Campaign Promises

Departments -> Education

ItemEducation
College EducationGrade
ED-1The Promise: "...will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit."
When/Where: Obama's Plan for America: "The Blueprint for Change" dated 07/29/08
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, signed into law 02/17/09, approved the new American Opportunity Tax Credit for two years up to $2,500 (it was $1,800 prior to the stimulus bill). Passage of the ARRA trumped the American Opportunity Tax Credit Act of 2009 (H.R. 106) introduced on 01/05/09 by Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), a bill that expired without action at the end of the 111th Congress. That bill would have increased the refundable tax credit for higher education expenses to $4,000.

The American Opportunity Tax Credit was further extended for CY2011 and CY2012 on 12/17/10 when President Obama signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4853).

On 01/02/13, President Obama signed the "American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012" (H.R. 8) into law. This bill extended the American Opportunity Tax Credit by five years through the end of CY2017. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (H.R. 1314) was then signed into law by President Obama on 11/02/15, making the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-2The Promise: "...will create a national "Make College a Reality" initiative that has a bold goal to increase students taking AP or college-level classes nationwide 50 percent by 2016..."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:When variants of this promise were made during the CY2007-08 school year, 1,580,821 students out of a total high school enrollment of 14.9M students had taken Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams. During the CY2014-15 school year, 2,483,452 out of a total high school enrollment of 15.0M students (less than a 1% increase) took AP courses/exams according to The College Board, exceeding the 50% goal.

This promise is not to be confused with the President's "2020 North Star Initiative" or First Lady Michelle Obama's "Reach Higher Initiative" to promote college attendance and completion as well as other initiatives to ensure college affordability. Rather, this promise was specifically to create a national "Make College a Reality" initiative applicable to high school students.

While the goal to increase AP/college-level class participation by 50% was reached on its own steam, the promised initiative/program did not come to fruition during President Obama's two terms in office.

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
ED-3The Promise: "Some states have developed an Early Assessment Program that enables 11th graders and their families to ascertain if they are on track to be college ready by the time they graduate...will provide $25 million annually in matching funds for states to develop Early Assessment Programs."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Making College Affordable for Everyone" dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://static.newamerica.org/attachments/7618-a-call-to-arms/College%20Affordability%20Fact%20Sheet.d9439c717ab24e9cbd5d2cef2db86cba.pdf
Status:There is no evidence that the Obama Administration requested matching funds for state-level "Early Assessment Programs" (EAP), during President Obama's two terms in office. Some states such as California already had excellent EAP's in place prior to President Obama's first term.

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ED-4The Promise: "...will support university programs that partner NASA, DOT, DOD and NOAA with academia to provide hands-on training experiences at the college level."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Advancing the Frontiers of Space Exploration" dated 08/15/08.
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/382369main_48%20-%2020090803.2.Space_Fact_Sheet_FINAL.pdf
Status:The guiding principles that govern interactions between the Federal Government and universities that perform research are outlined by Executive Order 13185 signed by President Bill Clinton on 12/28/00. This was not an Obama Administration initiative.

(1) NASA has strategic partnerships with numerous universities such as the Universities of Arizona, Michigan, Southern California, California Santa Cruz, UCLA, MIT, Dartmouth College, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton, and others.

(2) The Department of Transporation (DOT) has a healthy research partnership with Ohio State University and with Cornell University to increase public involvement in the rulemaking process driven by a proposed rule to ban texting for truck and bus drivers and to reduce other risks posed by distracted driving. As a result, the DOT announced a new rule in 01/10 against texting and driving.

(3) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) has established partnerships with the University of Mississippi for the Sea Grant Law Center, with the University of Southern California and Texas A&M for ports and harbors research, the University of Connecticut for geospatial research, the University of Rhode Island to foster a global capacity for sustainable resource use, and others.

(4) The Department of Defense, not only through its Defense Acquisition University, has significant partnerships with academia such as funding a unique corrosion engineering degree program at the University of Akron, Ohio State, and the Universities of Virginia, Hawaii and Southern Mississippi. Partnering with the DoD, the University of Michigan combats the stigma associated with seeking care for psychological health, traumatic brain injury among veterans and athletes. External/university research efforts and partnerships can also be funded by the Air Force Office of Sponsored Research (AFOSR), Office of Naval Research (ONR), Army Research Office (ARO), Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Army Corps of Engineers, National Security Agency (NSA), and others.

Funding for these partnership programs was routinely included in President Obama's budget proposals.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
Community CollegeGrade
ED-5The Promise: "...provide grants for students seeking college level credit at community colleges if their school does not provide those resources."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:This promise focused on high school students with the aptitude to pursue college level classes at their neighborhood community colleges but lacked the resources to do so.

The "Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009" (H.R. 3221) was introduced by Congressman George Miller (D-CA) on 07/15/09. It passed by the House on 09/17/09 but did not get through the Senate.

This bill was developed to amend the College Access Challenge Grant Program which provides grants to state agencies designated by the governor of that state, not to individual student applicants. The bill intended to give grant priority to programs that: (1) served underrepresented students, dislocated workers, or veterans; (2) are offered by institutes that do not predominantly award bachelor's degrees (i.e. community colleges); (3) increase degree or certificate completion in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; (4) enhance the financial literacy of students who are potentially eligible for assistance under the Act; or (5) encourage constructive partnerships between Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) with high degree completion rates and those without such rates.

