of the initiatives, for example, will create the NYC Civic Corps, which will shepherd volunteers into public agencies and nonprofit groups. Others will expand the city’s auxiliary police force and Block Watch programs, as well as offer legal service and financial counseling to families who are facing foreclosure or otherwise need help managing their debt.
Read the rest of The New York Times blog post here

The Associated Press and The Washington Post also reported on Mayor Bloomberg's service program.
Today, Chairman George Miller and Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee Chair Carolyn McCarthy, the lead House authors of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, will join President Barack Obama as he signs the legislation into law. The legislation, his first major bipartisan initiative to get enacted, will launch a new era of American service that creates opportunities for citizens of all ages to play a part in our nation’s recovery. First Lady Michele Obama, Former President Bill Clinton, and Former First Lady Rosalyn Carter are also expected to attend today’s signing, which comes during National Volunteer Week (April 19-25).

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act grows the number of volunteers nationwide to 250,000 – more than triple the current 75,000. These new service opportunities will include the expansion of existing service programs, like AmeriCorps, as well as four new service corps focused on education, health care, energy and veterans. All service programs established under the bill will be overseen by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today announced that California will be the first state in the country to receive state fiscal stabilization funds provided under President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The relief, which will help stave off teacher layoffs and other cuts to education, comes as tens of thousands of teachers in California are at risk of losing their jobs.  

News of the Day: Serve students, not banks

In today's News of the Day, the San Francisco Chronicle has an editorial about the importance for reform in the student loan industry. They say "one of the most sensible proposals in President Obama's budget would end federal subsidies for private lenders in favor of direct government loans."  And they take on several of the complaints about President Obama's proposal. For instance,

This proposal would not threaten private lenders' ability to make private loans to college students at unregulated (and often highly profitable) interest rates. It would simply allow the federal government to keep the profits from loans it already subsidizes, instead of handing them over to banks. It would improve efficiency and save money, and it should have been passed a long time ago.

And there is more at the San Francisco Chronicle and we encourage you to read the entire editorial.

To learn more about where Chairman Miller stands on this proposal, see his statement on President Obama's budget.

News of the Day: The Battle Over Student Lending

In today's New York Times, the editorial board declared, "The direct-lending proposal is clearly in the country’s best interest."

Private companies that reap undeserved profits from the federal student-loan program are gearing up to kill a White House plan that would get them off the dole and redirect the savings to federal scholarships for the needy. Instead of knuckling under to the powerful lending lobby, as it has so often done in the past, Congress needs to finally put the taxpayers’ interests first. That means embracing President Obama’s plan.

This builds upon Rep. Miller and the Education and Labor Committee's efforts in the 110th Congress.

We encourage you to read the entire editorial. And these from the Syracuse Post-Standard and the Albany Times Union.

Meet the Freshmen: Rep. Dina Titus

In the first installment of our Meet the Freshmen series, Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada shares with us why she wanted to be on the committee, what she hopes to achieve and what she has learned so far.

Photos from Chairman Miller's visit to a DC public school

Today, Chairman Miller and Senator Richard Durbin visited the Shaw-Garnett Patterson middle school in Washington, DC with DC Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee.  Principal Brian Betts and students gave them a tour of several classrooms, including math and literacy, and then the lawmakers had the opportunity to sit down with a group 8th grade students.  Following that meeting, Miller and Durbin also met with a group of teachers from the school.



WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today applauded the House for passing the Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2010, which makes investments in education a key priority.  The House approved the budget by a vote of 233 to 196.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Emergency relief funding provided under President Obama’s economic recovery plan will be released to school districts across the country today. The U.S. Department of Education announced that they will release the first installment of funds that will help schools save teaching jobs and maintain education programs for low-income students and students with disabilities. School districts will receive the second installment of the funds, provided under Title I and IDEA formulas, this fall. 

Department of Education Guidance on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds

elem-kids.jpgEmergency relief funding provided under President Obama’s economic recovery plan was released across the country on April 1, 2009. This first installment of funds will help schools save teaching jobs and maintain education programs for low-income students and students with disabilities. School districts will receive the second installment of the funds, provided under Title I and IDEA formulas, this fall.

