{"id":16376,"date":"2022-09-30T13:51:43","date_gmt":"2022-09-30T19:51:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/?p=16376"},"modified":"2022-09-30T13:51:43","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T19:51:43","slug":"ed-review-9-30-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/2022\/09\/30\/ed-review-9-30-22\/","title":{"rendered":"ED Review – 9\/30\/22"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. Department of Education sent this bulletin at 09\/30\/2022 10:54 AM EDT<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

September 30, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

FEDERAL STUDENT AID<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"FAFSA<\/p>\n

The 2023-24\u00a0Free Application for Federal Student Aid\u00a0(FAFSA\u00ae) will launch on October 1 at 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time.\u00a0 New and returning students who plan to attend college between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, should complete the FAFSA form as soon as possible. \u00a0The Department provides more than $112 million in grants, loans, and work-study funding annually to help students pay for higher education.\u00a0 Many state governments, postsecondary institutions, and private organizations also use FAFSA information to determine their financial aid.\u00a0 To access these funds, students must complete the FAFSA form (see\u00a0FAFSA process infographic<\/a>).<\/p>\n

To assist students and families in the process, the Department\u2019s Federal Student Aid (FSA) office has been sharing helpful tips\u00a0@FAFSA<\/a>, including \u201c7 Things You Need Before Filling Out the FAFSA Form<\/a>,\u201d \u201c8 Steps to Completing the FAFSA Form<\/a>,\u201d and \u201c15 Myths We\u2019re Busting About the FAFSA Process<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students and parents may complete the FAFSA form online at\u00a0FAFSA.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also, last week, the White House released\u00a0state-by-state data<\/a>\u00a0on how President Biden\u2019s plan for student debt relief will benefit borrowers across the country.\u00a0 This analysis includes the estimated number of individuals eligible for at least $10,000 of relief, as well as the estimated number of Pell Grant recipients eligible for up to $20,000 of relief.\u00a0 In the coming weeks, the Department will release more details on how individuals can apply for the relief (see latest\u00a0information and FAQs<\/a>\u00a0and Secretary Cardona\u2019s\u00a0\u201c3 Things to Know\u201d video<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the deadline for borrowers to take advantage of temporary changes to the\u00a0Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program<\/a>\u00a0is fast approaching.\u00a0 These changes allow borrowers to receive credit for past periods of repayment that would not otherwise quality for PSLF.\u00a0 Individuals must consolidate any non-federal loans and\u00a0submit an application<\/a>\u00a0by October 31.\u00a0 (Note: From the recent PSLF Day of Action for Servicemembers and Veterans, see the\u00a0Deputy Secretary of Defense\u2019s message<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0House Committee on Veterans Affairs Chair\u2019s video<\/a>).<\/p>\n

TRAVEL LOG<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Secretary\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week, in advance of the United Nations\u2019 General Assembly, Secretary Cardona participated in the\u00a0Transforming Education Summit<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cEducation is the foundation for peace, security, and global development,\u201d he said in a\u00a0tweet<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cNow is the time to\u00a0#RaisetheBar, strengthen ties within our countries & across the world, and rededicate ourselves to achieving our sustainable development goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also last week, the Secretary joined Vice President Harris in\u00a0South Carolina<\/a>, for a\u00a0conversation with student leaders at Claflin University<\/a>\u00a0— covering, among other topics, mental health, entrepreneurship, and access to capital — and\u00a0remarks at South Carolina State University\u2019s Fall Convocation<\/a>\u00a0highlighting the importance of\u00a0National Voter Registration Day<\/a>.\u00a0 (Note: The Secretary recorded videos on both\u00a0voting<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0celebrating Constitution Day<\/a>\u00a0from Philadelphia\u2019s Independence Hall.)<\/p>\n

Moreover, Secretary Cardona delivered remarks at the\u00a0National HBCU Week Conference<\/a>.\u00a0 Over 2,000 in-person attendees and 1,500 virtual attendees, including presidents and chancellors of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), participated in this year\u2019s event — the first in-person conference since 2019.\u00a0 Over four days, they engaged with key leaders, including members of the President\u2019s Cabinet, officials from more than 25 federal agencies, private sector executives, and financial aid experts (video<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Then, this week, the Secretary joined U.S. Senator Tom Carper in\u00a0Delaware<\/a>, for a tour of Eisenberg Elementary School\u2019s\u00a0wellness center and outdoor classroom<\/a>\u00a0and roundtable discussion on mental health services with federal, state, and local leaders, community advocates, and school representatives (video<\/a>) and a tour of Delaware State University\u2019s new Riverfront Campus and briefing by President Tony Allen.<\/p>\n

