All of us have a role to play in building an education system that is worthy of our children and ready to help us seize the opportunities and meet the challenges of the 21st century.
President Barack Obama
January 6, 2010
In his first year in office, President Barack Obama combined unprecedented fiscal support for America's education system with extraordinary success in promoting and achieving fundamental reforms that will benefit students of all ages and their families. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) delivered nearly $100 billion to States and school districts to help address budget shortfalls and meet the needs of schools and students in the midst of the most severe financial crisis and economic recession since the Great Depression. This funding helped save or create an estimated 400,000 jobs, including 325,000 education jobs.
At the same time, the ARRA began laying the groundwork for needed education reforms that would help ensure America's future prosperity by encouraging States to develop improvement plans in four key areas (the four assurances required to receive nearly $49 billion in ARRA State Fiscal Stabilization Funds): supporting rigorous standards and assessments, improving teacher equity and effectiveness, using data to improve instruction, and turning around low-performing schools. The Administration also tapped $4 billion in ARRA funds to create the Race to the Top program, providing a significant incentive, through competitive grants, for States to develop comprehensive and innovative plans to implement major reforms related to each of the four assurances. States already have responded to Race to the Top by making essential changes, such as allowing data systems to link the achievement of individual students to their teachers and permitting more rapid expansion of effective charter schools.
The ARRA reforms also have provided a framework for key elements of the Administration's plan for the forthcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which will include changes to support State and local efforts to develop and implement college- and career-ready (CCR) standards and high-quality aligned assessments; improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, especially in high-poverty schools; enhance data systems and train teachers to use data to improve student achievement; and implement rigorous interventions in the Nation's lowest-performing schools.
The President's fiscal year 2011 request for the Department of Education is intended to build on the achievements of the ARRA, support a comprehensive reauthorization of the ESEA, and begin to make good on the President's goal of restoring America to first in the world in college graduation rates by 2020.
The Administration is seeking $50.7 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of Education, an increase of $4.5 billion over the comparable discretionary total provided in the 2010 appropriations act. The total increase includes up to $1 billion the Administration would request in a budget amendment only if Congress completes an ESEA reauthorization that includes the President's proposed reforms.
The request includes a potentially historic increase in ESEA funding that is intended to provide an incentive for Congress to act quickly on the long overdue ESEA reauthorization, reflecting Secretary Duncan's strong conviction that reauthorization "can't wait, because tomorrow won't wait, the world won't wait, and our children won't wait."
The overall 2011 request for education was guided by several key principles, including a strong emphasis on positive incentives and recognizing and rewarding success; focusing investments on fewer, more effective programs; and setting clear goals for Federal programs while giving States, school districts, and other program recipients more flexibility in meeting those goals. While ensuring that districts from different geographic regions can fairly compete, the budget promotes increased competition in awarding Federal education funds, and asks States and school districts for more in return for formula funds. These principles will be embedded in the Administration's ESEA reauthorization plan, which will be unveiled later this year but which is supported by the fiscal year 2011 budget request.
The significant discretionary increase included in the 2011 request reflects the importance of investing in education—a key driver of America's future economic prosperity—even as the Administration works to reduce the annual Federal deficit. At the same time, many of the new investments in the 2011 budget would be paid for by an estimated $51 billion in mandatory savings through 2020 that would be achieved by making all new postsecondary loans through the Direct Loans program and by restructuring Perkins Loans. In addition, the request would eliminate approximately 571 earmarked projects for a total estimated savings of $217 million.
Comparable Department of Education Appropriations
(in billions of dollars)
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 Request |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary (w/o Pell Grants) |
$45.4 | $46.2 | $49.7 |
| Potential ESEA Budget Amendment (non-add) |
— | — | 1.0 |
| Pell Grants (Mandatory beginning in 2010) |
36.5 | 27.0 | 34.9 |
| Recovery Act Funds (Non-Pell Discretionary) |
81.1 | — | — |
| Other Mandatory | -25.4 | -14.0 | -6.8 |
| Total | 137.6 |
59.2 |
77.8 |
Most education funding is discretionary and is appropriated annually for each program within the limits established by authorizing legislation. Mandatory funding does not require annual appropriations because the authorizing legislation itself establishes a fixed funding level or a method for calculating automatic appropriations without further Congressional action. The largest mandatory programs in the Department's budget are Federally subsidized loans for postsecondary students, the costs of which are estimated based on assumptions about interest rates, lender fees, repayments, defaults, and collections. Other education programs funded in whole or in part through mandatory appropriations include Pell Grants and Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants.
