GEORGIA SCHOOL SHOOTING
On September 4, President Biden issued a statement on the school shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, which claimed the lives of two students and two teachers.
“Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all the survivors whose lives are forever changed,” he asserted. “What should have been a joyous back to school season…has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover, instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as a new normal.”
And, Secretary Cardona posted online on September 4 (“Back to school season should be a time that students, teachers & schools look forward to — instead, it’s been plagued by gun violence. It has to stop.”) and September 5 (“Fighting for public education means fighting for all of our students, teachers & school staff to feel safe in their schools…. I’ve had enough. I urge Congress to act.”)
BACK TO SCHOOL: BUS TOUR
Last week, Secretary Cardona visited five Midwestern states as part of his 2024 Back to School Bus Tour, showcasing the many ways that schools, families, and communities are doubling down on accelerating student learning and raising the bar in education. He was joined by White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Mandy Cohen, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack — as well as several Congressional members and national, state, and local leaders — for stops along the route, underscoring the Biden Administration’s commitment to bolster academic recovery, invest in mental health services, strengthen and support the teaching profession, increase college access and affordability, and build career pathways. This year’s tour also celebrated public education as the American system that opened the door for so many of the nation’s success stories: from astronauts to astrophysicists, writers to engineers, musicians to mathematicians, and innovative entrepreneurs in the private sector to great leaders in the public sector (posts 1, 2, and 3).
On September 3, the Secretary traveled across Wisconsin. He started at Jackson Elementary Schoolin Green Bay, where he observed classrooms and participated in a student pep rally. Next, he visited the Oneida Nationto learn more about the elementary school’s multilingual program and ways leaders are preserving native language and tribal culture (see grant announcement). Then, he ended the day at Wisconsin Heights Middle/High School in Mazomanie, to elevate supporting students and teachers in rural schools.
He also defended the merits of public education over private schools in an op-ed published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (post).
On September 4, the Secretary hit Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; and Valparaiso, Indiana. At the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, joined by Tanden and Cohen, he participated in a roundtable discussion on supporting the academic recovery of students (see grant announcement). In Chicago, he visited an adult learning centerfor students with disabilities and dropped by a PSLF clinicat City Hall (post). Later, at Ivy Tech Community College’s Valparaiso Campus, he observed work stations and engaged with career and technical education students (post).
That same day, the White House issued a fact sheet outlining additional actions by the Administration to drive academic success for all students, including a new resource for educators on evidence-based strategies for increasing student literacy and math achievement; a joint resource from the Departments of Education and Transportation highlighting ways to provide safe, reliable transit options to get students to and from school and support attendance; and the launching of the Attendance Champions Challenge to hear directly from young people on creative solutions to address chronic absenteeism (post).
Meanwhile, a new study from the Ad Council, with support from the Overdeck Family Foundation, offers guidance for how school leaders, educators, community partners, and others might more effectively encourage families to send their children to school consistently.
On September 5, the Secretary made three stops in Michigan. First, at Grand Rapids Community College, joined by Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal and National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle, he spoke with educators who have benefitted from PSLF (post). Second, at Glencairn Elementary School in East Lansing, he observed classrooms and facilitated a conversation with teacher apprentices and mentors (see grant announcement). Finally, at Cass Tech High School in Detroit, he participated in a student mental health town hall.
On September 6, the Secretary concluded the tour by visiting three sites in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Keystone Oaks High School, for the launch of an Educators Rising program; Faison K-8, joined by Vilsack and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, for a conversation on full-service community schools; and Obama Academy 6-12, joined by Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, for a family engagement block party (post).
As the tour wrapped, the Department released state-by-state fact sheets detailing specific actions and investments of the Biden Administration to strengthen K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions and support all students, educators, and families (see also press release with national data).
Supplemental to the tour, in each state, Department senior officials hosted additional stakeholder engagements to discuss bright spots, challenges, and how the agency can assist. Deputy Secretary Marten also visited Madison, Wisconsin, and Erie and West Middlesex, Pennsylvania. In state leadership roundtables, staff heard from elected officials, educators, and other stakeholders. Rural mental health roundtables brought together students, educators, and professionals to identify barriers and solutions. Plus, during parent engagements, staff heard from state and local family engagement leaders, multilingual families, and community organizations (recap Instagram reels 1, 2, and 3).
