Obama-Biden Education Change
A Current EdLog™ News Strand

Welcome to Designed Instruction's news strand on Obama-Biden Education Change, from EdLog™! On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama and Joe Biden became, respectively, President Obama and Vice President Biden. But what that will mean for education remains to be seen. Check out the campaign plans and philosophies, then follow here as the action unfolds in the coming months and years. Will they make a difference, or not? Postings are in chronological order, starting with the most recent.

NCLB revision officially part of Obama administration's goals
The NCLB push is on again, only this time it will focus on changes rather building support for the law as it presently stands. The revision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), is now an official goal of the Obama administration. The revisions mainly sought include flexibility and $1 billion in federal aid to fund programs that emerge as a result of the new reform efforts... The Washington Post (1/28/10)

Find out more about No Child Left Behind. Read and follow the trail of news on the law over time in EdLog's archived news regarding No Child Left Behind (2004-2007).

State of the Union Address 2010
Read about President Obama's State of the Union Address (January 27, 2010), where he feels we presently stand in the area of education, and what may be in store in the future... Designed Instruction's EdLog™ Announcements (1/28/10)

Give incentive to states to raise academic standards
Have we seen a lowering of expectations in states' standards in order to meet NCLB requirements for student achievement under NCLB? Yes, and now is the time to change that, according to Manhattan Institute senior fellow Marcus Winters in this opinion article. Here is why it happened, and how it should happen in the future... Los Angeles Times (1/18/10)

$23 billion to go toward averting educator layoffs?
On December 16, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 217-212 to redirect $23 billion in TARP funds toward state and district efforts to avoid teacher layoffs. Now all eyes are on the Senate... Designed Instruction's EdLog™ Announcements (1/4/10)

Race to the Top...
...funding guidelines were announced on November 12, 2009. The funds, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) signed into law last February, will go toward "ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform," according to the U.S. Department of Education Web site. For more information about criteria and deadlines, visit: http://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html

Strategies a must
To be eligible for the next round of stimulus funds, Secretary Duncan says that states will have to provide details on academic standards and turnaround strategies they plan to use in order to ensure teacher quality. The funds are worth $11.5 billion, and they are not tied to the Race to the Top funds... USA TODAY/The Associated Press (11/10/09)

President announces availability of $650 million in education grants
As part of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund, the funds will award up to $50 million for large-scale innovations to improve education on a regional or national level, up to $30 million for already successful reforms, and up to $5 million for local innovation... The Washington Post (10/6/09)

Longer school days?
The President and top education officials believe that more time in school (longer days and years) would go a long way toward boosting student achievement. Here why... The New York Times/The Associated Press (9/27/09)

Duncan calls for change in NCLB in 2010
In support of the accountability required due to NCLB, Duncan nevertheless hopes the law can go further in respecting the "honored, noble status of educators." USA TODAY (9/23/09)

Take on NCLB!
Read the advice Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus gives to President Barack Obama... The Washington Post (9/23/09)

Educators debate fairness of Race to the Top rules: Are they fair?
Check out the National Journal's Education Experts blog where contributors (27 experts, including Arne Duncan) debate the fairness of Race to the Top criteria. A number of issues will be contended regarding the stimulus disbursement of $4.35 billion in grants for education. For example, the criteria compels states to connect student performance to teacher and administrator evaluations... National Journal/Education Experts Blog (8/3/09)

President describes Race to the Top goals
President Barack Obama outlines his plans and goals for the $4.3 billion Race to the Top fund of $4.3 billion... The Washington Post (7/24/09)

Prediction: National education standards will encounter difficulties
There is supposedly support for national education standards from 47 states. The administration is behind it. Yet, some predict there is a lot of difficult ground to still to cross in establishing common standards for K-12 students throughout the United States... The Christian Science Monitor (6/28/09)

Streamlining college financial aid
Eligible students who have not been applying for federal grants maay soon be allowed to use the information from their tax returns along with a shortened application... The New York Times (6/23/09)

Federal cash incentive offered to states agreeing to national standards
Sunday at a conference hosted by the National Governors Association and the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, Duncan offers federal cash incentives to states for developing national standards for reading and math to replace a current hodgepodge of benchmarks in the states... USA TODAY/The Associated Press (6/14/09)

46 states agree to draft common education standards
Forty-six states and D.C. announce an effort to craft a single vision for what children should learn each year from kindergarten through high school graduation, an unprecedented step toward a uniform definition of success in American schools... The Washington Post (6/1/09)

