CEC Policy Insider

Health Care Law Contains Student Loan Overhaul

On March 30, President Obama signed into law the final health care measure, which also contained an overhaul of the student loan program.  In a diversion from the current system, the new law will eliminate the role of private banks who act as intermediaries in providing federal student loans and starting July 1, all new federal student loans will be direct loans, delivered and collected by private companies under performance-based contracts with the U.S. Department of Education.  This change is expected to save $68 billion over 11 years, much of which will be used to expand Pell Grants.  Additionally, the law invests $2 billion in community colleges over the next four years.
According to the White House, such changes will raise the maximum Pell Grant to $5,975 from $5,550 by 2017,  and provide 820,000 more grants by 2020. Additionally, the law makes changes to the repayment system by capping repayments at 10 percent of income above basic living requirements, instead of 15 percent. Moreover, if student loan recipients maintain their payments, they will have any remaining debt forgiven after 20 years instead of 25 years – or after 10 years if they are in public service, such as teaching, nursing or serving in the military.

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Child Find has Teeth! A Sign of Things to Come in IDEA Reauthorization?

Cases involving IDEA typically begin or end with the issuance of a prior written notice; either the school district has refused to initiate a service or proposed it, and parents disagree. Last week, the Ninth Circuit expanded this traditional framework.

In Compton Unified School District v. Starvenia Addison, a parent sued the school district seeking compensatory services because she alleged the district should have known her daughter, Addison, was eligible under IDEA, long before it found her eligible.  The facts, as alleged, are disturbing. While in high school, Addison failed all of her classes, played with crayons at her desk, played with dolls and urinated on herself. Still, the district continued to promote her from grade to grade. As the Court explained, “Addison’s mother was reluctant to have her ‘looked at,’ and School District officials decided not to ‘push.’” Finally, Addison’s mother requested an evaluation. The district granted her request, and the team found her eligible.

Delaware, Tennessee Awarded Race to the Top Grants to Implement Education Reforms

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced Delaware and Tennessee as the first states to receive Race to the Top grants.  As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the $4 billion Race to the Top program (RTTT) seeks to provide states with funding to implement education reforms in four key areas:
•       Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace;
•       Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals how to
improve instruction;
•       Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
•       Turning around their lowest-performing schools.

OSESRS Assistant Secretary Posny Testifies about FY2011 Budget

This week, Alexa Posny, Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) testified to the House of Representatives Labor HHS and Education Subcommittee Appropriations Subcommittee about the Department’s FY 2011 budget request for OSERS programs for students and adults with disabilities.  Dr. Posny was part of a panel called before the subcommittee to address Jobs, Training and Education. The panel also included administration representatives from the Department of Labor and Martha Kanter, Under Secretary of Education.
Dr. Posny’s testimony presented the Administration’s justification for its budget request, mostly relying on ARRA funds to justify its recommendation to flat fund IDEA. This year, despite requests for large increases in other areas of education, the Administration is recommending level funding of IDEA at 17% of full funding, level funding of Section 619 and Part C, and a slight increase to $3.6 billion for Vocational Rehabilitation. Dr. Posny directed her comments to employing individuals with disabilities and highlighted some discouraging statistics which indicate that in times of economic crisis individuals with disabilities take much longer than others to find employment. As Dr. Posny stated, “the eventual re-employment of individuals with disabilities substantially lags overall employment recovery when the economy improves.”

Federal Education Funding: Overview of K-12 and Early Childhood Education

In the federal government’s effort to ensure the U.S. has a well-educated and skilled workforce to compete in the global marketplace, several studies have been conducted.  The United States Government Accountability Office (USGAO) conducted a study on Federal Education Funding – Overview of K-12 and Early Childhood Education Programs.  The following questions are answered in the study: What is the federal expenditure on K-12 and early childhood education programs? – What are the characteristics of these programs? – To what extent have these programs completed evaluations?
Included in the study are special education grants to the states through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Find the complete study here:
Federal Education Funding: Overview of K-12 and Early Childhood Education Programs. GAO-10-51, January 27