Key proposals in the 2011 budget include the following:
$1.35 billion for additional Race to the Top awards, reflecting the extraordinary interest demonstrated by States in developing and implementing Race to the Top plans (41 States and the District of Columbia submitted applications for the first phase of Race to the Top competition) and the meaningful changes States are undertaking to be competitive for such grants. The Administration also will ask for authority to run a district-level competition for districts willing and able to tackle comprehensive reform.
$500 million to continue the new Investing in Innovation (i3) program, which will be launched with $650 million in ARRA funds and which makes competitive awards to develop and expand innovative strategies and practices that have been shown to be effective in improving educational outcomes for students. The 2011 request both includes a cross-cutting emphasis on technology and dedicates $150 million to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) projects.
$900 million for a reauthorized School Turnaround Grants program, an increase of $354.4 million, or 65 percent, to support the Administration's commitment to help States and local educational agencies (LEAs) turn around their 5,000 lowest-performing schools over the next 5 years.
$950 million for the Teacher and Leader Innovation Fund, a new program, building on the strengths of the Teacher Incentive Fund, to support State and LEA efforts to develop and implement innovative improvements in human capital systems. This program would more than double support for State and local efforts to create incentives for effective teachers and school leaders to work in the most challenging schools.
$405 million for Teacher and Leader Pathways, a new program that would consolidate 5 current authorities promoting alternative routes to certification for teachers and school leaders and improving existing teacher and principal preparation programs into a more flexible competitive grant program with a greater focus on student outcomes. The request would almost triple funding for the antecedent programs.
$1.0 billion for Effective Teaching and Learning for a Complete Education, a new program designed to improve instruction to support college- and career readiness standards, in part through the use of technology to deliver high-quality content. The new program includes 3 components:
Literacy: $450 million, an increase of $36.7 million, to consolidate 7 existing ESEA authorities into a new program that would help States and LEAs improve literacy skills by supporting professional development and improved instructional materials.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): $300 million, an increase of $119.5 million, or 66 percent, to expand the Federal investment in improved teaching and learning of STEM disciplines, especially in high-need LEAs and schools, and prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers.
A Well-Rounded Education: $265 million, an increase of $38.9 million, or 17 percent, to consolidate 7 current authorities and expand support for the subjects important to a complete curriculum, including history, the arts, foreign languages, environmental literacy, and economic and financial literacy.
$490 million for Expanding Educational Options, an increase of $80.9 million, or 20 percent, to consolidate 5 existing programs into this new authority to support the creation and expansion of effective charter schools, other effective autonomous schools, and comprehensive systems of public school choice.
$450 million for a reauthorized Assessing Achievement authority, an increase of $39.3 million, or almost 10 percent, to help States develop or implement assessments aligned to college- and career-ready standards, to improve assessments for English learners and students with disabilities, and to develop and implement formative as well as end-of-course and other assessments.
$210 million to expand the Promise Neighborhoods initiative, to make competitive multi-year awards to community-based organizations for comprehensive neighborhood programs designed to combat the effects of poverty and improve educational and life outcomes for children and youth.
$410 million for a new Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students authority, to consolidate 6 current authorities into a new program designed to give local communities the flexibility to focus on their greatest needs in the areas of improving school climate and safety; promoting student physical and mental health, preventing student drug and alcohol use, and expanding family and community engagement. The request is an increase of $45 million, or 12 percent, over 2010 funding for the antecedent program authorities.
$7.5 billion over 10 years to expand income-based repayment options (IBR) in the Federal postsecondary student loan programs. Allowing borrowers to repay their loans with no more than 10 percent of their discretionary income will help borrowers with large debts and low incomes, particularly those entering public service careers.
$1 Billion ESEA Contingent Reserve
The 2011 request supports an ESEA reauthorization strategy that promotes college- and career-readiness, enhances teacher and leader effectiveness, delivers a rigorous and complete education, expands the availability of high-quality educational options, and prepares students for the jobs of the future. Subsequent to ESEA reauthorization, the Administration expects to submit to Congress a budget amendment that will align the 2011 request with the authorizations contained in the enacted bill. If Congress completes a fundamental overhaul of the Act that includes the President's proposed reforms, the Administration would seek up to $1 billion in additional funding for certain ESEA programs, including a new program under Title I, Part A to recognize and reward schools and LEAs that are making significant progress and closing achievement gaps; the reauthorized Assessing Achievement program, which would support high-quality assessment systems, including formative assessments; and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which supports expanded learning time, community schools, and other programs that provide additional time for students and teachers to succeed.
