March 4, 2009

Obama's Administration Policy on Education
President Barack Obama has wasted no time in implementing his vision for getting our nation back on track. A bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, designed to stimulate the economy, including education initiatives, was passed by Congress and signed by President Obama on February 17, 2009. This investment in our educational systems will help improve things such as classrooms, libraries, and labs according to President Obama. “And we have provided the resources necessary to prevent painful cuts and teacher layoffs that would set back our children’s progress,” Obama stated in his address to Congress on February 24, 2009. The total amount of money appropriated for the ARRA is $787 billion. For more information on how the money is going to be distributed go to http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/index.html. To also see how your state will be using money from the Recovery Act, go to http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/state-recovery-page.

President Obama also plans to reform the No Child Left Behind Act. According to information posted on the White House website, the president plans on taking out standardized testing in order for teachers to focus on actually teaching their subjects as opposed to preparing students for the standardized tests. Another part that will be reformed is how schools are being funded and making sure they are being rewarded instead of punished. Among other reform areas, Obama is making it a point to prepare, retain, and reward teachers throughout his administration. Find out what exactly he plans to do by visiting http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/education.

The New US Secretary of Agriculture
Tom Vilsack is the new Secretary of Agriculture. He was confirmed unanimously by Congress and sworn in on January 21, 2009. Vilsack earned his bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY and his law degree from Albany Law School. The former governor of Iowa has done an immense amount of work in helping to build jobs in agriculture. During his term as governor, he wanted to make Iowa the “Food Capital of the World” in order to open up more opportunities and economic growth. He has served on the National Governors Association Executive Committee as well as serving as the chair for the Governors Ethanol Coalition. Vilsack is also known for developing “aggressive early childhood programs, reducing class sizes, creating first-in-the-nation salary initiatives to improve teacher quality and student achievement, and enacting a more rigorous high school curriculum” while serving as governor. To learn more about Tom Vilsack go to http://usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=bios_vilsack.xml.

Secretary Vilsack appointed John Norris as his Chief of Staff and Carole Jett as his Deputy Chief of Staff. Norris served as Vilsack’s Chief of Staff during his term as governor of Iowa and was the state director of the Iowa Farm Unity Coalition. Norris also worked as Senator John Kerry’s Iowa Caucus Campaign Manager. Carole Jett retired from 33 years of federal service in order to participate in the Obama Agriculture Campaign Team. She Served as Co-Lead of the President’s Transition Team USDA Agency Review Group. Jett also served as Farm Bill Coordinator for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. View more on Norris and Jett at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/01/0025.xml.

The New US Secretary of Education
Arne Duncan was confirmed the new Secretary of Education on January 20, 2009. He is a graduate of Harvard University with a major in sociology. Duncan previously served as the chief executive officer of the Chicago Public School system. While CEO of Chicago Public Schools, he wanted to “raise the education standards and performance, improve teacher and principal quality, and increase learning options.” Duncan has won many awards for his excellence in serving the Chicago Public Schools. For more information on Duncan's accomplishments, go to http://www.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/duncan.html.

NAAE Staff Note
This newsletter is now being compiled by Mia Upton, NAAE Undergraduate Advocacy Student Assistant.

Questions? Contact Jay Jackman, NAAE Executive Director at jjackman.naae@uky.edu.

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