ANNOUNCEMENTS IN ATLANTA
On October 17, Secretary Cardona traveled to Metro Atlanta, where he held a press conference at Atlanta City Hall to announce a significant milestone for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program and participated in a roundtable discussion at Five Forks Middle School in Gwinnett County to uplift additional mental health supports in schools.
At the press conference, joined by members of the Atlanta Mayor’s Office and other Atlanta recipients of PSLF, the Secretary announced the approval of approximately $4.5 billion in further student loan relief for more than 60,000 borrowers across the country who work in public service. This relief, the result of substantial fixes that the Administration has made to the PSLF Program, brings the total loan forgiveness approved by the Administration to over $175 million for more than 4.8 million borrowers, which includes $74 billion for more than one million borrowers through PSLF. Before President Biden took office, only 7,000 public servants had ever received debt relief through PSLF (press release, with state-by-state information and photos).
President Biden issued a statement on the action, and the White House released a fact sheet and shared a testimonial video.
To encourage more public servants to take advantage of the PSLF Program, the Secretary also sent a letter to governors and mayors, and a number of public sector unions are amplifying the announcement through member-to-member outreach, social media campaigns, and more.
Later, at the school roundtable discussion with Congresswoman Lucy McBath, the Secretary announced 69 School-Based Mental Health Services and Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration grants, totaling some $70 million nationwide. These awards, bolstered under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), are projected to help train and hire 4,000 mental health professionals to support students. Gwinnett County is a recipient of both types of grants and will receive $19 million over the next five years (press release and photos).
IMPROVING THE FAFSA EXPERIENCE
The latest 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) testing period, Beta 2, began on October 15. Recruited by 16 community-based organizations (CBOs), high schools, colleges and universities, and government entities, thousands of students — including returning students, first-generation college students, and students from mixed-status families — are completing FAFSA forms, and the Department is processing Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) and sending them to schools and state agencies. This testing 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.
During the initial (Beta 1) stage of testing, thanks to the help of six CBOs, more than 650 students successfully submitted the FAFSA form, and the Department processed 6,266 ISIRs, sending them
to 586 unique institutions. Dozens of student form corrections were made. The agency did not uncover any critical bugs.
Beta 2 will continue through the end of the month. The remaining stages of testing are Beta 3, beginning in early November, and Beta 4, beginning in mid-November. In each stage, various organizations will recruit a growing number of students to complete the FAFSA form. Later beta stages will 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.
The Department is committed to sharing information about the testing with all stakeholders. Visit fafsa.gov/beta for regular updates.
Meanwhile, new Department data indicates that 3% more students are poised to receive federal aid this year, compared to last year at this time, and 10% more students are on track to receive Pell Grants, including 3% more high school seniors. As the agency continues to improve the FAFSA, many two- and four-year colleges are reporting enrollment increases this fall.
SAVE PLAN UPDATE
Pending further legal developments, the eight million borrowers already enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, as well as anyone who has applied for the plan, should expect to remain in an interest-free forbearance for six month or longer as the Department re-programs its systems. Forgiveness, as a feature of any income-driven repayment (IDR) plan created by the agency, is currently enjoined, so those who reach their plan’s repayment milestone — that is, 25 years on any IDR plan or 20 years for undergraduate-only borrowers in select IDR plans — will be moved into an interest-free forbearance. The Department and its servicers will resume processing applications for some IDR plans and have reinstated a simplified version of the online IDR application to support enrollment.
RECOGNIZING EDUCATORS
Last week, Secretary Cardona announced the 2024 recipients of the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership. Named for the second U.S. Secretary of Education, this award recognizes principals who are committed to education as a powerful and liberating force in people’s lives. Part of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, principals are nominated by their school communities during final stages of the application process and will be celebrated during the program’s awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. (infographic and profiles).
Apply now for the Department’s 2025-26 School Ambassador Fellowship Program. This program enables outstanding teachers, principals, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other school-based professionals interacting with students on a daily basis to bring their expertise to the Department and expand their knowledge of the national dialogue on education. In turn, fellows facilitate the learning and input of other educators and community members. As in previous years, applicants may choose to apply as Full-Time Fellows — take a leave of absence from their local districts and support the Department’s efforts remotely on a daily basis — or as Part-Time Fellows — continue serving in their local districts while working with the agency up to 10 hours a week. The application closes January 13, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. (Note: On November 12, from 4 to 5 p.m. ET, the program office will conduct a virtual informational and question-and-answer webinar for prospective applicants – pre-registration is required.)
