While Pat Toomey doesn't even list Education under his Issues link on his website, here is what I found on Joe Stestak's site.
EDUCATION
A member of the House Education and Labor Committee, Joe Sestak believes we must dedicate ourselves to improving our nation's schools and continuing our efforts to make college more affordable and accessible. Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and our country’s security and prosperity requires a competitive workforce that is a major source of innovation in the 21st century. He has hosted summits in his District on Early Education, Advanced Workforce Training and No Child Left Behind, and championed efforts to support a skilled and competitive workforce that will lead America into the 21st Century.
HIGHLIGHTS OF JOE SESTAK’S EFFORTS TO SUPPORT EDUCATION
AN AFFORDABLE, QUALITY COLLEGE EDUCATION
ORIGINAL CO-SPONSOR OF THE STUDENT AID AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT OF 2009
Transitions to the Direct Student Loan Program, saving $86.8 billion over ten years. Reinvests savings into increasing Pell Grant maximums to $5,550 by 2010 and $6,900 by 2019. Establishes annual increases in Pell Grants for consumer inflation. Invests $8 billion in early learning initiatives and $6.6 billion in school construction
AUTHORED LEGISLATION TO SUPPORT STUDENT COLLEGE CREDIT TRANSFER AGREEMENTS: Recognizes that more than 40% of students transfer at least once. Encourages states and public institutions of higher education to develop management systems for course equivalency, transfer of credit, and articulation. Also addresses lack of transparency in transfer of academic credit between postsecondary institutions.
AUTHORED NATIONAL CAMPUS SAFETY AWARENESS MONTH (NCSAM) RESOLUTION: Recognizes NCSAM in September to encourage college officials to pay closer attention to growing instances of crime and violence and generate awareness to help students protect themselves.
AUTHORED AMENDMENT PROVIDING LOAN FORGIVENESS IN AREA OF NATIONAL NEED: Addresses American Hospital Association report that physical therapists represent the occupation for which the greatest percentage of vacancies exists in our hospitals across our nation, at 11.4%. Graduates of programs in physical therapy can receive forgiveness of up t o $10,000 over a five year period.
CO-SPONSORED THE AMERICAN OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT ACT: Amends Internal Revenue Code, permitting refundable tax credit for higher education expenses up to $4,000.
CHAMPIONED PROVISIONS TO:
Increase Pell Grants:
From $4,850 to $5,350 in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
To $4,850 in the College Cost Reduction Act (up $800 from 2006)
By $119 to $4,360 in the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget.
Provide $200 million to support undergraduate and graduate students who do work-study. (HR 1)
Help 1.4 million students go to school through federal supplemental educational opportunity grants, Perkins Loans, and the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnerships programs. (FY 2009 Budget)
Provides access and assistance to increase college attendance and completion by part-time students; increases earnings exempt in student aid need determinations. (Part Time Assistance Act)
CO-SPONSORED THE SEGAL AMERICORPS EDUCATION AWARD TAX RELIEF ACT OF 2009: Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income for income tax purposes AmeriCorps educational awards awarded under the National and Community Service Act of 1990.
ENHANCING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
AUTHORED THE SCHOOL MEAL ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2009: Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement a school-wide paperless free school meal program which allows local educational agencies (LEAs) to select certain schools to provide free meals to all their students without the use of paper applications to determine their eligibility for free or reduced price breakfasts or lunches under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.
AUTHORED LEGISLATION TO REQUIRE SPECIALIZED EXAMS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: The National Study on Modified Standards and Assessments will describe the status of the development and implementation of modified math assessments that are based on modified achievement standards for students with disabilities in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
AUTHORED LEGISLATION MODIFYING THE DEFINITION OF “HIGHLY QUALIFIED SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS”: Amends the definition of a “highly qualified special education teacher” to not only be certified as a special education teacher, but also in at least one content area that will be assessed towards Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
CO-SPONSOR THE SAFE SCHOOLS IMPROVEMENT ACT: Requires: (1) states to use grants for safe and drug-free schools to collect and report information on the incidence of bullying and harassment; and (2) local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools to use subgrants to prevent and respond to bullying and harassment. Also requires LEAs or schools to: (1) notify parents and students annually of conduct prohibited in school policies, which must include bullying and harassment; and (2) establish grievance procedures for students and parents for complaints.
