A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Summary — February 5, 2007

Section III.  Programs Proposed for Elimination

• Overview
• Program Eliminations
• Program Descriptions

Overview

The 2008 request continues the Administration's commitment to eliminating or consolidating funding for programs that have achieved their original purpose, duplicate other programs, are narrowly focused, or unable to demonstrate effectiveness.

The government-wide Program Assessment Rating Tool, or PART, helps focus funding on Department of Education programs that generate positive results for students and that meet strong accountability standards. For 2008, PART findings were used to redirect funds from ineffective programs to more effective activities, as well as to identify reforms to help address program weaknesses.

The following table shows the programs proposed for elimination or consolidation in the President's 2008 budget request. Termination of these 44 programs frees up approximately $2.2 billion—based on 2007 levels—for priority education programs that have a demonstrated record of success or that hold significant promise for increasing accountability and improving student achievement. Following the table is a brief summary of each program and the rationale for its elimination.

Program Eliminations

Program Descriptions
(figures reflect 2007 BA in millions)

Supports intensive workshops for teachers and students in the areas of history and civics. Eliminating funding for this program is consistent with Administration policy of terminating small categorical programs with limited impact in order to fund higher priorities. Academies for American History and Civics can be funded under other authorities, such as the Teaching American History and the Teacher Quality State Grants programs.

Supports the development of advanced credentials based on the content experience of master teachers and related activities to encourage and support teachers seeking advanced credentials. This program is no longer needed because the development and implementation of advanced credentialing systems through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the American Board for the Certification of Teacher Excellence is complete.

Funds supplemental educational programs and services to Alaska Native children. School districts that seek to implement programs and services tailored to the educational and cultural needs of Alaska Native students are able to use funds provided under other Federal programs, such as Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, Special Education State Grants, and Indian Education programs. In addition, a portion of the grantees receive earmarks not subject to a competitive process or other normal accountability requirements.

Supports programs to reduce alcohol abuse in secondary schools. These programs may be funded through other Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Activities as well as State and local resources.

Makes non-competitive awards to VSA Arts and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as well as competitive awards for national demonstrations and Federal leadership activities to encourage the integration of the arts into the school curriculum. The Kennedy Center and VSA Arts have a long history of obtaining financial support from the private sector, individual donors, and other non-Federal sources, which can be expected to continue. By increasing their outreach to those sources, the two entities should be able to adjust for the ending of the earmarked Federal support. School districts desiring to implement arts education activities can use funds provided under other programs, such as the Improving Teacher Quality State Grants program.

Promotes academic excellence and achievement by awarding merit-based scholarships to high school students, through formula grants to State educational agencies, who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and who show promise of continued academic excellence. This program duplicates other State, local and private efforts that provide merit-based resources for postsecondary education.

Provides a single non-competitive award to the Center for Civic Education to conduct We the People, a program to improve the quality of civics and government education. Also makes non-competitive and competitive awards for the Cooperative Education Exchange, a program to improve civic and economic education through exchange programs. The program's contribution to the Department's mission is marginal, and the Administration does not believe that additional funding is necessary for the successful operation of this program.

Provides a non-competitive award to the Close Up Foundation to support fellowships to low-income students and teachers participating in Close Up visits to Washington, DC and other activities. Peer organizations provide scholarships to participants without Federal assistance, and the organization's successful private fundraising indicates that it can continue its activities without a Federal appropriation.

Largely duplicates activities that are carried out under the Title I Grants to LEAs program, and Congress began phasing out the program in fiscal year 2006. The 2008 request would complete the process.

Funds competitive grants for technical assistance and professional development activities for faculty and administrators in institutions of higher education to improve the quality of education for students with disabilities. This program has achieved its primary goal of funding model demonstration projects. New projects can and do receive funding under FIPSE.

Program provides competitive grants for supplemental education services and activities for Native Hawaiians. Public and private entities that seek to implement programs and services to meet educational needs of Native Hawaiian students are eligible for funding under other Federal programs, such as Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, Special Education State Grants, and the TRIO programs.

Provides funding to States and school districts to support the deployment and integration of educational technology into classroom instruction. Schools today offer a greater level of technology infrastructure than just a few years ago, and there is no longer a significant need for a State formula grant program targeted specifically on (and limited to) the effective integration of technology into schools and classrooms. Districts seeking funds to integrate technology into teaching and learning can use other Federal program funds such as Improving Teacher Quality State Grants and Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies.