Stimulus dollars at risk for states that do not embrace charter schools
Secretary Duncan warns that states using caps and other measures to restrict formation of charter schools may wind up not receiving any of the $5 billion set aside by President Obama to encourage the development of innovative programs in districts and states... The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)/The Associated Press (5/28/09)

A possible answer to the problem of failing schools
Arne Duncan and President Obama believe that a way to potentially cure the ever-present condition of poorly performing schools is to close the schools and than reopen them with an entirely new staff. This could include as many as 5,000 of the country's underperforming schools over the next five years... USA TODAY/The Associated Press (5/11/09)

White House seeking input on NCLB
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has embarked on a 15-state "listening tour." The intent? He and the Obama administration wish to determine which parts of NCLB should stay and which should go. "What do we need to do to get better?" he began by asking teachers and parents at Bunker Hill Elementary in West Virginia... The Washington Post/The Associated Press (5/5/09)

First round of stimulus funds released
Approximately $44 billion goes out to states in the first round of stimulus funds disbursements... Google/Associated Press (4/1/09)

President Obama wants "opportunity drive up college graduation rates": Duncan determined to deliver
Read this interview with Secretary Duncan as he discusses how this could come to be a reality. It's about saving teaching jobs, promoting a strong reform agenda, adding time to the school day, getting rid of poor teachers, rewarding excellent teachers, and getting tighter on quality standards and benchmarks while getting looser on the ways to help students reach those goals... The Washington Post (4/1/09)

Duncan threatens to come down "like a ton of bricks" on states that divert economic stimulus money
Though President Obama has said that the economic stimulus could save countless teaching jobs, some states may not actually spend that money in the manner intended, leaving an administration unhappy... The Boston Globe/Associated Press (3/31/09)

President ObamaÕs speech: "We cannot afford to let it continue."
President Obama gives his biggest speech yet on education. WhatÕs on the table? Fewer restrictions for charter schools, a longer school year, merit-based teacher pay, a longer school year, tracking of progress for individual students... Reuters (3/10/09)

Overhaul of student loan program imminent?
The Obama administration is proposing big changes to the college loan process. By processing the loans directly from the federal government instead of through private lenders, Duncan thinks that more students will be served, money will be saved, and grants will be increased... The New York Times (2/26/09)

Check out the White House press release on the proposal (above).

WhatÕs in a name?
Duncan's mention of renaming, or "rebranding" as he called it, the NCLB law brings interesting comments... The New York Times (2/22/09)

How to spend $100 billion?
Check how the education funds in the stimulus will be used... U.S. News and World Report (2/18/09)

Stimulus provides an opportunity for change
The $787 billion economic stimulus signed into law February 16 by President Obama did not contain everything he and Education Secretary Duncan wanted. For example, school construction funds did not make it through the combined House and Senate version. The plan will still, however, double the federal education funding over the next two years. It will fund the Head Start, Pell Grants, IDEA, and Title I. It should also be what is needed to bring about the change the voters asked for... USA Today / The Associated Press (2/17/09)

Rewarding innovation
Duncan claims that $5 billion of discretionary money in the stimulus package will support The Race to the Top Fund. This money will be used to help reward teachers and to develop better tests and data systems for tracking student achievement... The Washington Post (2/14/09)

Education portion of stimulus package under negotiation
House and Senate leaders revisit education allocation in the stimulus package following omission of billions in the Senate version Tuesday. Read on... U.S. News and World Report (2/10/09)

Senate bill drops large portion of funding for education
The U.S. Senate version of the economic stimulus package contains a great deal less aid for education than the House version, but it is still "vast"... The New York Times (2/9/09)

Duncan's opinion of NCLB...
Duncan: "I think we are lying to children and families when we tell children that they are meeting standards and, in fact, they are woefully unprepared to be successful in high school and have almost no chance of going to a good university and being successful." Read on... U.S. News and World Report (2/5/09)

College out of reach?
A study shows that two out of three Americans believe college is out of reach financially, even for students who are qualified to attend... USA Today (2/4/09)

First Lady visits Education Department
Michelle Obama speaks to the staff at the U.S. Department of Education. She offers "thanks" and notes that education will indeed be at the forefront of many of the Obama administration's efforts... The Washington Post (2/2/09)

Ring in the old?
It seems the past U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings will remain in Washington until 2010. So, what will she be doing? Read on... USA Today (2/1/09)

