On August 13, 2021, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona told the Florida Governor and Education Commissioner that he was “deeply concerned about Florida’s July 30 Executive Order prohibiting school districts from adopting universal masking policies consistent with CDC guidance.” He told Governor DeSantis: “The [U.S. Education] Department recognizes that several school districts in your State have
The House of Representatives moved on two significant bills last week that included funding for 9 of the 12 appropriations bills. The first “minibus” appropriations rolled together seven bills, including the appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor-HHS), Agriculture, Energy and Water, Financial Services, Interior, Military Construction, and Transportation-Housing are rolled
Last week, Senate leaders and the Administration laid down a marker for a budget resolution that, if adopted by both houses, would open up a reconciliation bill for this fall. If passed by both houses, the budget resolution sets spending levels for the 12 appropriations bills, but in this case, it also includes a reconciliation
In a story highlighted by NPR, a new study underlines the economic importance of early childhood education. Research has come out that re-examines the impact of the Perry Preschool Project and its impact into adulthood. And the results are significant. The Perry Preschool Project (PPP) was landmark research based on a preschool program in Ypsilanti,
Last week resulted in an initial agreement between the White House and a bipartisan group of senators on an infrastructure bill while Congressional Democrats focused on what should be included in a fall reconciliation bill. On Thursday, June 24, 2021, a group of Democratic and Republican senators gathered at the White House along with the President to
Last week the House Budget Committee moved on a budget or “deeming” resolution that will allow the House to proceed on their twelve appropriations bills. It is not a joint budget resolution that would require adoption by the Senate and would establish a reconciliation procedure. That action will likely wait for later this summer.
The Biden Administration will release its first full budget on Thursday, May 27, 2021. The release of the budget fills in the blanks from the broad overview the Administration released on April 9. That document included the allocation between domestic (non-defense) spending at $769 billion and defense spending at $753 billion. That amounts to a
On May 12, 2021, the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support held a hearing on "Making a Difference for Families and Foster Youth." The hearing was intended as a review of potential updates and changes to the two Title IV-B programs for reauthorization later this year. CWLA submitted testimony for the record
On Wednesday, May 19, 2021, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education of the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing, “Picking up the Pieces: Strengthening Connections with Students Experiencing Homelessness and Children in Foster Care.” The witnesses included Ms. Jennifer Erb-Downward, Senior Research Associate, Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan,
The nonprofit, Understood, that focuses on programs for families, educators, and young adults to better address learning and workplace disabilities released a survey last week that indicates that in the remote learning environment, nearly three-quarters (72%) of parents have become aware or noticed their children (with learning and thinking differences) have fallen behind during the