On 03/18/10, the text of the "Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009" (H.R. 3221) was included as a rider to the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872), signed into law on 03/30/10 by President Obama as an amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-6The Promise: "...will make community college tuition completely free for most students."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:During his 01/20/15 State of the Union Address to Congress, President Obama repeated his campaign promise to make two years of community college free. The proposed program would create a federal-state partnership with federal government funding covering 75% of community college tuition and states paying 25%.

Responding to President Obama's national-level proposal, Congressman Robert Scott (D-VA) introduced the "America's College Promise Act of 2015" (H.R. 2962) on 07/08/15, as did Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) on the same date (S. 1716). These bills would have authorized the Department of Education (DOE) to award grants to waive tuition and fees at community colleges on a national scale. These Acts expired when the 114th Congress closed at the end of CY2016.

By end-CY2016 and in the absence of the promised national program, at least 14 states and the cities of San Francisco and Chicago had developed or passed legislation to enact their own tuition-free community college programs, based on varying eligibility criteria (i.e. family income, student high school GPA, etc.).

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
ED-7The Promise: "...will create a Community College Partnership Program to strengthen community colleges by providing grants to (a) conduct more thorough analysis of the types of skills and technical education that are in high demand from students and local industry; (b) implement new associate of arts degree programs that cater to emerging industry and technical career demands; and (c) reward those institutions that graduate more students and also increase their numbers of transfer students to four-year institutions... the grants will support programs that facilitate transfers from two-year institutions to four-year institutions."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Making College Affordable for Everyone" dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://static.newamerica.org/attachments/7618-a-call-to-arms/College%20Affordability%20Fact%20Sheet.d9439c717ab24e9cbd5d2cef2db86cba.pdf
Status:Prior to this promise, certain colleges/universities and some states had created their own community college partnership programs, such as Dickinson College of Carlisle, PA and Excelsior College of Albany, NY.

Starting in FY2011, the Departments of Education and Labor were both funded at the $500M level for community college/employer partnerships under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative. This initiative was signed into law by President Obama on 03/30/10 under the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (H.R. 4872), Section 1501. Funding was capped at $2B over a four-year period, essentially creating a Community College Partnership Program.

Beyond the above funding, President Obama's FY2013 budget proposal stated that he was asking for $8B for the Departments of Labor and Education to support "State and community college partnerships with businesses to build the skills of American workers." The creation of this "Community College to Career" fund was announced by President Obama at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, VA on 02/13/12. Its intent was to train 2M workers for high-demand industries.

In his FY2017 budget submission to Congress, President Obama proposed the establishment of a $2.5B "Community College Partnership Tax Credit" that would provide businesses with a new tax credit for hiring graduates from community and technical colleges as an incentive to encourage employer engagement and investment in these education and training pathways. The proposal would provide $500M in tax credit authority for each of the five years, FY2017 through FY2021. The tax credit authority would be allocated annually to states on a per capita basis and would be available to qualifying employers that hire qualifying community college graduates.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
General EducationGrade
ED-8The Promise: "Will use the bully pulpit and the example he will set in the White House to promote the importance of arts and arts education in America."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Champions for Arts and Culture", dated 09/11/08.
Source: http://muzartworld.org/president-barack-obama-and-joe-biden-champions-for-arts-and-culture/
Status:Since taking office in 01/09, President Obama set the example by hosting numerous musical performances and workshops at the White House, covering classical music/ballet, jazz, Latin and country music. He added $100M in new funding for the arts including $50M under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to preserve arts jobs. In addition to approximately $25M appropriated to the Department of Education for "Arts in Education" programs, both the national arts and humanities endowments received $167.5M in FY2010, their largest allocations in 16 years.

In terms of arts in education, President Obama's Education Secretary Arne Duncan addressed a letter in 08/09 to "School and Education Community Leaders", to bring to their "attention the importance of the arts as a core academic subject and part of a complete education for all students." The letter then reports on the results of a 2008 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) survey whereby only 57% of 8th graders attended schools where music instruction was offered "at least three or four times a week", and only 47% attended schools where visual arts were offered that often.

Finally, the letter announced the launching of another survey "to assess the condition of arts education in grade K-12." All of these actions and plans fed into promise fulfillment, as the promise was simply to "promote" arts and arts education.

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ED-9The Promise: "Will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more children."
When/Where: Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/ Obama and Biden's documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:The level of funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) established for FY2009, the last Bush Administration budget year, was $1.13B. This was the amount to "double." Here's how appropriated funds for the 21st CCLC looked like during most of President Obama's two terms in office:
FY2010...$1.160B
FY2011...$1.154B
FY2012...$1.128B
FY2013...$1.069B
FY2014...$1.126B
FY2015...$1.151B
FY2016...$1.166B
FY2017...$1.167B

Doubling the FY2009 level of funding would have required $2.26B per annum. This goal was not met. Further, the 21st CCLC served 1.5M students in FY2009 and 1.8M students by end-FY2017. Therefore the goal to serve "one million more children" was also not met.

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
ED-10The Promise: "...will develop K-12 education activities to translate the successes of our civil space programs, particularly our nation's scientific discoveries, our technology developments, and space exploration activities, into instructional programs for our children."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Advancing the Frontiers of Space Exploration" dated 08/15/08.
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/382369main_48%20-%2020090803.2.Space_Fact_Sheet_FINAL.pdf
Status:In President Obama's FY2011 budget proposal for NASA, a section entitled "Inspires More Young People to Engage in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics" specifies that "The Budget supports NASA programs that are designed to meet the goals of the President's 'Educate to Innovate' campaign in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education."