Provides grants to LEAs to establish or expand elementary school and secondary school counseling programs. School counselors are primarily supported with State and local funds and this Federal program, by making a small number of grants, does little to increase the availability of school counseling services or the quality of those services. Such activities also may be funded under Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Programs as part of a comprehensive, research-based focus on the school environment.

Supports projects to improve educational opportunities for children and their parents in low-income areas by integrating early childhood education, adult education, and parenting education into "family literacy" programs. However, three separate national evaluations of the program reached the same conclusion: children and adults participating in Even Start generally made no greater literacy gains than non-participants, a finding that contributed to an Ineffective PART rating. Other programs such as Reading First and Early Reading First are better structured to implement proven research and to achieve the Nation's literacy goals.

Supports a grant to a single national nonprofit educational organization to promote economic and financial literacy for K-12 students. Economic and financial literacy education can be supported under other programs, such as Improving Teacher Quality State Grants. In addition, the current grantee receives grants and contributions from private sector firms and foundations to support its economic education activities. It should be able to continue its activities at the current operating level through an increase in outreach to the private sector.

Supports culturally based educational activities, internships, apprenticeship programs and exchanges for Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, children and families of Massachusetts, and any federally recognized Indian tribe in Mississippi. All of the funding provided for the program is for statutory earmarks, and the Administration has consistently opposed the funding of earmarks because they support activities that have not gone through the rigor of a competitive process and have negligible accountability for results. Other Federal and non-Federal sources are available to support the activities carried out under this program.

Reimburses institutional revolving funds for borrowers whose loan repayments are canceled in exchange for undertaking public service employment, such as teaching in Head Start programs, full-time law enforcement, or nursing. These reimbursements are no longer needed as the Administration will work with Congress to phase out the Perkins Loan program, which is inefficient and duplicative of other, larger, Federal student loan programs.

Program provides need-based grant aid to eligible undergraduate students to help reduce financial barriers to postsecondary education. Because Federal funding allocations for this purpose are awarded to qualifying postsecondary institutions under a outdated statutory formula, and because individual SEOG awards are not optimally allocated based on a student's financial need, funds would be redirected to the larger, more broadly available, and more need-focused Pell Grant program.

Funds services to children and their families to enhance young children's development and school readiness. The request includes funding for other, larger programs that support early childhood education and development, such as Early Reading First, Special Education Preschool Grants, and Special Education Grants for Infants and Families.

Supports research, demonstration projects, and other activities designed to help elementary and secondary schools meet the needs of gifted and talented students. Most gifted and talented education programs in the U.S. are implemented without Federal support, and the program, by making a handful of grants a year, does little to increase the availability of gifted and talented programs in schools, increase the quality of those programs, or advance the field of gifted and talented education nationally.

Has accomplished its objective of stimulating all States to establish need-based postsecondary student grant programs. State grant levels have expanded greatly over the years, and most States significantly exceed the statutory matching requirements. State matching funds in academic year 1999-2000, for example, totaled nearly $1 billion, or more than $950 million over the level generated by a dollar-for-dollar match.

Makes competitive grants to increase student access to mental health care by linking school systems with the mental health system. School districts may use funds from other Federal programs to support mental health services. For example, the 2008 President's budget includes a total of $155 million for the Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative that the Department of Education (under Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Activities) funds jointly with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services. Each Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant must support school and community mental health preventive and treatment services as part of a comprehensive approach to healthy childhood development.

Makes grants to LEAs and nonprofit community-based organizations to establish and support mentoring programs and activities for children who are at risk of educational failure. The Department and the Congress began phasing out this program in 2006, and the phase-out will be completed in 2007.

This program makes competitive awards to support rehabilitation services to migratory workers with disabilities, duplicating activities that may be funded through the VR State Grants program.

Supports a nationwide, nonprofit educational organization that promotes the effective teaching of writing in grades K-16. States may support such activities through flexible programs like Improving Teacher Quality State Grants.

Provides training, information, and support to SEAs, LEAs, and other organizations that carry out parent education and family involvement activities. Parent education and family involvement activities are required and funded under other ESEA programs, such as Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies. In addition, all States now have access to a comprehensive technical assistance system that includes assistance in the areas addressed by PIRCs.

