What's News in Education

Copies of the U.S. Government budget for Fiscal Year 2012

The Obama administration this week released its spending proposal for the fiscal year of 2012, according to an article on EdWeek.  The administration is asking for $77.4 billion in education funding, a 4 percent increase from 2010 funding. 

The Obama administration proposal follows the Feb. 10^th proposal of House Republicans to cut education funding by $4.9 billion for 2011.  The Republican proposal would cut Title I funding by $693.5 million, and would cut special education funding by $557 million from its 2010 budget of $11.5 billion.  The Head Start program, which provides resources and education to disadvantaged pre-school children, would face the largest reduction, a cut of $1 billion.  The Republican proposal would also cut funding to many smaller literacy and education programs. 

President Obama recognizes the need to reduce federal spending, but said “education is an investment that we need to win the future.”  The proposal put forth by the Obama administration seeks to increase funding for Title I and special education, which affect school districts across the country.  The administration seeks an increase of $300 million for Title I, a reading program for disadvantaged students.  It also looks to increase special education funding by $200 million.  

The administration repeats a previous proposal   “asking Congress to combine 38 programs into 11 broader funding streams.”  For example, several smaller programs for improving teacher quality would be combined into a single program.  The Obama administration is also asking for funding to continue President Obama’s Race To The Top program, which according to the official website,  the US Department of Education is using to “incentivize states to produce measurable student gains,” rewarding schools with funding to implement their plans.

President Obama’s State of the Union speech on January 25 addressed many topics, including education.  Before and after the President’s speech, transcripts were made available to the public and news media, including the Huffington Post. 

President Obama stated that if we want to “win the future,” then we have to “win the race to educate our kids.”  He reminded listeners that the U.S. is falling behind other nations in math and science proficiency.  He challenged citizens and parents, asking if they were “willing to do what’s necessary to give every child a chance to succeed.”  He reminded parents and families of their role in education, and of “instill(ing) the love of learning in a child.”  The President referred to a program called Race to the Top, which he said “should be the approach we follow … as we replace No Child Left Behind with a law that is more flexible and focused on what’s best for our kids.”

President Obama continued his speech to promote the need for good teachers.  We need to reward good teachers, he said, and stop making excuses for bad teachers.  The President spoke to young people contemplating their future careers, “If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation; if you want to make a difference in the life of a child — become a teacher.”  He concluded that if we raise expectations and support childrens’ education, the country could reach a goal he set in 2009; that “by the end of the decade, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” 

An article on  ABC News further explains the Race to the Top program, which President Obama established in early 2009.  “The $4.3 billion program was part of the Recovery Act and is designed to reward states that are “implementing significant education reforms.””  This is less than 1 percent of what the U.S spends on education.  Schools that have good plans to reform education are being financially rewarded.  ABC News further explains that this competition has led to 35 states adopting “rigorous common academic standards in reading and math,” and changing laws and policies to improve education.  Some critics question the possibility of some schools being left behind in the competition, or doubt the long-term effectiveness of the plan.