CO-SPONSOR OF THE STUDENT-TO-SCHOOL NURSE RATIO IMPROVEMENT ACT: Provides grants through the CDC to reduce student to school nurse ratios.
CO-SPONSOR OF A BILL TO EXTEND THE TEACHER CLASSROOM EXPENSES TAX CREDIT: Allows teachers to write off some expenses that they incur to provide school supplies for their classrooms.
VOTED FOR THE 10,000 TEACHERS, 10 MILLION MINDS SCIENCE AND MATH SCHOLARSHIP ACT: Would have increased the number of elementary and secondary mathematics and science teachers having both exemplary subject knowledge and pedagogical skills by up to 10,000 per year.
CHAMPIONED THE ECONOMIC STIMULUS (AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT):
IDEA Special Education: $12.2 billion for formula grants to increase the federal share of special education costs and prevent mandatory costs from forcing states to cut other areas of education.
Title I Help for Disadvantaged Kids: $13 billion for grants to help disadvantaged kids in nearly every school district and more than half of all public schools reach high academic standards.
Education Technology: Provide $650 million for 21st century classrooms, including computer and science labs and teacher technology training. (HR 1)
Statewide Data Systems: $250 million for competitive grants to states to design and develop data systems that analyze individual student data to find ways to improve student achievement, providing teachers and administrators with effective tools.
Education for Homeless Children and Youth: $70 million for formula grants to states to provide services to homeless children including meals and transportation when high unemployment and home foreclosures have created an influx of homeless kids.
Improving Teacher Quality: $300 million, including $200 million for competitive grants to school districts and states to provide financial incentives for teachers and principals who raise student achievement and close the achievement gaps in high-need schools and $100 million for competitive grants to states to address teacher shortages and modernize the teaching workforce.
Child Care Development Block Grant: $2 billion to provide child care services for an additional 300,000 children in low-income families while their parents go to work. Today only one out of seven eligible children receives care.
Head Start and Early Head Start: $2.1 billion to provide comprehensive development services to help children succeed in school. Funds are distributed based on need. Only about half of all eligible preschoolers and less than 3 percent of eligible infants and toddlers participate in Head Start.
SUPPORTED KEY MEASURES IN FY2009 BUDGET:
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part B State Grants: Increases the share of special education costs met by the federal government to 17.4% with $558 million above 2008 for a total of $11.5 billion.
Title I Grants for Low-Income Children: $648 million above 2008 to help disadvantaged students at more than 50,000 schools improve academic achievement with total funding of $15.0 billion.
Child Care Assistance: $65 million above 2008 to support quality child care for 11,000 more children than last year with $2.1 billion in total funding.
After-School Programs: Provides roughly 1.7 million children with quality after-school services that help them learn while their parents work with $50 million above 2008 for a total of $1.1 billion.
Reading First: Ends funding for the program which has been plagued with mismanagement, conflicts of interest, and cronyism as documented by the Department of Education Inspector General. A May 2008 Department of Education study found the program has had no discernable impact on student reading.
CO-SPONSOR OF THE TEACHING GEOGRAPHY IS FUNDAMENTAL ACT: Authorizes grants to expand geographic literacy among K-12 students by improving their teachers' professional development programs offered through institutions of higher education. Includes among such activities state-based conferences to assess geographic literacy and identify improvement strategies.
CO-SPONSOR OF THE KEEP TEACHERS TEACHING ACT: Directs the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to school districts, states, and partnerships of school districts, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education for the development and implementation of innovative teacher retention programs that include: (1) professional development; (2) teacher mentoring; (3) advanced certification or credentialing; (4) research, travel, or fellowship opportunities; and (5) pairing of teachers with research or industry professionals.
CO-SPONSORED THE TROOPS TO TEACHERS IMPROVEMENT ACT: Amends the Troops-to-Teachers program of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (which provides veterans with teacher certification stipends in exchange for three years of service in a high-need school districts or public charter school) to make any school district that is receiving school improvement funds eligible to participate in such program.
SUPPORTING EARLY EDUCATION
HELPED PASS THE IMPROVING HEAD START ACT INTO LAW: Expands and improves the successful Head Start early childhood education program, and includes strong accountability measures to ensure programs are succeeding.