In addition to the Title I and IDEA investments, the economic recovery plan also created a $54 billion State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to help stabilize state and local budgets and restore harmful cuts to education.  The Obama administration also issued guidelines to clarify how the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund can be used by local districts and colleges. States can apply for this funding beginning on April 1, 2009. More »

Department of Education Guidance:

(April 1, 2009) Guidance on the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund »
(April 1, 2009) Guidance on Title I, Part A »
(April 1, 2009) Guidance on IDEA, Part B »
(April 1, 2009) Guidance on IDEA, Part C »

(For Department of Education guidance on all Recovery Act funds, click here.)

(For estimates of the amount of education funding each state and school district will receive from certain aspects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, click here.)

Upcoming: Final House Vote on National Service Bill

| Comments (2)
On March 31, the House is expected to vote on final passage of H.R. 1388, a national service bill now known as the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.  The bill was previously passed in the House as the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act.  The House will be voting on amendments passed by the Senate on March 26.

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

Calling Americans to Serve at a Critical Time

President Obama has called on Congress to create new service and volunteer opportunities for Americans that will help to build a stronger country. This legislation answers his call. It will launch a new era of service that will give Americans of all ages the opportunity to help our nation recover and make progress on education, health care, energy and other key goals by volunteering, whether it is helping students achieve in school, weatherizing homes and greening communities, rebuilding cities in times of disaster, feeding the hungry, helping seniors live independently, and much more.

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (H.R. 1388), which received final passage by the House on March 31 by a vote of 275-149 and was signed into law in April 2009, includes new changes (highlighted in red below) from the previous version of the bill, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act. The bill authorizes nearly $6 billion over five years – FY 2010 through FY 2014.

Expanding Service Opportunities for College Students »
Expanding Service Opportunities for Middle and High School Students
»
Expanding Service Opportunities for Seniors »
Expanding Green Service for Americans »
Expanding Service Opportunities for Veterans »
Strengthening Volunteer Disaster Relief Efforts »
Find Out About National Service in Your State »

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Dina Titus, Education and Labor Committee Member and Member of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education.)

Dina Titus.jpgWith nearly 12 million of the 18.5 million children under age five in the United States in some type of regular child care or early education setting, we must ensure that high standards are met for the care of these children.  A solid early learning foundation helps children succeed later in school, helps America compete in a global market and gives all Americans a better opportunity to succeed in life.  In short, we know that those who start earlier, do better, and stay in school longer.  

At today’s hearing, Gina Adams, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, told us that research shows that the general quality of care that children receive in our country is not adequate.  She recommended focusing our policies across the age spectrum from birth to age five, investing in efforts that support the ability of working families to access high quality services, and improving the quality of child care.

Today: Subcommittee Hearing on Early Childhood Education and Development

| Comments (1)
Today, the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee continues the series of hearings devoted to strengthening early childhood education with a hearing on “Improving Early Childhood Development Policies and Practices”. The hearing will further examine the early learning and child care needs of children and families, as well as collaborative state efforts and other initiatives to deliver high quality care and education to children from birth through age five.

This effort comes a week after President Barack Obama delivered his first major speech on education, in which he discussed early education as a critical part of his agenda.

Improving Early Childhood Development Policies and Practices

Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee Hearing 10:00 AM, March 19, 2009 2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC
Next week, the House Education and Labor Committee will launch a series of committee and subcommittee hearings devoted to strengthening early childhood education. The hearings will examine the early learning and child care needs of children and families, as well as collaborative state efforts and other initiatives to deliver high quality care and education to children from birth through age five.

This effort comes a week after President Barack Obama delivered his first major speech on education, in which he discussed early education as a critical part of his agenda.

National Service Bill Will Expand Green Service for Americans

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act will more than triple the number of volunteer opportunities for Americans, from 75,000 to 250,000, in part by establishing a new Clean Energy Corps focused on energy efficiency and conservation.  The bill will increase the education reward participants receive for this service from $4,725 to $5,350 for next year, the same as the maximum Pell Grant scholarship award.

It will also expand the focus of the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) to include environmental and energy conservation efforts. Many of the new service and volunteer programs it will establish for younger students could include opportunities that enhance climate change education and introduce young Americans to the green-collar jobs of the future by performing energy audits and retrofits, weatherizing homes, rebuilding trails and parks, building and maintaining gardens and green spaces in communities, managing recycling programs, and more.

