Author: Patsy Crawford | Posted: 11. June 2013 10:29
In a June 6, 2013 press release, Republican members of the House Education and the Workforce Committee introduced their proposal for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). According to the bill summary, the Student Success Act proposes to reduce the federal role in local education, empower parents, and support more effective teachers. Among other things, the bill would merge several student subgroups into Title I and provide states and districts with the flexibility to use funds across programs to better support the students’ needs. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 11. June 2013 10:19
On June 6, 2013, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chair and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Finance, as well as Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), along with Rep. Karen Bass [CA-37th]), Chair, Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, and Representative Tim Ryan (OH-13th), Co-Chair, Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus convened a Capitol Hill briefing on the topic, Substance Use Disorders in Child Welfare: What Works for Children and Families. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 11. June 2013 10:07
On June 3, 2013, Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) introduced “Foster Children Opportunity Act” (H.R. 2036) that would amend Title IV of the Social Security Act to require that child welfare agencies include in Title IV-E state plan submissions for foster care and adoption assistance procedures to assist children who are immigrants to obtain special immigrant juvenile status. This legislation would also allow children in the child welfare system to receive lawful permanent resident status before exiting foster care. [More]
Author: Patsy Crawford | Posted: 7. June 2013 03:44
In a June 6, 2013 news article, Education Week reported that U.S. public high schools graduated 74.7 percent of the class of 2010, the highest graduation rate since 1973. The article is part of Education Week’s Diplomas Count report, which is based on an analysis from the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, using the most recent graduation data available. The 2010 graduation rate was nearly 2 percent higher than the 2009 rate; the 2010 rate grew by 8 percent since 2000. [More]
Author: Patsy Crawford | Posted: 6. June 2013 09:29
In a June 4, 2013 press release, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) announced the introduction of a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and replace the “failed tenets” of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Due to partisan stalemates, the ESEA/NCLB reauthorization has been pending since 2007, with NCLB being widely criticized for its inflexible achievement benchmarks and mandated sanctions for failure to meet those benchmarks. According to the bill summary, the Strengthening America’s Schools Act of 2013 will focus greater attention on early education, encourage fair distribution of resources, sustain current state reform efforts, and support great teachers and principals. [More]
Author: Patsy Crawford | Posted: 3. June 2013 05:53
A May 30, 2013 Gallup, Inc. survey report concludes that “in order to have a true impact on future work quality, the development of 21st century skills must be experienced by students frequently and consistently.” 21st Century skills are defined in the report as advanced skills that include collaboration, knowledge construction, problem solving and innovation, self-regulation, the use of technology for learning, and skilled communication. [More]
Author: Ryan Paiva | Posted: 3. June 2013 05:50
London, U.K., May, 2013 – The UK Government recently notified PCG that its application has been approved for eight IT services to be added to the G-Cloud iii. Cloud computing has brought about a step change in the economics and sustainability of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The UK Government is committed to the adoption of cloud computing and delivering computing resources .The G-Cloud is an iterative program of work to achieve this, which will deliver fundamental changes in the way the public sector procures and operates ICT. [More]
Author: Ryan Paiva | Posted: 3. June 2013 05:47
Boston, MA, May, 2013 - The Massachusetts State Ethics Commission awarded a contract to PCG Technology Consulting (PCG TC) for the development of the contract and application specifications relative to the selection of a vendor to develop a new Statement of Financial Interests filing application. The RFP was released through the MA ITS43 blanket contracting vehicle. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 24. May 2013 06:47
On May 13, 2013, the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF’s) Children’s Bureau updated the Child Welfare Policy Manual’s (CWPM’s) Title IV-E section to incorporate changes to the manual that address those youth who are over the age of 18 and are considered to be Title IV-E eligible by the state’s Title IV-E State Plan. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 24. May 2013 06:39
On May 20, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) applauded Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) for amending the Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform legislation (S. 744) with the Congresswoman’s bill, Child Trafficking Victims Protection Act (CTVPA). The measure was approved on the Senate floor by voice vote. The CTVPA will require that state child welfare professionals be outposted at Customs and Border Patrol stations to access and screen children as victims of persecution or trafficking and to ensure they receive treatment as appropriate. [More]
