Latest News

News Affecting WESTOP Members

Study Suggests Summer 'Bridge' Programs Help Black and Hispanic Men
Earn Better GradesHouse and Senate Subcommittees Pass Appropriations
Appropriations Update--Bill Passes by House
ED offers newest UB grantees option to change objectives before August 31st

Chronicle of Higher Ed, July 7, 2008

Study Suggests Summer 'Bridge' Programs Help Black and Hispanic Men
Earn Better Grades

A new national study of male students who are black or Hispanic
suggests that they get better grades in college if they go through
college-preparatory outreach programs before their freshman year.

Terrell L. Strayhorn, an assistant professor of higher education and
sociology at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, conducted the
study by analyzing data on black and Hispanic males collected as part of
the U.S. Education Department’s National Education Longitudinal Study.
He found that those who had gone through “bridge” programs intended
to help their transition to college went on to earn higher grades than
comparable students who lacked such additional college preparation.

On most college campuses, the difference between the two groups was
equivalent to the difference between a C+ or B- grade-point average and
a solid B average, Mr. Strayhorn says. Black men appeared to benefit
slightly more from such programs than Hispanic men did.

Mr. Strayhorn notes in a paper summarizing his findings that such
outreach programs differ in their offerings, with some focusing on
specific academic subjects, others on building self-esteem or teaching
practical skills such as financial planning. Because his analysis lumped
all such programs together, it leaves open the question of whether some
programs help students significantly more than others. Being focused
entirely on black or Hispanic men, his analysis also leaves open the
question of how such programs benefit women or male students of other
races or ethnicities. —Peter Schmidt

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June 25, 2008
 
Dear Colleague:
 
Both the House and the Senate Labor-HHS-Appropriations Subcommittees have passed their appropriations bills for FY 2009.  Although the Subcommittees have not officially released the appropriations numbers, it is our understanding that TRIO received approximately a $30 million increase in the House and a $10 million increase in the Senate.  These modest increases are comparable with those received by other higher education programs.  (For instance, GEAR UP received only an additional $5 million in the Senate and an additional $10 million in the House. Meanwhile, the Senate matched the President’s funding request for the Pell Grant program, resulting in only a $69 increase for grant recipients.)  
 
We will continue to fight for larger increases throughout the appropriations process.  Please expect to hear from us if you reside in a state represented by a member of the Appropriations Committee in the Senate or House.  The TRIO community as a whole will need to band together and work aggressively for better appropriations numbers.  
 
Thank you for all you do on behalf of TRIO programs and low-income, first-generation students.
 
Sincerely,
 
Arnold Mitchem
President

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Today, the Labor-Health-Human Services-Education Appropriations Subcommittee in the House of Representatives, led by Chairman David Obey (D-WI) and Ranking Member James Walsh (R-NY), passed its FY 2009 appropriations bill.  Although the Subcommittee has not released the specific figures, we are anticipating a modest increase to TRIO funding.  (Last year Congress authorized an increase of $30 million.)  It is our understanding that the bill also proposes to boost funding for GEAR UP and to increase the Pell Grant award maximum to $4,410.  Please see Chairman Obey's press release (below) for additional information about this bill.  Once we learn of the precise figures TRIO, we will forward that information to you.  

The House Subcommittee markup is just the first step in a long process.  This bill must be considered at the full Appropriations Committee level and later the entire House of Representatives.  An identical process must unfold in the Senate.  Once each chamber passes its own appropriations bill, they will need to reconcile the differences between them.

Because of President Bush's veto of last year's Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, it is likely that Congress will hold this year's bill until the new president takes office.  Presumably, the next president will want to dispense quickly with any such bills as one of his first administrative duties will be to craft a budget for FY 2010.  Therefore, to help ensure a strong showing in the FY 2009 appropriations bill and also to build a strong foundation for FY 2010, it is critical that members of the TRIO community contact their Members of Congress now and let them know that they support the TRIO number in the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee markup.  This step is particularly important for those of you who are represented by Appropriations Committee Members in the Senate (http://appropriations.senate.gov/members.cfm) and House of Representatives (http://appropriations.house.gov/members110th.shtml).  

Next week, the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee in the Senate will consider its version of the appropriations bill.  The Council will continue to keep the TRIO community apprised of all developments in the appropriations process.

Sincerely,

Arnold Mitchem
President

House Appropriations Committee

David R. Obey (WI-07), Chairman
For Immediate Release                                                                       Contact:          Kirstin Brost
Thursday, June 19th, 2008                                                                                           202-225-2771

Chairman Obey's Statement:
Labor, Health, Education Subcommittee Markup

WASHINGTON - Today Dave Obey (D-WI), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and Chairman of that committee's subcommittee on Labor, Health and Education, made the following statement at subcommittee markup of the 2009 bill.