National Service Bill Will Strengthen Volunteer Disaster Relief Efforts

| Comments (1)
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act will help increase our nation’s preparedness in responding to hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other disasters that have devastated communities in recent years.

American service organizations and volunteers have played a vital role in relief and recovery efforts in the wake of tragedies. For example, since August 2005, the Corporation for National and Community Service, has provided more than $130 million worth of relief to Gulf Coast states devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and deployed nearly 92,000 national service volunteers who have put in over 3.5 million hours helping communities rebuild. This doesn’t include the additional 260,000 community volunteers involved in the recovery.

Even before floods devastated homes and businesses in southeast Iowa, volunteers were on the ground. To date, AmeriCorps has coordinated over 800,000 volunteer hours to help the state recover.

The Serve America Act creates a greater infrastructure and capacity for respond to disasters by growing the number of volunteers nationwide to 250,000, up from 75,000. The bill also makes it possible for existing programs to respond more effectively by expanding the focus of the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) to include disaster relief and infrastructure improvement.  The bill also establishes an alumni corps of former participants who can be called to service during times of disaster and other emergencies.

National Service Bill Will Expand Service Opportunities for College Students

| Comments (1)
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act comes as nearly 65,000 college students prepare to volunteer and serve on alternative Spring Breaks this year – up 11 percent over last year. Young Americans are serving in record numbers – and facing a difficult job market in today’s economy. Of the 1.2 million jobs lost last year, 60 percent were held by workers under the age of 25.

National and community service and volunteerism among college students is especially high. From September 2001 to 2006, the overall percent of college students who volunteer has increased to over 30 percent, exceeding the volunteer rate for adults. According to a 2006 report by the Corporation for National and Community Service, college students are twice as likely to volunteer as Americans of the same age who are not enrolled in an institution of higher education.

Specifically, the bill (H.R. 1388) will more than triple the number of volunteer opportunities for Americans, from 75,000 to 250,000, in key areas like education, clean energy, health care, and assistance for veterans. The bill will also increase the education reward they receive from $4,725 to $5,350 for next year, the same as the maximum Pell Grant scholarship award. The education award will be linked to match future boosts in the Pell Grant scholarship in order to keep up with rising college costs.
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act provides the most significant expansion of national service and volunteer opportunities for middle and high school students in generations.

It will help our nation get through the economic crisis by making Americans of all ages a part of the solution to the many challenges facing the nation, including education. The bill will both increase opportunities for students to get involved with service and boost service initiatives focused on education, including mentoring programs and programs that help boost student achievement. This is the largest expansion of national service since President Kennedy issued his call to service over fifty years ago.

National Service Bill Will Expand Service Opportunities for Seniors

| Comments (1)
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act will triple the number of volunteers, including the existing Senior Corp program, nationwide to 250,000, up from 75,000. Currently, Senior Corps is made up of 475,000 volunteers who contribute 116 million hours of service each year. The Senior Corps captures the skills and talents of people over 55 to meet community needs through mentoring, serving as foster grandparents, and helping other seniors continue to live independently. Older Americans will be allowed to transfer their education awards to a child, foster child or grandchild to help them pay for college.

In 2005, nearly a third of all baby boomers volunteered with formal organizations -– the highest volunteer rate of any group of Americans according to the Corporation for National & Community Service. The bill will create Silver Scholarships and Encore Fellowships that will create opportunities for seniors to transition into service after they have retired. Silver Scholars will be able to earn up to $1,000 in exchange for 350 hours of service. For seniors who may need to re-enter the workforce to make ends meet, these programs can also help them transition into new careers in the public or nonprofit sector. 

National Service Bill Will Expand Service Opportunities for Veterans

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act creates a separate Veteran’s Corps designed to help veterans meet the needs of their fellow servicemen and women. In this economic crisis, this program will help mitigate the disproportionately high levels of unemployment among veterans by creating opportunities for them to continue their highly valued service. To watch a video of Retired Capt. Scott Quilty, who served in Iraq, explain how volunteer opportunities can help veterans recover from war and rebuild communities, click here.

Veterans are uniquely situated to understand and meet the special needs of those returning home from war. The Veteran’s Corps will function similarly to AmeriCorps or Senior Corps by creating opportunities for veterans to continue serving their country. The Serve America Act will support programs that help provide education, mentoring, and job training to fellow veterans. It will be the first program of its kind.

