Jane West. Ph. D. Book Launch

2022

02/17/2022
Honoring a Driving Force in Education Advocacy - Jane West Retires from AACTE

2021

2020

12/18/2020
Why does Congress wait until the last minute to get anything done?
What does Sec. DeVos wish to leave behind?
What is the latest speculation on the next Secretary of Education?
12/11/2020
Will the Congress be in session over Christmas struggling to deliver a COVID relief package?
How are the contenders for Biden's Secretary of Education nominee faring?
How will the 117th Congress look different from the 116th?
11/20/2020
How will Congress manage its post-Thanksgiving agenda?
Are we looking at another government shut-down in December?
How is the Biden team progressing, despite an obstinate Trump Administration?
11/13/2020
What education policy changes can we expect with the Biden Administration?
Who will replace Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education?
Are we headed for another government shutdown in the middle of a raging pandemic?
10/02/2020
Is Congress getting closer to the next COVID relief bill?
With less than a month to the election, what impact will the President's COVID relief infection have on the campaigns?
Will infections among Members of Congress change the confirmation process for SCOTUS opening?
9/25/2020
Is there any chance for another COVID relief package before the election?
How has the rush to fill the Supreme Court vacancy in October affected the congressional agenda?
Why is the Trump Administration upping its attack on anti-racist educational materials?
9/18/2020
Will Congress allow the government to shut down on September 30?
Is there any chance for another COVID relief bill before the election?
What is up with Trump's attack on anti-racism initiatives?
7/31/2020
Why is Congress so slow to deliver a much-needed COVID relief bill?
Will the NAEP test be cancelled again due to COVID?
With the House completing its FY 2021 education spending bill, what will the Senate do?
7/24/2020
When will we see the next COVID relief bill?
What is holding up progress on the COVID package?
Will Sec. DeVos prevail in multiple privatization schemes?
7/17/2020
Will Congress require schools to open in person in order to receive additional funding?
Will Rep. Rosa DeLauro become the next Chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee?
How will you celebrate the 30th birthday of the Americans with Disabilities Act?
7/10/2020
Will the Trump Administration follow through and withhold federal funding to school districts that do not fully open up in person in the fall?
How are school leaders responding to the Trump Administration's push to open up or else?
Will one million international students be deported because they are in on-line classes in higher education?
6/26/2020
Will Congress provide funds to support the reopening of schools during COVID-19?
Will police reform ever see the light of day?
How will the COVID-19 reshape the educator workforce?
6/19/2020
What will the Supreme Court decisions this week mean for education?
Will education get additional funding to address the COVID-19 pandemic?
As Congress faces the countdown to the election, what is on their agenda?
6/12/2020
Will Congress move on police reform? What will it mean for education?
Can schools afford to open in the midst of the pandemic?
Will Sec. DeVos prevail with her privatization agenda?
6/05/2020
How are educators responding to the killing of George Floyd and the racism it exposes?
As education jobs dwindle because of the economy, will Congress step in to help?
Will Sec. DeVos succeed in her continued effort to push public funds into private schools?
5/22/2020
What is the fate of the next COVID-19 Relief package? How will education funding fare?
Will Sec. Devos's privatization initiatives prevail?
Who is your pick for Biden Secretary of Education?
5/15/2020
Does the $3 trillion HEROES Act stand a chance? What's in it for education?
Does Sen. Alexander's dog, Rufus, have a future online?
Who is on VP Biden's Education Task Force?
5/08/2020
Will Sec. DeVos's privatization plans with COVID-19 relief funding prevail?
What will be in the next COVID-19 relief package? When can we expect it?
What happened to that bi-partisan love?
5/01/2020
How will the Senate function when it comes back into session next week?
Will Sec. DeVos's penchant for vouchers take hold during the pandemic?
Is the case for IDEA waivers settled?
4/24/2020
When can states and districts expect to receive their pandemic relief funds?
Will there be another COVID relief bill in May?
Are we headed toward solutions that aren't really about the problems?
4/17/2020
When will the funds from the $2 trillion COVID response bill actually become available to educators?
Will there be another COVID response bill? What will be in it?
How are students with disabilities being served during the pandemic? Are waivers from the law needed?
4/03/2020
How will the $2 trillion When will the funds from the $2 trillion COVID response bill actually become available to educators?
Will there be another COVID response bill? What will be in it?
How are students with disabilities being served during the pandemic? Are waivers from the law needed?
3/27/2020
How will the $2 trillion COVID-3 bill make a difference for higher education, for K-12?
What provisions of education law will be waived to address the epidemic?
What is in place to ensure education services for students with disabilities?
3/21/2020
Will the next COVID-19 emergency spending bill meet the needs of the education system?
What resources are available to assist educators during the massive transfer to online instruction?
3/13/2020
Can Washington join forces and lead on the coronavirus?
Is it business as usual on Capitol Hill during the epidemic?
What guidance has the Department of Education provided on coronavirus?
3/06/2020
Is the Trump education budget DOA on Capitol Hill?
Is the Higher Education Act reauthorization still in play?
Who is better for education: Joe or Bernie?
2/21/2020
How will Betsy DeVos defend a $5.6 billion cut to education before the House Appropriations Subcommittee?
Will universities begin paying education students for student teaching under a new proposal?
Who is the AFT endorsing for President?
2/14/2020
Will President Trump's Budget proposal have any traction on Capitol Hill?
Will the President's $5.6 billion education cut be sustained?
Are you ready for the return of earmarks in appropriations bills?
1/31/2020
The federal deficit is exploding: does anyone care?
How come IDEA spending increases but the federal share decreases?
What is the latest in the reading wars?
1/24/2020
What is the Department of Education up to while Congress focuses on impeachment?
How many special education teachers in California are not certified for their jobs?
What are the big changes in the House Democratic rewrite of the Higher Education Act?
1/10/2020
Will there be new funding for education next year?
What will the Department of Education learn in their new study about how federal funds are actually spent?
Who is the new member of the Senate HELP Committee?