Pending Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA)
In addition to the strong emphasis on ESEA reauthorization, the Administration supports enactment of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which has passed in the House of Representatives and which is pending in the Senate. This pending legislation would implement significant portions of President Obama's plan to make changes in Federal postsecondary student loan programs, resulting in dramatic savings that can be reinvested in a variety of critical education programs benefitting students, families, and schools. This legislation would save taxpayers $51 billion through fiscal year 2020 by requiring new Federal postsecondary student loans to be made through the less costly Direct Loan program and by restructuring the Perkins Loan program. The request includes mandatory funding for priority education programs included in the pending legislation, including the following:
$68 billion over 10 years to raise the maximum Pell Grant award from $5,550 in 2010 to an estimated $6,900 in 2019. SAFRA would index the maximum Pell award to the cost of inflation plus 1 percentage point, resulting in an estimated $5,710 maximum Pell Grant for 2011. The number of Pell Grant recipients would rise to an estimated 8.7 million in fiscal year 2011, up more than 1 million students since fiscal year 2009. In addition, the Administration's budget request would make all Pell Grant funding mandatory beginning in 2010, so that adequate Pell Grant funding is available every year to pay for program costs.
Streamlining the process of applying for student aid by making changes to the student aid needs analysis to allow the Department to streamline and simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Modernizing and expanding the Perkins Loans program to $6 billion in new loan volume annually—six times the current Perkins volume—and reach up to 2.4 million students, when fully implemented, at as many as 2,700 additional postsecondary education institutions.
$2.5 billion over 10 years for new investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving institutions to help students stay in school and graduate.
$10.6 billion over 10 years for the President's American Graduation initiative, to strengthen and support community colleges, focus on college completion, and graduate 5 million more students by 2020.
$1.2 billion over 3 years for Graduation Promise Grants, a new program to strengthen high schools.
$3.5 billion over 5 years for a College Access and Completion Fund, to develop, implement, and evaluate new approaches to improving college success and completion, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
$9.3 billion over 10 years for an Early Learning Challenge Fund, President Obama's proposal to make competitive grants to States to improve the quality of early learning programs to help children enter kindergarten ready to succeed.
The overall 2011 budget request for the Department of Education is organized around the following priorities:
PROMOTING INNOVATION IN EDUCATION
The Department of Education fully appreciates the unprecedented opportunity created by the ARRA to encourage innovation throughout America's system of elementary and secondary education. However, building a culture of achievement that emphasizes relentless improvement cannot be a one-shot deal. The Department must continue to invest in innovation, and the 2011 request would do just that.
$1.35 billion for additional Race to the Top awards for the most coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform plans to advance work aligned with the four assurances of the ARRA and other key priorities, and to provide leading edge examples for States and local school districts throughout the country to follow as they work on reforms that can transform schools for decades to come. The Administration will ask for authority to run a competition at the school district level in addition to authority for new State-level competitions.
$500 million to continue the new Investing in Innovation (i3) program—including $150 million for projects involving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education—to develop, evaluate, and scale up promising and effective models and interventions with the potential to improve educational outcomes for hundreds of thousands of students.
$490 million for Expanding Educational Options, an increase of $80.9 million, or 20 percent, to support the creation and expansion of effective charter schools, other effective autonomous schools, and comprehensive systems of public school choice. The new authority would consolidate 5 existing programs into two separate grant competitions: Supporting Effective Charter Schools Grants and Promoting Public School Choice Grants. In addition, the 2011 budget includes $110 million for Magnet Schools Assistance, an increase of $10 million, or 10 percent, over the 2010 level.
EFFECTIVE TEACHERS AND SCHOOL LEADERS
A key goal of the Administration's ESEA reauthorization plan is to create incentives and supports to help States, LEAs, and schools recruit, prepare, support, reward, and retain effective teachers and school leaders and to create professional learning communities in our schools. The 2011 request is fully aligned with these goals, reflecting the Secretary's firm belief that "Nothing is more important than getting great teachers into our classrooms and great principals into our schools."
$3.9 billion for the new Excellent Instructional Teams program, an increase of $350 million, or 10 percent, over the comparable 2010 level for the antecedent programs, to help States and LEAs increase the effectiveness of teachers and principals. The program includes 3 authorities, as well as national activities funding that would support the National Teacher Recruitment Campaign.
