The Obama administration has outlined its goals for reauthorization of NCLB, now referred to by its original name, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in a “blueprint” that establishes the framework of programs that depart significantly from past approaches. Click here to view the document.
The new ESEA will focus primarily on improving under-performing public schools. The private school lobbying efforts continue for the equitable inclusion of its students and teachers in all programs that have served them well in the past. The challenge will be to create pathways for inclusion that will respect the uniqueness and independence of the Catholic school and avoid having to compromise and/or adopt public school mandates.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the official lobbying organization for the Church. They are organizing a campaign to remind the legislators writing the reauthorization bill of the importance of retaining the equitable inclusion of our students and teachers in the new law.
These are some of the talking points that could be included:
Since 1965, and in each subsequent reauthorization, ESEA has required the equitable inclusion of Catholic school students and their teachers. Currently, 80% of Catholic schools have students and teachers who participate in some ESEA programs.
Private school students should be included in all programs available to public school students similarly situated. Funds generated by private school students should be spent on them.
Discuss the importance of improving access for Catholic schools students and teachers to participate in federal education programs, especially in Titles I-A and II-A (professional development).
The extra value of your comments rests in your ability to provide examples of your schools’ experiences, both positive and negative, with regard to the timeliness and effectiveness of consultation and implementation of services for your students and teachers.
If your school has experienced a steady decline in the amount of funding available for services, then describe the negative effects of the inadequate funding. If your allocations have remained steady and adequate, describe the progress made by students over the course of the year.
The assistance of our schools is very important if we are to influence decisions to continue our equitable inclusion in ESEA. Please make every effort respond to this request. Comments are due to the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Pensions and Labor) committee by Friday, May 7.
Updated Information on Pandemic Flu Preparedness - H1N1 “swine flu” virus
A national flu summit held in Washington, DC on July 9th warned of a potential significant outbreak of the H1N1 flu this fall. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan all addressed the summit and urged parents, educators, health providers, and local, state and federal governments to work together to formulate emergency management plans.
On August 7th, the federal government today released updated guidance and a new toolkit to help school officials prepare for, and respond to, the H1N1 flu in the coming school year.
Guidance Document
This guidance applies to any flu virus circulating during the 2009-2010 school year, not only 2009 H1N1 flu. The new guidance recognizes the need to balance the risks of illness among students and staff with the benefits of keeping students in school. It offers specific steps for school staff, parents, and students to take given the current flu conditions as well as for more severe flu conditions.
A Communication Toolkit for Schools (Grades K-12)
The purpose of Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Schools is to provide basic information and communication resources to help school administrators implement recommendations from CDC’s Guidance for State and Local Public Health Officials and School Administrators for School (K-12) Responses to Influenza during the 2009-2010 School Year. The toolkit includes:
Questions and Answers about CDC’s Guidance for State and Local Public Health Officials and School Administrators for School (K-12) Responses to Influenza during the 2009-2010 School Year
2 Fact Sheets to Inform Schools and Teachers
3 Fact Sheets to Inform Parents
Information on Where to Find Posters for Schools about Flu Prevention
2 Template Letters (or E-mails) for Schools to Send to Parents
School Dismissal Monitoring: The current thinking is that no schools should have to close – but if they do because of extreme circumstances, administrators need to make sure that education continues. The toolkit advises school officials to “develop a school dismissal plan and options for how school work can be continued at home (e.g., homework packets, Web-based lessons, phone calls), if school is dismissed
The Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Education have developed a system for monitoring school dismissals that are flu related. School dismissals can be monitored in two ways: 1) by completing an online reporting form, or 2) by submitting an electronic PDF version of the form via email or fax.
Continuity of Learning During School Closures
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENSURE
THE CONTINUITY OF LEARNING FOR SCHOOLS (K--12)
DURING EXTENDED STUDENT ABSENCE OR SCHOOL DISMISSAL
The US Department of Education has prepared a resource to provide recommendations to help schools maintain the continuity of learning for individual or small groups of students who are out of school for extended periods and large groups of students disrupted by school dismissals or large numbers of faculty absences.