NASA's "Summer of Innovation," for example, works with thousands of middle school teachers and students to engage students in stimulating, evidence-based math and science-based education programs.

Another example is the continuation of the NASA-led Digital Learning Network (DLN), an Internet or video conferencing medium through which over 600K students and teachers (K-through-College) have access to engineers, scientists and mathematicians at 10 NASA centers. Through DLN, educators can guide their students over 50 space-related modules addressing subject matters ranging from asteroids to robotics.

NASA's FY2011 budget for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education purposes was $75M. This budget line item increased to $80M for FY2012, but leveled off at about $67M annually from FY2013 onward through FY2017.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-11The Promise: "...will require all schools of education to be accredited."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:According to the Department of Education, the goal of accreditation "is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality." Accrediting agencies, of which there are seven (7), develop evaluation criteria and conduct peer evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met.

Institutions and/or programs that meet an agency's criteria are then "accredited" by that agency. The Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies. In the United States, a school does not necessarily have to be accredited to operate, but the quality of education it provides is usually considered dubious.

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) also maintains a database of accredited and nonaccredited institutions and programs. Their listing is considered more up-to-date than DOE's listing. The States of Michigan and Oregon also maintain their own listings of degree/diploma mills. Michigan's list has some 600 entries of bogus institutes.

As of CY2016, the top 10 states harboring fake universities, unaccredited institutions of higher education, and unrecognized accrediting agencies were as follows:
California (134)
Hawaii (94)
Washington (87)
Florida (57)
Texas (53)
New York (44)
Louisiana (39)
Illinois (29)
Nevada (29)
Arizona (28)

As of the end of President Obama's second term in office, CHEA's listing of nonaccredited schools was extensive.

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ED-12The Promise: "...will establish a Presidential Early Learning Council to encourage necessary dialogue among programs at the federal and state levels, and within the private and nonprofit sectors to collect and disseminate the most valid and up-to-date research on early learning, and to highlight best practices and model programs at the state and local level."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Lifetime Success Through Education," dated 10/16/08.
Source: http://doclibrary.com/MSC56/DOC/ObamaEducationPlan12084315.pdf
Status:The cited plan stipulates that the creation of an Early Learning Council would be funded as part of a $10B effort along with Early Learning Challenge Grants, increasing Head Start funding, and other "zero to five" child education initiatives.

In 08/10, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced the creation of the Early Learning Interagency Policy Board designed, according to Department of Education documentation, "to improve the quality of early learning programs and outcomes for young children; increase the coordination of research, technical assistance and data systems; and advance the effectiveness of the early learning workforce among the major federally funded early learning programs across the two departments."

This was not exactly the promised "Presidential Early Learning Council," but the Early Learning Interagency Policy Board's mission comes close to the articulated purpose of the proposed "Council."

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-13The Promise: "...will launch a Children's First Agenda that provides care, learning and support to families with children from birth up to five years old."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:President Obama supported initiatives to improve education for children in the 0-to-5 age bracket, and his annual budget requests throughout his two terms in office reflect that support.

However, this promise was specifically to "launch a Children's First Agenda," sometimes referred to as the "Kids First Agenda". This didn't happen.

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
ED-14The Promise: "Fully funding IDEA [Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] will provide students with disabilities the public education they have a right to, and school districts will be able to provide services without cutting into their general education budgets. In addition to fully funding IDEA, ...will ensure effective implementation and enforcement of the Act."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Empower Americans with Disabilities," dated 09/06/08.
Source: http://www.thearc.org/document.doc?id=3073
Status:When Congress enacted the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) of 1975, which later evolved to become the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990, it determined that the cost of educating children with disabilities was roughly twice as expensive as educating children without disabilities.

Thus, Congress at that time agreed that the federal government would pay a percentage of the "excess" costs being experienced by states, utilizing the national Average Per-Pupil Expenditure (APPE) as the metric and 40% as the limit of the government's payment of "excess" costs.

For FY2009, the annual appropriation for IDEA ($12.580B/16.8% of excess) was buttressed by the infusion of additional capital from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 ($12.2B) for a total of $24.7B representing 33.4% of excess costs.

For FY2010, the appropriation for IDEA amounted to $12.32B or 16.9% of excess costs. For FY2011, the appropriated amount was $11.48B representing 16.1% of excess costs. For FY2012, the appropriated amount was $12.66B representing 17.2% of excess costs.

An "IDEA Full Funding Act" was introduced by both houses of Congress during every Congress while President Obama was in office since CY2009. When the 114th Congress expired at the end of 12/16, S.130 and H.R. 551, Senate and House bills bearing the "IDEA Full Funding Act" title, also expired.

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
ED-15The Promise: "...will double funding for the Federal Charter School Program to support the creation of more successful charter schools..."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:The U.S. Government funds three related programs: the Public Charter Schools Program (CSP), the State Facilities Incentive Grants Program, and the Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program. Candidate Obama perhaps meant all three programs in this promise.

Excluding funding for Voluntary Public School Choice and Magnet Schools Assistance, the charter school grant programs were appropriated $216M for FY2009. This was the amount to "double."

The Federal Charter School Program followed the trend depicted below, being rolled into a subset of the "Expanding Educational Options Authority":

FY2010....$256.0M
FY2011....$255.5M
FY2012....$255.5M
FY2013....$254.8M
FY2014....$248.2M
FY2015....$253.2M
FY2016....$333.2M
FY2017....$253.0M

At no time was the FY2009 amount for the Charter School Program ($216M) doubled to $432M during President Obama's two terms in office.