$2.5 billion for the Effective Teachers and Leaders program, which would help States and LEAs ensure the equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals; increase the effectiveness of teachers and principals, partly through the design and implementation of rigorous and fair teacher evaluation systems; reform State and local human capital systems; and provide teachers and school leaders with high quality professional development opportunities.
$950 million for the Teacher and Leader Innovation Fund, a new program, building on the strengths of the Teacher Incentive Fund, that would more than double support for State and local efforts to create incentives for effective teachers and school leaders to work in the most challenging schools.
$405 million for Teacher and Leader Pathways, a new program that would support the creation or expansion of high-quality pathways, including university- and LEA-based routes as well as alternative routes, into the teaching profession, and the recruitment, preparation, and retention of effective principals and school leadership teams who are able to turn around low-performing schools. The request would almost triple funding for the antecedent programs.
$450 million for the new Effective Teaching and Learning: Literacy program to support State and local efforts to implement a comprehensive literacy strategy for delivering high-quality literacy instruction to students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
$300 million for the new Effective Teaching and Learning: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program to improve teaching of and raise student achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through comprehensive instructional supports and innovative strategies.
$265 million for the new Effective Teaching and Learning for a Well-Rounded Education program to support States and high-need school districts in developing and expanding innovative practices, including interdisciplinary programs, that improve teaching and learning in the arts, foreign languages, civics and government, history, geography, environmental literacy, economic and financial literacy, and other subjects.
SUPPORTING STUDENT SUCCESS
The Administration's ESEA reauthorization plan recognizes that supporting student success outside the classroom and the regular school day will support student success in the classroom. The 2011 request includes a total of $1.8 billion to support comprehensive services, a safe school environment, improving students' health and well-being; and additional learning opportunities outside the traditional school day.
$210 million for Promise Neighborhoods would support neighborhood-based projects in distressed communities designed to combine effective schools with strong systems of support that address the comprehensive educational, health, and social needs of children from birth through college and career.
$410 million for Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students, an increase of $45 million over the antecedent programs for a new program that would focus on improving school climate; reducing or preventing drug use, violence, or harassment; and supporting the health, fitness, and mental well-being of students so that schools and students can succeed.
$1.2 billion for a reauthorized 21ST Century Community Learning Centers program that would emphasize projects involving the redesign and extension of the school day, week, or year to provide additional time for academic and enrichment activities and for teacher collaboration to improve instruction, as well as programs that support full-service community schools that coordinate access to comprehensive services.
IMPROVING STEM EDUCATION
The 2011 request includes several activities that support President Obama's "Educate to Innovate" campaign aimed at (1) increasing STEM literacy so that all students can master challenging content and think critically in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields; (2) moving American students from the middle of the pack to the top of the world in STEM achievement over the next decade and preparing the next generation of American scientists; and (3) expanding STEM education and career opportunities for underrepresented groups, including women and girls.
$300 million to improve the teaching and learning of STEM subjects through the newly authorized Effective Teaching and Learning: STEM program. The new program, which would receive an increase of $119.5 million over the antecedent programs, would support professional development for STEM teachers; the implementation of high-quality assessments and instructional materials; and improved systems for linking student data on assessments with instructional supports such as lesson plans and intervention strategies.
$150 million in STEM projects funded through the new Investing in Innovation (i3) program, which under the 2011 request would make a total of $500 million in competitive awards to develop, validate, and scale up innovative programs, practices, and strategies that are effective in improving educational outcomes for students. In addition, the emphasis of the i3 program on the use of technology across all program areas would support the President's goals for supporting STEM education.
$25 million for a new STEM initiative in the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to identify and validate more effective approaches for attracting, retaining, and teaching undergraduates in STEM fields that can be brought to scale. The activities supported through this initiative would be part of a coordinated Federal strategy developed in collaboration with the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and other Federal agencies.
$2.3 million for the Women's Educational Equity program, which gives priority to projects aimed at improving the achievement of women and girls in science and mathematics, with the goal of closing gender gaps in the STEM disciplines and improving the career prospects of women and girls in STEM fields.
ALL STUDENTS COLLEGE- AND CAREER-READY
The reauthorized ESEA would support high expectation and accountability for all student groups and the closing of achievement gaps to ensure that all students, including poor and minority students, graduate from high school college- and career-ready. To help States and LEAs close these achievement gaps, the 2011 request provides significant resources to improve services to students from low-income families, students with disabilities, and English learners.
$14.5 billion for a reauthorized and renamed Title I, Part A College and Career Ready Students program to support statewide accountability systems linked to college- and career-ready standards (CCR) and assessments that set the expectation that all students graduate high school college- and career-ready, measure schools based on progress towards this goal, reward schools and LEAs making significant progress and closing achievement gaps, and carry out rigorous interventions in the lowest-performing schools.