These recommendations present considerations for educators to plan for and improve their ability to provide continuous learning opportunities ranging from take-home assignments to online learning capabilities.
These recommendations and tools may be used to develop effective distance learning strategies and accessing new resource opportunities and by doing so schools can sustain student attainment and achievement during prolonged absences or school dismissals.
Pending the testing of a new vaccine, Secretary Sebelius announced tentative plans for a school vaccination program. Since younger children appear to be more susceptible to the disease, they would be the target population for voluntary vaccinations. Details will be forthcoming.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just issued guidance regarding school located vaccination programs (SLV).
The guidance document states that a SLV program "typically involves collaboration between public health departments and public and private schools/school districts." This should be pursued by Catholic school officials in conjunction with their local public health department and public school district office.
The document, 2009 H1N1 Influenza School-Located Vaccination Information for Planners is available by clicking here.
The information about H1N1 has been changing rapidly –and will most likely continue to do so. Please check this site frequently for updates as they are released by the CDC and/or U.S. Department of Education as well as the Catholic Schools Office in the local diocese.
ARRA Stimulus Funding - Education Technology Guidance Document
The U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance regarding the use of ARRA funds for education technology. The document clearly specifies that private and religious schools are entitled to equitable participation in both the local grant and competitive programs. Districts are also instructed to begin the consultation programs with private schools before any decisions are made about how funds will be spent.
The Section G: Equitable Participation of Private School Students and Personnel of the Guidance Document provides information that can be download and used in the consultation process with LEAs. Click here for the full document.
Support Full Funding for the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program
ACTION ALERT – CALL CONGRESS
Please call Congressional Leaders to urge your support for full funding of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.
The DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) is at grave risk. This innovative program has made a difference in the lives of thousands of low-income children in our nation's capital by giving them a chance at a high-quality education in a non-public school. Without action by Congress, this federally funded program will end in 2010, forcing these children back to failing public schools. Don't let Congress deny them hope for the future.
.in Washington, DC is that we continue to fail the majority of kids who are put in our care every day."
Don't let Congress deny them their hope for the future. The bill that appropriates funds for the District of Columbia, the Fiscal Year 2010 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, is scheduled to go before the House Appropriations Committee on July 7 and the Senate Appropriations Committee July 8-9.
New Employee Verification Form
Anyone employee hired on or since April 3, 2009, regardless of immigration or citizenship status, must complete a newly revised Form I-9, Employment Verification form. If a previous version of the form was used for anyone hired within that time frame, it should be discarded and the new one completed. Other forms signed prior to April 3, 2009 remain in effect.
All I-9 forms must remain on file for three years from the date of employment, or for one year after termination of employment. They must be available for inspection by authorized officials of the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, and Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website contains details and links to the appropriate forms and instructions. Click here to be linked to that site.
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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is expected to stimulate the economy with more than $100 billion earmarked for education. This is to be a one-time investment of funds that are to be spent quickly to save and create jobs and to advance effective reforms, while ensuring accountability and transparency in the effective use of funds.
These funds are to be sent to the State Education Agencies (SEAs) by the end of March and are to be spent quickly and efficiently. Therefore, it is urgent that Catholic school personnel responsible for federal programs (principals or diocesan office federal programs coordinators) immediately contact the LEAs (public school districts) to begin the consultation process regarding the equitable participation of Catholic school students/teachers/parents in the programs for which they are eligible. Click here for a sample letter than can be adapted and sent to the LEA.
All ARRA funding is in addition to the annual appropriations for each of the programs.
