TWO ROADS DIVERGED IN A HEARING ROOM: Congressional Hearing on the Federal Education Budget Previews Two Possible Paths for Spending Decisions: "The Road Not Taken" uses a traveler's journey through the forest to represent the decisions that each person makes in life. During a hearing on President Bush's budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Education on February 26, Frost's famous poem probably came to more than one mind as Representative David Obey (D-WI), chairman of the House Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, discussed the two options facing Congress and President Bush as they begin deliberations on funding decisions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009.

HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES REPORT BUDGET PLANS: Blueprints Call for Spending More Overall than the President's Budget and Increases for Education Programs: Last week, the House and Senate Budget Committees passed two separate versions of a fiscal year (FY) 2009 Congressional budget resolution. The two resolutions differed slightly in the total amounts of discretionary funding that they would permit in FY 2009 and in the amounts that they would provide for the U.S. Department of Education, although both plans would reject President Bush's proposed cuts for education programs.

"WHAT KEEPS GOOD TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM?": New Alliance Issue Brief Examines Which Teachers Leave and Why: A teacher's decision to stay at or leave a particular school is contingent on a variety of factors, ranging from the teacher's personal characteristics to his or her satisfaction with the school's environment. But to keep teachers in the classroom and help them to succeed there, it is critical to give teachers the help they need, such as mentoring and support programs designed for new teachers-especially those in struggling schools. So says "What Keeps Good Teachers in the Classroom?: Understanding and Reducing Teacher Turnover," a new brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education that explores the costs associated with teachers leaving their schools or the teaching profession, the characteristics of those likely to leave, and what can be done to prevent unnecessary and costly turnover.

STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS: Crist Seeks Additional Funding for Merit Pay for Teachers: In his state of the state address on March 4, Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R) talked about the need to direct the money to five priority "pillars," with one being world-class schools.

THE VALUE OF ENHANCED READING OPPORTUNITIES IN HIGH SCHOOLS: Report Finds Supplemental Reading Programs Can Improve High School Students' Test Scores: Supplemental reading programs have a statistically significant impact on improving student test scores in reading comprehension, according to early findings from the Enhanced Reading Opportunities (ERO) study. The Enhanced Reading Opportunities Study: Early Impact and Implementation Findings evaluates the effects of supplemental reading programs that are being implemented as part of small learning communities in thirty-four high schools from ten school districts across the country.

CLOSING THE EXPECTATIONS GAP: Achieve Grades States on High School Reform Efforts: According to Achieve's latest report, Closing the Expectations Gap 2008, a majority of states have committed to raise expectations for high school students and more than one third have already adopted college- and career-ready standards and graduation requirements. However, only nine states expect to have college- and career-ready testing systems in place by the end of 2008, and only four will hold high schools accountable for their students' readiness.

AP REPORT TO THE NATION: Advanced Placement Participation Increases While Mean Scores Decrease: Though a greater proportion of public high school students are taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams and earning passing grades on these exams than ever before, the mean score has declined for the fourth year in a row. Additionally, large gaps in AP participation remain between white students and students of color. These findings were reported in The Fourth Annual AP Report to the Nation, published by College Board, the nonprofit organization that works with colleges and universities to develop AP courses and exams.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK!: MetLife Survey Finds Connections Between Attitude About Homework and Student Achievement, Career Aspirations: Most teachers, students, and parents realize that homework is an important part of a student's educational development, according to the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: The Homework Experience, the latest in a series that MetLife started in 1984. What's more interesting is how teacher, student, and parental attitudes toward homework can shed light on many other aspects of education, such as a student's future goals and parents' attitudes toward their child's school.

STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESSES: A Focus on Boosting College Graduates in Ohio and on Retaining Quality Teachers in Wisconsin: In his state of the state address on February 6, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D) outlined a comprehensive proposal to increase the number of the state's college graduates, noting that doing so had to be a clear priority for the state "if our citizens are going to have good jobs and rising incomes in the coming years." A few states away, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) made recruiting qualified teachers a priority in his state of the state speech on February 13. "We need to improve teaching and should start by expanding the talent pool for public educators in Minnesota," he said. "The teaching profession is no longer consistently attracting top talent through traditional pathways. Predicted shortages of teachers with needed backgrounds like math and science are beginning to materialize."