Legislative Report Archive: 2003

A weekly report of public policy issues in American education from Washington Partners, LLC, Washington DC.

12 December 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • NCLB Regulations on Assessments for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities Issued
  • Former Illinois Sen. Paul Simon Dies After Heart Surgery
  • Teacher Quality Report Released

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    Supplement: Title I Regulation on Alternate Achievement Standards, Summary of Key Provisions, December 9, 2003

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5 December 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • Special Education Regulations Due Out Soon; Changes Expected
  • Policymaker, Education Leader Panel Discusses and Grades NCLB
  • Conference Held on "Closing the Teacher Quality Gap"
  • Department of Education Highlights "Key Benefits" for LEP Parents
  • Report Sites Large Variation In States' Proficiency Levels
  • Department of Education Receives Second-Straight Clean Audit

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26 November 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • IDEA Moves Forward in Senate
  • Senate HELP Committee Files Head Start Bill and Report; Republican Leaders Initiate GAO Review

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    Supplement: Fiscal Year 2004 Appropriations: Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies PDF format

21 November 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • IDEA Update
  • Assistant Secretary Pasternack Resigns
  • National Science Board Releases Science and Technology Workforce Study
  • American High School Conference Held This Past Week
  • School Choice Report Released
  • National Board of Education Sciences Nominees Announced
  • Senate 2nd Session Schedule Released

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    Attached along with the Education Report this week is a registration form for Washington Partners' upcoming December 15 conference in Washington, "AYP: Progress and Challenges", featuring Dr. Eugene Hickok, U.S. Under Secretary of Education, and Jay Matthews of the Washington Post. Sign up today! Spaces are limited and you don't want to miss this exciting conference! "AYP: Progress and Challenges" Registration Form (PDF: 103KB)

14 November 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • Teacher Quality Report Findings Do Not Bode Well For NCLB "Highly-Qualified" Mandate
  • NCES Releases Public High School Dropout and Completion Analysis
  • Energy Secretary Abraham Announces Dept. of Energy 20-Year Science Facility Plan
  • Senate Commerce Committee Holds Hearing About States' Use of Tobacco Settlement Funds

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    Attached along with the Education Report this week is a registration form for Washington Partners' upcoming December 15 conference in Washington, "AYP: Progress and Challenges", featuring Dr. Eugene Hickok, U.S. Under Secretary of Education, and Jay Matthews of the Washington Post. Sign up today! Spaces are limited and you don't want to miss this exciting conference! "AYP: Progress and Challenges" Registration Form (PDF: 111KB)

7 November 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • IDEA Conference Report Filed
  • Bush Announces New Deputy Secretary of Education Nominee
  • Senate Hearing on New Freedom Commission on Mental Health Report
  • NAEP Pre-Release Briefing on Nation's Report Card on Reading and Math

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    Attached along with the Education Report this week is a registration form for Washington Partners' upcoming December 15 conference in Washington, "AYP: Progress and Challenges", featuring Dr. Eugene Hickok, U.S. Under Secretary of Education, and Jay Matthews of the Washington Post. Sign up today! Spaces are limited and you don't want to miss this exciting conference! "AYP: Progress and Challenges" Registration Form (PDF: 103KB)

31 October 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • Senate HELP Committee Endorses Head Start Bill
  • Bush Announces New Undersecretary of Education Nominee
  • Senate Holds Intellectual Diversity on America's College Campuses Hearing
  • House Science Committee Holds Math and Science Partnership Implementation Hearing
  • Teacher Quality Enhancement Gets Attention in Senate Democrat HEA Bill
  • NCES Nominee Passes HELP Committee, Will Likely Stall in Full Senate
  • Americans Want Children Safe, Supervised, with Opportunities to Learn after School

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24 October 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • House Approves Two Higher Education Bills
  • IDEA Reauthorization Still Awaiting Senate Floor Action
  • National Governors Association Releases Report on School Improvement
  • Brookings Institute Releases Report on American Education
  • Jobs for the Future Conference Hears Calls For More Academic-Focused Career Education Programs

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17 October 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • Office of Indian Education Upgraded By ED
  • ED Awards Two More Alternate Teacher Certification Grants
  • Alternative Crediting for Schools of Education Supported by Department of Education
  • Funding for Reading Professors Awarded
  • Congress Moves Forward on HEA Reauthorization

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10 October 2003

3 October 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • GAO Releases Report on Head Start
  • US Department of Education Awards Grant to Alternative Teacher Certification Group
  • High School Reforms In the News

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26 September 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige Delivers Annual Back-to-School Address
  • Bush Nominates New Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education
  • House Committee Endorses Graduate Education Bill
  • IDEA Vote in the Senate in October?
  • Civics Ed In the Spotlight
  • ED Issues Notice of Proposed Rule Making on Faith-Based Groups

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18 September 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • Subcommittee Adopts Graduate Education and International Education Bills
  • High School Dropout Legislation Introduced
  • Study Suggests High School Student Dropout Rates Are High, Students Largely Unprepared For College
  • ED Releases Annual Report on Children with Disabilities; NCD Issues HEA Paper