INCREASED HEAD START FUNDING: 2009 budget provides $235 million above 2008 to ensure that 900,000 low–income children have access to high quality preschool services, with total funding of $7.1 billion.
WROTE TO SECRETARY OF EDUCATION TO INCLUDE EARLY EDUCATION IN RACE TO THE TOP PROGRAM
CO-SPONSOR OF THE PRE-K ACT: Authorizes awarding of matching grants to states to enhance or improve state-funded preschool programs.
CO-SPONSOR OF A BILL TO ALLOW FOR HEAD START TEACHERS THE SAME ABOVE-THE-LINE DEDUCTIONS AS ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS (HR 1405)
SUPPORTING MATH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION
MEMBER OF THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) CAUCUS
CO-SPONSORED THE ENHANCING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION ACT: Stimulates collaboration with respect to, and provide for coordination and coherence of, the Nation's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education initiatives.
CO-SPONSOR OF THE GRANTS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY EDUCATION FOR THE NATION (GREEN) ACT:
Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to partnerships of school districts, postsecondary institutions, and renewable energy industry representatives to develop programs of study focused on emerging careers and jobs in the renewable energy sector; and award competitive grants to school districts and postsecondary institutions to promote development of career and technical educational facilities that are energy efficient and use renewable energy practices.
CO-SPONSOR OF THE IMPROVING MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHER QUALITY ACT: Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain full-time elementary and secondary school teachers of math, science, engineering, or technology courses a refundable tax credit for 10% of their undergraduate tuition up to $1,000 in any taxable year. Increases such credit amount to $1,500 for teachers in schools serving children with disabilities.
CO-SPONSOR OF THE NO CHILD LEFT INSIDE ACT: Enhances requirements and resources for environmental education in primary and secondary schools.
CO-SPONSOR OF THE NATIONAL PARK EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP ACT: Establishes the National Park Ranger School Partnerships program to award competitive, three-year grants to schools to enter into partnerships with the National Park Service (NPS) to provide kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) students with educational programs and K-12 teachers with professional development emphasizing science, the environment, natural resources, mathematics, civics, and history.
SUMMARY OF FUTURE INITIATIVES
Since Joe entered Congress, much progress has been made to improve the affordability and accessibility of higher education in America. However, with millions of Americans each year forgoing a college education because it is too expensive, we must do more to address this issue. We must transition to grants and away from loans for the lowest income individuals while maintaining access to affordable student loans for all and ensure transferability of credits between 2 and 4 year colleges. These steps will make college more affordable for working families. Also, we must investing in early education so that all children arrive at school ready to learn and reforming the way No Child Left Behind is implemented, so that all children get the resources they need to thrive.
Make Higher Education More Accessible and Affordable for Students
Increase Pell Grants and Reduce Loan Costs for Students, Make Pell grant increases mandatory and protect CPI increases.
Support more qualified teachers, Reauthorize the Teach For America program, which recruits and trains recent college graduates seeking to enter into the teaching profession.
Increase exemplary subject knowledge and pedagogical skills among mathematics and science teachers, Establish tuition repayment program for individuals with degrees in Mathematics and Science who commit to serve as a teacher.
Provide better funding for career and technical education programs, Increase funding for Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which expands accountability and rigorousness of technical programs.
Promote Early Education
Support the School Meal Enhancement Act, allows Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to institute programs that provide free school lunches to all students if a large portion of the students are eligible for that program.
Increase Head Start Funding, The Head Start program offers children of low-income families a preschool experience designed to prepare them for entrance into elementary school.
Increase funding for early literacy programs, Continue increases requested by President Obama in Title I early Childhood grants and Early Reading First.
Improve Care For Children With Disabilities
Increase IDEA funding to match 40% federal share, IDEA and its reauthorizations stipulate that funding will meet 40 percent of the excess costs of providing special education to these children. We must raise appropriations to meet that standard.
Establish fair assessments for special education students in NCLB, Expand applicability of modified assessment programs for Special Education students.
Improve the Definition of “highly qualified special education teacher”, Amend the definition of a “highly qualified special education teacher” to not only be certified as a special education teacher, but also in at least one content area that will be assessed towards Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
Reduce the use of Seclusion and Restraint among special needs children, Set minimum federal standards for state regulation of the use of seclusion and restraint in schools.
Posted By: Adam Fate
Wednesday, October 6th 2010 at 11:08AM
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