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Please note: The following articles are merely excerpts.  Please click on the title link to read the full report. 

This Week in Washington: Focus on Education - Week of June 3

EXCERPT: This week, the Senate enjoyed a prolonged Memorial Day celebration, while the House of Representatives continued its movement forward on the FY 2012 budget. Two out of the 11 bills that fund federal agencies came to the House floor this week for debate. First up was Homeland Security. The House proposal would provide $40.6 billion for the agency, $3.4 billion less than was requested by the Administration. The bill had proposed cutting grants for first responders, but a national lobbying effort by firefighting groups convinced lawmakers to restore $320 million to the bill—a modest victory for the Democrats.

A second bill funding Military Construction and Veterans Affairs was also debated this week. That bill would fund programs at $1.5 billion below the President‟s request. The debate on the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bill gives Hill watchers their first glimpse of a new twist in the House FY 2012 budget process. Once debate has concluded, the Congress will vote on funding for the individual agencies covered by the bill—first, the Military Construction portion, then Veterans Affairs. This new policy means that when the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations measure reaches the House floor in the fall, Members will be able to vote on whether or not they want the bill to include any funding at all for the Department of Education. If new Republican members stay true to their campaign rhetoric, there could be more than a few no votes for supporting the agency. Read the entire article by clicking HERE.

This Week in Washington: Focus on Education - May 25 

EXCERPT: With the House of Representatives in recess last week, Capitol Hill had been relatively quiet until they reconvened yesterday.  Before leaving town for a district work period, however, House Education and Workforce Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) introduced the first installment of an expected series of bills regarding the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  The proverbial "first shot across the bow" makes good on one Republican promise regarding reform of this law-making it smaller and less costly.  Read the entire article by clicking HERE. 

This Week in Washington - Week of May 23

EXCERPT: Communities for Public Education Reform will hold its fourth annual conference from May 23-24, highlights include: Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education.  The Education Department has established 10 Regional Advisory Committees to solicit information from state and local educators, school officials, business leaders, state education agencies, parents, the community and others.

This Week in Washington: Focus on Education
EXCERPT: The Department of Education and the National Institute of Earlyl Education Research at Rutgers University will hold a conference call briefing to discuss and release the findings of the 2010 annual "state of Preschool" report.

This Week in Washington: Focus on Education - Week of April 18

EXCERPT: The Brookings Institution will hold a discussion on "Distance Learning: How it Can Transform American Education," to highlight the technological advances that allow fro greater learning opportunities and to examine policy proposals that can best promote distance learning in the United States.

This Week in Washington: Focus on Education -Week of April 4-8
EXCERPT: This Week in Washington, a weekly publication of WPLLC, provides an overview of upcoming events in Washington D.C. affecting American Education.  Please go to the full PDF to use bookmarks in order to navigate to your area of interest.

This Week in Washington: Focus on Education - March 28, 2011

EXCERPT: This Week in Washington, a weekly publication of WPLLC, provides an overview of upcoming events in Washington D.C. affecting American Education including future hearings, bills to watch, and important links.

This Week in Washington: Focus on Education  - March 21, 2011
EXCERPT: This Week in Washington, a weekly publication of WPLLC, provides an overview of upcoming events in Washington D.C. affecting American Education including future hearings, bills to watch, and important links.

Early Education Budget Update - March 18, 2011 
EXCERPT: It was Groundhog Day once again in the Nation's capital this week.  First the House of Representatives and then the Senate passed a 6th Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep funds flowing to all government agencies.  This CR will expire on April 8th.  On the one hand, it prevents a government shutdown while negotiations continue.  On the other hand, running the richest country in the world on a budget that changes every week seems a bit reckless.  CR number six cuts another $2 billion per week from the total that the government would have spent had the CR actually represented a freeze from FY 2010.  This CR, thankfully, does not make additional cuts to the Department of Education.

Early Education Budget Update - March 11, 2011 

EXCERPT: On Wednesday, March 9, the House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing titled, “The Budget and Policy Proposals of the U. S. Department of Education.”  The sole witness was Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, and his appearance provided Members the opportunity to ask about the Administration’s FY 2012 budget request for the Department of Education (ED).  While a number of Members asked the Secretary about individual programs of interest, the majority of Republican members focused on whether an increase in ED spending would be wise fiscally or in regard to sound education policy.

Early Education Budget Update - March 9, 2011
EXCERPT - Bad budget news for education funding just keeps on coming on Capitol Hill.  Last week, Congress was unable to agree on a budget for the remaining months of FY 2011 and in order to avert a government shutdown, they opted for a two week extension—with a catch.

Early Education Budget Update - March 2, 2011
EXCERPT: Over a week ago the House of Representatives approved a spending plan for FY 2011 that would slash federal spending and give the government $100 billion less than President Obama’s request for the year.  No agency was spared, and the proposed cuts to education totaled $10.5 billion or 15 percent.  Fifty-six (56) programs would be eliminated and many other high priority initiatives—including Title I, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Head Start and the Pell Grant program—would sustain serious reductions under the plan.

Early Education Budget Update - February 23, 2011
EXCERPT: The President struggled all last week to gain traction on the proposed FY 2012 budget he sent to the Congress on February 14th.  Though the bill called for a freeze overall in domestic spending, the news for the Department of Education was good—a $2 billion increase over last year and funding for many innovative-sounding new initiatives which included $350 million for the Early Learning Challenge Fund.  Soon after the FY 2012 budget proposal was released, however, all attention was riveted on the House of Representatives, where a free-wheeling debate on a FY 2011 budget plan was underway.

Early Education Budget Update - February 2, 2011 
EXCERPT: Last Tuesday, the new Congress took on an old tradition—hosting the President for the annual State of the Union address—and added a new twist by mixing up the seating so Republicans and Democrats sat side-by-side instead of being divided by party.  Building up to the address, pundits speculated that innovation, education and infrastructure would be front and center, and they were proved right.  President Obama also addressed the federal deficit, the nation’s involvement in the Middle East and the angst surrounding the controversial healthcare reform bill passed by the 111th Congress.

Weekly Calendar - January 31, 2011 
EXCERPT: Economic Outlook: The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing on "The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2011-2010.

Special Report: Budget and Appropriations - January 21, 2011
EXCERPT: The Republican-led House of Representatives made good on what they viewed as a major campaign promise this week - repeal of the Affordable Healthcare Act.  Though the tone of the debate was more circumspect than anticipated, the intensity of the political and policy viewpoints voiced during the debate made clear the deep difference between the parties.