Find Out About National Service in Your State

map-of-national-service-by-state.jpgThe Corporation for National & Community Service offers state-by-state data on which national service programs are currently operating in each state.  Click here to find out about your state »


Rep. Hirono: We Must Encourage Investments in Quality Early Education Opportunities

(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Mazie Hirono, Education and Labor Committee Member and Member of the Subcommittee Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education.)

hirono2009-square.jpgIn today’s Education and Labor Committee hearing, we heard from experts in early education and child care from across the country.  The panel testified to the importance of investing in high quality early education and child care opportunities for children from birth to five.  We also saw that the entire panel agreed that the debate about the importance of quality early childhood education is over; study after study has shown that high quality early education does make a positive difference in a child’s life.  Children who attend good preschools are more likely to perform well in school and graduate from high school, and are less likely to commit a crime or use drugs.  With that important debate settled, we need to work with states to encourage investments in quality early education opportunities.

The Importance of Early Childhood Development

Full Committee Hearing 10:00 AM, March 17, 2009 2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC
Next week, the House Education and Labor Committee will launch a series of committee and subcommittee hearings devoted to strengthening early childhood education. The hearings will examine the early learning and child care needs of children and families, as well as collaborative state efforts and other initiatives to deliver high quality care and education to children from birth through age five.

This effort comes a week after President Barack Obama delivered his first major speech on education, in which he discussed early education as a critical part of his agenda.

This Week: Early Childhood Education Hearings; House Vote on National Service Bill

This week, the Committee will launch a series of committee and subcommittee hearings devoted to strengthening early childhood education. The hearings will examine the early learning and child care needs of children and families, as well as collaborative state efforts and other initiatives to deliver high quality care and education to children from birth through age five.  This effort comes a week after President Barack Obama delivered his first major speech on education, in which he discussed early education as a critical part of his agenda.

Also this week, the House will vote on the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, which was passed by the Committee on March 11 by a vote of 34-3.

Lost Educational Opportunities in Alternative Settings

Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee and Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Hearing 10:00 AM, March 12, 2009 2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC
The House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee will hold a joint hearing with the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security to examine if at-risk youth are missing out on educational opportunities while in foster care, juvenile justice facilities, alternative education settings and other environments.

Committee Passes Bill to Revitalize National Service and Volunteerism

Today, the Committee approved the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act by a bipartisan vote of 34-3.  In his address to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama made national service a key priority and asked Congress to take quick action. This legislation, which the House is expected to consider in the coming weeks, answers his call.

The GIVE Act will create new service opportunities for Americans by more than tripling the current number of volunteers, raising the number to 250,000. It will also boost the education awards volunteers receive in exchange for their service - encouraging more young students to get involved in service while helping them pay for college. And it will help prepare current and future generations for jobs in the green economy, and establish a Veterans Corp to meet the unique needs of veterans and military families.


Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act

Full Committee Markup 10:00 AM, March 11, 2009 2175 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC

Yesterday Chairman Miller was a featured speaker at the Data Quality Campaign’s conference on “Leveraging the Power of Data to Improve Education.”  He discussed the urgent need to use data systems and praised President Obama and Secretary Duncan for their leadership in ensuring education is a top priority in this administration. To read his full remarks as prepared, click here.



Created with flickrSLiDR.

Committee to Vote on Legislation to Revitalize National Service and Volunteerism

On Wednesday, March 11th, the Committee will vote on bipartisan legislation that will launch a new era of service and volunteerism to help America get through the economic crisis.

President Obama called on Congress to send him similar legislation in his first major address to Congress; the House is expected to consider the measure in the coming weeks.

The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act will create new service opportunities for Americans by more than tripling the current number of volunteers, raising the number to 250,000. It will also boost the education awards volunteers receive in exchange for their service - encouraging more young students to get involved in service while helping them pay for college. And it will help prepare current and future generations for jobs in the green economy, and establish a Veterans Corp to meet the unique needs of veterans and military families.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today issued the following statement praising President Barack Obama's first major speech on education this morning. 

The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act

Please see our page on the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act for the latest version of this legislation.


