This week, both the Republicans and
the Democrats in the Senate offered their respective policy agendas
for the 109th Congress. Among the bills introduced are several pieces
of legislation aimed at reforming education.
The Republican bill: S. 9: The Lifelong Education Opportunities
Act of 2005;
Below is a reprint of a description of the bill from the Republican
Party.
"Purposes:
Setting high expectations and raising achievement for all students,
regardless of their background Improving accountability for results
providing flexibility for States to manage Federal program dollars
most effectively supporting a lifetime of learning opportunities
for students at all stages in life.
Title I - Head Start
The bill seeks to improve academic performance of Head Start children
require stronger fiscal accountability for federal program dollars
encourage greater collaboration between Head Start programs and
other federal and State programs.
Title II - Elementary and Secondary Education
Part A - Elementary Education
Encourages improvements in elementary education by improving access
to supplemental services
Part B - Secondary Education
Encourages stronger career and technical education programs that
- Link courses with needs of businesses Integrate rigorous and challenging
academic courses Emphasize academic content Create stronger partnerships
between high schools and colleges
Emphasizes stronger math and science education programs that -
Help students graduate with strong math and science skills Offer
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses in low
income schools
Title III - Teacher Preparation
Part A - Teacher Loan Forgiveness
Emphasizes the recruitment and retention of teachers by encouraging
the use of expanded loan forgiveness provisions enacted last year
Part B - Preparing Teachers
Emphasizes the important role that teachers play in improving
student achievement Improves teacher training programs at postsecondary
institutions Provides states with greater flexibility for using
teacher preparation program dollars Emphasizes high standards for
postsecondary teacher preparation programs will help improve teacher
recruitment and retention in high-need areas, including rural areas
Title IV - Higher Education and Lifelong Learning Opportunities
Part A - Higher Education
Encourages Congress to consider policies to - address the rising
costs of higher education promote student academic preparation for
postsecondary education encourage efforts to increase the availability
of financial aid information for those who need the financial aid
most simplify the student aid application process and improve the
administration of the student aid improve efforts to help parents
and students find and utilize information about attending and paying
for college improve the level of accountability in the Federal student
aid programs; take steps to ensure the long-term availability of
Federal Pell Grant funds by addressing the current Federal Pell
Grant program shortfall, exploring initiatives to reduce the time
to graduation, and making efforts to ensure the fair distribution
of Federal Pell Grant funds to eligible recipients promote quality
educational opportunities for all students, including nontraditional
students that will equip graduates with the skills the graduates
need to continue lifelong learning and succeed in the 21st century
workforce support stronger partnerships between businesses and institutions
of higher education strengthen collaboration between higher education
programs, and other Federal, State, and local education and training
programs promote the access to and affordability of higher education
through the use of technology and distance learning.
Part B - Workforce Investment Act Amendments of 2005
Amendments to the Workforce Investment Act:
The major themes of the WIA reauthorization provisions are:
Providing workers with the training they need to find new or better
jobs; Providing employers with an appropriately trained workforce
they need to compete in the global marketplace; Improving upon the
existing One-Stop Career Center delivery system to ensure that it
can respond quickly and effectively to the changing needs of employers
and workers in the new economy and can address the needs of special
populations, including individuals with disabilities; Better connecting
the job training system with the private sector and with post-secondary
education and training, social services, and economic development
systems to prepare the 21st century workforce for career opportunities
and skills in high-growth sectors; Removing barriers from the law
that have discouraged business involvement in workforce training,
while finding new ways to increase business and industry influence
in job training decisions in communities; Encouraging job training
and employment services to be demand-driven and responsive to the
needs of employers, both large and small; and Improving access to
services in all areas, including rural areas.
Amendments to the Adult Education and Family Literacy
Act:
The major themes of Adult Education Reauthorization are:
Holding States and eligible providers of adult education more
accountable for student performance by measuring outcomes such as
skill acquisition, entrance into postsecondary education, and employment;
Improving adult literacy services, including workplace literacy
services, services for adults with limited English proficiency,
and services for those with learning disabilities; Encouraging the
use of technology as a mode of delivering adult education; Providing
quality professional development for adult education instructors;
Strengthening the efforts of the National Institute for Literacy
with respect to literacy for children, youth, adults and families;
Encouraging linkages between adult education programs and postsecondary
education; and Promoting the development and application of more
rigorous research on adult education.
Rehabilitation Act Amendments
The major themes of the Rehabilitation Act reauthorization are:
Strengthening individual choice and transition planning for individuals
with disabilities; Creating a stronger link between the Rehabilitation
Act, the President's New Freedom Initiative and the Olmstead Executive
Order (13217:
Community-Based Alternatives for Individuals with Disabilities);
Increasing the opportunity to expand Vocational Rehabilitation partnerships
with business/employers; and Improving coordination with other employment
programs such as the Workforce Investment Act and the Ticket to
Work Act."
For more information on Republican bills recently introduced in
the Senate, go to http://frist.senate.gov/_files/toptensummary.pdf
The bill introduced by the Democrats in the Senate: S. 15: Quality
Education for All
S. 15 is a comprehensive education bill. Here is a reprint of
a description of S. 15 from the Democratic Party.
"Democrats are committed to providing a quality education
to all Americans because we recognize that education has always
been the cornerstone of equal opportunity. Democrats will keep our
promise to our children by increasing support for pre-school education,
fully funding No Child Left Behind and improving its implementation.
We are committed to providing safe and reliable transportation for
our rural school children and meeting the Federal commitment to
children with disabilities. Democrats will also address the shortfall
of math, science and special education teachers by creating tuition
incentives for college students to major in those fields.
We will help expand educational opportunities for college by providing
relief from skyrocketing college tuition, increasing the size and
access to Pell Grants and supporting proven programs that encourage
more young people to attend and succeed in college."
For more information on the recent legislation introduced in the
Senate by the Democratic Party, go to http://democrats.senate.gov/issues.html.
Source: CEC Policy Update, January 27, 2005 http://www.cec.sped.org/pp/legislative_update/modules/news/article.php?story
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