For Immediate Release
September 3, 2004
Strengthening Education and Job Training Opportunities
We live and work in a time of dramatic change. A generation ago,
workers often had one job or one skill for their entire career - often
with the same company. Today, workers change jobs, and even careers,
many times during their lives. These more dynamic times can result in
great opportunities for all Americans - if they have the education and
skills they need.
High-quality education is fundamental to achieving the American
Dream. In 2001, President Bush called for significant reforms to K-12
education through No Child Left Behind Act to set high standards and
produce real results so that every child in America would receive a
quality education. The President signed the No Child Left Behind Act
into law to ensure that all students become proficient in reading and
math and to close the achievement gap that exists between students of
different socio-economic backgrounds.
We are already seeing hopeful results. Math scores are up in
fourth and eighth grades across the country. Fourth graders in urban
schools are showing strong gains in both reading and math. And from
Georgia, North Carolina, and Maryland, to Illinois, Wisconsin, and New
Mexico, minority children are improving test scores and narrowing the
achievement gap.
The President's New Education Proposals
The President's new education proposals build on his first
successful reforms by:
- Ensuring high-quality education opportunities so every child begins
school ready to succeed: President Bush will expand efforts to
strengthen early childhood education, including Head Start, early
literacy programs, and early childhood development education for
parents.
- Ensuring every high school student graduates with the skills needed
to succeed in college and a globally competitive workforce: President
Bush proposed to increase funding for his Striving Readers program to
$200 million annually, and to establish a $200 million fund for states
to encourage schools to develop performance plans for entering high
school students. To ensure that high school diplomas are truly
meaningful, President Bush proposed requiring state assessments in
grades three through eleven - and he will support this effort with $250
million in annual funding. To strengthen online educational
opportunities, he is creating an eLearning Clearinghouse of online
courses available to students and adults. To reward teachers who
demonstrate success in preparing their students through increases in
student achievement, he proposed a $500 million incentive fund for
states and school districts.
- Ensuring every adult can access the skills and knowledge needed to
succeed in the workplace: The President proposed establishing a new
$125 million Community College Access Grants Fund to improve the
services that community colleges provide and encourage high school
students to continue on to college, especially for low-income and
minority students. To make worker training more affordable, the
President proposed to make loans available to help workers pay for
short-term training that leads to an industry-recognized credential or
certificate. And, the President's plan would increase post-secondary
education options and eliminate needless student aid restrictions -
particularly for adult students - giving them greater access to the
skills they need to succeed.
Background: Early Childhood Development for a Successful Start
Early childhood development is one of the best investments America
can make to ensure that children are successful in school and later in
life. Studies show vocabulary, letter knowledge, and phonological
awareness, in addition to social and emotional factors, have a
significant impact on later success in school. Whether in pre-school
or at home with parents or other caregivers, every young child should
have the opportunity to develop the skills needed to succeed in
school.
President Bush continues his efforts to improve early childhood
education through the Good Start/Grow Smart program, including his
proposal to strengthen Head Start. Additionally, the President will:
-
Give priority consideration for Federal funding to early
childhood programs in states that have a coordinated early
childhood plan involving Head Start, pre-K, and childcare
services;
- Continue volunteer parent early literacy training
through Head Start;
- Continue to fund research to: develop the
most effective curricula and programs for teaching children
early literacy and math skills; develop developmentally
appropriate measurements; and identify effective adult and
family literacy programs;
- Expand the Reach Out and Read
program, which seeks to make early literacy a standard part of
pediatric primary care;
- Continue and expand distribution of
Healthy Start, Grow Smart booklets to provide parents the
information they need to enhance their children's early
development;
- Engage faith-based and community-based
organizations to help provide parents with the skills they need
to advance their children's healthy development; and
- Increase
outreach efforts to minority families to better disseminate
effective early childhood development strategies.