Full funding could be vital
According to many, the proposed $141 billion in education funding will help not only traditionally underfunded areas such as Title I and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, but will also contribute dramatically to jumpstarting the U.S. economy... U.S. News and World Report (1/29/09)

Could stimulus package change the face of education for the better?
So some argue. Read on... International Herald Tribune (1/28/09)

Does Obama Effect improve student performance?
Study indicates that President Obama's example may improve the confidence of young African-Americans, resulting in better test performance... The New York Times (1/22/09)

States to get $142 billion, but with strings
The economic stimulus proposal will pledge nearly $142 billion over the next two years. The figure is more than what is allocated toward health care, energy, or infrastructure projects, and many believe it is a major step toward finally funding No Child Left Behind... USA TODAY (1/19/09)

Schools to get bailout money?
Some have been asking for it, and now it may happen, though differently than many anticipated. The proposed federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill includes approximately $141 billion for education. Read on to find out what areas may receive funding and how much... U.S. News and World Report (1/16/09)

House votes to expand State Children's Health Insurance Program
The bill, passed by the House with a vote of 289 to 139, now heads to the Senate. If passed, it should raise the number of children in the program to around 11 million... Yahoo!/Reuters (1/14/09)

Duncan vows to "scale up what works" to raise student achievement
At his Senate confirmation hearing, Duncan also says that the Obama administration intends to expand early childhood programs, encourage charter schools, improve teacher training and recruitment, reduce the high school dropout rate and increase college access. He called education a moral obligation, an economic imperative and "the civil rights issue of our generation." Read about the hearing... The New York Times (1/13/09)

Advice from Spellings
Margaret Spellings, outgoing U.S. Secretary of Education, gives advice to Arne Duncan as he prepares for his new role as U.S. Secretary of Education... The Washington Post (1/12/09)

Advice from Ravitch
Diane Ravitch, professor of education at New York University education and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, gives advice to Arne Duncan as he prepares for his new role as U.S. Secretary of Education... The Washington Post (1/12/09)

Obama plans schools upgrade
President-elect Obama says that school renovations will be included in his upcoming economic stimulus plan. Although the amount he intends to dedicate to much-needed repairs has not yet been disclosed, educators say his sweeping school modernization program could give student achievement a boost... USA TODAY/The Associated Press (12/30/08)

The reason for Duncan?
Many supporters of Obama believe there were some excellent reasons for his choice of Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education. One is Duncan's penchant for experimentation. In his seven-year tenure, Duncan turned Chicago schools into virtual laboratories. Will the nation follow suit? Read on... The Washington Post (12/30/08)

Addressing children's hunger?
The Obama administration might stress the need to address hunger and obesity in our nation's schools. Tom Vilsack, the governor of Iowa and Obama's nominee for agriculture secretary, said he is looking to place nutrition at the top of the list in all food-assistance programs. Congress is scheduled to develop plans to reintroduce nutrition programs in schools in 2009... The Washington Post (12/24/08)

Obama priorities: Early childhood persists
During his campaign, President-elect Obama pledged to invest $10 billion in early childhood education. Should these plans go forward, they would represent the largest early childhood initiative since Head Start in 1965. Despite the recession, Obama's transition officials say the plans are still on... The New York Times (12/16/08)

Hopes high for new Secretary of Education
Many find Duncan, 44, an avid reformer, respectful of unions, open to other views, the right person for the job... Chicago Sun-Times (12/16/08)

Arne Duncan gets the nod
Chicago schools chief, known for taking tough steps to improve schools while maintaining respectful relations with teachers and their unions, is President-elect Obama's choice as Secretary of Education... The New York Times (12/15/08)

Where will Obama side?
Will he side with those who want to abolish teacher tenure and otherwise curb the power of teachers' unions? Or with those who want to rewrite the main federal law on elementary and secondary education, the No Child Left Behind Act, and who say the best strategy is to help teachers become more qualified? Read about the debate... The New York Times (12/13/08)

Group calls on Obama to appoint Internet safety specialist
A report from Family Safety Online Institute urges President-elect Obama to appoint a national safety officer to serve under the chief technology officer, a position Obama has promised to create. The suggestions call for research to the tune of $100 million and for a focus on educating teens about Internet safety issues, such as cyber-bullying... The Washington Post (12/11/08)

Education commissioners meet with Obama advisor
Education chiefs from 10 states meet with Obama education advisor Linda Darling-Hammond. The group began discussions regarding recommended early moves by the Obama administration, as well as how states could begin a process of changing their relationships with the federal government... Kennebec Journal (Maine) (12/3/08)