The bill is divided into two components that impact the participation of students and teachers in private and religious schools:
State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF)
$48.6 billion formula grants to the state governors to be used for:
support of public elementary and secondary schools for job creation/retention, additional school funding, etc (public school only)
promoting public safety and other government services, modernization, renovation, or repair of public school facilities and public/private institutions of higher education (primarily public schools, but could include non-sectarian private schools)
any activities authorized under NCLB, IDEA, Perkins Career and Technical Education or Adult Literacy education. (Even if funds are used under these programs, the equitable participation of private and religious school students does not apply; LEAS may but are not required to included private school students.)
$5 billion: Competitive grants awarded by the US Secretary of Education for innovative programs to improve education (public school only)
New SFSF Guidance Document issued 4/1/09 is available here.
Sections III-D-2; III-D-15 and IV-6 reference private schools.
Other Education Programs
Title I, Part A: $13 billion - ($5B available end of March; $8B late summer/fall)
$5 billion formula targeted grants (requires the equitable participation of private school students)
$5 billion formula incentive grants (requires the equitable participation of private school students)
$3 billion for Title I School Improvement Grants (public school only)
What does this mean for private and religious schools?
More students can be served: Increased funding may allow the LEA to expand the number of schools and grade levels served, expanding Title I attendance areas that had not been eligible previously. Additional funds can provide extended learning opportunities for Title I eligible students through before/after school and summer school programs
Additional funds can provide more professional development opportunities for teachers who work with Title I eligible students
What to watch for
Timely and meaningful consultation must take place prior to any decisions being made that will impact provision of services to students and teachers in private and religious schools.
Private school students in newly eligible public attendance areas/grades would be eligible. Poverty counts for these students may not be available; encourage the LEA to use “proportionality” as measure of poverty.
Waivers may be granted to LEAS regarding set-asides, particularly the 20% required for provision of Supplemental Education Services (tutoring) for public school students – if this occurs, funds should go into the equitable services requirement
Funds are to be expended by 2011 – waivers may be granted for roll-over of funds.
IDEA, Part B&C: $12.2 billion - ($6.1 available end of March; $6.1 late summer/fall)
11.3 billion: Part B - formula grants to states (requires the equitable participation of private school students)
$400 million: Part B - pre-school grants (requires the equitable participation of private school students)
$500 million: Part C - infants and children (not school based)
New IDEA Guidance Document issed 4/1/09 available here.
Sections F-1, F-2, F-3 reference private schools.
What does this mean for private and religious schools?
More children may receive services
children currently receiving services may be provide additional services as well as assistive technologies
More professional development opportunities for teachers
What to watch for
Timely and meaningful consultation must take place prior to any decisions being made that will impact provision of services to students and teachers in private and religious schools.
Proportionate share of funds set aside for parentally-placed students with disabilities is calculated acurately.
Title II-D, Enhancing Education Through Technology: $650 million (available in fall)
State distributes 50% by formula and 50% competitively (Both formula and competitive grants require the equitable participation of private school students)
What does this mean for private and religious schools?
More funding available to integrate technology into the curriculum
More funding available for professional development for teachers to improve effective use of technology as teaching tool
What to watch for
Timely and meaningful consultation must take place prior to any decisions being made that will impact provision of services to students and teachers in private and religious schools.
If the district is applying for/receives a competitive grants, private school inclusion is required – consultation prior to applying for grant should be conducted so as to account for the needs of private school children.
Federal School Lunch Program
ARRA includes $100 million for a grant program for equipment assistance for school food authorities that administer the National School Lunch Program.
Funds under the are provided in a proportional manner to states, which in turn provide competitive grants to school food authorities based upon the need for equipment assistance in participating schools with priority given to schools in which not less than 50 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced price meals.
Private schools that actually administer the food program in one or more schools that meet the poverty criteria should be eligible to apply.
Pell grant and college tuition tax credits: $30.8 billion (available in fall)
Early Childhood: $4.1 billion
$1.1 billion for Early Head Start (any providers are eligible)
$1 billion for Head Start (any providers are eligible)
$2 billion for Child Care and Development Block Grant program: voucher assistance for low-income parents to pay for daycare/after-school program costs from any provider (including Catholic pre-schools).