Elementary and Secondary Education to Increase Student Achievement
While the No Child Left Behind Act is setting high standards and
increasing student achievement for schools across America, there is
more to be done to improve our Nation's high schools. Today's
statistics show that only 32 percent of high school graduates are
actually prepared for higher education or the workforce. Statistics
also show that nationally, of 100 ninth graders: only 68 will graduate
from high school on time; only 40 will directly enter college; only 27
are still enrolled their sophomore year; and only 18 will end up
graduating from college within six years.
The President knows there is no more important job than preparing
our students for the jobs and opportunities of the 21st century, and
that preparation must begin in the early grades and continue on through
middle and high school. President Bush is committed to building on his
Jobs for the 21st Century initiative to improve our Nation's high
schools and ensure that every high school student graduates with the
knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in higher education and
the workforce.
-
Better Preparation for High School. President Bush proposed to
increase funding for his Striving Readers program to $200
million annually, and to establish a $200 million fund for
states to encourage schools, with the input of parents, to use
8th grade test data to develop performance plans for entering
high school students. The proposal also utilizes computer
technology by requiring periodic classroom-based assessment of
individual students. Research shows that providing teachers
with weekly information on the performance of individual
students, with computer-generated suggestions on what to teach,
what to review, and specific lessons for remedial work, is
effective in accelerating student achievement and ensuring that
students do not fall behind during an individual school year.
- Better Assessments with New High School Tests. The No Child
Left Behind Act requires assessments to determine if a student
needs assistance in early grades. To ensure that high school
diplomas are truly meaningful, President Bush proposed
requiring state assessments in grades three through eleven.
This proposal would require states to add two tests in high
school phased in over several years, and Federal funding would
cover the costs of these new assessments with $250 million in
annual funding.
- More On-line Opportunities with the eLearning Clearinghouse. President Bush proposed creating a clearinghouse of online
learning opportunities available to students and adults. Today
there is no single place where students, parents, and adults
can search and compare available online courses. Under the
President's proposal, students will be able to easily search
for specific courses based on various criteria including price,
schedule, and type of provider including non-profit,
for-profit, and higher education establishments. The eLearning
Clearinghouse would also provide a user-rating system that
would provide feedback from customers on both providers and
courses.
- Extra Incentives for Teachers with Increases in Student
Achievement. President Bush proposed a $500 million incentive
fund for states and school districts that choose to reward
teachers who demonstrate success in preparing their students
through increases in student achievement. The Fund would serve
two goals: rewarding effective teachers teaching in schools
most in need; and rewarding effective teachers in schools that
are top performers in closing the achievement gap and are
meeting the annual targets of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Strengthening Higher Education for a Successful Workforce
The President believes that America has the finest system of higher
education in the world with a wide and diverse range of options
available. Yet, there is a significant shortage of workers with
post-secondary education. Eighty percent of the fastest-growing jobs
of the 21st century require post-secondary education or training.
Approximately 650,000 adults are in need of short-term training and are
not receiving it today.
Traditionally, the system of higher education, including student
aid formulas, was designed for full-time students between the ages of
18 and 24, who attend post-secondary education once in their
lifetimes. Today's statistics indicate that only about one-third of
the 15 million students enrolled in post-secondary education are these
once-in-a-lifetime students, and changes in technology and the new
economy are increasingly requiring individuals to return for additional
post-secondary education to upgrade their skills.
The President's higher education proposals make the system more
user-friendly - more oriented to the needs of today's students - and
ensure students have access to programs that will provide the skills
needed in the globally competitive 21st century economy. These
proposals will also allow students greater access to programs based on
recent technological advances.