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12 September 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • House Holds Hearing and Introduces Title VII Higher Education Act Reauthorization Bill
  • Sclafani To Be Nominated Next Head of ED's Office of Vocational and Adult Education
  • Science Committee Hearing on NASA's Response to the Columbia Report
  • National Youth Summit Comes to DC in November
  • Senate Amendments to H.R. 2660

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25 July 2003

  • Budget and Appropriations Update
  • FY03 Emergency Spending Bill Expected for House Consideration Today; AmeriCorps Not Included
  • Hickok Named Acting Deputy Secretary of Education
  • House Passes Controversial Head Start Bill/Senate Holds Oversight Hearing
  • President's Mental Health Report Released
  • National Reading & Writing Statistics Released
  • House Subcommittee Holds Loan Consolidation Hearing
  • Senate Republican Policy Committee Issues Pre-Emptive Attack on Mandatory IDEA Funding

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18 July 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • President Bush, Education Department Maintain Title IX
  • Democrats Hold Hearing On NCLB Funding
  • House Education Reform Subcommittee Holds Child Nutrition Hearing
  • GAO Releases Report on Teacher Quality: ED Announces New Teacher-Quality Assistance Program
  • NCD: Disability Policy Progress Report To Be Issued Soon
  • Legislative Outlook

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11 July 2003

  • House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill Passes; Senate To Follow
  • House Passes Higher Education Bills
  • New Head of OVAE Rumored To Have Been Selected, Announcement Pending
  • Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness Holds Hearing on Higher Education Affordability
  • NAEP Writing Scores Released
  • Pending Legislative Action

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27 June 2003

  • Keen Activity on the Appropriations Front
  • Senate Committee Unanimously Adopts IDEA Reauthorization Bill
  • Supreme Court Rules on University of Michigan Affirmative Action Cases
  • House Introduces DC School Choice Legislation

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20 June 2003

  • House Unveils Appropriations Bill; Senate to Follow
  • Senate IDEA Mark UP
  • Head Start Reauthorization Approved by House Ed and Workforce Committee
  • National Reading Statistics Released
  • American History and Civics Education Bill Passes Senate
  • Education Testing Services Commissions Public Opinion Poll on Higher Education

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13 June 2003

  • Senate Introduces Long-Awaited IDEA Reauthorization Bill
  • Appropriations Update
  • Head Start Bill Reworked To Address Title II Concerns
  • Boston Public Schools To Institute "Medical Residency-Like" Teacher Training Program

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6 June 2003

  • Deputy Secretary of Education Bill Hansen Resigns
  • Higher Ed and IDEA Events Next Week
  • Appropriations Update
  • Johnson Sworn In as Assistant Secretary of Education For Legislation and Congressional Affairs
  • House Subcommittee on Education Reform Holds Head Start Reauthorization Hearing
  • NCES Releases Condition of Education 2003 Report

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30 May 2003

  • House Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness to Mark Up Higher Ed Bills
  • OVAE Assistant Secretary D'Amico Announces Resignation
  • The Hill Reports Congress To Veil Approps Spending Totals: Stevens, Young to Contest Article
  • House Republicans Unveil New Head Start Bill
  • Special Education Update
  • ED Asks For National Education Technology Plan Input
  • Congressman Regula Expresses Interest In Approps Committee Chairmanship

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16 May 2003

  • Week in Review
  • House Committee on Education and the Workforce Holds First Hearing on the Higher Education Act
  • House Subcommittee to Hold Hearing on Teacher Education
  • Senate HELP Committee Mark-Up On History and Civics Act
  • House Hearing on International Education
  • Education Committee Approves H.R. 1170, the Child Medication Safety Act
  • Senate Set to Introduce IDEA Reauthorization Bill on Friday
  • New Report Shows Power of Community Schools
  • Ed Week School Technology Report Released
  • House Education Committee Passed Missing, Runaway, and Homeless Youth Legislation

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9 May 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • House Will Move Higher Education "Teacher Bill"
  • CED Releases Math and Science Education Report
  • Controversy Flies Over Interpretation of GAO NCLB Testing Costs Report

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25 April 2003

  • Congress Returns to A Full Plate After Recess
  • House Will Vote on IDEA Reauthorization Bill on Wednesday
  • Higher Education Act Reauthorization Gearing Up
  • National Commission On Writing Issues Report, Calls For Writing Revolution
  • ED Issues ERIC Clearinghouse RFP

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10 April 2003

  • Progress on the Budget
  • House Subcommittee Marks Up IDEA Reauthorization Bill
  • House Introduces Bipartisan LEARN Act
  • New Bipartisan, Bicameral Rural Education Caucus Formed
  • Inaugural Research Topics For What Works Clearinghouse Announced

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4 April 2003

  • Progress on the Budget
  • House Subcommittee Marks Up IDEA Reauthorization Bill
  • House Introduces Bipartisan LEARN Act
  • New Bipartisan, Bicameral Rural Education Caucus Formed
  • Inaugural Research Topics For What Works Clearinghouse Announced