"Today, we begin consideration of the Labor, Health and Education appropriations bill.  First, I want to thank my Ranking Member, Jim Walsh, for being a dedicated and gracious partner in helping to shepherd this bill through the various minefields we faced last year and may face again this year.  This institution will lose an outstanding public servant with his retirement from the Congress this year.  I also want to acknowledge the other Subcommittee Members who will be leaving this year - Ralph Regula, John Peterson, Dave Weldon, and Tom Udall - all of whom have made significant contributions to this bill over the years.

"The Labor, Health and Education Subcommittee held 13 hearings this spring to examine the challenges facing the nation over the next ten years, and to assess what investments are needed to address those challenges.  Given the funding constraints placed on us by the Administration's short-sighted priorities, the bill presented today represents our best efforts to invest judiciously in those activities that will help prepare the country to meet the challenges ahead.

"Last year, the President issued a budget that did not make the country stronger.  It cut deeply into critical health, education, and workforce development programs.
The President wanted us to cut vocational education by 50 percent;
· He wanted to eliminate all student aid but Work-Study and Pell Grants;
· He wanted to cut education for handicapped kids by $318 million;
· He wanted to cut mental health and substance abuse services by $160 million bucks;
· He planned to cut law enforcement grants by a third;
· He wanted to cut the clean water revolving fund by 37 percent;
· He wanted to cut disabled housing assistance by 47 percent;
· He would have cut low-income heating and cooling assistance, a program that I started with Ed Muskie and Silvio Conte, by 18 percent; and
· He would have cut $1.1 billion from worker training and protection activities.

"In all my years in Congress, I've never had anybody come up to me and say, "Obey, why don't you guys get your act together and cut cancer research?"  And yet, that's what has happened over the last two years.  The President and the Congress have cut 1,100 grants from the National Institutes of Health.

"We tried to correct many of those cuts with a bipartisan bill.  Fifty-one Republicans voted for the 2008 Labor-HHS bill, and we fell just four votes shy of being able to override the President's veto.

"This year, it is like groundhog day all over again.  Only this time
the President doesn't want to cut vocational education by 50 percent; he wants to eliminate it.
· He doesn't want to cut graduate medical education at children's hospitals by 63 percent; he wants to eliminate it;
· He wants to cut $180 billion out of Medicare over the next five years;
· He wants to cut mental health services by 14 percent, and
· the low-income home heating assistance by 22 percent;
· His budget will result in 6,000 medical research scientists who will no longer be able to get their medical research funded;
· Moreover, despite rising unemployment, he wants to cut workforce training and protection programs again, this time by $1.2 billion.

"This bill again tries to correct the President's short-sighted cuts.  The 2009 bill we consider today contains the priorities of many Members on both sides of the aisle.  

"I have no doubt that the next President will lead the country in an effort to make affordable health care available to every American.  While we may disagree over how to finance such a system, we need to make the necessary investments in our health system to begin to prepare.  

· "The quality of health care delivered to the American people rests fundamentally on the level of knowledge that we have about diseases.  That means expanded medical research is crucial.  The President's response is to freeze funding for the National Institutes of Health.  This bill rejects that freeze.  It provides a $1.2 billion increase over last year and the request, so that NIH can capitalize on unprecedented scientific opportunities to reduce the disease burden on the country.  This increase is the largest in six years.  More than 1,000 new research grants will be supported.

· "This bill will provide an additional 330,000 people with access to community health centers by providing a $100 million increase over last year ($73 million over the request).  It provides $75 million for a new State Health Access Grants program that will expand State health coverage initiatives for the uninsured.  The Committee might be interested to know that this Subcommittee engaged in a similar effort from 2000 to 2005 to provide States with planning grants, which they used to collect data about the characteristics of the uninsured within their State and to develop proposals to offer affordable health insurance coverage.  These planning grants were the genesis of some of the comprehensive State programs now being put in place across the country, such as those in Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont.  The new grants funded in the bill will move a number of States to the next level of implementation.

· "The bill also provides $75 million to expand State high risk insurance pools to provide affordable health insurance to almost 200,000 people; and $45 million to help seniors understand what Medicare benefits are available to them, $6 million more than last year.

