Obama’s Education Budget: Important Investments And Tough Choices

Our guest blogger is Ulrich Boser, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Increasingly, researchers believe that even moderate gains in student achievement can provide massive economic benefits. According to a report released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development last year, an American male who obtains a college degree earns a whopping $367,000 more over his lifetime than a worker who does not. Another report by the same organization found that a small jump in student achievement could translate into an estimated economic benefit to the county of $40 billion in GDP by 2090.

That’s why the President’s announcement of a proposed $3 billion increase in education funding in his fiscal year 2011 budget is so important — the dollars can go a long way to help the economy and prepare all students for the rigors of college and the modern workplace. This is one of the largest funding increases for federal education programs ever requested. Plus, the President plans an additional $1 billion in funding if Congress reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Of course, when it comes to education, it’s results that matter, not money, and as our education team has highlighted in a number of reports, our nation must do far more to improve the achievement of all students regardless of their family background. And the President’s budget clearly reflects that fact by advocating for important education reforms, from investing in school-community partnerships to turning around low-performing schools.

The administration also takes on one of the most pressing reforms in education today, teacher quality, and invests almost a billion dollars in a new program that will increase the number of effective teachers and principals in high-needs schools. Called the Teacher and Leader Innovation Fund, the program will offer competitive awards to states and districts that take performance-based approaches to recruiting, retaining, and rewarding effective educators. The initiative is also very similar to a proposal that Robin Chait offered in a report last January; a competitive grant program that would help seed local teacher effectiveness reforms.

The administration’s budget proposal also does a lot to help states with many of their most pressing educational needs. The budget invests nearly a billion dollars in helping states and districts reinvent their lowest-performing schools. It also increases investments in Title III, which works to improve schooling for English-language learners.

At the same time, the budget looks to the future and invests in innovation, providing educators with the flexibility and resources to figure out what works. The budget adds an additional $1.35 billion to further the success of the Race to the Top Fund, which provides competitive grants to help states, and with these new funds districts, create the conditions for reform. It also provides another $500 million to expand the Investing in Innovation Fund, which will extend results-based reform models for achieving student success.

While providing significantly more funding for schools, the proposal makes tough choices and both consolidates and reforms unnecessary or inefficient programs. We know from our research that wasteful and hidebound school funding systems often impede high-quality schools, and the administration has consolidated dozens of K-12 programs into 11 new programs in order improve results and effectiveness.

The administration has also pushed to revamp the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program. Currently the program supports afterschool enrichment programs. But the President has smartly advocated for the program’s redesign so that it also helps to lengthen the school day, week, or year. As the Center has discussed in a number of reports, expanding learning time ensures that all students, including those most at risk of falling behind, have more time for both academic and enrichment opportunities.

The administration’s budget goes a long way to improve our nation’s education system — and provides a much needed investment in our economic future. Now it’s up to Congress to reauthorize ESEA and fund these important priorities.