$11.8 billion for Special Education Grants to States, $250 million more than the 2010 level, to assist States and school districts to improve educational outcomes for children with disabilities. The request would provide an estimated average of $1,750 per student for about 6.7 million children ages 3 through 21.
$800 million for a reauthorized English Learner Education program, an increase of $50 million, or 6.7 percent, to help States and school districts meet the needs of the growing population of English learners, and to help these students reach the same college- and career-ready goals for reading and mathematics as other students by investing additional competitive funding in developing and scaling up effective programs and practices.
$445.2 million for Title I Migrant Education and Neglected and Delinquent State agency programs to help meet the educational needs of approximately 537,000 children of migrant agricultural workers and to help an estimated 132,000 neglected and delinquent students return to and complete school and obtain employment after they are released from State institutions.
COLLEGE ACCESS AND COMPLETION
The Administration has made college- and career-readiness for all students the goal of its ESEA reauthorization proposal because most students will need some postsecondary education to compete successfully for jobs in the 21st century global economy. Just as essential is ensuring that students and families have the financial support they need to pay for college. The Administration supports passage of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), which has passed the House of Representatives and is pending in the Senate, and which would make key changes in student financial aid and higher education programs that are consistent with President Obama's goal of restoring America's status as first in the world in the percentage of its citizens with college degrees by 2020. In combination with the pending legislation, the 2011 request would make available more than $156 billion in new grants, loans, and work-study assistance—an increase of $58 billion or 60 percent over the amount available in 2008—to help almost 15 million students and their families pay for college. The request includes:
Increasing the Pell Grant maximum award to $5,710—an increase of $160 over the 2010 level—and the maximum award in future years would automatically rise by the cost of inflation plus 1 percentage point annually. An estimated 8.7 million students would receive Pell Grants in fiscal year 2011, an increase of more than 1 million students since fiscal year 2009.
Replacing the Federal Family Education Loans program with Direct Loans, taking advantage of low-cost and stable sources of capital and private-sector providers to efficiently process loans and repayments and save an estimated $45.6 billion through fiscal year 2020.
$1.1 billion to expand and modernize the Perkins Loan program so that it would provide $6 billion a year in new loan volume—six times the current Perkins volume—for up to 2.4 million students at roughly 2,700 additional postsecondary education institutions. The Department would service Perkins Loans along with other Federal loans, with estimated overall savings totaling $5.5 billion over 10 years.
$3.5 billion over 5 years for a College Access and Completion Fund, which would make grants to States, institutions of higher education, and other organizations to support innovative strategies to increase the number and percentage of students entering and completing college.
$10.6 billion over 10 years for the American Graduation Initiative, which would support President Obama's commitment to have the best-educated, most competitive workforce in the world. The initiative would invest in promising reforms to raise graduation rates, tie courses to business needs, and improve remedial education at community colleges.
$7.5 billion over 10 years to expand income-based repayment (IBR) options to help borrowers in the Federal postsecondary student loan programs with large loan balances and low incomes, particularly in public service careers, repay their loans.
$100 million for College Pathways and Accelerated Learning, a new authority under the Administration's ESEA reauthorization proposal designed to increase graduation rates and preparation for college matriculation and success by providing college-level and other accelerated courses and instruction in high-poverty middle and high schools, including Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate (AP/IB) courses, dual-enrollment programs, and "early college high schools."
Simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by eliminating unnecessary questions and making the online application faster and easier, partly by using IRS data.
HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS
In addition to the student financial assistance described under SAFRA, the 2011 request would continue to support minority-serving institutions, innovative postsecondary education reform activities, international education, and access and completion for disadvantaged students.
$508.5 million for the Aid for Institutional Development program, an increase of 5 percent over the 2010 level, for support to improve the academic programs and administrative and fundraising capabilities of institutions that enroll a large proportion of minority and disadvantaged students.
$123.3 million for Developing Hispanic-serving Institutions, an increase of 5 percent, to help ensure that Hispanic students, half of whom enroll in Hispanic-serving institutions, have access to high quality postsecondary education.
$64 million for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, which supports innovative projects to reform and improve postsecondary education. The request includes $25 million for a STEM initiative, to be developed in collaboration with the National Science Foundation, to identify and validate more effective approaches for attracting, retaining, and teaching undergraduate students in STEM fields that can be brought to scale.
