CEC Policy Insider

We’ve Got Issues…

Issue Briefs, that is! 

CEC has recently unveiled a series of 8 issue briefs on the most timely special/gifted education policy topics under discussion in Congress:

• Improving Outcomes for Children with Disabilities Through High-Quality Early Learning Program
• Promoting Access & Achievement for Children and Youth with Exceptionalities in PK-12 Education
• Advancing Higher Education & Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities
• Preparing Future Educators to Meet the Needs of Children with Disabilities
• Special Education Research & Development: Supporting Educational Excellence for Children & Youth with Disabilities
• Expanding the Federal Role in Gifted Education
• Investing in Special & Gifted Education: Impacting 10 Million Children & Families
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Last month, advocates from across the country attended CEC’s National Legislative Conference and shared these issue briefs with their elected officials.  We hope you’ll do the same!   Visit CEC’s Legislative Action Center to write to your Senators or Representative today! 

CEC and the National Association for Gifted Children Commend Congressional Support for the Javits Act

 

 

 

Last week, CEC and the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) presented a press release that commended the actions by key leaders in Congress to restore funding to support The Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act.

The Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act, which was defunded by Congress in FY 2011, is now being included in the newly released Fiscal Year 2014 spending bill. $5 million dollars in funding is set to be restored.

NAGC and CEC have long advocated for a greater investment in the Javits Act, working closely with Senate Appropriations Chair Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). Despite years of modest funding, the Javits program has enjoyed a strong record of success, helping to develop strategies that teachers have used to recognize high-potential and serve gifted students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

The Javits Act is among many other programs that are set to be funded as part of a bipartisan $1.1 Trillion federal funding bill. This bill contains numerous CEC supported investments in special and gifted education programs featured in last week’s Policy Insider. 

Click here to read the full news release.

Bipartisan Funding Proposal Increases Special, Gifted Education Funding at CEC’s Urging

Pinch yourself – the unthinkable has happened: House and Senate Republican and Democratic leaders have come to an agreement.

Last night, in a rebuke of sequestration and the sweeping funding cuts it mandated, lawmakers on Capitol Hill unveiled a bipartisan $1.1 Trillion federal funding bill, which contains numerous CEC supported investments in special and gifted education programs, including:

• $500 Million increase in IDEA’s program for school-aged children;
• $19 Million increase in IDEA’s infants and toddlers with disabilities program;
• $7.6 Million increase in IDEA’s technical assistance and dissemination program (this funding will be used to support Special Olympics);
• $7 Million increase for IDEA’s parent information centers;
• $6.7 Million increase for research in special education;
• $5 Million for the Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act which has not been funded since 2011.

For the last year, school districts across the county have been reeling from budget cuts caused by sequestration, which slashed special education by over $600 million.  This about-face will help schools across the nation fix some of the damage caused by sequestration.  

These gains are particularly notable considering the polarizing fiscal climate on Capitol Hill which resulted in a 16-day shutdown of the federal government last fall.  While CEC recognizes that a far greater investment is necessary to adequately fund all IDEA programs – particularly key programs not receiving increases this year: IDEA’s preschool and personnel preparation programs, among others – the FY 2014 federal funding bill represents a positive step for students, families and educators.  

CEC, together with its members, have come out in full force advocating for a greater investment in special and gifted education programs, sharing stories about how children and youth with exceptionalities have been impacted by federal austerity measures.  Thank you for sharing your story – clearly, it’s made a difference!

Congress is expected to vote on the FY 2014 funding bill – also known as the omnibus – in the coming days before it will be sent to President Obama for his signature.  And, in just a few weeks, President Obama is expected to release his FY 2015 budget proposal, marking the beginning of another federal funding cycle.

Join our advocacy efforts to support an even greater investment in special, gifted education by emailing pubpol@cec.sped.org

TALENT Act Charts New Course for Gifted, High-Ability Students

This CEC-endorsed bill focuses on teacher development, closing the “excellence gap.”