Calling Americans to Serve at a Critical Time


America is facing unprecedented challenges – the economy, health care, energy, schools in need of improvement and more. With our public needs intensifying in this recession, there’s no better time to support and energize community service and volunteerism to help our country get through this economic crisis, restore confidence and prepare our nation for the future.

President Obama has called on Congress to create new opportunities for Americans to build a stronger country by helping students perform better in school, prepare Americans for green and innovative 21st century jobs, rebuild cities in times of disaster, improve communities and much, much more. This legislation, passed by the Committee by a vote of 34-3 on March 11, 2009, answers his call. It will launch a new era of service that will give Americans of all ages an opportunity to invest through service in our nation’s recovery.

Expanding Service Opportunities for College Students »

Expanding Service Opportunities for Middle and High School Students
»
Expanding Service Opportunities for Seniors »
Expanding Green Service for Americans »
Expanding Service Opportunities for Veterans »
Strengthening Volunteer Disaster Relief Efforts »
Find Out About National Service in Your State »

On Thursday, March 12, the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities will hold a joint hearing with the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security to examine if at-risk youth are missing out on educational opportunities while in foster care, juvenile justice facilities, alternative education settings and other environments.

WHAT:         
Hearing on “Lost Educational Opportunities in Alternative Settings”

WHO:           
Dr. Thomas Blomberg, Professor of Criminology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Ms. Linda Brooke, Director of Government Relations and Education Services, Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, Austin, TX 
Dr. Cynthia Cave, Director, Office of Student Services, Richmond, VA
Leonard Dixon, M.S., Executive Director, Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility, Detroit, MI
Janeen Steel, Esq., Executive Director, Learning Rights Law Center, Los Angeles, CA
Additional Witnesses TBA

WHEN:         
Thursday, March 12, 2009
10:00 a.m. EDT

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Please check the Committee's schedule for updates.
The New York Times published an editorial this morning entitled Helping Students, Not Lenders. They highlight President Obama's efforts to save taxpayers $47.5 billion over ten years and make loans more dependable for students.

The budget rightly calls for phasing out the wasteful and all-too-corruptible portion of the student program that relies on private lenders. And it calls for expanding the less-expensive and more-efficient program that allows students to borrow directly from the federal government. That means doing away with the Federal Family Education Loan Program, under which private lenders receive unnecessary subsidies to make risk-free student loans that are guaranteed by taxpayers.

This builds upon Rep. Miller and the Education and Labor Committee's efforts in the 110th Congress.

We encourage you to read the entire editorial.

News of the Day: Schools Crunch Calculus of Stimulus

In Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, they highlighted how the $100 billion in funding dedicated to education touches programs for almost every age group, from early-childhood programs to financial aid for college students.

Some highlights include:

Early Childhood - The law provides $5 billion for early-childhood programs, including the federally funded Head Start for low-income families.

K-12 - The law calls for distribution of $53.6 billion in "stabilization" funds that will go to states to help avert further education cuts...the Atlanta Public School District, whose general fund is expected to decline to $640 million next school year from the current $661 million, says that the stabilization funds will help save teaching jobs and avert potential cuts to programs, such as professional-development workshops for teachers and student counseling.

Another $12 billion is set aside specifically for programs related to students with disabilities.

Included in the stimulus package is up to $33.6 billion toward school modernization. At the Indianapolis Public Schools, school officials have created a "working document" over the past two weeks to identify structural priorities in their 72 school buildings that could be addressed with stimulus money. "Frankly, it's student safety," says spokeswoman Mary Louise Bewley. "Things like ensuring exterior doors are working well."


Higher Education - The stimulus law increases Pell Grants for low-income students to a maximum of $5,350 from the current $4,731 and provides an additional $200 million boost for the federal work-study program, where the government and colleges provide funds to pay students who work part-time.

Read the rest here

Photos from Today's National Service and Volunteerism Hearing

Photos from today's hearing on "Renewing America through National Service and Volunteerism" (click on photos for more information):


Created with flickrSLiDR.

Usher Testifies on Improving Service and Volunteerism

On February 25th, recording artist Usher testified before the Committee on Education and Labor at a hearing examining how to renew America through national service and volunteerism.  Watch the video of Usher here »  The hearing built on the important conversations happening across the country on national service and volunteerism, examining the importance of national and community service in meeting critical economic needs across the country. TIME’s Richard Stengel and former Senator Harris Wofford also testified.  