$125.9 million for the International Education and Foreign Language Studies programs to help meet the Nation's needs for individuals with expertise in foreign languages and area and international studies.
$853.1 million for Federal TRIO programs for services to help disadvantaged students enroll in and complete college.
$323.2 million for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) to help an estimated 748,000 middle and high school students prepare for and enroll in college.
IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR ADULT LEARNERS
The 2011 request includes funding for a variety of programs targeting adult learners, including career and technical education, adult basic and literacy education, and vocational rehabilitation programs, that provide essential support for State and local activities intended to help millions of Americans navigate the ever-changing job market and overcome the career challenges created by the combination of global competition and the economic recession.
$1.3 billion for Career and Technical Education (CTE) State Grants, an increase of $103 million reflecting the consolidation of the Tech Prep Education State Grants program, to support continued improvement and upgrading of CTE programs as part of a strategy for improving high school education and preparing high school students to enter the workplace or pursue postsecondary education.
$612.3 million for Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants, an increase of $30 million over the comparable 2010 level, to help adults without a high school diploma or equivalent to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for postsecondary education, employment, and self-sufficiency.
$41.3 million for Adult Education National Leadership Activities, a $30 million increase to support a Workforce Innovation Fund that would be administered through a Partnership for Workforce Innovation that would involve the Department of Labor and other agencies. Funds would support projects that create strategies for delivering services in a manner designed to improve the skills and employment outcomes of individuals, particularly those from the most vulnerable populations.
$3.1 billion for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) State Grants to assist States and tribal governments to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in the workforce. The request includes $56 million added from other small programs serving the same population that are proposed for consolidation into the VR State Grants program, as well as a change in the VR formula to ensure that all States receive the same level of funding under the consolidation as under the separate antecedent authorities.
$110 million for a new Grants for Independent Living program that replaces the Independent Living State Grants and Centers for Independent Living programs and would provide formula grants to States to support the provision of independent living services through centers for independent living. The request represents a $6 million increase over the 2010 levels for the programs being consolidated and would provide some additional funding for States with significant unmet needs.
$25 million for Supported Employment Extended Services for Youth with Significant Disabilities, a new program of competitive grants to States to assist them in expanding supported employment opportunities for youth with significant disabilities, such as youth with intellectual disabilities, as they transition from school to the workforce. Limited funding for such services as case management, job coaching and job skill training, and additional observation and supervision has prevented youth with significant disabilities from obtaining community-based employment.
$30 million for the Workforce Innovation Fund. These funds, along with an identical amount described above under Adult Education National Leadership Activities, would be administered through a Partnership for Workforce Innovation, which encompasses $321 million of innovation funding in the Departments of Education and Labor. The Partnership would award competitive grants to encourage innovation and identify and validate effective strategies for improving the delivery of services and outcomes for beneficiaries under programs authorized by the Workforce Investment Act. This investment will create strong incentives for change that, if scaled up, could improve the effectiveness of the WIA programs.
$112 million for the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research to support a broad portfolio of research and development, capacity-building, and knowledge translation activities. The requested increase of $2.7 million would primarily be used for activities relating to vocational rehabilitation, including both research and program evaluation.
RESEARCH, STATISTICS, AND DATA SYSTEMS
The Administration is seeking a total of $738.8 million, an increase of almost $80 million, or 12 percent, to support the Department of Education's longstanding role in sponsoring education research and development activities, gathering and making available to researchers and the public a wide range of data on our education system, and measuring the performance of American students through a rigorous assessment program in a variety of academic subjects. The 2011 request includes the following:
$260.7 million for Research, Development, and Dissemination, an increase of $60.5 million, or 30 percent, to sustain and expand much-needed investments in research in order to generate solutions to critical problems in education. The increase would support new research and development projects under important new initiatives while continuing to fund high-quality applications for new research on existing topics in early learning and elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education. The increase would also be used to evaluate education reform efforts under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and, in collaboration with the National Science Foundation, the impact of professional development in mathematics for elementary school teachers.
$117 million for Statistics, an increase of $8.5 million for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of education-related statistics, including an equating study that would allow States to compare the performance of their 8th grade students on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in mathematics to that of students in other countries. This study would be co-funded with the $5 million increase requested for the Assessment program.
$65 million for Statewide Data Systems, an increase of $6.8 million to help States improve the availability and use of data on student learning, teacher performance, and college- and career-readiness through the development of enhanced data systems that track student progress, from early childhood to participation in postsecondary education and the workforce.
For further information contact the ED Budget Service.
Recovery Act