SEHD Impact

ED Review (01/17/25)

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CAPSTONE EVENT

On January 14, the Department hosted a capstone event with stakeholders and staff, titled “The Impact: Our Fight for Public Education.”  The event featured a keynote address by Secretary Cardona, followed by a moderated discussion with students.  It also featured remarks from Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten and Under Secretary James Kvaal (photos).

This event celebrated the Biden Administration’s work to expand educational opportunity in partnership with educators, students, families, and public sector, private sector, and organizational leaders over the past four years.  The speakers called for action to further raise the bar in education and continue to fight for students, families, schools, and communities.

As part of the event, the Department publicly released a report and state-by-state fact sheets highlighting how the Administration leveraged historic investments not only to reopen schools and kick-start recovery after the pandemic but also to defend public education and deliver real results for America’s students.  Both resources are available on the agency’s Raise the Bar web page.  Additionally, new videos capture progress in some core areas: academic excellence, mental health and well-being, educator shortage and conditions, career and technical education, Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), and transforming education in Puerto Rico.  (Note: In a farewell video, Secretary Cardona reflects on his journey through favorite photos, while, in a sign-off post, he shares some things he is celebrating today.)

 

STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS

In successive releases (1 and 2) this week, the Biden Administration announced additional actions to forgive federal student loans.  After 33 executive actions, the Administration leaves office having approved a cumulative $188.8 billion in student loan forgiveness for 5.3 million borrowers.

President Biden issued a statement on the earlier round of actions.

These latest announcements are related to several types of discharges.  First, the Department approved 6,100 borrowers for $465 million under PSLF.  Second, the agency approved some 85,000 borrowers for $1.26 billion in relief based on borrower defense findings.  This includes three new sets of automatic discharges for groups of borrowers who were subject to the same misconduct.  Third, the agency approved 61,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability for $2.5 billion in relief.  Finally, the agency authorized $600 million in relief for 4,550 borrowers through Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) forgiveness and another 4,100 individual borrower defense approvals for those who attended DeVry University.

The total number of borrowers approved for PSLF is 1.069 million for $78.5 billion in relief, and nearly 633,000 borrowers have received $18.7 billion in disability discharges.  Furthermore, the total number of borrowers approved for IDR (including the Saving on a Valuable Education [SAVE] Plan) forgiveness is 1.45 million for $57.1 billion in relief, and nearly two million borrowers have received $34.5 billion in borrower defense to repayment discharges.

A state-by-state breakdown of the various forms of student debt relief approved by the Administration is available online.

In related news:

  • Application processing has resumed for several IDR plans, giving borrowers more options to pursue long-term loan forgiveness.
  • The Department formally launched a student loan tracking feature in borrowers’ StudentAid.gov dashboards for IDR plans, allowing borrowers to know exactly where they are on their loan forgiveness timeline.
  • Incorporated above, the Department approved a $4.5 billion group discharge for 261,000 borrowers who attended Ashford University, a mostly online institution, from March 1, 2009, through April 30, 2020.
  • In an opinion piece, Under Secretary Kvaal reflects on last year’s challenging Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) rollout and what’s to come.
  • The Department also released its final Simplifying the FAFSA Form update, emphasizing more individuals are receiving federal aid during the current award year compared to last year and the 2025-26 FAFSA form is working smoothly.

 

RISE AWARD

On January 15, Secretary Cardona announced the selection of James Green, a school police officer at Broad Street Elementary School in Butler, Pennsylvania, as the nation’s Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) Award honoree.  This recognition, established by Congress in 2019, elevates classified school employees’ outstanding contributions to quality K-12 education.  Such employees include paraprofessionals and those in administrative and clerical services, custodial and maintenance services, food and nutrition services, health and student services, skilled trades, technical services, and transportation services.  The Department received 31 nominations from 17 states.  Governors’ offices determined their processes for identifying and selecting up to two nominees, documenting excellence in five areas: work performance, school and community involvement, leadership and commitment, local support (from co-workers, school administrators, community members, etc.), and enhancement of school employees’ image in schools and the community.

