By Della Cronin

This time of year is usually quiet in Washington as members of the House and Senate leave Capitol Hill to return to their home states and districts. August is a month for light Congressional schedules for members of the House and a monthlong recess that will involve district work, traveling for their jobs, and campaigning. This year, Senators will get only a weeklong break; when they return, debating the annual appropriations bills that fund federal agencies and programs and considering a Supreme Court nominee will be on the agenda.

Just before the recesses, there were several actions of interest to NCTM and its members. The annual appropriations process has been kinder to education and research investments than expected so far. Both House and Senate spending committees have approved bills that would increase spending at the Department of Education and set records for federal investments in research. The National Science Foundation and the Education and Human Resources Directorate would see modest increases in the House and Senate plans. The programs that NCTM watches at the Department of Education would receive healthy investments. The Title II investments in professional development would be level funded at just over $1 billion, and the Title IV, Part A program that supports a number of activities at the district level would see small increase in funds. NCTM has signed multiple letters that are supportive of these allocations, and NCTM members asked their Congressional delegations to invest in teachers when they met with them earlier this year. These bills could be on the Senate floor in August, and the House could debate them in September, but the closer Congress gets to the elections, the less eager members will be to take on difficult debates and votes. It is quite likely that the annual appropriations bills will not be signed by President Trump until after November’s midterm elections.

As for other policy developments, the House and Senate approved legislation that would reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act at the end of July. The progress on the issue, which had been stuck for months, was a welcome surprise to many in the STEM education community who have been requesting action for years. (The law has not been updated since 2006.) NCTM and the STEM Education Coalition asked Congress to strengthen the current law’s provisions to better support STEM educators in career and technical education programs, and, as is often the case, Congress took some—but not all—of their suggestions into the final bill.

Although the PROSPER Act will not be passed by the House this year, thanks in part to the opposition heard from NCTM and other groups, House Democrats have unveiled their vision for the future of higher education policy. In late July, House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D–Va.) shared a comprehensive proposal for reauthorizing the Higher Education Act called the Aim Higher Act; the centerpiece of the plan is a call for states to provide students with two tuition-free years at a community college. Notably, however, the bill would also strengthen the Teacher Quality Partnership program that invests in teacher preparation programs and retain financial

assistance for teachers and prospective teachers that are important in growing and sustaining the teaching workforce. Although the bill will not make any progress this year, it serves as a message going into the November elections. And if Democrats win control of the House in those elections, it would be the starting point for higher education policy debates in the House next year.

What Can You Do?

NCTM members can continue to let Congress know that the PROSPER Act (HR 4508) is not good for mathematics educators by visiting the advocacy center and weighing in there. In addition, given the importance of the new Title IV, Part A program to STEM education, members might consider reading this paper (PDF) on how school districts are investing in student support and academic enrichment using federal funds. Every district in the country is receiving funds under this program, and it is important that NCTM members and their colleagues have a feel for how the program works and what district leaders’ plans are for the funds.