HURRICANES HELENE AND MILTON
Under President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’ direction, the Administration continues to mobilize a robust, intensive, and whole-of-government response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene. As life-saving response efforts continue in heavily impacted areas, the Administration is also working to ensure communities across the Southeast have prompt access to federal resources to purchase essential items and begin their road to recovery and rebuilding. Last week, the President and Vice President traveled throughout the region, meeting with community leaders and reaffirming that the Administration will be with impacted communities every step of the way, no matter how long it takes, with the support they need (President’s statement and White House fact sheets 1 and 2).
The Administration also pre-positioned additional personnel and resources to prepare for the impacts of Hurricane Milton (President’s remarks and White House fact sheets 1, 2, and 3).
The Department closely follows the impacts of natural disasters on students, educators, staff, families, and others. Schools are a critical aspect of whole community recovery and provide education, nutrition, physical fitness, mental health counseling, and other resources to students and their families during day-to-day operations. When schools close following a natural disaster, it is crucial that these resources remain available to the community and that schools are reopened and operating as soon as possible. In 2018, to better assist K-12 schools, the agency’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) formed a Disaster Recovery Unit (DRU). The agency’s Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) and Federal Student Aid (FSA) office support postsecondary institutions.
In a press release and updated Homeroom blog, the Department curated resources, including several from other federal agencies and partner organizations, to restore the teaching and learning environment. Find more resources on the agency’s Natural Disaster Resources web page.
IMPROVING THE FAFSA EXPERIENCE
The initial 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) testing period, Beta 1, began on October 1. A small group of students recruited by six community-based organizations (CBOs) are completing FAFSA forms, and the Department is processing Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) and sending them to schools and state agencies. The testing period allows the agency to maximize a positive user experience by identifying and resolving errors that could impact students, contributors, and institutions before the form becomes available to all students and contributors on or before December 1.
Beta 1 will continue through mid-October. The next stages of testing are Beta 2, starting in mid-October; Beta 3, beginning in early November; and Beta 4, beginning in mid-November. In each stage, CBOs, high schools, colleges and universities, and government entities will recruit a growing number of students to complete the FAFSA form. Beta 2 will include thousands of students, and later beta stages are expected to include tens of thousands of students. Institutions will also download ISIRs into their financial aid systems and test them to make sure that FAFSA processing is working properly.
For Betas 2-4, the Department selected 20 CBOs and government entities that support students in completing the FAFSA form, 10 high schools or school districts, and 48 colleges and universities. These organizations work with students from low-income backgrounds, first-generation college students, mixed-status families, and students experiencing homelessness or incarceration — specific populations that encountered issues with the 2024-25 FAFSA form. The organizations are also recruiting students from every region of the country, including the territories, and every school type (traditional public, public charter, private preparatory, and private religious high schools).
The agency is committed to sharing information about the testing with all stakeholders. Visit fafsa.gov/beta for regular updates.
The Department also released resources to support the financial aid community and students and families in preparing for the 2025-26 FAFSA cycle, including:
a revised Federal Student Aid Estimator, providing an estimate of the 2025-26 Student Aid Index (SAI) and federal Pell Grant eligibility calculation;
updated resources to support creating a StudentAid.gov account, such as a new stand-alone “parent wizard” to help students and families determine who will need to supply contributor information on the 2025-26 FAFSA prior to starting the form; and
a revised 2025-26 FAFSA prototype, providing an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the FAFSA user experience ahead of its public release.
PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS
At a White House event this week, Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden, in close coordination with the Department, AmeriCorps, and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University, announced that the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS) has exceeded President Biden’s call to recruit an additional 250,000 adults into high-impact student roles — a year early! As of the end of the 2023-24 school year, 320,000 adults have stepped up to provide tutoring, mentoring, and college and career advising in school settings (press release).
According to RAND survey data, 136,000 adults stepped up to support academic success for all students during the 2023-24 school year. This finding builds upon the 187,000 adults who stepped into these roles during the 2022-23 school year.