Did you know …

-      In California, only 1% of African American and Hispanic students scored at the ‘advanced’ level on the 8^th grade math NAEP assessment, as compared to 11% of white students.  (This achievement gap exists in every state)

-      High‐achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds, when compared to their more advantaged peers, are twice as likely to drop out of school; more likely to lose ground as they move forward in their schooling; and are less likely to attend or graduate from college. (More here)

-      African American and Hispanic students are underrepresented in gifted education programs. (More here)

-      90% of teachers in a national survey reported that they would like more professional development to better educate high‐ability students.

CEC is applauding the leadership of Senators Grassley (R-IA), Casey (D-PA) and Mikulski (D-MD) for introducing To Aid Gifted and High-Ability Learners by Empowering the Nation’s Teachers (TALENT) Act, bipartisan legislation introduced on Monday which directly addresses these issues.

The TALENT Act expands the focus of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), in four key areas:  

1. Supporting Educator Development to Ensure Academic Growth for High-Ability Students: The TALENT Act recognizes the critical role of teachers as the catalyst for learning and academic growth and as such seeks to expand professional development opportunities in gifted education pedagogy for teachers nationwide.
   
   
2. Confronting and Addressing the National Excellence Gap: The TALENT Act responds directly to recent research demonstrating a growing “excellence gap” at the top achievement levels between students from low-income or minority backgrounds and their more advantaged peers by emphasizing opportunities for students who are economically disadvantaged, English language learners, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from rural areas throughout the bill.
   
   
3. Providing Public Transparency of Student Achievement Data: The TALENT Act emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the highest performance levels in the accountability system, with an emphasis on closing the “excellence gap”.
   
   
4. Continuing Research and Dissemination on Best Practices in Gifted Education The TALENT Act recognizes that the expanding research in gifted education is the foundation for the success of our nation’s students with gifts and talents.

CEC  -- together with the National Association for Gifted Children – have worked closely with Congressional leaders to support the introduction of the TALENT Act. This legislation comes at a pivotal time as Congress is long overdue to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, better known as No Child Left Behind.  Read CEC’s full press release here.

Tell your Senators to support the TALENT Act!

It is critical that you contact your Senators and ask that they cosponsor the TALENT Act.  CEC’s Legislative Action Center makes this easy, simply enter your zip code and personalize a pre-written email to get in immediate contact with your Senators.

Click here to see what Senators Grassley, Casey, and Mikulski had to say about the TALENT Act.

Click here to read Radio Iowa’s coverage of the TALENT Act

Sequestration is Fast Approaching: CEC Shares Concerns with White House

Sequestration, the DC name for $85 billion dollars of across the board budget cuts, is less than 10 days away. If Congress and the Administration fail to act, the US Dept. of Education will lose $2.5 billion dollars on March 1. On February 19, CEC attended a speech that President Obama delivered at the White House in which he urged Congress to take all needed steps to ensure that sequestration cuts, which he described would have the impact of a “meat cleaver” do not occur. View his remarks here.

Following this speech, CEC attended a meeting with representatives from other national education associations and top level White House education policy staff. At this meeting, CEC presented specific concerns about how sequestration cuts will impact special educators and children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. Read this Q&A for more information. White House staff is working with the education community to understand how budget cuts over the past few years have impacted education and how districts will be forced to cut if sequestration occurs.

According to CEC and CASE members, districts have made several cuts over the last few years and thus, sequestration is most likely to mean job cuts. IDEA is projected to lose $600 million in the next seven months. Districts will see reduced amounts in their July 1 allocations, thus this cut will impact the 2013-2014 school year.

We need your help!

Do 2 things – (1) send a letter to your members of Congress and share your concerns directly with them. It’s easy! Click here and use our Legislative Action Center – all you have to know is your zipcode. (2) Personalize the Op-Ed we have drafted for you and send it to media outlets in your area. These are 2 highly effective, easy and quick ways to ensure your concerns get noticed.