{"id":19315,"date":"2024-10-11T13:52:58","date_gmt":"2024-10-11T19:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/?p=19315"},"modified":"2024-10-11T13:52:58","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T19:52:58","slug":"19315","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/2024\/10\/11\/19315\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

HURRICANES HELENE AND MILTON<\/b><\/p>\n

Under President Biden\u2019s and Vice President Harris\u2019 direction, the Administration continues to mobilize a robust, intensive, and whole-of-government response to the impacts of\u00a0Hurricane Helene<\/a>.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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\u2019s statement<\/a>\u00a0and White House fact sheets\u00a01<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a02<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Administration also pre-positioned additional personnel and resources to prepare for the impacts of\u00a0Hurricane Milton<\/a>\u00a0(President\u2019s remarks<\/a>\u00a0and White House fact sheets\u00a01<\/a>,\u00a02<\/a>, and\u00a03<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Department closely follows the impacts of natural disasters on students, educators, staff, families, and others.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 In 2018, to better assist K-12 schools, the agency\u2019s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) formed a\u00a0Disaster Recovery Unit<\/a>\u00a0(DRU).\u00a0 The agency\u2019s Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) and Federal Student Aid (FSA) office support postsecondary institutions.<\/p>\n

In a\u00a0press release<\/a>\u00a0and updated\u00a0Homeroom blog<\/a>, the Department curated resources, including several from other federal agencies and partner organizations, to restore the teaching and learning environment.\u00a0 Find more resources on the agency\u2019s\u00a0Natural Disaster Resources<\/a> web page.<\/p>\n

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IMPROVING THE FAFSA EXPERIENCE<\/b><\/p>\n

The initial 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA\u00ae) testing period,\u00a0Beta 1<\/a>, began on October 1.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Beta 1 will continue through mid-October.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 In each stage, CBOs, high schools, colleges and universities, and government entities will recruit a growing number of students to complete the FAFSA form.\u00a0 Beta 2 will include thousands of students, and later beta stages are expected to include tens of thousands of students.\u00a0 Institutions will also download ISIRs into their financial aid systems and test them to make sure that FAFSA processing is working properly.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0Betas 2-4<\/a>, 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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).<\/p>\n

The agency is committed to sharing information about the testing with all stakeholders.\u00a0 Visit\u00a0fafsa.gov\/beta<\/a>\u00a0for regular updates.<\/p>\n

The Department also released resources to support the financial aid community and students and families in preparing for the 2025-26 FAFSA cycle, including:<\/p>\n

a revised\u00a0Federal Student Aid Estimator<\/a>, providing an estimate of the 2025-26 Student Aid Index (SAI) and federal Pell Grant eligibility calculation;<\/p>\n

updated resources<\/a>\u00a0to support creating a StudentAid.gov account, such as a new stand-alone \u201cparent wizard\u201d to help students and families determine who will need to supply contributor information on the 2025-26 FAFSA prior to starting the form; and<\/p>\n

a revised\u00a02025-26 FAFSA prototype<\/a>, providing an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the FAFSA user experience ahead of its public release.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS<\/b><\/p>\n

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\u00a0National Partnership for Student Success<\/a>\u00a0(NPSS) has exceeded President Biden\u2019s call to recruit an additional 250,000 adults into high-impact student roles — a year early!\u00a0 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<\/a>).<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0RAND survey data<\/a>, 136,000 adults stepped up to support academic success for all students during the 2023-24 school year.\u00a0 This finding builds upon the 187,000 adults who stepped into these roles during the 2022-23 school year.<\/p>\n

To continue this momentum, the NPSS also announced additional efforts by the NPSS Support Hub and its technical assistance providers, including a third\u00a0Community Collaboration Challenge<\/a>\u00a0microgrant 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\u00a0new tool<\/a>\u00a0that districts may use to evaluate their own tutoring programs for alignment with evidence-based practices.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

COMPREHENSIVE CENTERS<\/b><\/div>\n

On September 27, the Department announced\u00a0$46 million in new grants<\/a>\u00a0to establish dedicated technical assistance centers for states and school districts through the\u00a0Comprehensive Centers Program<\/a>.\u00a0 This program provides a national network of support to promote student achievement, increase performance among those schools designated for improvement under the\u00a0Elementary and Secondary Education Act<\/i>\u00a0(ESEA), and equip leaders with evidence and tools to address emerging challenges facing K-12 schools.\u00a0 Specifically, the agency is awarding funding for a National Center; 14 Regional Centers covering geographic areas aligned with the Department\u2019s\u00a0Regional Educational Laboratories<\/a>; and four Content Centers reflecting key priorities from a public input rulemaking earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Together, these 19 centers form the latest\u00a0Comprehensive Center Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Content Centers include:<\/p>\n

The Center on Fiscal Equity, which will support states and districts in strengthening adequate and equitable resource allocation strategies;<\/p>\n