To continue this momentum, the NPSS also announced additional efforts by the NPSS Support Hub and its technical assistance providers, including a third Community Collaboration Challenge microgrant cycle to support youth-serving organizations, state and local governments, and intermediaries in bringing people-powered and evidence-based support to children and youth in their communities and a new tool that districts may use to evaluate their own tutoring programs for alignment with evidence-based practices.
On September 27, the Department announced $46 million in new grants to establish dedicated technical assistance centers for states and school districts through the Comprehensive Centers Program. This program provides a national network of support to promote student achievement, increase performance among those schools designated for improvement under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and equip leaders with evidence and tools to address emerging challenges facing K-12 schools. Specifically, the agency is awarding funding for a National Center; 14 Regional Centers covering geographic areas aligned with the Department’s Regional Educational Laboratories; and four Content Centers reflecting key priorities from a public input rulemaking earlier this year.
Together, these 19 centers form the latest Comprehensive Center Network.
The Content Centers include:
The Center on Fiscal Equity, which will support states and districts in strengthening adequate and equitable resource allocation strategies;
The Center on Strengthening and Supporting the Educator Workforce, which will build on the Department’s efforts to improve educator recruitment and retention and increase educator diversity;
The Center for Early School Success, which will support states and districts in implementing comprehensive and aligned preschool through third-grade early learning systems; and
The Center for English Learners and Multilingualism, which will address the linguistic, academic, cognitive, social, emotional, and cultural strengths and needs of English learners.
A big shout-out to President Jimmy Carter — who in 1979 signed the law that established the U.S. Department of Education — for becoming the first U.S. president to turn 100 years old!
In celebration of International Day of the Girl, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden honored 10 young women who are leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities (White House fact sheet).
Secretary Cardona is among the Cabinet members remembering the Administration’s accomplishments by sharing mementos.
The Secretary was joined by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for the latest episode of Inside Voices with incredible helpers at Pittsburgh Faison K-5.
And, Secretary Cardona thanked Congressman Darren Soto for welcoming him to Central Florida and NeoCity Academy to talk with students and educators about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and career and technical education (CTE) programs.
Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten issued a letter to Chief State School Officers regrading arts education.
The Deputy Secretary also spotlighted Digital Inclusion Week and highlighted the Department’s work to increase digital access.
After receiving feedback from the public on program design, the Department published a list of 200 institutions — 100 predominantly bachelor’s degree-granting schools and 100 predominantly associate’s degree- or certificate-granting schools — eligible for its first-ever Postsecondary Success Recognition Program and invited them to submit an application for their efforts to use data and evidence-based practices to ensure all students are earning credentials of value (Homeroom blog).
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department, with input from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), released a new resource guideto help schools and libraries evaluate their cybersecurity risks and identify impactful cybersecurity solutions.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is soliciting public commentsas it plans its inaugural Data Users Conference.
Secretary Cardona announced the appointment of education leaders— two new members and four re-appointed members — to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
The most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey provides the first nationally representative data about transgender students. Transgender and questioning students experienced a higher prevalence of violence, poor mental health, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and unstable housing and a lower prevalence of school connectedness than their cisgender peers.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“It’s not our job to say this is how family engagement is done. It’s our job to say it’s important…. For us, it’s a lot of technical assistance. It’s a lot of resources. It’s also a lot of connecting it to public education as a good — as a public good. I think sometimes we’re not as loud about it, but we have to be. The alternative, in my opinion, is going to separate the haves and the have-nots.”
— Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (10/7/24), participating in a fireside chat (post) at the Department’s Family Engagement Evidence Convening
Among other education-related observations, October is National Principals Month, Learning Disabilities Awareness Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month, National Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month, and Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Reminder: The Department’s Federal Student Aid (FSA) office will host a free Federal Financial Aid Virtual Bootcamp on October 23 — geared toward students, parents, school counselors, college access professionals, college and career coaches, and other members of the financial aid community.
International Education Week (November 18-22), a joint initiative of the Departments of Education and State, celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.