2019

12/20/2019
Did Congress actually avert a government shutdown?
How did education fare in the new spending bill?
Who will be the 2020 National Teacher of the Year?
Would you want to work at the Department of Education?
12/13/2019
Are bipartisan miracles really happening in the Congress, in the middle of impeachment?
Are we going to avert a government shutdown, just in time for the holidays?
Can I really spend my Saturday learning more about the Democratic Presidential candidates education platforms?
11/25/2019
What did Congress leave behind as they headed home for Thanksgiving?
How likely is a government shutdown?
Is the Higher Education Act reauthorization still on track?
11/15/2019
Government shutdown and Presidential impeachment: what gives?
Can Congress multi-task? We're about to find out.
Will Congress be spending the holidays camping out in town? Hmmmm.
11/01/2019
How will the impeachment process impact the Congressional agenda?
Are we headed for another government shutdown?
Will the House Committee passed new Higher Education bill stand a chance in the Senate?
10/25/2019
If impeachment proceeds, will Congress find the time to fund the government?
What changes can we expect to the Higher Education Act at the House Committee markup next week?
What are the states up to in addressing teacher shortages?
10/18/2019
With the madness in Washington, will the government get funded? Or are we headed for another shutdown?
Will the new House Democratic proposal to reauthorize the Higher Education Act fly?
Who is the latest political appointee to exit the Department of Education?
09/27/2019
Will Congress make progress on funding bills in the midst of impeachment proceedings?
Is there any hope for a Higher Education Act reauthorization bill this year?
Are you interested in interning in the Senate?
09/20/2019
Will we ever see a new education funding bill from the Congress?
Can we expect any progress from Congress that addresses school shootings?
Will you let the Department of Education know your thoughts about attracting, preparing and retaining qualified teachers? They are asking for your ideas!
09/13/2019
Is there any hope for bi-partisanship in the Congress?
What is to come of the education spending bill?
Is the education community on target with questions and recommendations for the 2020 Presidential candidates?
09/06/2019
Congress faces a mountain of unfinished business: will they get it done?
What does September look like on Capitol Hill?
What will the ratcheted up Congressional oversight on student financial aid look like?
08/02/2019
What does the new budget deal mean for education spending?
Will Pres. Trump actually sign the new budget deal bill?
Does money matter when securing accommodations for students with disabilities?
08/02/2019
What does the new budget deal mean for education spending?
Will Pres. Trump actually sign the new budget deal bill?
Does money matter when securing accommodations for students with disabilities?
07/26/2019
How will the new budget deal effect education spending?
Can Federal Work Study funds be used to pay students for student teaching?
Whose 29th anniversary is it today?
07/12/2019
Are you interested in an internship in the U.S. Senate? Deadline to apply July 25!
Are we closer to funding the government, or a government shutdown?
What does the new IES study tell us about recent college graduates?
06/28/2019
What can we expect in Congress when they return after the July 4 holiday?
Will we ever see a Higher Education Act reauthorization bill from the Senate?
What are the big education issues for the Democratic contenders for President?
06/21/2019
The House has adopted a great spending bill for education, but will the Senate agree?
Are we headed to another government shutdown in the Fall?
How do U.S. teacher compare to those in other countries?
06/14/2019
Is that education funding bill going to make it across the finish line in the House?
Is the new draft regulation changing accreditation for higher education a good idea?
What does Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) think of accountability in higher education?
06/07/2019
Will the big education increases in the House bill last?
Voucher schools complying with IDEA and other Civil Rights laws? Really?
Are there more students served under IDEA today than five years ago?
05/17/2019
Congress considers the impact of Brown vs. Board of Education 65 years later: are we where we need to be?
Will the Congress buy Trump's proposal to take student aid money away and use it for a moonshot?
And what about that Higher Ed Act rewrite? Will we ever see it?
05/10/2019
How much does the House Approps Committee bill increase education funding? Will it last?
The Committee took on hot topics of guns in schools and charter sector mismanagement. Will it make a difference?
Where does the high-water mark bill go from here?
05/03/2019
Education funding sees a 6% increase in the House. Will it hold?
Is the Trump Administration moving in the wrong direction to address school segregation?
Our new National Teacher of the Year: what keeps him motivated after 19 years of teaching?
04/12/2019
What magic trick did the House perform to move the funding process along?
How did Sec. DeVos fare in this week's Democratic grilling?
Will the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program survive, even thrive?
04/05/2019
What about those calls for Betsy DeVos to resign?
Any chance we will see a bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act any time soon?
Will the House Committee budget deal pave the way for additional funding for education?
03/22/2019
How will Sec. DeVos defend her $10 billion cut in education funding on Capitol Hill next week?
Do the new DeVos voucher plans have a chance on the Hill?
Ivanka Trump released the Administration's proposal for Higher Ed Reauthorization. What's in it?
03/15/2019
The President's education budget proposal is out cutting a whopping $8 billion and calling it "education freedom!" Huh?
What are these new "teacher vouchers" that are proposed by the Trump budget?
How do other high performing countries prepare and support their teachers?
03/01/2019
What can we expect in the federal budget for education spending next year?
Does Higher Education Act reauthorization really have a chance this year?
Why are conservatives opposing Betsy DeVos's new voucher proposal?
02/15/2019
With the government shutdown averted, what will Congress take up next?
What are the prospects for a Higher Education Act reauthorization this year?
01/25/2019
Is the government shutdown really over?
Who are the new members of the House Committee on Education and Labor?
Do you have a favorite for this year's National Teacher of the Year?
01/11/2019
Will we ever see an end to the government shutdown?
What's on tap with the new higher education negotiated rulemaking at the Dept. of Education?
Who are the new members of the Senate HELP Committee? And who left?