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28 March 2003

  • Budget Passes Senate; Action Goes Behind Closed Doors
  • Appropriations Update
  • House IDEA Bill Generates Controversy
  • House Passes Keeping Children and Families Safe Act
  • Education and the Workforce Committee Passes Workforce Reinvestment and Adult Education Act
  • New Guidance Issued By Education Department

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21 March 2003

  • Budget Debate Continues
  • House Republicans Introduce IDEA Reauthorization Bill and IDEA Choice Bill
  • House Appropriations Subcommittee Holds FY04 Budget Request Hearing for Voc Ed Programs
  • New Proposed Rule Issued Regarding Accountability for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities
  • Online Teacher College Should Successfully Address NCLB Requirements
  • Early Reading First Applications Sought

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14 March 2003

  • House and Senate Budget Committees Pass Budget Resolutions
  • House Labor-HHS and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Holds NCLB Hearing
  • House Subcommittee Holds FY04 Department of Education Budget Hearing
  • "Personnel Excellence for Students with Disabilities Act" Introduced in Senate
  • House Holds Hearing on IDEA Reauthorization
  • HHS Department Seeks Projects to Address White House Plans for Head Start
  • A New Study Claims State Tests Influence Instruction

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7 March 2003

  • House Schedules Hearing on IDEA Reauthorization
  • Secretary Paige Testifies Before House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education Budget
  • House Passes Library and Museum Legislation
  • Head Start Hearing Held by House Education Reform Subcommittee
  • Bipartisan Senate Civics and History Bill Introduced
  • "Supplement-Not-Supplant" Language Deemed Unworkable By GAO

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28 February 2003

  • Education Report: Appropriations Update
  • Bush Administration, Governors, Congress Push IDEA Forward
  • Title IX Commission Files Report with Secretary Paige; Minority Report Also Filed
  • Funding For Education and NCLB: Differing Viewpoints
  • Department of Education to Hold Public Meeting On HEA Reauthorization

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21 February 2003

  • FY03 Appropriations Update: Bush Signs Long Overdue Bill
  • IDEA Reauthorization Creeping Forward
  • Department of Education News: A New Math Initiative and a "Clean" Audit
  • Varied NCLB Accountability Plans Under Review

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14 February 2003

  • Fiscal Year 2003 Omnibus Spending Bill Adopted by Congress
  • IDEA Reauthorization Moving Forward
  • STEP Program Helps To Improve Teachers' Subject Knowledge
  • White House History and Civics Education Forum To Commence Next Week
  • ED's Office of Voc Ed Wants Feedback on Tech-Prep Grant Program
  • Study Released That Contradicts Previous Findings on High-Stakes Testing
  • Columbia Disaster Does Not Discourage Interest in Educator-Astronaut Program

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7 February 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • Education Community Skeptical of President’s FY ’04 Budget
  • All States Submit Accountability Plans On Time
  • Voc Ed Community Gravely Concerned Over Bush’s FY04 Budget Proposal
  • Education Secretary Convenes Mathematics Summit

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31 January 2003

  • Appropriations Update
  • Democratic Senators Hold Briefing on Waning Republican Interest in Education
  • State of the Union Address Lacks Education Focus
  • Title IX Commission Meets To Draft Final Recommendations
  • Democrats Hand Out Committee Assignments
  • Teacher Quality Forum Held at National Press Club
  • New Chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts Confirmed; Rep. Shays To Co-Chair the Arts Caucus
  • Report Finds States Struggling to Implement No Child Left Behind

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24 January 2003

  • Senate Passes 2003 Omnibus Spending Bill
  • Democratic Economic Stimulus Plan Includes $6 Billion for No Child Left Behind
  • Six New Republican Members Join the House Education and the Workforce Committee
  • Study Finds School Segregation On the Rise
  • NASA Program Will Put Teachers in Space
  • Senate Receives Nomination for Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs
  • Education Funding: The Numbers

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17 January 2003

  • Senate Moves 2003 Omnibus Spending Bill
  • Senate Reaches Organizing Agreement
  • Senate Democrats Hold Civil Rights Forum
  • President Bush to Require Head Start Assessment
  • Susan Neuman Resigns as Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education

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10 January 2003

  • Progress on FY 2003 Appropriations for Education
  • Separate Partisan Events Mark the First Anniversary of No Child Left Behind
  • House Committee on Education and the Workforce Outlines 2003 Priorities
  • Appropriations and Education and the Workforce Committees Solidified on Republican Side
  • House Appropriations Chairs
  • Study Says Incentives Are Not In Place To Attract Teachers to High-Need Areas
  • Report Says NCLB Puts Strain on States

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3 January 2003

  • Senate Still Unorganized as 108th Session Begins
  • Department of Education Repeals Research Regulations
  • Department of Education Seeks Comments on the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act
  • Landmark Study Questions Value of Testing as a Boon to Student Achievement
  • Researchers Challenge Department of Ed’s Claims Regarding Teacher Quality

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