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
ED-16The Promise: "...will address the dropout crisis by passing his legislation to provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention strategies in middle school - strategies such as personal academic plans, teaching teams, parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math instruction, and extended learning time."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:According to a National Center for Education Statistics study for the CY2007-08 school year, it was estimated that the national high school graduation rate was 63.5% for Hispanics, 61.5% for African Americans, 81% for White Americans, and 64.2% for Native Americans. The Average Freshman Graduation Rate was reported as 74.9% of the student population, leaving the dropout rate at about 25%. 2,000 of the nation's worst-performing schools reportedly accounted for 75% of the minority-student dropout rate.

The "Race to the Top" program, funded at a level of $4.35B under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, contained a provision for turning around the lowest achieving schools and, by extension, would improve the dropout rate at a few, select schools.

To mitigate the school dropout situation, the Graduation for All Act was introduced by Congressman George Miller (D-CA) on 11/19/09 to support high-need middle and high schools in order to improve students' academic achievement, graduation rates, post-secondary readiness, and preparation for citizenry. This bill expired without action at the end of the 111th Congress.

On 08/02/11, Senator Lisa Murkowski (D-MD) introduced the "Early Intervention for Graduation Success Authorization Act of 2011" (S. 1495). This bill was reintroduced as S.1109 by Senator Murkowski on 06/06/13. No action was taken on these bills during the 112th and 113th Congresses.

On 02/09/12, Congressman John Kline (R-MN) introduced the "Student Success Act" (H.R. 3989). This bill also expired with the 112th Congress. Congressman Kline again introduced this bill to the 113th Congress, it passed the House, but died with that Congress. He reintroduced it to the 114th Congress where it passed the House on 07/08/15 but was not voted upon by the Senate. Had the Senate passed this bill, President Obama announced his intention to veto it.

On 04/30/15, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced the "Every Student Succeeds Act" (S.1177) to address the basic tenets of this promise and which contains many of the provisions of the "Student Success Act" cited above. President Obama signed this legislation into law on 12/10/15.

The trend in high school graduation rates during President Obama's two terms in office was as follows, reflecting a steady reduction in the national high school dropout rate:

SY2009-10....75.0%
SY2010-11....79.0%
SY2011-12....80.0%
SY2012-13....81.4%
SY2013-14....82.3%
SY2014-15....83.2%
SY2015-16....84.1%

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-17The Promise: "...will also prioritize supporting states that help the most successful charter schools to expand to serve more students."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:The FY2009 appropriation for charter school programs was $216M. Under President Obama, annual appropriations were as reflected below:
FY2010....$256.0M
FY2011....$255.5M
FY2012....$255.0M
FY2013....$241.5M
FY2014....$248.2M
FY2015....$253.2M
FY2016....$333.0M
FY2017....$332.5M

On 04/30/15, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced the "Every Student Succeeds Act" (S.1177). Section 4303 of this bill is entitled "Grants to Support High-Quality Charter Schools" and responds to the basic thrust of this promise. President Obama signed this legislation into law on 12/10/15.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-18The Promise: "...will help Limited English Proficient students get ahead by holding schools accountable for making sure these students complete school."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:On 12/10/15, President Obama signed the "Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)" (S.1177) to essentially replace the "No Child Left Behind Act" signed into law by President George W. Bush on 01/08/02.

ESSA changes references to "Limited English Proficient" students to "English Learners." Title III of this law, entitled "Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students," states that one of its principal purposes is "to assist all English learners, including immigrant children and youth, to achieve at high levels in academic subjects so that all English Learners can meet the same challenging State academic standards that all children are expected to meet..." Title III also articulates the accountability standards that must be met by schools with English Learner programs.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-19The Promise: "Reform No Child Left Behind [NCLB]: ...will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:On 12/10/15, President Obama signed the "Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)" (S.1177) to replace the "No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act" signed into law by President George W. Bush on 01/08/02.

This new law fixes NCLB practices at the national level to allow more flexibility and equality in the accountability area, additional investments in teachers and principals, and more attention to high-risk schools and students.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-20The Promise: "Reform No Child Left Behind [NCLB]: ...will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace..."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:While the Department of Education (DOE) sets general policy on assessments, the application of assessment standards varies from state to state.

The DOE approves or disapproves individual state assessment systems under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as amended by the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) of 1994.

On 12/10/15, President Obama signed the "Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)" (S.1177) to replace the "No Child Left Behind Act" signed into law by President George W. Bush on 01/08/02. Title I, Section 112 of this law states in part: "Each State plan shall demonstrate that the State educational agency, in consultation with local educational agencies, has implemented a set of high-quality student academic assessments in mathematics, reading or language arts, and science."

As a point of reference, the "College Board" report for the Class of 2017 indicated that students made significant progress during President Obama's tenure in improving basic skill sets requisite to succeed in college and in the workplace. It published its Graduating Class of 2017 national Scholastic Aptitude Test mean scores as 533 for reading and writing, up from 501 when President Obama assumed the Office of the Presidency in CY2009; 527 for mathematics, up from 515 in CY2009.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-21The Promise: "Reform No Child Left Behind [NCLB]: Obama and Biden will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:The Obama Administration dropped the moniker "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) for the program by that name started under President Bush in CY2002. Under the structure of this program, grants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) were funded at $25.0B in FY2009 plus $14.0B received under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 economic stimulus funding for a total of $39.0B, coming close to the authorized amount for the entire NCLB program of $39.4B.

