Education
The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce supports public education. The Chamber also supports the fundamental concept of the “No Child Left Behind” Act (NCLB), which sets forth to meet the needs of every child in the United States. This is an admirable and appropriate goal.
Over the past seven years, as NCLB has been implemented, a number of key issues have arisen. The Chamber has identified four recommendations that deal with the implementation of NCLB, as opposed to structural or conceptual changes. The Chamber strongly urges Congress to consider the following:
- Needed Reform In “No Child Left Behind”. Schools across Northern Kentucky have been labeled as “failing” or “unsuccessful” in building student achievement, when, in fact, they may have failed to meet only one of 12 categories, or one of 17 categories.
The Chamber urges Congress to reconsider the standards by which schools are evaluated and labeled “failing” under NCLB. The Chamber also urges Congress to review the practice of allowing students to opt out of schools labeled as “failing” based upon the current evaluation and labeling system. Unless changed, this provision unfairly penalizes our region’s schools, which play a crucial role in attracting new employers and retaining existing employers.
- The Issue of Funding. Meeting the needs of every child requires on-going formative and summative assessment that, in turn, informs instruction. These types of assessment require the use of current and future advanced computer technology both to assure immediate data and to address skill deficits that are discovered in the data. These programs are extremely expensive. In addition, training in metropolitan districts is also very expensive. While it is important that a substantial amount of allocated funds go to the neediest schools, insufficient funding for schools that are striving to maintain their successes will result in everyone losing.
The Chamber urges Congress to address the unmet funding needs created by NCLB, including the technology and training costs associated with assessment.
- The Issue of Highly Qualified Teachers. The NCLB concept of highly qualified teachers is a necessary goal, but efforts are not being made by the federal government or state governments to encourage individuals to choose teaching as a noble and long-term professional career. This is especially true in areas where there are critical shortages of teachers, such as special education, or areas where there are public sector competition, such as science and mathematics.
The Chamber urges Congress to consider public policy measures that would help to attract highly qualified teachers in critical shortage areas, such as housing tax credits or differentiated pay scales.
- The Issue of Variance In Standards. An additional concern is with the variance in state standards. How can schools, school districts, and states be held accountable if the rules vary from one state to the next? For example, one state’s standards may reflect a minimum level of competency, while another state sets high, rigorous standards with a focus on adaptive learning. Clearly, this is not a level playing field for judgment and accountability.
Chamber Position: The Northern Kentucky Chamber urges Congress to take into consideration the issue of varying state standards, as the assessment results of each state are measured and compared.
All of Northern Kentucky’s schoolchildren need 21st century skills in order to thrive in a global and knowledge-based society. When the Congress reauthorizes NCLB, it must do so with the clear understanding our future business and community leaders will face careers in which their most valuable competitive quality will be their intellectual capital.
Regional Postsecondary Education Funding
Background
Northern Kentucky has set generating 50,000 new high paying jobs by 2015 as a top priority for the community. These jobs will rely heavily on a talent force with college degrees. Currently, none of the counties in Northern Kentucky have a baccalaureate degree attainment rate at the national average. Knowledge capital is critical to economic growth and federal investment in Northern Kentucky’s postsecondary education programs is vital to achieving this goal.
Federal and state postsecondary education funding for Northern Kentucky has consistently ranked last over the past decade in comparison to other Kentucky regions. For example, in FY 2004, NKU received federal funding that was $22.5 million below the average of the regional comprehensive universities ($32.3 million) for total federal funds. Funds invested in Northern Kentucky’s postsecondary education resources are funds invested in
Chamber Position: The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce urges Kentucky’s Congressional delegation to continue to pursue federal funding for Northern Kentucky’s postsecondary education initiatives (
Federal Financial Aid Procedures
The application process for federal financial aid is complicated, especially for first-generation college students and their families. The complexity of the application process deters many eligible students and their families from seeking student aid. In addition, many families shy away from federal loan programs which could ease the burden of rising college costs and make it possible for students to complete their degrees in a timely manner. In Kentucky, only about 50% of families of college going students complete the FASFA application.
Chamber Position: The Chamber supports efforts to streamline the federal financial aid application process. We encourage simplification of the required forms.
Increase Pell Grant Awards for the Neediest Students
Under current law, students whose family income equals the subsistence level set by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are expected to contribute zero dollars, also known as ‘zero expected family contribution (EFC),’ but students with even lower incomes—equivalent to “negative EFC”—receive no additional benefits.
Chamber Position: The Chamber supports amending the Higher Education Act to augment the maximum Pell Grant award to benefit the lowest income students. The proposed change would augment the maximum Pell award by up to $750 per year for students with the lowest incomes.