Chairman George Miller's opening statement:




Usher's testimony:

Renewing America through National Service and Volunteerism

Full Committee Hearing 10:00 AM, February 25, 2009 2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC
To build on the important conversations happening across the country on national service and volunteerism, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, February 25, to examine the importance of national and community service in meeting critical economic needs across the country. This will be the first full committee education hearing held in the 111th Congress.

Boosting community service is a key priority for President Obama, whose official Inauguration activities included a “National Day of Service” where hundreds of thousands of Americans volunteered in their communities. Among other things, the hearing will focus on reinvigorating civic engagement across all levels of society, expanding opportunities for young people to participate in service, and how national and community service can help “green” America.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives today approved legislation to protect teenagers attending residential programs from physical, mental, and sexual abuse and increase transparency to help parents make safe choices for their children. The Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009 (H.R. 911) won strong bipartisan support, with a vote of 295 to 102.

Investigations conducted by the Government Accountability Office during the 110th Congress at the request of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, uncovered thousands of cases and allegations of child abuse and neglect since the early 1990’s at teen residential programs, including therapeutic boarding schools, boot camps, wilderness programs and behavior modification facilities. A separate GAO report also conducted at Miller’s request found major gaps in the licensing and oversight of residential programs. Where state licensing standards exist, these programs are governed by a weak patchwork of state and federal standards, however some are not covered at all.

News of the Day: NY Times editorial highlights key measures in ARRA

In case you missed Sunday's New York Times editorial, it highlighted some key measures in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for tracking student performance:

The stimulus package, including a $54 billion “stabilization” fund to protect schools against layoffs and budget cuts, is rightly framed to encourage compliance. States will need to create data collection systems that should ideally show how children perform year to year as well as how teachers affect student performance over time. States will also be required to improve academic standards as well as the notoriously weak tests now used to measure achievement — replacing, for instance, the pervasive fill-in-the-bubble tests with advanced assessments that better measure writing and thinking.

We encourage you to read the entire editorial.

White House: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to Save or Create 3.5 Million Jobs

The White House announced that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law today by President Obama, will save or create 3.5 million jobs over the next two years. 

More about the impact of the new law can be found in these White House fact sheets:

Overview on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act »
Impact of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Working Families »
Employment Numbers by State »
Education Fact Sheet »
Health Care Fact Sheet »

Also, visit Recovery.gov to see how money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be spent.
Click here for updated information on the education funding each state will receive from certain aspects of the final American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 


Building a Strong, Competitive 21st Century Economy

School buildings across the country are literally crumbling. Recent studies estimate that hundreds of billions of dollars are needed to bring schools into good condition, and that 75 percent of schools are in various stages of disrepair. Like other infrastructure projects, modernizing schools will create new, construction jobs while ensuring that students can learn and teachers can teach in safe, healthy, technologically up-to-date, and energy-efficient learning environments.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will put Americans back to work quickly while bringing our schools and colleges into the 21st century. The legislation will:


Building a Strong, Competitive 21st Century Economy

States now face a $91 billion shortfall in education funding – putting hundreds of thousands of jobs and the promise of a good education in jeopardy. Economists and scientists agree that strategic, targeted investments in education are needed to create jobs, give America’s children the skills they need to compete globally – and to put our economy back on the road to recovery.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invests $105.9 billion in education and training to help build the world class education system our economy needs and our children deserve. The plan will:



Committee Passes Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009

Today the Committee approved the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009 by a vote of 32-10.  This legislation will protect teenagers attending residential treatment programs, including therapeutic boarding schools, boot camps, wilderness programs and behavior modification facilities, from physical, mental, and sexual abuse and increase transparency to help parents make safe choices for their children.

Investigations conducted by the Government Accountability Office during the 110th Congress uncovered thousands of cases and allegations of child abuse and neglect since the early 1990’s at teen residential programs. Currently, these programs are governed only by a weak patchwork of state and federal standards. A separate GAO report, also conducted last year at the committee’s request, found major gaps in the licensing and oversight of residential programs – some of which are not covered by any state licensing standards at all. More »

The Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009

Keeping Kids Safe

Tens of thousands of U.S. teenagers attend private and public residential programs – including therapeutic boarding schools, wilderness camps, boot camps, and behavior modification facilities – that are intended to help them with behavioral, emotional, mental health, or substance abuse problems. Depending on the state in which the program operates, some of these programs are subject to State law or regulation, while others are not. As a result of this loose patchwork of state oversight, children at some the programs have been subject to abuse and neglect with little to no accountability.