The gap between authorized and actual funding increased in FY2010 with appropriations amounting to $25.1B leaving unfunded requirements of $14.3B. For FY2011, funding was $29.2B leaving an unfunded gap of $10.2B.

Title I of the NCLB Act ("Improving Basic Programs Operated by State and LEAs") was the cornerstone of the NCLB, codified as the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This Title was funded during subsequent years against the authorized per annum level of $25.0B as follows:
FY2012....$14.5B
FY2013....$13.7B
FY2014....$14.3B
FY2015....$14.4B
FY2016....$15.4B

On 12/10/15, President Obama signed the "Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)" (S.1177) to replace/reform the "No Child Left Behind Act." This new law came into effect starting in FY2017. For FY2017, President Obama requested $16.0B but Congress appropriated $15.4B for Title IA against the authorized level of $16.5B

The "funding the law" aspect of this promise was fulfilled, albeit at less than authorized amounts. Further, the Obama Administration did reform the NCLB as promised by replacing it with the ESSA.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-22The Promise: "...will make math and science education a national priority, and provide our schools with the tools to educate 21st-Century learners."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan: "Lifetime Success Through Education," dated 10/16/08.
Source: http://doclibrary.com/MSC56/DOC/ObamaEducationPlan12084315.pdf
Status:On 11/23/09, President Obama launched the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related "Educate to Innovate" campaign to move American students from the middle to the top of international pack in science and math achievements over the next decade.

In CY2010 alone, the STEM program had attracted over $700M in donations and in-kind support from Corporate America, philanthropies, service organizations, and private individuals to inspire young people to pursue careers in math and science.

However, the second half of this promise was to provide schools with the tools they need to achieve the 21st Century goal of making American students tops in the world in the areas of math and science.

MATHEMATICS: the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test administered in CY2017 revealed that only 40% of Grade 4 (up from 39% in CY2009), 34% of Grade 8 (unchanged from CY2009) and 25% of Grade 12 students (down from 26% in CY2009) were performing at or above the "Proficient" level in mathematics.

SCIENCE: The most recent figures available for testing at or above the "Proficient" level in science was 38% for Grade 4 in CY2015 (up from 34% in CY2009), 34% for Grade 8 in CY2015 up from 32% in CY2009), and 22% for Grade 12 in CY2015 compared to 21% in CY2009.

Among 65 industrialized countries assessed triennially by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in CY2009, the USA ranked 31st in math and 24th in science. By the time the CY2015 assessment was conducted, the results published by PISA in 12/16, were worse. The USA had gone down to 40th place in math among the 72 member countries participating in the assessment, and down one place to 25th in science proficiency.

With some exceptions, U.S. student performance in math and science was worse by end-CY2016 than it was when President Obama assumed the Presidency in CY2009, despite STEM and other tools he initiated.

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
ED-23The Promise: "Science assessments need to do more than test facts and concepts...states like Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, use an assessment that calls for students to design and conduct investigations, analyze and present data, write up and defend results...will work with governors and educators to ensure that state assessments measure these skills."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan for Lifetime Success Through Education, dated 10/16/08.
Source: http://doclibrary.com/MSC56/DOC/ObamaEducationPlan12084315.pdf
Status:The perfect opportunity to address this promise was in President Obama's "Blueprint for Reform - The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act," presented to Congress on 03/15/10.

In Page 8 of the "Blueprint for Reform," under the heading of "Rigorous College-and Career-Ready Standards," the following statement is made: "States will continue to implement statewide science standards and aligned assessments in specific gradespans, and may include such assessment -- as well as statewide assessments in other subjects, such as history -- in their accountability system."

Further to the above, President Obama signed the "Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)" (S.1177) into law on 12/10/15 to replace the "No Child Left Behind Act." Section 1201(a)(2)(G) of ESSA specifically calls on states to refine "...science assessments required under section 1111(b)(2) in order to integrate engineering design skills and practices into such assessments."

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-24The Promise: "...we'll fight to make sure we are once again first in the world when it comes to high school graduation rates."
When/Where: Candidate Obama Campaign Speech on Education, dated 10/15/08.
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vEg-deTXkc#t=2m33s
Status:In CY2009, the USA ranked 21st out of 26 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) developed countries in terms of high school graduation rates. Studies also indicated that the United States ranked 7th among the G-8 countries with regard to high school graduation rates.

With a national graduation rate hovering around 75% when President Obama started his first year in office in CY2009, it climbed to 83.2% by the end of the CY2014-15 school year. There remain problem areas, however. The graduation rate for the District of Columbia for school year CY2014-15 was only 69%.

Attaining President Obama's promised "first in the world" status was an unrealistic goal, given that CY2015 high school graduation rates in countries like Slovenia (96%), Japan (95%), Finland (95%) and others with a higher completion rate than the USA are not expected to experience significant reductions in their graduation rate.

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
ED-25The Promise: "...will create 20 Promise Neighborhoods in cities that have high levels of poverty and crime and low levels of student academic achievement...Cities and private entities will be required to pay 50 percent of the program costs."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Supporting Urban Prosperity", dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/550008/barack-obama-2008-supporting-urban-prosperity.pdf
Status:Promise Neighborhoods are intended to model the Harlem Children's Zone and seek to engage all resident children and their parents in an achievement program based on tangible goals, including college for every participating student, strong physical and mental health outcomes for children as well as retention of meaningful employment and parenting schools for parents.

The Congressional budget appropriation for the Department of Education for FY2010 included $10M under the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE) Programs of National Significance line item for the creation of Promise Neighborhoods.