Helpful Resources
The U.S. Education Department’ ARRA website contains guidance documents pertaining to the rules for disbursement and uses of funds. Additional guidance and Q&As will be posted as they become available at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/index.html
Learning Point Associates website has links to estimated amounts of funds for Title I and IDEA by district: http://www.learningpt.org/recovery/
SAMPLE LETTER TO LEA TO REQUREST PARTICIPATON
March 31, 2009
Address to the LEA Federal Programs Coordinators
Dear
Intent to Participate – Request for Consultation Meeting
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides supplemental funding that is being dispersed by the U.S. Department of Education to the SEAs by the end of March.Since it will soon flow to the districts, I am requesting a consultation meeting as soon as possible to discuss the equitable participation of XXX school students, teachers and parents in the programs for which they are eligible.
The programs requiring equitable participation for the additional stimulus funding are:
Title I, Part A (formula targeted grants and the incentive grants)
Title II-D
IDEA, Parts B and C
Additionally, if State Fiscal Stabilization Funds are used for activities under NCLB, IDEA or Perkins Career and Technical Education, the equitability rules apply and should be part of the consultation process.
Since the consultation requirements specify that the LEAs must consult with the private school officials prior to any decision being made that would affect the participation of the private school students and teachers, I request that you contact me immediately to set a date for the initial consultation meeting.
I can be reached phone: XXXor by e-mail: XXX
Thank you very much for your prompt attention to this request.
Sincerely,
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NOAA Safety Alert Radios
After two years of negotiations, the private school community has been successful in its efforts to secure for its schools the safety alert radios that had been distributed to all public schools. The Office of Non-Public Education announced a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to distribute NOAA Public Alert Weather Radios at no cost to nonpublic schools and nonpublic school central offices,
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting official weather service warnings and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Working with the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System, NWR is a single source for comprehensive weather and emergency information. In conjunction with federal, state, and local emergency managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of hazards: natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 telephone outages).
Distribution Plan: Beginning in mid September, one radio will be provided to each Catholic school and diocesan education office. These radios will be mailed directly to the schools and diocesan offices under a loan arrangement with the federal government that is similar to other federal Title programs that provide goods and services to our students and teachers.
Included with the radio will be a license agreement and instructions about how to register and program it. Complete details about the program and instructions for acceptance are on the NOAA website.
The program is voluntary and provision is made for those who wish to decline acceptance to return them at no cost. Schools that have nto received the radio should contact Sr. Dale McDonald at ncea: mcdonald@ncea.org
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2008 Presidential Election Education Positons of NCEA
NCEA Statement Submitted to the Democratic and Republican National Platform Committee
(separate party-specific statements were submitted to each committee but are combined here)
This statement is being submitted on behalf of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), the largest private professional educational association in the world. Founded in 1904, the Association's membership represents more than 200,000 educators serving over 7.6 million students in Catholic education at every level: pre-school, elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, seminaries and parish religious education programs for public school children.
NCEA is committed to the goal of improving the quality of education for all American children, particularly those 2.2 million enrolled in the more than 7,300 Catholic elementary and secondary schools that serve this nation. America's Catholic schools serve a diverse population: more than half of these schools are located in urban and inner-city neighborhoods, serving children from low and middle income families; 14.1% of the students are non-Catholic; the minority enrollment nation-wide is 28.9%; these percentages rise significantly in most inner city schools. The academic success of Catholic schools, particularly with the disadvantaged, has been well documented by several independent research studies.