· "The bill restores $240 million in cuts made by the Administration to health professions and nursing education and invests an additional $69 million over last year to train the doctors, nurses, and other health professionals that the country will need to ensure that more people get the quality health care they need and deserve. Rather than cutting public health priorities, such as childhood immunizations, by $475 million as proposed by the President, this bill provides CDC with a $156 million increase over last year.  Rather than cutting mental health and substance abuse services by nearly $200 million as proposed by the Administration, this bill provides $80 million more than last year.

· "For the rural health programs sought by the Congressional Rural Caucus, which the President proposed to cut by $118 million or 45 percent, the bill provides a $31 million increase over last year. These important programs support more than 1,200 small, at-risk rural hospitals, create health care networks for more than 775,000 rural residents in underserved communities, and support rural health research centers and State rural health offices.   

"In the area of education, the nation faces immense challenges in raising the academic performance of all students in order to remain competitive in the global economy.  A staggering 1.2 million students will fail to graduate from high school this year.  Nationally, only 78 percent of 9th graders who are white will make it to graduation four years later. This figure drastically drops to only 58 percent for Hispanics, 55 percent for African Americans, and 51 percent for Native American students.  Those results tell us that we are not providing equal educational opportunity because without a high school education, opportunity is very limited.  To provide educational opportunity for these students, the bill makes key investments in public education:

· "The bill expands Federal support for early childhood education, which has an enormous payoff to society.  It includes $7.1 billion for Head Start services for nearly 900,000 low-income children, which is $242 million over last year ($93 million over the request).  Instead of freezing child care assistance as the President's budget does, this bill provides a $50 million increase for a total of $2.1 billion, supporting high quality child care for an additional 8,700 children.

· "The bill invests $15.1 billion for Title I grants for low-income children, an additional $665 million over last year ($259 million over the request).  These funds will provide targeted support to more than 11,000 schools that have not met No Child Left Behind academic standards.  

· "The bill rejects the President's attempt to eliminate as many as 1.1 million disadvantaged children from after-school programs with a $281 million cut.  Instead, the bill provides a $50 million increase over last year to $1.1 billion for after-school centers.

· "Under the President's budget, the share of special education costs met by the Federal government would drop to 17.1 percent, continuing an unfortunate downward trend.  Due to the leadership of Jim Walsh, this bill reverses that trend by increasing the Federal share to 17.5 percent - the highest percentage contribution since 2006.  It does so by providing a $604 million increase over last year ($267 million over the request) for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part B State Grants.

"We also hear a lot of talk about equal access to higher education.  If you are a student from a family that is in the top 20 percent of earners in the country, college expenses consume about 5 percent of household income.  But, if you are in the bottom 20 percent of earners, college expenses consume a gigantic 70 percent of household income.  That is not a level playing field

· "To help 5.7 million low- and middle-income families pay college costs, this bill invests an additional $3.1 billion over last year to increase the maximum Pell Grant by $169 over 2008  ($100 over the request) to $4,410.  With additional mandatory funding under the College Cost Reduction Act, the Congress will have increased the maximum Pell Grant by $850 since 2006.

· "The President's budget eliminates other student aid programs, including Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants. This bill rejects the President's eliminations and continues these programs to help make college more affordable.

"Even though the country faces record high and exploding costs of energy, the President's budget cuts the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program by $570 million, or 22 percent - a cut that would eliminate assistance to 1.2 million people.  This bill rejects that cut and provides an additional $200 million over last year to help approximately 450,000 additional households pay their utility bills compared to last year.  

"The President's budget cuts other programs that help vulnerable individuals and families cope with the rising costs of gasoline, utilities, food, and other basic necessities.

· "The President's budget slashes $760 million from the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) which provides flexible funding to States for safety net services; this bill rejects that cut and provides $1.7 billion for SSBG.  The President's budget eliminates the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), which supports safety net services at the community level for 16 million individuals; this bill rejects that termination and, instead, provides a $46 million increase over last year.

· "Senior nutrition programs are boosted by $50 million over 2008 and the request, resulting in an additional 14 million meals that will be served in 2009.

"It is difficult to fathom the Administration's indifference to the plight of the unemployed.  In the teeth of the largest rise in unemployment in decades, the Administration has been resisting efforts to provide an additional 13 weeks of help to workers who have exhausted unemployment benefits and still cannot find work.   In his budget, the President also cuts employment, training and worker safety programs by $1.2 billion.  This bill rejects those cuts and makes strategic investments to help Americans compete in the global economy.  

· "Instead of accepting a $241 million cut for Dislocated Workers training requested by the President, the bill provides $40 million more than last year to help unemployed workers obtain new job skills, including $22.5 million for a new "green collar jobs" training initiative.   

