Arne Duncan Warns Department of Education: Next Few Weeks Won't Be Easy 

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent an email to the Department of Education staff thanking them for their "hard work and patience during the 16-day partial government shutdown." While the turmoil over the shutdown may be over, the Department now faces a mountain of work. Secretary Duncan acknowledged this work in an email to staff, saying:

Click here to read more of Secretary Duncan's email. 

The bill to end Congress's stalemate over the budget could allow teachers participating in alternative-certification programs (for example, Teach for America) to be considered "highly qualified" for an additional two years, through the 2015-16 school year. 

Currently, No Child Left Behind requires teachers to have a degree in the subject they're teaching, plus state certification. However, contention surrounds the topic of alternative programs counting as certification. In 2010, Congress created a bill allowing teachers in alternative-certification to be considered highly qualified until the end of this school year. And they extended that provision yet again, for the 2013-14 school year. 

Now Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the chairman of the Senate panels that oversee K-12 spending and policy, has championed the bill once more, making it a part of the agreement to end the shutdown and raise the debt ceiling. The provision is "a short-term fix until Congress can have a long-term conversation about the future of ESEA," said his spokeswoman, Kate Cyrul Frischmann.

Click here  to read more about this bill.  

The Department of Education staff face a long to-do list, now that they have returned from the shutdown. Among these tasks are the numerous Race to the Top grants and No Child Left Behind waiver renewals. These include Race to the Top grant reviews for both districts and early learning programs, as well as Race to the Top penalty for Georgia.

Additionally, the waiver renewals for No Child Left Behind require the Department of Education's attention. Data analysis from an audit is due to states, and federal officials will be behind in monitoring the states' progress.  

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