The President’s Education Awards Program (PEAP) honors students selected annually by their school principal. This year, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos congratulated the 2019 PEAP honorees, recognizing nearly 2.25 million elementary, middle, and high school graduates on their educational accomplishments and growth.
Your Burning Questions about Dual Enrollment, Answered.
Imagine graduating from high school with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree. You may think it sounds too good to be true, but dual enrollment programs can make this a reality for many high school students.
Because there are no universal federal guidelines that exist to determine how dual enrollment programs are structured, there tends to be a great deal of variation between programs. So what exactly is dual enrollment?
In short, dual enrollment allows students to access college classes and achieve college credit before they graduate high school.
How exactly does dual enrollment work? Here are some answers to the top five most frequently asked questions:
Mitigating the Slippery Slide of Summer Melt
Summertime is synonymous with melting and we can all envision a delicious ice cream cone quickly melting as we hurry to eat it before it becomes a puddle. Unfortunately, there’s another kind of melt that can happen over the summer that needs our collective attention: “summer melt”. It’s a term that education professionals use to describe the instance when students are accepted into college but never arrive in the fall. As educators and student advocates, there are several ways we can help students avoid this pitfall and get off to a strong start at college in the fall.
The Honor of a Lifetime – The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program
Each year the U.S. Department of Education joins the White House in honoring U.S. Presidential Scholars. This program– established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President –spotlights academic achievement of outstanding high school graduates and has expanded to recognize achievement in the arts and career and technical education (CTE).
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Help Tool
Chances are that you’ve at least heard of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, but do you know if your loans qualify? How to apply? If not, we’re here to help!
First, what is PSLF? PSLF is a program that forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. However, your loan will only be forgiven if you meet all the PSLF Program eligibility conditions.
Suns Out, Funs Out! Summer Safety Tips for 2019
It’s finally here…the end of the school year! The summer provides many opportunities to go outside and be active in the sunshine. However, be sure to keep in mind these simple safety guidelines which can help ensure that children spend more time visiting the local park rather than the local emergency room.
Parent Like a Pro: Slowing the Summer Slide
Learning doesn’t have to fall by the wayside just because school is out. Use these five parent pro tips to keep your child learning and having fun over the summer months.
PLUS Loan Basics for Parents
Your child is going to college or career school—that’s great! But you may have questions about how to pay for it. If your child hasn’t completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), ask your child to complete it today. Completing and submitting the FAFSA is free and quick, and it gives your child access to the largest source of financial aid to pay for college or career school, including loans YOU can receive.
7 Tips to Help Parents Make Summer Reading Fun
When you hear the words “summer slide,” what images pop into your mind? A park slide? A water slide? Sunshine and summer fun? Wrong.
The “summer slide” has nothing to do with a fun summer pastime. Instead, it’s a term used to describe the tendency for students to decline in achievement gains during the summer months when school is not in session. This phenomenon is especially prominent among students from low-income families who often lack access to books over summer break.
Luckily, there are many ways to prevent the summer slide. Giving children access to books plays a critical role in warding off summer learning loss. When students keep reading, they keep learning.
Here are 7 tips for parents and caregivers to help keep children engaged in reading during the summer months:
Peaks and Pits: Mental Health Check-Ins in the Classroom
Many children come to school with much more packed in their backpacks than just their lunch. They may walk into school weighed down by family conflicts or concerns, friendship troubles, hunger, exhaustion, or strong feelings of sadness or fear. These stressors can cause students to have greater difficulty focusing, processing information, and regulating their emotional responses. Creating a safe and supportive class environment where all students feel secure to express their feelings can help students feel more prepared to learn. One way to do this is with a daily mental health check-in.
The Only Way Out is Through
On any given day I may receive a phone call from a teacher to check in with one of my students. It may be a student who frequently complains of stomach aches or got angry and yelled about an unexpected schedule change. It could be a student that has isolated herself from others at recess or is having difficulty concentrating in class. Anxiety manifests in a variety of ways, and for our youngest learners it can be difficult to identify because they often can’t articulate the worry behind the behaviors.
How Schools are Reducing their Environmental Impact, Improving Health, and Cultivating Stewardship Values- 2019 Green Ribbon Schools Announced
Today the U.S. Department of Education named the 2019 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees. Across the country there are 35 schools including 25 public schools, 3 magnet schools, 2 charter schools, 10 nonpublic schools, and four postsecondary institutions that are recognized. Thirty-six percent of the 2019 honorees serve a disadvantaged student body. These honorees employ innovative practices and policies to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective sustainability education.
Could your school be the next U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School? Here are a few ideas from the 2019 honorees: