Here’s a quick look at the news from last week (October 17-21) in Washington. ADMINISTRATION The Administration’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) that advises Secretary Duncan on accreditation issues will be publishing its higher education reauthorization recommendations in the Congressional Record in the near future. Melody Barnes, the President’s Domestic Policy […]

Here’s a quick look at the news from last week (October 10-14) in Washington. ADMINISTRATION Secretary Duncan released a statement supporting the Senate draft ESEA reauthorization bill:  “A bipartisan bill will not have everything that everyone wants, but it must build on our common interests: high standards; flexibility for states, school districts and schools; and […]

Here’s a quick look at the news from last week (October 3-7) in Washington. ADMINISTRATION The Administration released a broad plan focused on teacher preparation programs. Part of this plan includes negotiated rulemaking on the current federal teacher preparation reporting requirements to focus on a few key outcome measures, such as student growth of program graduates […]

Here’s a quick look at the news from last week (September 26-30) in Washington. ADMINISTRATION There continues to be a great deal of discussion regarding the Administration’s waiver proposals, and we expect further clarification through a FAQ document in the next few weeks. On September 23, the Education Department extended the deadline for collecting and […]

Here’s a quick look at the news from last week (September 12-16) in Washington. HOUSE The House charter school bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support of 365 to 54 on Tuesday. The House Education Committee held a hearing to “examine the Federal role in public school accountability” on September 14. State and local education officials […]

Here’s a quick look at the news from last week (September 5-9) in Washington. ADMINISTRATION The President announced his jobs package last night, which contains several components that deal with education and training issues, including funding for school construction for elementary and secondary schools and community colleges, support for state and local governments (including teacher […]

Here’s a quick look at the news from last week (August 29-September 2) in Washington. HOUSE The House is expected to bring the charter bill (H.R. 2218, “Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act”) to the floor next week. The bill was passed by the Education & the Workforce Committee in June, with a bipartisan […]

Here’s a quick look at the news from last week (August 15-19) in Washington. House Chairman Kline sent Secretary Duncan an oversight letter on the Race to the Top assessment consortium and their specific work on curriculum and instructional materials. The letter raises questions about whether the Department is violating prohibitions on Dept. influence over curriculum. The […]

Here’s a quick look at the news from last week (August 1-5) in Washington. HOUSE After passing the Debt limit extension, the House adjourned for the August break until the week of September 5, but will hold several pro forma sessions between now and then to avoid recess appointments. The Debt limit extension included provisions […]

Here’s a quick look at the news from last week (July 25-29) in Washington. HOUSE  The House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing on teacher issues under ESEA on Wednesday. Witnesses focused on a variety of proposals to use Federal funding to encourage States and Districts to improve teacher quality, reform teacher training, […]