Additionally, nominations are currently open (through February 6, 2025) for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
WRAPPING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Earlier this month, the Department hosted the Education in Action Summit, a day of professional learning celebrating Latinidad, Latino educators, Hispanic culture, and Latino-related achievements of the Administration and the agency. The event brought together key Latino celebrities and influencers who are using their platforms to advocate for their communities. It also showcased some amazing student performances (video and photos).
That same day, Secretary Cardona issued a Dear Colleague Letter on President Biden’s Executive Ordercreating the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and a President’s Board of Advisors on HSIs.
And, the Department released a fact sheet, with state-by-state information on over $16 billion in support for HSIs.
Also, Secretary Cardona joined fellow Latino Cabinet members from the Departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security and the Small Business Administration to discuss their journeysto the White House.
Moreover, Latino staff membersthroughout the Biden Administration met with Secretary Cardona and Small Business Administrator Isabel Guzman
ODDS AND ENDS
Following Hurricane Helene’s devasting impacts across the Southeast and Appalachia, the Biden Administration continues its robust, whole-of-government efforts to help communities recover and rebuild (White House fact sheets 1 and 2).
· The Department’s Office of Educational Technology (OET) released “Empowering Education Leaders: A Toolkit for Safe, Ethical, and Equitable AI Integration,” a new resource designed to support school leaders as they plan to leverage Artificial Intelligence’s benefits for teaching and learning while managing its risks (Homeroom blog).
· The Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) submitted to the Federal Register a Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) Information Collection Request (ICR) for the 2025-26 and 2027-28 school years.
· Want to deepen family-school engagement and be a school parent superhero? Start with these five tipsbased on research and conversations with families nationwide.
· The application for the second year of the Engage Every Student Recognition Program, spotlighting non-profit organizations, school districts, and local governments working together to engage students in high-quality after-school and summer learning, is live!
· The Department’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCATE) launched a $1 million Career and Technical Education (CTE) CHIPS Challenge, seeking to expand student recruitment, training, and placement strategies in high-paying semiconductor fabrication construction and advanced manufacturing centers. Details, including how to apply, are available at CTEChipsChallenge.com.
· Flagging that the Department is required to report any missing or late federal student loan payments to the national credit reporting agencies in January 2025, and such loans will enter default — triggering mandatory collections and other consequences — in late 2025.
· The NEA Big Read, established in 2016, supports Americans reading and discussing a single book in their communities. Local governments, libraries, school districts, colleges and universities, and non-profit organizations are encouraged to apply for matching grants of up to $20,000 to be awarded for programming occurring between September 2025 and June 2026. Besides funding, communities receive resources, including reader’s guides, teacher’s guides, and audio guides with commentary from artists, educators, and public figures, as well as publicity materials. For this new cycle, communities will choose from 22 titles. The application deadline is January 23, 2025.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“Today, I encourage you to ask someone why they became an educator. Or a social worker. Or a prosecutor, like our Vice President. I guarantee not one will say they wanted to get rich. Instead, you’ll hear this: ‘I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to service my community.’ That is what I’ve learned from the public servants in my own personal life. My Dad, a police force veteran of 32 years. My brother, a lieutenant in my hometown. My sister, a public school social worker. My wife, a college-to-career advisor in our public school system. Today, I’m thinking about them — and all the public servants I’ve met while traveling this country…. Their hard work is why President Biden and Vice President Harris have been able to deliver student debt relief to nearly 4.8 million Americans — more than any administration in history.”
— Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (10/21/24), from remarks on student loan forgiveness for over one million public servants
UPCOMING EVENTS
All are welcome to join virtually the Supporting State Action to Advance the Education Professions’ National Capstone Event on October 28. Among the sessions for this all-day convening are remarks by Secretary Cardona and presentations highlighting exemplar work to increase compensation, expand access to high-quality and affordable preparation, and bolster diversity in Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, and Tennessee. To receive the Zoom link, please register.
Don’t miss these additional webinars:
· On October 29, from 12 to 1 p.m. ET, join the Department, National Science Foundation, Future Farmers of America, and others for a special webinar on how rural schools approach STEM education.
· Next, on October 30, from 1 to 2 p.m. ET, join the second session in the webinar series “Blending and Braiding: Strategies for Providing and Making It Easier to Access Services Across Federal Agencies.”
· Then, on October 30, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. ET, join the next Lessons from the Field session, focused on promising strategies to prevent student harassment and bullying behavior.
Schools are encouraged to invite U.S. military veterans into their classrooms around Veterans Day (November 11). Veterans can share their experiences and teach students lessons about the history and significance of the federal holiday, helping students reflect upon the importance of the ideals of liberty, freedom, and democracy.