01/04/2019
What might we expect from the 116th Congress in education?
Who are the new players in education in the new Congress?
Will the government shutdown ever end?

2018

12/21/2018
Are we headed to a shutdown or not?
What will the impact be of DeVos' elimination of the discipline guidance?
Will Sen. Alexander pull off an HEA reauthorization before his departure?

12/14/2018
Would Congress really leave town with a government shutdown looming in a week?
Are you ready for the wrestling match: Dems V. DeVos?
Is there relief on the way for TEACH grant recipients?

12/07/2018
Government shutdown or home for the holidays?
Personal reflections on President 41: are the days of bipartisanship really behind us?

11/30/2018
What do the midterm results mean for education in the 116th Congress?
Are we really going to see 5 separate House Committees take on Sec. DeVos next year?
Will there be any significant changes in the Senate next year?
Is a government shutdown coming our way for Christmas?

11/16/2018
What do the midterm results mean for education in the 116th Congress?
Who will the new Committee Chairs be in the House?
Is Betsy DeVos on her way out?

9/28/2018
What are we, as educators, to make of the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing with Dr. Blasey Ford and Judge Kavanaugh?
Is that education funding bill actually going to beat the September 30 deadline?
What's the latest on ESSA implementation?

9/21/2018
Is it possible we are headed for another government shutdown? Would the President risk this just before the midterms?
What is on the docket for education in the states?
Just how fast is the school-aged Hispanic population growing? Are we meeting their needs?

9/14/2018
Could it be true? An education funding bill completed on time and with increases?!
What about guns, teachers and federal funding?
Betsy DeVos' confirmation hearing: can you catch it in the theatre?!

9/07/2018
Has Washington lost its marbles? Are we headed for another government shutdown on top of tell-all anonymous OpEds?
How would Kavanaugh change the Supreme Court for education and disability rights?
Guns in schools paid for by federal funds? DeVos says okay. Democrats say not so fast.