Provides grants to local educational agencies and community-based organizations to pay for the Federal share of the costs of initiating, expanding, and improving physical education programs for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The President's 2008 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services includes funding for a more promising approach to school wellness.

PWI administers a grant competition for projects to help individuals with disabilities obtain employment in the competitive labor market. This program is duplicative of the much larger VR State Grants program, which is authorized to provide the same services to the same target population.

Supports competitive grants to nonprofit telecommunications entities for programs to improve teaching in core curriculum areas, and to develop, produce, and distribute innovative educational and instructional video programming. The $2.8 billion Improving Teacher Quality State Grants program provides ample resources for such activities.

Supports competitively awarded projects that provide recreation and related activities for individuals with disabilities to aid in their employment, mobility, independence, socialization, and community integration. The program has limited impact, and such activities are more appropriately financed by State and local agencies and the private sector.

Supports implementation of school dropout prevention and reentry programs, activities that may be more readily and widely funded by school districts through the request for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, which includes a $1.2 billion increase in the 2008 request, nearly all of which is targeted to high schools.

Provides grants to assist high-need LEAs in the recruitment, training, and retention of principals and assistant principals. These activities are specifically authorized under other Federal programs, such as Improving Teacher Quality State Grants.

Provides competitive awards to LEAs to support the creation of smaller, more personalized learning environments in large high schools. The relatively low demand for smaller learning communities, the effectiveness of which has not been proven through research, has been met both by funding in earlier years and through private efforts. The Administration is addressing the need for high school reform through its 2008 requests for the Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, Striving Readers, and Advanced Placement programs. Also, schools identified for improvement under Title I may use Title I school improvement funds (totaling more than $1 billion in the 2008 request) to create smaller learning communities as part of an overall school improvement plan.

Supports competitive grants for distance education projects to improve instruction in a variety of curricular areas. The Internet has obviated the need for "distance learning" projects involving construction, maintenance, and operation of telecommunications audio and visual facilities, and programs such as Improving Teacher Quality State Grants provide ample resources for the development and distribution of educational content.

Provides formula grants to State correctional agencies to assist and encourage incarcerated youth to acquire functional literacy skills and life and job skills. State appropriations and prisoner self-funding can support these activities in the absence of Federal funds. In addition, the President's 2008 budget request for the Department of Labor includes $39.6 million for the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders Program, along with $25 million in the request for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, for more coordinated activities to address the problems faced by ex-offenders.

Awards grants to State and LEAs for projects designed to support the reform of elementary and secondary education. This broad program is somewhat duplicative of many other Federal, State, and local education programs and is not sufficiently targeted to the needs of disadvantaged students in high-poverty schools or to addressing national priorities in education. In addition, the wide range of allowable uses of funding under this authority makes it virtually impossible to measure program performance or hold grantees accountable for effective use of taxpayer dollars.

Helps Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving Institutions improve their capacity to serve Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students, activities may be carried out under the HEA Title III Strengthening Institutions program.

This formula grant program has accomplished its goal of developing collaborative programs with appropriate public and private nonprofit organizations to provide supported employment services for individuals with the most significant disabilities. Supported employment services are also provided by the VR State Grants program.

This program provides competitive grants to States and partnerships to improve recruitment, preparation, licensure, and support for teachers by providing incentives, encouraging reforms, and leveraging local and State resources to ensure that current and future teachers have the necessary teaching skills and academic content knowledge to teach effectively. All of these activities can be carried out under other existing Federal programs.

Provides support for developing structural links between secondary and postsecondary institutions that integrate academic and career and technical education. No separate authority is needed for such activities, which may be funded through the Career and Technical Education State Grants program.

Funds a non-competitive award to provide minority, low-income or disadvantaged college students with the information, preparation, and financial assistance needed to gain access to and complete law school study. Disadvantaged individuals can receive assistance through the Department's student financial assistance programs.

Promotes educational equity for girls and women. There is no longer a need for a program focused on eliminating the educational gap for girls and women, as women have made educational gains that match or exceed those of their male peers.

Institute of Education Sciences   Departmental Management

For further information contact the ED Budget Service.

This page last modified—February 5, 2007 (mjj).