On 09/21/10, Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced that on a competitive basis, 21 nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions (out of over 300 applicants from 48 states and the District of Columbia) would receive Promise Neighborhood grants of up to $500K. Recipients of these grants (cities/private entities) had to provide 50% of their respective program costs.

The funding profile for subsequent years was as follows:
FY2011...................$29.9M for new awards (20 Promise Neighborhoods)
FY2012...................$59.9M for new awards (17 Promise Neighborhoods) plus $25.9M for program continuation awards
FY2013-FY2015....$56.7M each year for program continuation awards only
FY2016...................$37.0M for program continuation awards only

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-26The Promise: "...will support nontraditional approaches, such as student design competitions and internet-based collaborations to engage students and develop the next generation of scientists and engineers."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Advancing the Frontiers of Space Exploration" dated 08/15/08.
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/382369main_48%20-%2020090803.2.Space_Fact_Sheet_FINAL.pdf
Status:Numerous competitions exist to permit the design of fresh solutions to next generation technological challenges. The NASA-sponsored Lunabotics Mining Competition held in 05/10 and involving 22 schools is but one example. Another example is the CY2010-CY2011 "green aviation" competition for students and teams to submit ideas and designs for vehicle/propulsion concepts that could lower noise, emissions and fuel consumption goals by CY2020.

There was also no shortage of online collaboration mediums such as "The Globe Program" to allow students to participate in world-wide data gathering on the global environment, NASA's "Cube Quest Challenges" project to connect K-12 students to NASA experts, and the "Internet Science and Technology Fair (ISTF)" to permit collaboration between students/teachers and scientists/engineers.

Further, President Obama's "Educate to Innovate" initiative resulted in over $1B in public-private partnership financial and in-kind support for STEM programs, showcased annually in the White House Science Fair. President Obama's "support" for these programs appeared to be solid despite uncertain fiscal resources during his presidency.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-27The Promise: "...will increase resources for the U.S. Department of Education's Arts Education Model Development and Dissemination Grants, which develop public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations..."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Champions for Arts and Culture", dated 09/11/08.
Source: http://muzartworld.org/president-barack-obama-and-joe-biden-champions-for-arts-and-culture/
Status:In FY2009, the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) Program was funded at the $4.2M level. Under President Obama, the appropriation for FY2010 increased to $14.0M followed by $14.2M for FY2011. In FY2011, the Obama Administration did not seek separate funding for the "Arts in Education" program. Instead, "Arts in Education" became a subset of a new program entitled "Effective Teaching and Learning for a Well-Rounded Education."

The final appropriation for "Arts in Education" in FY2012 was $24.9M, but declined slightly to $23.6M in FY2013. Efforts to "increase resources" continued in subsequent years as follows:

FY2014....$25.0M
FY2015....$25.0M
FY2016....$27.0M
FY2017....$26.9M

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-28The Promise: "...will engage the foundation and corporate community to increase support for public/private partnerships...[between schools and arts organizations]"
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Champions for Arts and Culture", dated 09/11/08.
Source: http://muzartworld.org/president-barack-obama-and-joe-biden-champions-for-arts-and-culture/
Status:Since FY2011 and for the remainder of President Obama's tenure in office, the Department of Education's "Arts in Education" program has been funded with the stipulation that funds were to be allocated to "a number of arts education activities through grants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), State educational agencies (SEAs), nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, organizations with expertise in the arts, and partnerships of these entities.

Such partnerships included the National Endowment for the Arts' relationship with select, arts-deprived schools through its "Our Town Grantee Program."

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
Gulf Area SchoolsGrade
ED-29The Promise: "Will help communities in the Gulf make necessary school infrastructure investments so all kids from all backgrounds have safe and supportive environments to learn."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Rebuilding the Gulf Coast and Preventing Future Catastrophes" dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/550006/barack-obama-2008-rebuilding-the-gulf-coast-and.pdf
Status:When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 08/05, it caused significant damage to 110 of New Orleans' 126 public schools among the 261 schools damaged/destroyed throughout Louisiana.

Soon after he was sworn in for his first term in office, President Obama's "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009" allocated $1.4B in education funds for Louisiana and $1.1B for Mississippi, the hardest hit states. In addition, as of CY2015, the two states had respectively received $3.37B and $334M for education infrastructure improvements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Of the $3.37B allocated to Louisiana, New Orleans received $1.8B in FEMA grants to rebuild and/or repair over 80 destroyed or damaged schools.

On top of ARRA funding, President Obama's FY2010 budget proposal included an additional $30M to improve both school infrastructures and programs in the Gulf Region. Additionally, FEMA was improving some schools in the region under a separate $650M allocation.

As of the start of the CY2015-16 school year, FEMA reported that 33 school projects had been completed, 31 were under construction, four were in the procurement phase, 16 were in the design phase and four had yet to begin, for a total of 88 schools.

As of CY2016, post-Katrina federal funding for Hurricane Katrina recovery totaled approximately $120.5B, $45.5B of which went toward infrastructure improvements/rebuilding projects, including schools.

The campaign promise was to "help" Gulf communities recover from the damage caused to the education infrastructure by Hurricane Katrina in CY2005.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ResearchGrade
ED-30The Promise: "...will provide new research grants to the most outstanding early-career researchers in the country."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: Invest in University-Based Research, undated.
Source: http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090429185018/http://change.gov/agenda/technology_agenda/
Status:The Early Career Research Program is administered by the Department of Energy's Office of Science in support of Department of Education's (DOE's) Office of Science Opportunities.