 

CIVIL RIGHTS DATA COLLECTION

On January 16, the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) shared new data from the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) for the 2021-22 school year, revealing critical insight regarding the extent to which students have equal educational opportunities in the nation’s public schools (press release).

Specifically, OCR released three data reports and snapshots:

 

Meanwhile, OCR issued for a second round of public comment its proposal for items to be collected by the CRDC for the 2025-26 and 2027-28 school years.

Also new from OCR:

  • A four-year retrospective report, titled “Protecting Civil Rights: Highlights of Activities, OCR 2021-25,” describing the office’s enforcement record during the Biden Administration.
  • A resource discussing some considerations for schools when taking action to remediate a hostile environment under Title VI.
  • A resource explaining that schools must address sexual harassment in their education program or activity, even when such harassment occurs online or using emergent technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), under Title IX.
  • A fact sheet on ensuring equal opportunity based on sex in school athletic programs in the context of name, image, and likeness (NIL) activities.

 

NON-REGULATORY GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS

Parent and Family Engagement — this guidance, superseding previous (April 2004) guidance, aims to assist states, school districts, and schools in administering the relevant engagement provisions of Title I, Part A.

Opportunities and Responsibilities for State and Local Report Card Requirements — this guidance, also superseding previous (March 2019) guidance, includes pertinent updates to statutory requirements and incorporates lessons learned from the Department’s own monitoring and technical assistance to states.

Title II, Part A — this guidance, the first revision since 2006, is organized by topic and reflects responses to frequently asked questions from states, districts, and school leaders regarding program requirements.

Building and Sustaining Inclusive Educational Practices — this guidance emphasizes the importance of students with disabilities achieving challenging state academic standards while being educated alongside their friends and peers in general education settings, to the greatest extent appropriate.

Plus, in a January 8 letter, Secretary Cardona outlines resources for ensuring equal access to education for immigrant students (also in Spanish).

 

ODDS AND ENDS

 

QUOTE TO NOTE

“I know the fact we’re just now seeing the fruit of our work together makes it hard to say goodbye….  The truth is, I leave here with a great deal of hope.  I never, ever bet against our nation’s teachers and students!  I never bet against educators whose joy and professionalism ignite students’ love of learning every day.  I never bet against principals and school leaders juggling the needs of staff, students, and families all the while defending against unfunded or misguided policies from politicians who’ve never written a lesson plan or counseled a struggling student.  So, if you need a dose of hope, go talk to a local teacher.  Go talk to a principal.  Go talk to a CTE student or a first-generation college student.  They will fill you with hope.  Our educators, our students, our parents, our communities across the country — and the people who support them — they’re the ones…who write the next chapter, who decide the fate of public education….  So whatever comes next, we got this!”

— Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (1/14/25), from remarks at the Department’s capstone event

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

On January 23, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, FSA will host a free information session for students, parents, and college/career professionals on making corrections to and navigating special and unusual circumstances in the 2025-26 FAFSA form.

The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results for the nation, states, and selected school districts — in reading and math for fourth- and eighth-grades — will be released on January 29.  Interested parties are invited to join the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) and NCES to learn more about the scores, along with insights into students’ learning experiences, that afternoon.  The event will be held at the Sumner School in Washington, D.C., and via livestream.

Registration remains open for the virtual NCES Data Users Conference — February 11-13.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE

Our nation will shortly observe a transition from one presidential administration to the next.  Like all other recurring publications of the Department, ED Review will be on hiatus as it is evaluated by the incoming administration.  We anticipate ED Review or another resource will be available in the near future to provide updates on agency activities.  In the interim, visit ED.gov for the latest news and information.  Thank you for your patience.

ED Review is a product of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Communications and Outreach, State and Local Engagement

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