From the earliest settlements of this country, Catholic schools have served the common good of the nation and will continue to do so in a manner which recognizes that all children have an inalienable right to a quality education that is responsive to the rights of parents as the primary educators of their children. In 1925, the United States Supreme Court, in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, established as a fundamental principle of liberty that the child is not the mere creature of the state and excluded any general power of the state to force children to attend public institutions, consequently upholding the right of parents to choose other means of educating their children. As Catholic educators, the NCEA membership believes that all children are entitled to attend any school, religious, private or public, which will help them to achieve their full potential and that such choice is a universal parental right regardless of race, creed, neighborhood or the ability to pay.
The attainment of full and fair parental choice in education is NCEA's primary public policy objective. We advocate the enactment of legislation and policies which will maximize the quality of educational opportunities for all of America's children, particularly the children of the poor, by insuring that all parents have the financial capability to exercise the right to choose the school which is best for their children. We believe that educational choice can promote academic excellence by creating an educational climate that is respectful of parental concerns while fostering a competitive climate that results in greater school accountability to parents. NCEA members believe that the needs of students and their parents supersede those of entrenched educational bureaucracies. Public interest polls unfailingly demonstrate that parents overwhelmingly support full and fair choice. Furthermore, any publicly funded educational choice programs must include religiously affiliated schools if all parents, particularly those with low or middle incomes, are to have meaningful options.
Most parents who currently choose Catholic or other private schools for their children exercise this constitutional right at significant cost and personal sacrifice; they bear a dual burden of paying school tuition while also contributing their share of taxes to support public schools. The education of children in Catholic schools provides more than a $19.8 billion annual tax savings to the American people. We believe that government financial assistance to parents, in the form of tax relief, scholarships or vouchers, to enable them to choose any school, including religiously affiliated ones, will withstand First Amendment challenges. We urge the continuance of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, the first federally-funded scholarship program for under-served students that is changing the lives of those almost 2,000 student participants.
As educators, we support the national efforts at comprehensive educational reform for all children in all schools. We are deeply concerned about public school reform efforts and urge that they focus not only on the means to achieve academic success but also on the moral and social development necessary for children to become responsible citizens. We support equitable participation of all students and teachers in the variety of programs aimed at improving the teaching-learning process. We endorse federal assistance programs that address the particular needs of all disadvantaged and disabled children and therefore, support federal and local policies which provide for the equitable delivery of these services to children in both public and private schools.
The NCEA membership and the millions of families they serve are deeply concerned about the education of America's children and are eager to learn how the Democratic Party/Republican will address their concerns in the education portion of the platform. Our members are looking for political leadership that will give families the opportunity to secure the best possible education for their children. It is important to them to know that our national leaders enthusiastically support efforts to empower all parents to choose the education they believe best meets the needs of their children -- whether that be in a public, private or religiously-affiliated institutions. We strongly urge that the Democratic/Republican Party Platform include this concern as the linchpin of the education plank.
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July, 2008
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White House Summit on Inner-City Children and Faith-Based Schools
April 24, 2008
Disturbed by the fact that inner-city faith-based schools are closing "at an alarming rate," the President called on Congress and elected officials at the state and local levels to help preserve such schools and to extend "lifelines of learning" to the children they serve." He stated that “many inner-city children across our Nation, America's faith-based schools provide an option for a better future.As we continue working to improve urban public schools through the No Child Left Behind Act, we must also work to preserve important educational alternatives for underserved students attending chronically underperforming public schools.”
The President received great applause when he stated “ensuring that faith-based schools can continue to serve inner-city children requires a commitment from the federal government”. He noted that the federal government uses taxpayers' money to empower faith-based organizations to help meet critical needs throughout the country in social services, health care and higher education services, and said that “we should use the same philosophy to provide federal funds to help inner-city families find greater choices in educating their children.”
"We have an interest in the health of these centers of excellence; it's in the country's interest to get beyond the debate of public/private, to recognize this is a critical national asset that provides a critical part of our nation's fabric.”
He reiterated his proposals outlined in the State of the Union Address calling for the enactment of a Pell Grant for Kids for K-12 education and the reauthorization of D.C. Choice Incentive Act that created the Washington's Opportunity Scholarship program, which has helped more than 2,600 children in D.C. find new hope at a faith-based or other non-public schools.
