• House Approves Funding for Education Programs for Current Year
• CEC to Co-Host Congressional Briefing on Universal Design for Learning
• New Website Unveiled to Assist Educators
• National Board of Education Sciences Announces New Chairman

House Approves Funding for Education Programs for Current Year
While the current federal fiscal year (FY 2007) began back on October 1, 2006, Congress is only now finalizing funding for numerous programs, including education. When the new Democratic-led Congress took control in January, it faced unfinished funding bills left over from the previous Congress. For the last four months, many federal programs have continued to operate due to stopgap funding measures until the new 110th Congress could address the overdue funding bills. On Wednesday, the House passed the fiscal year 2007 funding measure by a vote of 286-140.

While most education programs were funded at fiscal year 2006 levels, the following programs received increases: $200 million more for IDEA Part B, $125 million more for Title I, $104 million more for Head Start, and $620 million more for the Pell Grant program. While CEC is supportive of the increase the House approved for IDEA Part B, it remains concerned that other areas of IDEA addressing early childhood, preschool and supporting programs, remain woefully under funded. CEC has urged Congress to increase funding for all programs funded under IDEA when it considers funding for fiscal year 2008.

All indications from the House passed funding measure is that the Javits program for students with gifts and talents will remain funded at last year’s level of $9.5 million. Unfortunately, last year’s level was a cut from the previous year, and as a result no new gifted and talented grants were made available. Year after year, the Javits program faces elimination. CEC actively advocates for additional funding for the Javits program and will continue to do so for fiscal year 2008.

The Senate is expected to consider funding for fiscal year 2007 during the week of February 12. CEC urges its members to use the Legislative Action Center to tell the Senate to approve the House approved funding resolution.

Thank you to all who have contact their elected officials over the past few weeks urging for increased funding for education programs – particularly IDEA and the Javits program.

Tell your Senators to support increased funding for IDEA and the Javits program!

CEC to Co-Host Congressional Briefing on Universal Design for Learning
On February 23, 2007 CEC, in collaboration with other organizations, will co-host a briefing for members of Congress, their staffs and other interested parties on Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is a promising strategy to assist struggling schools by improving achievement for all students, including students with disabilities, minority and economically disadvantaged students, and those with limited English proficiency.

Based on years of innovative education research funded by the U.S. Department of Education and others, Universal Design for Learning is a framework for designing educational environments where all students can gain knowledge, skills and enthusiasm for learning. Universal Design for Learning has important implications for the implementation of IDEA 2004 and the upcoming ESEA reauthorization.

Speakers:

-- David Rose, Ed.D., Founder of the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) and a pioneer of Universal Design for Learning.

-- Grace Meo, veteran teacher, special education administrator and director of teacher professional development in Universal Design for Learning for CAST.

-- Austin Naughton, Special Educator and member of the NEA IDEA Special Education Resource Cadre who has implemented UDL in grades 6 through 12 in Massachusetts and California.

For more information, contact Kim Krocker-Hymes – kimk@cec.sped.org

Read CEC’s Universal Design for Learning on-line resources

More information on CEC’s Universal Design for Learning book

New Website Unveiled to Assist Educators
The Department of Education has unveiled a new website that is designed to provide educators with a wealth of information on various topics. The website, Federal Resources for Educational Excellence, http://free.ed.gov , is designed to provide resources on math, history, science, language arts and much more.

Visit http://free.ed.gov

National Board of Education Sciences Announces New Chairman
Craig T. Ramey, director of Georgetown University's Center for Health and Education, has been elected chairman of the National Board for Education Sciences, the advisory panel of the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education.

A professor and early childhood expert, Ramey specializes in the study of factors affecting young children's development of intelligence, social competence, and academic achievement. For more than 30 years, Ramey has conducted research involving children and families in more than 40 states. He has served as an advisor on numerous national early childhood initiatives and authored more than 200 books and papers.

The Institute of Education Sciences is the federal agency that oversees education studies and data collection. One of the Institute’s goals is to encourage educational decision-making that is based on scientific evidence.

Read more.