<p>Look in the summary of the link and you will see the changes. The positive thing is that they will not have to go asking for the money every year.
<<
Section 408 -
Replaces the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship program with the Robert C. Byrd American Competitiveness program composed of: (1) a Mathematics and Science Honors Scholarship program for students who are earning baccalaureate or advanced degrees in science, mathematics, or engineering and who agree to serve for five consecutive years in a field relevant to such degree; (2) a Mathematics and Science Incentive program under which the Secretary assumes the obligation to pay the interest due on FFELs and DLs by individuals who agree to serve for five consecutive years as highly qualified teachers of science, technology, engineering or mathematics within high need LEAs, or as mathematics, science, or engineering professionals; (3) a Foreign Language Partnerships program awarding grants to partnerships of IHEs and LEAs to recruit and train critical foreign language teachers, and establish innovative opportunities for students to achieve proficiency in such languages as they advance from elementary school through college; and (4) an Adjunct Teachers Corps program awarding grants to LEAs or partnerships of LEAs and public or private educational organizations or businesses to recruit and train individuals outside of the elementary and secondary education system who have expertise in mathematics, science, and critical foreign languages to serve as adjunct content specialists in such subjects at secondary schools.
Requires the Secretary to identify and report to Congress on best practices for strengthening the role of minority-serving IHEs in increasing our critical foreign language education efforts.
Authorizes appropriations for such program for FY2009-FY2013. </p>
<p>Dad - The link in post 115 to Thomas, which is the official gov't site, is purported to be the summary of the final version - see "Became public law" status near top of page, and also matches the fianl summary given by both Washington Watch and Govtrack (click on the summary link). I agree, the full text is almost unreadable without a stack of the previous laws at hand!</p>
<p>The home schooled changes apply to several different sections and the Byrd changes are under Title IV, Part A, Section 408 in the final version. I'm reading the scholarship component of the Byrd to have only survived in this provision because it specifically says it "replaces", not amends, the Robert C Byrd Scholarship:</p>
<p>(1) a Mathematics and Science Honors Scholarship program for students who are earning baccalaureate or advanced degrees in science, mathematics, or engineering and who agree to serve for five consecutive years in a field relevant to such degree</p>
<p>It doesn't specify public service, as the other sections do, so maybe it just means working in those fields. I'd love to know how they're going to track that!</p>
<p>There are also ACG/Smart Grant changes involved expanding eligibility which, according to the Congressional Budget Office, takes effect in July 09:</p>
<p>Broadens the array of students eligible for Academic Competitiveness grants and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) grants to include: (1) part-time students; (2) non-citizens; (3) students enrolled in certificate-awarding programs; (4) first-year students who were previously enrolled in undergraduate education; and (5) students enrolled in IHEs that do not permit declaration of a major, but who are studying one of the requisite subjects or have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in the relevant coursework. Source: WashingtonWatch.com</a> - P.L. 110-315, The College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007</p>
<p>The summary page refers to the 2/7/08 House version. The full text doesn't seem to include this language.</p>
<p>sk8rmom,</p>
<p>I'm probably just incapable of looking this stuff up, but your link - when I used it - just took me to the 2/7/08 version. When I did my own search, the final (enrolled) version didn't have this language, or not that I could see. Section 408 appears to relate to students of parents involved in migrant or seasonal work.</p>
<p>I'm really interested in knowing whether this change is really taking place - S has this scholarship and it's doubtful he would qualify under the purported new terms.</p>
<p>Frankly, I hope we are wrong about the changes. I am sure we will be informed by the state education depts. when they get the new info. We are thankful that we received this year's fund :)</p>
<p>I'm just looking at the detailed summaries, which all seem to say the same thing. I hope it's the same as before too! But on several of these full test sites there was a disclaimer about the final wording of PL 110-315 not being published yet by the gov't. I see what you mean, Dad, about the section number changes -it's confusing - all I can think is that either the Thomas and Washington Watch summaries are wrong, because they don't match the full text versions, or the final version of HR 4137 was changed after the summary was written and before the President signed it and the full text version have not been updated. Guess we'll have to wait and see...sounds like the Ed Dept and Pres. Bush were not keen on continuing this and other programs so it might be good to prepare for the change and hope to be pleasantly surprised! Good luck!</p>
<p>If you go to: Bill</a> Text Search for the 110th Congress - THOMAS (Library of Congress)
and type: Higher Education Opportunity Act in the search box
Then on the next page look for the link to the:
3. H.R. 4137 ENR (I think this is the text to the finally passed legislation)
That takes you to the text that finally passed. </p>
<p>Tip: When you get to the next page with all the links to the sections, scroll to the bottom and link through there, not the Section links at the top. </p>
<p>My take:
1. It appears the Robert Byrd Scholarship survived as is, except they added eligibility for homeschoolers. (Part IV, Part A, Sec. 409)</p>
<ol>
<li> They added several new student aid programs for Math & Science, Nursing, Teach For America, Job Skill Training, Graduate Fellowships for Women & Minorities. One sticky part, though, appears that the states have to match this money 50-50, in order to get it. These are in Title VIII, Part B - G.</li>
</ol>
<p>I agree with you, Sky, it seems that after all that hooplah, nothing much has changed. Here is what it says:</p>
<p>
[quote]
SEC. 409. ROBERT C. BYRD HONORS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.</p>
<pre><code> (a) Eligibility of Scholars- Section 419F(a) (20 U.S.C. 1070d-36(a)) is amended by inserting (or a home school, whether treated as a home school or a private school under State law)' afterpublic or private secondary school'.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations- Section 419K (20 U.S.C. 1070d-41) is amended by striking $45,000,000 for fiscal year 1999' and all that follows through the period and insertingsuch sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2009 and each of the five succeeding fiscal years.'.
<p>For all that it is the only US government-sponsored merit scholarship, there's not much information/publicity about it.</p>
<p>Ah well, at least with a Democrat-controlled White House and Congress we shouldn't have to worry about funding being cut simply because it is named after a Democrat senator.</p>
<p>My Dds Byrd email arrived, too, science student also at Cal like FresnoMom's son. My DD is a science student.</p>
<p>Why is the ACG being broadened to include non-citizens? That doesn't seem right, our deficit is incredible, why should we fund undergrads from other countries; we already totally fund PhD students from other countries. My DD is looking at PhDs including some in the UK where there are some top people in her field, but thus far all we have found is that they are more expensive for non UK, non Euro students and that there is not the prevalent TA/RA commitment and $$. Why do we fund everybody else and no one funds our kids? Same with Canada, I have dozens of friends whose kids attended Ivies and the like on financial aid yet if my kid wanted to attend school there, no $.</p>
<p>I don't mean this to sound xenophobic, it just seems that the rest of the world has been pretty big on hating on the US, yet they all want to come here for a funded education and other countries want pour kids to pay international fees to attend their schools.</p>
<p>Follow-up...
I just read the New York State publication about the 2009-10 scholarship, and as far as I could tell, the changes that we were discussing earlier this year (math, science, etc.) are not included. So, I guess it will continue as it had been before. It will be interesting to see if it will be funded for the next academic year...</p>
<p>i will be applying to the byrd scholarship but i am going to mcgill university in canada next year. i am from NJ so im wondering if I can use the schoalrship for an international school</p>