The Government Accountability Office found thousands of allegations of child abuse and neglect at residential programs for teens since the early 1990s. Tragically, in a number of cases, this abuse and neglect led to the death of a child. To address this urgent problem, the “Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009” would:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement today after the Senate passed its version of the economic recovery plan. According to new estimates compiled by the Economic Policy Institute, the $14 billion in school modernization passed as part of the House’s economic recovery plan would create at least 315,000 more jobs than the Senate-passed bill.

House Passes Bill to Invest in Education and Create Jobs Immediately

The House passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act today, by a vote of 244-188
This vital first step toward jumpstarting the economy will create and save up to four million new jobs and strengthen America’s long-term economy.

“We simply cannot let our education systems collapse as the economy collapses,” Chairman Miller said. “Together, these investments will meet the most urgent challenges we face: creating new jobs that can’t get shipped overseas, mitigating the devastation of state and local budget cuts, and most importantly – making sure that our schoolchildren and students don’t become the victims of this economic crisis. With more job layoffs coming by the day, American workers and families can’t afford to wait for this relief.”


House To Vote on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act TODAY

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act this afternoon. This measure includes critical education investments that will create or save hundreds of thousands of jobs, provide immediate relief to schools and colleges reeling from state budget cutbacks, and give workers the training and support they need to help move our economy forward.


WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office to further investigate recent reports of seclusion and restraint of children in public and private schools across the country. Miller’s committee plans to hold a hearing on these practices in the coming months. 

School Districts Will Benefit from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Below are estimates of the amount of education funding that each state will receive from certain aspects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  These are estimates only based on available and current data and may not reflect exact allocations that states or school districts receive when these funds are actually allocated.

Click here to download the Department of Education's state-level data, including the State Stabilization Fund, Title I and IDEA »

Click here to download the Department of Education's estimates of school district level allocations for Title I » (Approximately half of these funds will be distributed on April 1, 2009;  the second installment is expected later this fall.)

Click here to download school district level allocations for IDEA, as calculated by CRS on February 13, 2009 » (Reminder: these are ESTIMATES only.  Actual allocations will be determined by each state.)  (Approximately half of these funds will be distributed on April 1, 2009;  the second installment is expected later this fall.) (State-by-state breakdowns below.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee today congratulated Arne Duncan on his confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Education.  Duncan was among the first cabinet members of the Obama administration to be confirmed by the Senate yesterday.
 
GM-SecEd-Duncan-in-office.jpg

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today highlighted key provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that will provide vital aid to children, students and workers, create jobs, and get the economy moving forward again. (Click here for school district information ») The House Appropriations Committee released full details of the legislation this morning.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today voiced his ardent support for Arne Duncan the next Secretary of Education. He urged the Senate to pursue a quick confirmation.

Chairman Miller Discusses Education Priorities With Duncan

Chairman George Miller met with Secretary of Education nominee Arne Duncan yesterday to discuss Obama administration education priorities and the 111th Congress.

GM-Duncan-hallway.JPG
WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today praised President-Elect Barack Obama’s selection of Arne Duncan, the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, as the next Secretary of Education.

“This morning’s announcement of Arne Duncan as our next Secretary of Education is very exciting news for school reform, students and parents across America. Mr. Duncan is an experienced and accomplished leader who is open to the new, bold and innovative ideas needed to truly improve our schools."
This morning’s announcement of Arne Duncan as our next Secretary of Education is very exciting news for school reform, students and parents across America. Mr. Duncan is an experienced and accomplished leader who is open to the new, bold and innovative ideas needed to truly improve our schools.

As the head of Chicago’s public schools, he has an impressive track record in turning around failing schools, increasing graduation rates, and significantly boosting student achievement. He has dramatically improved teacher quality and effectiveness, by working with the local teachers union to establish a performance pay system and by providing mentoring and career ladders for teachers. A longtime champion of early education, he understands that we won’t be able to close the student achievement gap unless we improve educational opportunities for every child from their earliest years on.