-
Community College Access Grants. The President proposed
establishing a new Community College Access Grants Fund at $125
million to improve the services that community colleges
provide. Dual-enrollment and early college programs play an
important role in encouraging high school students to continue
on to college, especially for low-income and minority
students. The Fund would provide the following: an incentive
for community colleges to provide dual-enrollment programs,
which allow high schools students to earn college credit;
incentives for states to create policies to make it easier for
students to transfer credits earned at community colleges to
four-year institutions; funding to give scholarships to
students who enroll in and complete a dual-enrollment program
and who continue on to receive a bachelor's degree. Current
state funding rules do not encourage dual-enrollment programs
because high schools and community colleges each receive funds
on a per-student basis, and are therefore hesitant
- Opportunities for Life-Long Learning:
- Provide New Loans to Pay
for Short-Term Training. The President proposed to make loans
available to help workers pay for short-term training that leads
to an industry-recognized credential or certificate. These loans
would help many non-traditional students upgrade their skills -
including older workers, workers transitioning to new jobs, and
older workers pursuing a second career.
- Increase Flexibility of Federal Student Aid Programs. The
President's proposal would increase post-secondary education
options and eliminate needless student aid restrictions.
Specifically, the proposal would:
- Expand the availability of competency-based programs, as an
alternative to traditional credit-hour programs. Competency-based programs award students with degrees or
certifications when they have acquired the necessary skills
and knowledge, as measured through assessments tailored to
their degree program.
- Encourage post-secondary education
programs that allow students to enroll when ready and not only
at the traditional start of the semester.
- Eliminate the
so-called 90-10 rule to expand higher education opportunities
for low-income students. Under current Federal law, the 90-10
rule requires an institution to derive at least 10 percent of
its revenue from non-federal sources. This can be a
disadvantage for institutions that serve lower-income
populations.
- Increase online post-secondary education
opportunities by eliminating current Federal student aid
restrictions on distance education.
- Year-Round Pell Grants for Low-income Students. The President's
proposals would permit the availability of year-round Pell Grants
for students who are accelerating their program of study with the
intent of graduating early. Currently, students are allowed to
receive only one Pell Grant during a single award year, which
discourages students from attending school throughout the entire
school year so they can graduate earlier, including completing a
four-year program in three years.
- Improving Adult Literacy. The President proposed developing a
comprehensive web-based literacy tool for adults, which would
be made available in public libraries, community colleges, and
at social service offices, including Head Start Centers and
One-Stop job centers. This literacy tool will increase adult
literacy across the U.S.
The President's Current Initiatives to Improve Education and Job
Training
-
Striving Readers Initiative. The President has proposed a new
$100 million Striving Readers Initiative making available
competitive grants to develop, implement, and evaluate
effective reading interventions for middle or high school
students reading significantly below grade level. This program
complements the President's Reading First state grants program,
which provides comprehensive, scientifically based reading
instruction for children in kindergarten through third grade.
The proposal provides funds to approximately 50 to 100 school
districts for reading intervention programs to help middle and
high school students catch up to their peers in reading.
- Mathematics and Science Partnership Program. The President has
proposed a $120 million increase for the Mathematics and
Science Partnership program authorized in the No Child Left
Behind Act. The increase supports direct, Federal competitive
grants to partnerships to increase achievement in mathematics
for secondary students. The new 3-year competitive grants
would support projects that have significant potential to
accelerate the mathematics achievement of all secondary
students, but especially low-achieving students. The
initiative would focus on ensuring that states and school
districts implement professional development projects for
mathematics teachers that are strongly grounded in research and
that help mathematics teachers strengthen their skills.
- Improved Advanced Placement. President Bush has proposed a $28
million increase for the Advanced Placement program authorized
in the No Child Left Behind Act, bringing spending to nearly
$52 million per year. The increase in funding will help ensure
that teachers in low-income schools are well-trained to teach
Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB)
courses. Advanced Placement programs not only encourage the
growth of AP and IB courses, but also serve as a mechanism for
upgrading the entire high school curriculum for all students.
- Adjunct Teacher Corps: Bringing Experience into the
Classroom. The President has proposed a new $40 million
initiative to provide competitive grants to school district
partnerships with public-private institutions to create the
Adjunct Teacher Corps, with opportunities for professionals to
teach middle and high school courses in the core academic
subjects, particularly in mathematics and science. Many school
districts need personnel to strengthen instruction in middle
and high schools in the core academic subjects, especially
mathematics and science. The Adjunct Teacher Corps would help
alleviate this critical situation by bringing professionals
with subject-matter knowledge and experience into the
classroom.