The Center on Strengthening and Supporting the Educator Workforce, which will build on the Department\u2019s efforts to improve educator recruitment and retention and increase educator diversity;<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

The Center for English Learners and Multilingualism, which will address the linguistic, academic, cognitive, social, emotional, and cultural strengths and needs of English learners.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FREE COVID-19 TESTS<\/b><\/div>\n
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Earlier this month, the Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)\u00a0renewed\u00a0a partnership to distribute free COVID-19 tests to schools nationwide.\u00a0 In a\u00a0joint letter sent to states and school districts<\/a>, leaders are encouraged to\u00a0order tests<\/a>\u00a0directly\u00a0from the federal government to be made available to students, parents, staff, and the broader school community.\u00a0 Districts may stock school nurses\u2019 offices, distribute tests at school events, send tests home with students or parents, and more (COVID-19 resources for schools, students, and families web page<\/a>).<\/div>\n
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ODDS AND ENDS<\/b><\/div>\n

A\u00a0big shout-out to President Jimmy Carter<\/a>\u00a0— 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!<\/p>\n

In celebration of\u00a0International Day of the Girl<\/a>, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden honored\u00a010 young women<\/a>\u00a0who are leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities (White House fact sheet<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Secretary Cardona is among the Cabinet members remembering the Administration\u2019s accomplishments by\u00a0sharing mementos<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Secretary was joined by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for the latest episode of\u00a0Inside Voices<\/a>\u00a0with incredible helpers at Pittsburgh Faison K-5.<\/p>\n

And, Secretary Cardona\u00a0thanked<\/a>\u00a0Congressman Darren Soto for welcoming him to Central Florida and\u00a0NeoCity Academy<\/a>\u00a0to talk with students and educators about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and career and technical education (CTE) programs.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten issued a\u00a0letter to Chief State School Officers regrading arts education<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Deputy Secretary also spotlighted\u00a0Digital Inclusion Week<\/a>\u00a0and highlighted the Department\u2019s work to\u00a0increase digital access<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After receiving feedback from the public on program design, the Department published a list of 200 institutions —\u00a0100 predominantly bachelor\u2019s degree-granting schools<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0100 predominantly associate\u2019s degree- or certificate-granting schools<\/a>\u00a0— eligible for its first-ever\u00a0Postsecondary Success Recognition Program<\/a>\u00a0and invited them to submit an\u00a0application<\/a>\u00a0for their efforts to use data and evidence-based practices to ensure all students are earning credentials of value (Homeroom blog<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department, with input from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), released a new\u00a0resource guide<\/a>to help schools and libraries evaluate their cybersecurity risks and identify impactful cybersecurity solutions.<\/p>\n

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is\u00a0soliciting public comments<\/a>as it plans its inaugural Data Users Conference.<\/p>\n

Secretary Cardona announced the\u00a0appointment of education leaders<\/a>— two new members and four re-appointed members — to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).<\/p>\n

The most recent\u00a0Youth Risk Behavior Survey<\/a> provides the first nationally representative data about transgender students.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

QUOTE TO NOTE<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not our job to say this is how family engagement is done.\u00a0 It\u2019s our job to say it\u2019s important\u2026.<\/strong>\u00a0 For us, it\u2019s a lot of technical assistance.\u00a0 It\u2019s a lot of resources.\u00a0 It\u2019s also a lot of connecting it to public education as a good — as a public good.\u00a0 I think sometimes we\u2019re not as loud about it, but we have to be.\u00a0 The alternative, in my opinion, is going to separate the haves and the have-nots.\u201d<\/p>\n

— Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (10\/7\/24), participating in a fireside chat (post<\/a>) at the Department\u2019s\u00a0Family Engagement Evidence Convening<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

UPCOMING EVENTS<\/b><\/div>\n

Among other education-related observations, October is\u00a0National Principals Month<\/a>,\u00a0Learning Disabilities Awareness Month\u00a0and\u00a0National Disability Employment Awareness Month<\/a>,\u00a0National Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month<\/a>,\u00a0National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month<\/a>, and\u00a0Cybersecurity Awareness Month<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reminder: The Department\u2019s Federal Student Aid (FSA) office will host a free\u00a0Federal Financial Aid Virtual Bootcamp<\/a>\u00a0on October 23 — geared toward students, parents, school counselors, college access professionals, college and career coaches, and other members of the financial aid community.<\/p>\n

International Education Week\u00a0<\/a>(November 18-22), a joint initiative of the Departments of Education and State, celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HURRICANES HELENE AND MILTON Under President Biden\u2019s and Vice President Harris\u2019 direction, the Administration continues to mobilize a robust, intensive, and whole-of-government response to the impacts of\u00a0Hurricane Helene.\u00a0 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,266],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-of-interest"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19315"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19318,"href":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19315\/revisions\/19318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}