7/27/2018
What are the new odds on a September government shutdown?
How are states faring on IDEA compliance?
Does the new House Democratic bill address the teacher shortage?

7/20/2018
What will the new federal investment in school choice yield?
How far along is the Senate in confirming political appointees for the Department of Education?
Is the workforce development theme a signal to higher education?

7/13/2018
Could we be headed for a government shutdown? Again?
How might President Trump's Supreme Court nominee rule on education matters?
What is next on the de-regulation chopping block for education?

6/29/2018
What does the new Senate Committee bill reveal about education funding for next year?
Could it be that bipartisanship can still move bills in the Senate?
Will you be visiting with your Members of Congress over the July 4 recess period?

6/22/2018
Did the House actually reject President How are education advocates responding to the separation of children and parents at our border?
Does Trump's proposal to merge the Departments of Education and Labor stand a chance in Congress?
How will education spending fare in the Senate bill next week?

6/15/2018
Did the House actually reject President Trump's budget proposal for education?
Is Ivanka Trump really the new leading advocate for career and technical education?
How about that pesky PROSPER Act? Is it on the House floor agenda for a vote?

6/8/2018
What if you held a School Safety Commission hearing but no Commissioners came?
What are the chances for the DeVos education budget proposal to prevail in the Senate?
Why is Mitch McConnell cancelling August recess? Might it have something to do with the election???
6/1/2018
What fate awaits the House's Higher Education Act reauthorization bill (PROSPER) that eliminates all support for teachers?
How was Sec. DeVos's visit on school safety to a Maryland school?
Why are three civil rights groups suing the Department of Education?
5/18/2018
What ever happened to that big spending cut proposal aka recission?
Will Sec. DeVos delay the special education equity regulations? 309 commenters have strong opinions
Is there any chance we are headed for a government shutdown over spending squabbles - in an election year?!
5/11/2018
Is Congress ready to act on that recission package from the White House? What will it mean for education spending?
Will military families be offered vouchers that they do not want?
Will the Department of Education roll back "disproportionality" regulations intended to address the over-representation of minorities in special education? 4/27/2018
Will Congress take back some of the money it just appropriated?
Will Congress expand school vouchers through the Defense Department?
How does the new civil rights data square with the Administration's de-regulatory agenda?
4/13/2018
Will President Trump and his allies push to cut new funding that he just approved?
Is there any evidence to link school gun violence to Obama discipline guidance?
What about those NAEP scores?
3/30/2018
With Veterans' Groups raising concerns about the house higher ed bill, is reauthorization off the table this year?
Will federal policy makers take any serious action on school safety? What about that new Trump Commission?
Is school crime up or down these days?
3/23/2018
Are federal education programs really funded at the highest level ever?
What is in that massive spending bill to address gun violence?
How did Sec. DeVos fare in testifying before Congress this week?
3/9/2018
Will Congress actually act on gun safety measures?
So FY 2018 is half over and we still don't have a funding bill! Is there any hope?
What about those disproportionality regulations Sec. DeVos is trying to roll back?
2/23/2018
The massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida forms a cloud over Congress, but will there be action?
Will Congress ever deliver on a spending bill for the rest of the year?
Is there hope for a bipartisan Higher Education Act reauthorization?

2/15/2018
Will the big budget deal boost education funding?
Is the President again proposing a new voucher program in his budget? What are its chances?
Are the odds for a bipartisan Higher Education Act rewrite increasing?
2/2/2018
Are we headed for another government shutdown next week?
What does the State of the Union address tell us about Trump Administration education priorities this year?
Is there really any chance for a bipartisan Higher Education Act rewrite? 1/26/2018
Now that the government shutdown is over, are we out of the woods?
Is bipartisanship even possible in a 2018 election year?
Celebrating school choice week - a tradition begun by President Obama? 1/12/2018
Are we headed for a government shutdown next week?
What is in store for the many DREAMERS who are teachers, students and researchers?
How will Texas respond to the gross violations of IDEA found by the Department of Education? 1/5/2018
Are we headed for a government shutdown to start the new year?
How are the 2018 mid-term elections shaping up?
What's new with political appointments at the Department of Education