- Rigorous Courses with the State Scholars Program. President
Bush has proposed $12 million in funding for the successful
State Scholars program to make grants available nationwide. In
August 2002, President Bush announced the State Scholars
Initiative, modeled on the successful Texas Scholars program,
to encourage high school students to take more rigorous high
school courses. Under the State Scholars Initiative, 12 states
have already received assistance in developing and promoting
strong courses of study, as well as providing special
incentives for students enrolled in these programs.
- Enhanced Pell Grants. The President has proposed establishing
a $33 million program to enhance Pell Grants to reward
low-income students who participate in the State Scholars
Program by taking a rigorous high school curriculum. This
program would provide up to an additional $1,000 per year to
students in the first two years of college who complete the
rigorous State Scholars curriculum in high school, enroll in
college full-time, and are Pell Grant recipients. Next year,
approximately 36,000 low-income graduating high school seniors
would be eligible to receive an enhanced Pell Grant under this
proposal.
- Strengthening and Modernizing Support for Vocational
Education. President Bush has proposed to modernize the major
Federal program for vocational education, the Perkins
Vocational Education program, to better serve the needs of the
21st Century worker. The President's proposal redirects $1
billion in annual funding from the Perkins Vocational Education
program into a new Secondary and Technical Education program
and requires that schools participating in the program offer 4
years of English, 3 years of math and science, and 3 years of
social studies as part of their vocational education
curriculum.
- Assessing Whether High Schools Are Producing Educated
Graduates. The President's plan includes testing 12th graders
in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a
nationally representative assessment that allows policymakers
to evaluate our Nation's education system. Today, states are
required to participate in the NAEP in 4th and 8th grades in
reading and math every two years. Extending this requirement
to 12th grade will enable policymakers and educators to assess
whether high schools are meeting the needs of students. It
will also help to identify areas where they are not meeting the
needs of students and to strengthen curricula to ensure
improvement in those areas.
- Presidential Math and Science Scholars Fund. To ensure that
America remains the world leader in the innovation economy -
and to ensure that America's graduates have the training they
need to compete for the best jobs of the 21st century -
President Bush seeks to expand opportunities for math and
science education in colleges and universities. The President
has proposed establishing a new public-private partnership to
provide $100 million in grants to low-income students who study
math or science. Under this plan, approximately 20,000
low-income students would receive up to $5,000 each to study
math or science. Students would have to be eligible for Pell
Grants to receive this additional $5,000, although this new
fund would be run separately from the Pell Grant program.
- Double the Number of Workers Receiving Job Training. President
Bush has proposed to reform the Workforce Investment Act to
ensure that job training programs work better for America's
workers, and to close the skills gap so we fill every
high-growth job with a well-trained American worker. The
reforms include: providing $4 billion in Federal job training
funds to state governors with less Federal red tape and more
flexibility; putting strict limits on overhead in major Federal
job training programs by closing loopholes and enforcing limits
to ensure tax dollars support training for workers who need it
- reducing overhead costs by an additional $300 million that
will be used to train 100,000 additional workers; and giving
workers more choices about their job training by increasing the
use of personal job training accounts called Innovation
Training Accounts (ITAs).
- Community-Based Job Training Grants. The President's Jobs for
the 21st Century Initiative includes a $250 million proposal to
help America's community colleges train 100,000 additional
workers for the industries that are creating the most new
jobs. This proposal expands the Department of Labor's
successful High Growth Job Training Initiative, launched under
President Bush in 2002, which has provided $92 million to 47
partnerships nationwide between community colleges, public
workforce agencies, and employers. These new grants will help
community colleges produce graduates with the skills most in
demand by local employers.
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