Approximately $85M in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding was awarded in early CY2010 to support at least 50 early-career researchers for five years at U.S. academic institutions and laboratories. Budget limits for this initiative were set to at least $150K for universities for five years and $500K per year for five years for DOE's national laboratories.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-31The Promise: "...will...task his Secretary of Education with researching: the barriers that keep students with disabilities from seeking and completing higher education; the barriers that prevent students from making a direct transition to work; the extent to which students with disabilities are able to access loans and grants; reasons college students with disabilities drop out at a higher rate; and best practices from schools that have effectively recruited and graduated students with disabilities that can be implemented more widely."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Empower Americans with Disabilities", dated 09/06/08.
Source: http://www.thearc.org/document.doc?id=3073
Status:Operating under the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has existed to conduct the research intended under this promise. The basic tenets of this promise are reflected in NIDRR's "Long-Range Plan for Fiscal Years 2010 Through 2014" dated 01/22/09.

In CY2012, under contract to the Department of Education, the Mathematica Center for Studying Disability Policy started a 5-year research project entitled "National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS)" to gather information on students with and without disabilities.

In CY2015, as a result of the "Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act" (H.R. 803) signed into law by President Obama on 07/22/14, NIDRR became part of the Administration for Community Living (ACL) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and changed its name to "National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)." NIDILRR's updated mission was to generate new knowledge and promote its effective use to improve the abilities of people with disabilities to perform activities of their choice in the community, and also to expand society's capacity to provide full opportunities and accommodations for its citizens with disabilities. This research continues.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
Student AidGrade
ED-32The Promise: "Will ... ensure that the maximum Pell Grant award is increased for low-income students...will ensure that the award keeps pace with the rising cost of college inflation."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan to Make College Affordable for Everyone, dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://static.newamerica.org/attachments/7618-a-call-to-arms/College%20Affordability%20Fact%20Sheet.d9439c717ab24e9cbd5d2cef2db86cba.pdf
Status:The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed into law by President Obama on 02/27/09, raised the maximum Pell Grant limit to $5,350.

The FY2010 Department of Education budget included sufficient funds ($17.4B) to raise the maximum Pell Grant to $5,550 for the 2010-2011 award year and thereafter. The President's FY2011 budget proposed "to make that increase permanent and put them on a path to grow faster than inflation every year" and to make Pell Grant funding mandatory.

The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, signed into law by President Obama on 03/30/10, stipulated that for future years, awards will be "increased by a percentage equal to the annual adjustment percentage." The term "annual adjustment percentage" was defined in the Act as being "equal to the estimated percentage change in the Consumer Price Index."

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-33The Promise: "....eliminate wasteful subsidies to private student lenders....and invest the savings in additional student aid."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan to Make College Affordable for Everyone, dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://static.newamerica.org/attachments/7618-a-call-to-arms/College%20Affordability%20Fact%20Sheet.d9439c717ab24e9cbd5d2cef2db86cba.pdf
Status:The President's FY2010 Budget proposal of 02/26/09 asked Congress not to reduce, but to eliminate lender subsidies under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and originate all student lending through Government-run Direct Loans as of 07/01/2010. Under the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act signed into law by President Obama on 03/30/10, subsidies to private lenders were eliminated.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-34The Promise: "...will simplify the financial aid process by eliminating the FAFSA and its complicated calculations altogether... The aid process will be streamlined by enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form..."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan to Make College Affordable for Everyone, dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://static.newamerica.org/attachments/7618-a-call-to-arms/College%20Affordability%20Fact%20Sheet.d9439c717ab24e9cbd5d2cef2db86cba.pdf
Status:On 06/24/09, Education Secretary announced plans to simplify the process for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), but not eliminate it as promised in the Obama-Biden plan cited above.

As of end-CY2016, the FAFSA program was alive and well. It remained the primary form that the federal government, states and colleges used to award grants, scholarships, work study and student loans. Grants and scholarships were free, but students had to earn the work study dollars and pay back the loans.

FAFSA's web site offers a simplified 3-step process for filling out requisite forms. To assist in this process, the site offers an IRS Data Retrieval Tool to access tax return information to be used on FAFSA application documents. As of Tax Year 2016, there was no provision for simply "checking a box" on tax forms.

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
TeachingGrade
ED-35The Promise: "Will recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and will support efforts to help these teachers learn from professionals in the field. They will also work to ensure that all children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels"
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan for Lifetime Success Through Education, dated 10/16/08.
Source: http://doclibrary.com/MSC56/DOC/ObamaEducationPlan12084315.pdf
Status:The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided $4.3B targeted for the State Incentive Grant Fund, popularly referred to as the "Race to the Top" fund, and $2.5B for the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The Department of Education's (DOE's) "Transition to Training" program was designed to recruit and retain highly qualified mid-career professionals to teach at high-need schools. This program was funded at the $43.7M level in FY2009 and FY2010, but funding started to decrease in FY2011 with a $41.1M appropriation. For FY2012, Congress appropriated $26.0M for this program.

In his budget proposal for FY2013, President Obama requested $1B for the creation of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Master Teacher Corps. This Corps would be comprised of some of the nation's best educators in STEM subjects beginning with 50 exceptional STEM teachers at 50 sites, particularly in high-need and rural schools.

President Obama signed the "Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)" (S.1177) into law on 12/10/15 to replace the "No Child Left Behind Act." Title II of this Act, entitled "Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High-Quality Teachers, Principals, or Other School Leaders," focuses on "...developing and providing professional development and other comprehensive systems of support for teachers, principals, or other school leaders to promote high-quality instruction and instructional leadership in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects, including computer science."