· "Instead of a $46 million cut to Job Corps, which provides at-risk youth with occupational and employment skills, this bill provides a $107 million increase.  Further, the bill provides an $11 million increase  over last year for YouthBuild ($20 million over the request), in order to expand this innovative program that trains youth in the construction trades while they build affordable housing.

· "The bill provides $172 million more than last year for State Unemployment Insurance Operations so that States can process rising unemployment benefit claims; and it rejects the President's proposed elimination of the Employment Service by providing $703 million to help 13 million people find jobs.

"The bill also accelerates efforts at the Social Security Administration to ensure that seniors and the disabled receive the benefits to which they are entitled.  It provides $682 million over last year ($100 million over the request) to help SSA reduce the backlog of disability hearings, improve claims processing times, and support field offices.  

"There are some places in the bill, however, where we do not provide additional investments.  The bill does not continue funding for the Reading First program, which has been plagued with mismanagement, conflicts of interest, and cronyism as documented by the Department of Education Inspector General.  Moreover, a scientifically rigorous study released by Department of Education in May 2008 found that the program has had no discernable impact on student reading performance.  

"In summary, I believe that the investments in this bill will address the country's most pressing needs, and advance the country's health, well-being, and productivity."

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ED offers newest UB grantees option to change objectives before August 31st

The newest Upward Bound programs, including those funded under the HR2669 and first-time grantees in the 2007 UB, UBMS, and VUB competitions, will have the option to seek changes to their grant objectives if tied to the "needs" sections of their grants, the director of the federal TRIO programs said Friday.

The U.S. Department of Education is offering this opportunity to modify grant objectives because, in some cases, there is no other way these projects can be successful, federal TRIO Director Linda Byrd-Johnson told the COE Board of Directors. She estimated that 250 projects fell in this newest UB category and would be eligible to seek the changes before August 31st.

In some instances, the new projects have set objectives reflecting 80%-90% student achievement levels while serving schools with only 30% student achievement levels, she said - an apparent recipe for failure. That is why the Department is willing to consider permitting these changes.

With regard to the newly-awarded external TRIO monitoring contract, Byrd-Johnson said that projects selected for site visits by the outside monitors (from the American Institutes for Research - AIR) would receive written notice six weeks in advance. Approximately 45 institutions are slated for site visits, beginning as early as July, but more likely September or even later. She also indicated that exact site visit dates may be negotiable, based on local circumstances.

The 45 institutions on the Department's TRIO "monitoring index" are based on a number of factors, including overall funding levels, accreditation status, and matching requirements, she told the COE Board at a luncheon meeting at the Washington Hilton Hotel. The monitoring index does not relate to TRIO programs, but to overall funding from the Office of Postsecondary Education.  However, all institutions on the index do sponsor TRIO programs.

Apparently seeking to reduce anxiety about the external monitoring process, Byrd-Johnson said:

· The outside monitors will conduct the site visits "as though TRIO staff" were doing it, and she has found the AIR team "extremely responsive;"
· "Monitoring is not necessarily a bad thing," she observed, because it may yield useful information on best practices that the TRIO staff can pass along;
· All site visit reports will go through Byrd-Johnson's office and be reviewed by her before being released to ensure consistency and fairness;
· ED's TRIO staff will still make some site visits, particularly in response to complaints from "disgruntled parents, students, and former employees."

Between 1999 and 2002 the TRIO programs collectively returned $52 million to the U.S. Treasury because those funds lapsed (i.e. were not spent before the end of their grant awards.)  Byrd-Johnson said she wants to make sure that does not continue to happen, and urges TRIO directors and staff to draw down their funds appropriately to pay for expenses in a timely fashion.

Next year, I don't want to have to refuse to award continuation grants because grant funds were not used on time, she warned. The money should be used to replenish books and supplies or otherwise appropriately support students, she said. The money was allocated to serve TRIO students and should be used for that purpose.

Byrd-Johnson was warmly received by the COE Board during the final day of the board's spring meeting. Other comments by Byrd-Johnson:

1. The Training Grants deadline was May 23rd and she hopes to make the awards by June 30.
2. The SSS Competition application will be published soon, and ED will sponsor workshops (dates to be announced).
3. If the Higher Education Act is reauthorized before fall of 2008, it will have an impact on the SSS competition, specifically because it will allow branch campuses to apply for grants.
4. A report from the U.S. Office of Inspector General about the investigation into the 2006 Talent Search and EOC competitions will likely be released by the end of the summer.

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