2017

12/22/2017
Congress wraps up for 2017- but what is left unfinished?
How will the new tax bill impact Education? 12/15/2017
Will Congress complete a tax rewrite by the end of the year? What are the implications for education?
What does the House Republican Higher Education Act rewrite have to say about teachers?
Will Congress finish work on spending bill by Dec. 22, averting a government shutdown? 12/08/2017
What is at risk for education in the tax reform bill?
Are we headed to another government shutdown?
Does the new House Higher Education bill turn its back on teachers? 12/01/2017
Tax reform and education spending: are we headed for a meltdown?
What will the new House Higher Education Reauthorization bill mean for financial aid? 11/20/2017
Can the Congress really get its work done by the end of the year?
What does tax reform mean for education?
Three new Trump appointees for the Department of Education: Who are they? 11/3/2017
How will the Republican tax cut proposal affect education?
What is the status of political appointees at the Department of Education?
Don't miss the Besty DeVos interview: What is her analysis of her performance at her confirmation hearing? 10/28/2017
Now that the Congress is taking up tax reform, what are the implications for educaton?
The Department of Education is moving ahead to rescind policy documents: what's at stake?
Yes, sadly, teachers get fired for being gay. Read what happened to the 2014 Oregon Teacher of the Year. 10/20/2017
How are states responding to teacher shortages?
Has the end of "highly qualified" been an invitation to states to lower standards?
What is at risk for the field of special education?

10/6/2017
What do congressional budget resolutions have to do with education anyway? What is in those ESSA state plans to give us optimism? Lots of new reports and toolkits to help us strengthen education - what are they? 9/30/2017
Some questions: With Obamacare repeal dead once again, what's next for Republican leadership? All ESSA state plans are in: what have we learned? New reports on teachers: shortages, turnover, diversity, quality, state reciprocity - find them all here! 9/16/2017
Some questions: The House adjourned after passing all of its funding bills; what difference will that make for education spending? Are the public service loan forgiveness programs so popular with teachers on the chopping block? How do US teacher salaries rank worldwide? 9/08/2017
Some questions: Will education funding be cut next year as President Trump proposed?; Will Congress act to protect DACA?
Have we lost sight of education as the foundation of democracy?

5/23/2017
Special Edition of Washington Update: Overview of the Budget Released Today by President Trump for FY 2018

3/20/2017
Special Edition of Washington Update: Overview of President Trump's FY 2018 Budget Proposal, the "Skinny" Version

2/11/2017
Is there any chance the bill to abolish the Department of Education will pass? Right after a new Secretary is named?

Isn't it time for a national strategy to address the chronic teacher shortages?

2/4/2017
With two Republican Senators defecting, will Betsy DeVos make it over the finish line?
Are the Obama teacher prep regulations about to be history? 1/21/2017
What is the fallout of the DeVos nomination hearing in the Senate?
Will DeVos be confirmed as the next Secretary of Education? 1/14/2017
DeVos confirmation hearing postponed: Is she in trouble in the Senate?
What Obama education regulations will the Congress repeal? 1/7/2017
Will Trump's controversial education secretary nomination make it through confirmation?
Will the Obama team continue to issue regulations until the last minute?

2016

12/9/2016
Did Congress finish its business on time this year?
What's on the agenda for January, 2017?

12/2/2016
Will Trump's Education Secretary pick pass muster with the Senate?
Who is the new education sheriff of the House Education Committee? 11/18/2016
What will the Trump Administration hold for education?
What does the new leadership in the 115th Congress tell us about the future of education spending? 9/23/2016
If ESSA was really bipartisan, why are Democrats and Republicans still fighting about it? 9/16/2016
Teacher shortages: myth or reality? 9/9/2016
Does the Congress have an education agenda for September?

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Advocating for the Common Good
People, Politics, Process, and Policy on Capitol Hill

Jane E. West, Ph. D.

Advocating for the Common Good: People, Politics, Process, and Policy on Capitol Hill offers a rich and accessible guide to policy-making in the nation's capital, beckoning us to get to the table, make our voices heard, and reinvigorate our policy making institutions. Jane West parts the curtains and brings us behind the scenes with a simple framework which enables both the novice and the experienced to deftly navigate the Washington maze. The 4 P's - people, politics, process, and policy - are each examined with an eye toward what a successful advocate needs to know. Informed by her forty years of experience as part of the policy-making apparatus in education and disability, expert interviews with those in the room where it happens, a deep dive into congressional procedures and the scholarship on public policy, West delivers a powerful call to action. This affordable, jargon-free guide provides students and professionals with practical tools and a proven step-by-step process for analyzing past policies to understand how and why they became what they are, and then creating an advocacy strategy for a cause in order to change policy going forward.

For more information about Advocating for the Common Good: People, Politics, Process, and Policy on Capitol Hill, click here.
To purchase on Amazon, click here.

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