NCEA was represented at the Summit by (right to left) Karen Ristau, President, Dale McDonald, PBVM, Regina Haney and Barbara Keebler (not pictured).
Dr. Ronald Bowes, Assistant Superintendent, Diocese of Pittsburgh, addressed the benefits of the Pennsylvania corportae tax credit program while former D.C. mayor Anthony Williams listened.
Dr. Mary McDonald, Superintendent of Schools, Diocese of Memphis, (far left) showcased the Jubilee Schools renewal in Memphis
Rev. Joseph M. O'Keeffe, SJ, Dean of the Lynch School of Education at Boston College addressed
In December 2006, Congress approved an extension of the tax deduction benefit for expenses incurred by teachers in public or private elementary and secondary schools.
Eligible educators may be able to deduct up to $250 for their non-reimbursed expenses for the purchases of for books, supplies, computer equipment (including related software and services) and supplementary materials that are used in their classrooms.
Information from the IRS about the educator expenses deduction is available by clicking here.
National Study Comparing Public and Private Schools
On July 14, 2006, the National Center for Education Statistics released a study titled Comparing Private Schools and Public Schools Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling that uses a sophisticated statistical analysis to examine the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores of public and private school students.
The study analyzed the 2003 grade 4 and grade 8 math and reading results on NAEP assessments and
examined the differences in mean scores after selected school and student characteristics that are presumed to advantage private school students are discounted. The analysis takes raw test scores from a single year and applies statistical controls for demographic factors like race, income, and disabilities.
This study looks at results on one test score at a given time – it does not measure progress over time. Single-year snapshots of test scores provide limited information about student achievement and nothing about the relative quality of public and private schools.
Although the NCES report contains a Cautions In Interpretations section advises that these statistical hypothetical results are of “modest value," the press coverage exaggerates a modest hypothetical difference to make the inferences that public schools perform better than private schools.
Click here to read an NCEA analysis of the report and a link to the full text of the document.
The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2000(Public Law 108-265) contains provisions that mandate the adoption of local wellness policies, effective at the start of the 2006-2007 academic year. All schools that participate in any of the federal nutrition programs (lunch, breakfast, milk) are required to develop a wellness policy.
The law addresses, primarily, local education agencies (LEAs) who are directed to adopt a district-wide policy for all of their schools. The guidance document, detailing how the requirements of the law are to be carried out, makes specific reference to its applicability to private and religious schools that participate in any of the programs authorized under the National School Lunch Act or Child Nutrition Act.
Each private school may adopt the policy of the local public school district, or develop it own policy, or a diocesan superintendent may develop a policy for all of its schools.
In order to address, and combat, the growing health crisis of childhood obesity the law mandates that the policy detail actions that will help schools foster a healthy environment that impacts favorably on students' nutrition and physical activity. A local wellness policy, at a minimum, must include:
Goals for nutrition education, physical activity and other school-based activities that are designed to promote student wellness in a manner that the local educational agency determines appropriate.
Guidelines for reimbursable school meals, which are no less restrictive than regulations and guidance issued by the Secretary of Agriculture pertaining to the Child Nutrition Act and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.
Nutrition guidelines, with the objectives of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity, for all foods available on each school campus during the school day.
A plan for measuring the implementation of the local wellness policy, including designation of persons within the local educational agency or at each school with the operational responsibility for ensuring that the program goals are being met.
Opportunities for community involvement that include parents, students, and representatives of the school board, school administrators, and the public in the development of the school wellness policy.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Local Wellness Policy website provides sample policy language for each of the policy components, including: nutrition education, physical activity, guidelines for all foods and beverages on school campuses as well as other school-based activities that promote student wellness. It is available at http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Healthy/wellnesspolicy_faq.html#private
National Catholic Educational Association
ESEAcomments@help.senate.gov