Notably, the Department also issued a comprehensive\u00a0ICYMI<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter capture<\/a>\u00a0of Secretary Cardona\u2019s \u201cRoad to Success Back to School Bus Tour\u201d and posted the\u00a0Secretary\u2019s remarks at the University of Tennessee<\/a>, the\u00a0Secretary\u2019s video with Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff<\/a>\u00a0from Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a\u00a0video of happy students<\/a>\u00a0from 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools honoree Glendora Elementary School in New Jersey.<\/p>\n

COMPETITIVE GRANT AWARDS<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before the end of the federal fiscal year (September 30), the Department awarded a significant number of competitive grant awards.<\/p>\n

For example, on September 21, the Department\u2019s Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) announced new\u00a0five-year grant awards<\/a>\u00a0for the Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment (SWTCIE) demonstration project to 14 state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies.\u00a0 Specifically, using innovative approaches, state agencies will assist job seekers with disabilities to secure high-quality jobs for real pay in green technology, the transportation industry, and the arts, in which they will work alongside their non-disabled peers at comparable wages.\u00a0 Every project embraces collaborative efforts among multiple partners and stakeholders, including state and local providers, public and private employees, and advocates.<\/p>\n

That same day, the agency announced\u00a0Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) grants<\/a>\u00a0for two additional Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that experienced bomb threats earlier this year.\u00a0 Coppin State University in Baltimore and Fisk University in Nashville were awarded $130,000 and $60,000, respectively.\u00a0 They will use funding to support student trauma recovery related to the threats by hiring full-time trauma specialists\/counselors, increasing full-time security officer coverage, and offering additional mental health services.<\/p>\n

Also, on September 27, the agency announced new\u00a0three-year investments<\/a>\u00a0under the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program.\u00a0 For this year\u2019s competition, the agency directed funding to projects designed to support the workforce through high-quality, comprehensive teacher preparation programs, including those with a good track record of recruiting and placing under-represented candidates.\u00a0 The agency also prioritized projects designed to help educators create more inclusive and equitable learning to meet students\u2019 social, emotional, and academic needs.<\/p>\n

Separately, via regional press calls (1<\/a>,\u00a02<\/a>,\u00a03<\/a>, and\u00a04<\/a>), the agency announced nearly $1 billion in formula grant awards under the\u00a0Bipartisan Safer Communities Act\u00a0<\/em>(BSCA).\u00a0 States must award these funds competitively to high-need school districts.\u00a0\u00a0Stronger Connections grants<\/a>\u00a0will help schools provide all students with safe and supportive learning opportunities and environments that are critical for their success.\u00a0 (Note: Earlier, Secretary Cardona sent a\u00a0Dear Colleague Letter<\/a>\u00a0to Chief State School Officers outlining principles that states are strongly encouraged to consider when designing competitive grant competitions and providing districts with direction for how they use these funds.)<\/p>\n

RISE AWARD<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"RISE<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Department invites governors or their designees to nominate up to two classified school employees for the annual\u00a0Recognizing Inspiring School Employee (RISE) Award<\/a>\u00a0by November 1.\u00a0 Those working in public or private PK-12 schools as paraprofessionals or in clerical and administrative services, transportation services, food and nutrition services, custodial and maintenance services, security services, health and student services, technical services, and skilled trades are eligible for this recognition.\u00a0 The Secretary will ultimately select one national honoree from among all the state nominees (blog post<\/a>).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

DIGITAL EQUITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

On September 28, during the\u00a0National Digital Equity Summit<\/a>\u00a0hosted at the Department, the Office of Educational Technology (OET) released\u00a0\u201cAdvancing Digital Equity for All: Community-Based Recommendations for Developing Effective Digital Equity Plans to Close the Digital Divide and Enable Technology-Empowered Learning<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 This resource provides suggestions for equitable broadband adoption to support leaders crafting digital equity plans, an aspiration that became critical for many schools and families during the pandemic.\u00a0 The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) passed earlier this year supports that goal, allocating $2.75 billion under the\u00a0Digital Equity Act<\/em>\u00a0to ensure all individuals and communities\u00a0may reap the full benefits of the digital economy.\u00a0 The resource also spotlights existing barriers across availability, affordability, and adoption and shares examples of promising strategies to overcome these barriers.\u00a0 Much of the content was gathered through the\u00a0Digital Equity Education Roundtables (DEER) Initiative<\/a>\u00a0launched by OET in the spring — conversations with leaders from community-based organizations, as well as families and students furthest from digital opportunities, to learn more about the obstacles faced by learner communities and promising solutions for increasing access to technology.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

ODDS AND ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n