The STEM Master Teacher Corps was codified under Part A of Title II of the ESSA. Part A is authorized to be funded at the $2.295B level each fiscal year from FY2017 through FY2020.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-36The Promise: "...will create new Teacher Service Scholarships that will cover four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education, including high-quality alternative programs for mid-career recruits in exchange for teaching for at least four years in a high-need field or location."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:Students aspiring to pursue a teaching profession have hundreds of sources, both public and private, from which to seek scholarships.

Throughout President Obama's two terms in office, there was no known initiative to create a "new Teacher Service Scholarships" program at the national level.

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
ED-37The Promise: "...create a voluntary national performance assessment so we can be sure that every new educator is trained and ready to walk into the classroom and start teaching effectively."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:In CY1987, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) was created to define and recognize accomplished teaching. National Board Standards are created by teachers, for teachers, as is National Board Certification, which is a voluntary process to certify teachers against those standards.

The standards define what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do in 25 certificate areas. They represent 16 different subject areas, four developmental levels, and are applicable to most teachers in U.S. public schools.

As of end-CY2016, more than 112,000 teachers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia had achieved National Board Certification. At that time, the National Board was revising the certification process to incorporate the latest research on best practices in teaching and to remove a few existing barriers so that more teachers could have the opportunity to achieve voluntary certification.

There was no evidence that the creation of a new "voluntary national performance assessment" was being pursued during President Obama's two terms in office.

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
ED-38The Promise: "...will expand mentoring programs that pair experienced teachers with new recruits. They will also provide incentives to give teachers paid common planning time so they can collaborate to share best practices."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:On 02/17/09, less than one month after being sworn in for his first term, President Obama signed into law the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)." The ARRA provided $4.35B for the "Race to the Top Fund," a competitive grant program designed to reward States for creating the conditions for education innovation and reform; achieving significant improvement in student outcomes; ensuring student preparation for success in college and careers; and implementing ambitious plans in four core education reform areas.

One of the four core education reform areas was "...recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals." One of the measures to accomplish this goal included "observation-based assessments of teacher performance or evidence of leadership roles (which may include mentoring or leading professional learning communities) that increase the effectiveness of other teachers in the school..."

The Department of Education's (DOE) FY2010 appropriation included $2.9B for state grants for improving teacher quality. This program helped states carry out activities that included support during initial teaching phases such as mentoring programs.

The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) was designed to support the use of performance-based compensation. The TIF was funded at $97M for FY2009 under President Bush, supplemented by $200M under the ARRA initiated by President Obama. Funding was further increased to $400M under President Obama's first budget year, FY2010.

In light of prevailing fiscal constraints, funding for the TIF new awards and continuation awards experienced general reductions during subsequent years as follows:
FY2011....$399.2M
FY2012....$299.4M
FY2013....$283.7M
FY2014....$288.7M
FY2015....$230.0M
FY2016....$225.4M
FY2017....$201.4M

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-39The Promise: "...will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay"
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:According to National Education Association (NEA) reports, the average teacher salary for the 2009-10 School Year (SY) when President Obama assumed the presidency was about $55.2K with the highest average in New York State ($71.6K) and the lowest in South Dakota ($38.8K). For SY2014-15, the U.S. average public school teacher salary went up to $57.4K. New York again had the highest average ($77.6K), and South Dakota remained with the lowest average ($40.9K).

The NEA estimated that over the decade from SY2004-05 to SY2014-15, in constant dollars (an adjusted value to compare dollar values from one period to another), average salaries for teachers decreased 1.6%.

Under President Obama's education reform blueprint, merit pay would be replaced by a "pay-for-performance" plan, the premise of which was to reward teachers for evaluations, test scores and other new criteria. The President's blueprint stated: "Grantees may use funds to reform compensation systems to provide differentiated compensation and career advancement opportunities to educators who are effective in increasing student academic achievement...". The blueprint further stated: "Rewards may include financial rewards...to share best practices and replicate successful strategies to assist low-performing schools and districts."

To help the blueprint become reality, President Obama proposed $5B in teacher incentives as part of his FY2013 $69.8B Department of Education budget proposal. This initiative was not accepted by Congress. Nonetheless, using grants available to them such as the Teacher and Leader Innovation Fund, some states have robust "pay-for-performance" programs.

President Obama's promise was to "promote" ways to increase teacher pay, and he did.

This promise was fulfilled.		1.00
ED-40The Promise: "...will also create Teacher Residency Programs that will supply 30,000 exceptionally well-prepared recruits to high-need schools."
When/Where: Obama and Biden's Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:Teacher Residency Programs existed in cities such as Boston, Baltimore, Denver, Philadelphia, Memphis, San Francisco, and many more long before President Obama arrived on the national political scene.

At the national level, funding for these programs was assured under the Department of Education's budget line item entitled "Teacher Quality Partnership" (TQP). This program aimed to improve the quality of teachers in high-need schools and early childhood education programs by creating model teacher preparation programs and teaching residency programs.

FY2009 funding for TQP was $43M, supplemented by $100M under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. TQP funding for FY2014 and FY2015 was $40.5M respectively and $42.5M for FY2016.

The bottom line is that this was an empty promise which could not be fulfilled because Teacher Residency Programs already existed when President Obama assumed the Presidency in CY2009.

This promise was not fulfilled.		0.00
Education GPA0.65