FEDERAL STUDENT AID
The Department recently announced additional details of the subsequent beta testing period, ahead of making the 2025-26 Free Application of Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) available to all students and contributors on or before December 1. High schools, community-based organizations (CBOs), institutions of higher education (IHEs), and state entities may submit the interest form to participate in Beta 2 (launching in mid-October), Beta 3 (launching in early November), and Beta 4 (launching in mid-November). In the first beta testing period — starting October 1 — CBOs and the IHEs they work with will collectively help the agency meet its goals of working with hundreds of students and their contributors at in-person FAFSA form completion events and of testing FAFSA processing with IHEs (see also Electronic Announcement).
Organizations participating in Beta 1 include Alabama Promise, Bridge2Life, CollegeAIM, Education is Freedom, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, and the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria.
REMINDER: FRESH START FOR BORROWERS
The deadline for federal student loan borrowers to apply for Fresh Start, a temporary Department program that can help borrowers move their federal student loans out of default, is fast approaching. Those with loans in default must act by September 30 to avoid the resumption of collections activities on their full debt amount.
Fresh Start enrollment can open the door to income-driven repayment (IDR) plans and loan forgiveness programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Also, enrollment restores federal student aid eligibility for individuals looking to continue or complete their education.
To learn more about Fresh Start, please visit StudentAid.gov/freshstart and watch this recorded webinar. To sign up (in just 10 minutes!), go to myeddebt.ed.gov or call the agency’s Default Resolution Group at 1-800-621-3115.
ENFORCING CIVIL RIGHTS
President Biden issued proclamations for National Grandparents Day (September 8), National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week (September 9-15), and Patriot Day/National Day of Service and Remembrance (September 11).
The President also issued a new Executive Order on investing in America and American workers — with the Department of Education among the implementing agencies.
Check out this back to school playlist for teachers to use in their classrooms.
Watch these three finalists for National Principal of the Year share their top tips for fellow principals.
On September 10, the Department announced $251 million in grant awards to 27 recipients (state agencies, non-profit organizations, and postsecondary institutions) to ensure individuals with disabilities have access to in-demand, good-paying jobs, under the Disability Innovation Fund program.
OCR announced that the University of Illinois has entered into a resolution agreement to ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, regarding alleged harassment of students based on national origin (including shared Jewish, Palestinian, Arab, and/or Muslim ancestry) (press release).
The President announced his intent to nominate Adam Gamoran as Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), and Secretary Cardona issued a supportive statement.
And read this blog post from Acting IES Director Matthew Soldner: “Evidence Whac-a-Mole? How Living Evidence Hubs Can Strengthen the What Works Clearinghouse.”
QUOTE TO NOTE
“As a student who grew up in an economically disadvantaged community, the local public school was my pathway to success. I came to value the strong foundation my public education provided me. And as a father whose two children attended public schools, I understand deeply a parent’s desire to provide the best possible education for your child. For many students across the country, the local public school is their first and best option. When we undermine and underfund public schools — or create a system of publicly funded private education that is selective of which students they educate — we create a system of haves and have-nots. Such a system cannot power the next generation of American Dreams.”
— Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (9/3/24), from an op-ed published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Although registration is now closed for the National HBCU Week Conference next week in Philadelphia, interested parties may still participate in the career and recruitment fair on September 15 (media advisory).
September 17 is Constitution Day/Citizenship Day, commemorating the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. In recognition of this special day, Congress has mandated that every educational institution receiving federal funding and every federal agency hold an annual educational program about this seminal document. The Department will hold its annual program — which anyone may watch online — on September 17 from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern Time, with guests speakers from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) discussing a new podcast series on the Constitution and from the Department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) discussing the American History and Civics grant program. (Note: To assist students and educators in their studies, the program will feature resources from CRS, as well as the National Archives and Records Administration, the Library of Congress, and the U.S. Census Bureau.)
The next “Lessons from the Field” session — on September 18, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. ET — will focus on school climate changes that build protective factors to prevent suicide.