Mr. Duncan takes the helm at a pivotal juncture for our schools and our economy. Our schools are in need of serious improvement; families continue to face a college affordability crisis; and we need to continue to strengthen our economic competitiveness. In an education landscape filled with strong – and often sharply contrasting – ideas, I believe that he will provide the leadership needed to bring diverse stakeholders together and break through the political gridlock.

This summer, Mr. Duncan told our committee of the importance of "challenging the status quo, pushing the envelope and driving change." I look forward to working with him and President-elect Obama to provide all students with a world-class education that prepares them to compete in our global economy and pursue their dreams.

Over the summer, Duncan testified before the Education and Labor Committee with mayors and superintendents of major U.S. cities on how to improve America’s schools and close the achievement gap:


For his written testimony, click here.
WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Rush Holt (D-NJ) issued the following statement today on a new report that shows that while American students are making some strides in math achievement, students in other countries still outrank U.S. students in overall math and science performance. The study, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),compares achievement among 4th and 8th grade students in math and science. The lawmakers said the report was the latest proof that the U.S. must re-double its commitment to improving math and science education, in part by drawing effective, qualified teachers to these subject areas.

"Child Labor Enforcement: Are We Adequately Protecting our Children?"

Workforce Protections Subcommittee Hearing 11:00 AM, September 23, 2008
This hearing examined whether the Department of Labor is doing enough to enforce U.S. child labor laws and will explore the impact of child labor on families.

"Examining the Role of Museums and Libraries in Strengthening Communities"

Healthy Families and Communities Hearing 9:30 AM, September 11, 2008

"Challenges Facing Bureau of Indian Education Schools in Improving Student Achievement"

Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Hearing 10:00 AM, September 9, 2008

"Caring for the Vulnerable: The State of Social Work in America"

Healthy Families and Communities Hearing 3:00 PM, July 29, 2008

"The Benefits of Physical and Health Education for Our Nation's Children"

Full Committee Hearing 10:00 AM, July 24, 2008

Recent Education Legislative Victories

In the past few weeks, the Committee has been hard at work pushing forward many key education measures. 

"Restoring America’s Leadership Through Scholarships for Undergraduates from Developing Countries: The Uniting Students in America (USA) Proposal"

Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness Subcommittee and Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness and Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizationas, Human Rights, and Oversight Hearing 9:30 AM, June 19, 2008

"H.R. 2343, Education Begins at Home Act"

Full Committee Hearing 10:00 AM, June 11, 2008
The Committee held a hearing on bipartisan legislation that would help strengthen American families and help more children arrive at school ready to succeed by expanding access to early childhood home visitation programs for parents and children.

Research shows that these programs, which provide a variety of services ranging from pre-natal medical care to school readiness and family literacy programs, can help improve student achievement, reduce child abuse rates, improve early identification of developmental delays and disabilities, and improve access to health services.

"Modern Public School Facilities: Investing in the Future"

Full Committee Hearing 10:30 AM, February 13, 2008

"The No Child Left Behind Act's Impact on Indian Education"

9:30 AM, April 28, 2007
Sacaton, Arizona

"Improving the No Child Left Behind Act's Accountability System"

9:30 AM, April 27, 2007
San Rafael, California

"NCLB: Preventing Dropouts and Enhancing School Safety"

Full Committee Hearing 3:00 PM, April 23, 2007

"Mismanagement and Conflicts of Interest in the Reading First Program"

Full Committee Hearing 9:00 AM, April 20, 2007

"Renewing the Spirit of National and Community Service"

Healthy Families and Communities Hearing 10:30 AM, April 19, 2007

"Local Perspectives on the No Child Left Behind Act"

11:00 AM, April 12, 2007
Flint, Michigan

"Examining Unethical Practices in the Student Loan Industry"

Full Committee Hearing 10:30 AM, March 24, 2007

"Improving Head Start for America's Children"

Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Hearing 10:30 AM, February 28, 2007

"Strengthening Communities: An Overview of Service and Volunteering in America"

Healthy Families and Communities Hearing 2:00 PM, February 27, 2007
2181 Rayburn House Office Building | Washington, DC 20515 | 202-225-3725
Plugins | Privacy Policy | Republican Views