ED Calling for Input on School Infrastructure and Sustainability Funding

The Department of Education (Department) is interested in stakeholder input regarding the Senate Committee on Appropriation’s Explanatory Statement for the 2023 Appropriations Bill, which directs the Department regarding Elementary and Secondary Education Act School Safety National Activities funds as follows:   

  • School Infrastructure and Sustainability.—Recognizing the growing challenges high need LEAs face in ensuring that their school facilities provide safe, healthy, and engaging learning environments, the Committee directs the Secretary to use up to $50,000,000, with the precise amount still to be determined, for grants to States for technical assistance to high need LEAs in leveraging existing resources to make needed improvements to their highest-need public school facilities. … [A]s the planning and management of elementary and secondary public school facilities has gotten more complex, there has not been an investment in providing the information, education, or training of the LEA personnel responsible for decision making, planning, budgeting, operations or management of public school facilities. In making grants to States, the Secretary is encouraged to prioritize applications that describe how under-resourced LEAs, including small and rural LEAs, will be provided with technical assistance and training for facilities related challenges associated with risk management, preparing for natural disasters, strategic planning, and applying for and leveraging existing resources to improve the health, safety, and learning environment for students.  
  • National Clearinghouse on School Infrastructure.—The Committee recommendation includes $2,000,000 for the proposed National Clearinghouse on School Infrastructure and Sustainability to compile and make available technical assistance and training materials to State educational agencies and local educational agencies on issues related to educational facility planning, design, financing, construction, improvement, operation, and maintenance. The Committee encourages the Department, in establishing and operating the clearinghouse, to consult and engage with public and private sector stakeholders with expertise in school infrastructure, green schools, and sustainability education with the goal of including robust and trusted resources.   

Department staff welcome your input as they consider the Committee’s statement. Please send your comments to InfrastructureandSustainability@ed.gov by Friday, February 17. Please include your contact information, your organization name and type (i.e., State Educational Agency, Local Educational Agency, school, non-profit organization, etc.) or individual information in the body of your message. The Department will consider all input but will not be able to provide individual responses to emails.  

CTE Grantees Celebrate Today, Own Tomorrow!

CTE Grantees celebrate today, own tomorrow!

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month provides a platform to showcase the Native American Career and Technical Education Program (NACTEP), Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Program (NHCTEP) and the Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions Program (TCPCTIP) and their important role in building knowledge and skills in different fields for different communities. The theme for 2023 CTE Month is reflected well in the work of our Native American and Native Hawaiian CTE (Perkins V) grantees, Celebrate Today, Own Tomorrow!  

These two student profiles provide perspective on how diverse CTE experiences can be in the learning journey.

Girl holding large dog with emoji hearts around her head

Robi Lono: A NHCTEP participant with Windward Community College through ALU LIKE reports on the value of her Information Technology internship. During each week of this internship, she covered different jobs offered, job descriptions, tools, day to day tasks, career progressions, certifications and much more. Robi conducted numerous hands-on activities that provided valuable insights on the different aspects of cybersecurity. Activities included help desk operations, postmortem incident attack, quantum ransomware attack, creating a network diagram, working with window servers and cloud engineering, project management, human management. Robi took Azure Fundamentals training offered by Microsoft. Robi stated, “I really enjoyed … hands-on experience in which we had to complete a NMAP module on tryhackme.com as well as find a publicly disclosed vulnerability.” Robi concluded, “(a)fter completing the ‘Ao Kahi x CBTS Technology Internship with Hawaiian Telcom, I have gained an abundance of knowledge and techniques which could potentially benefit me in my future career.”

Justin Forbes: A Cook Inlet Tribal Council NACTEP graduate reports improved quality of life and expanded employment opportunities for his career through his CTE training. Justin said his favorite part was the hands-on learning. Justin completed the Heavy Duty Diesel Mechanic program in 8 weeks. Following graduation, he was hired at Red Dog Mine as an Entry-Level Mechanic. In the future, he would like to commercial fish, with the ultimate goal is to return to his village of Togiak to be the village’s Mechanic so he can support his community by creating a road that assists hunters. Justin is thankful he had this opportunity to receive support and concluded, “I now have a reliable foundation for my family, I see a future of learning, working, growing, and earning vacations. I am more focused on being a light in this world by being a better role model for my brothers, cousins, and community.”

Robi and Justin are just two examples of how CTE works for students’ career success. CTE educates the whole child and:

  • provides not just classroom instruction by teachers with industry experience, but hands-on or experiential learning,
  • adult mentoring opportunities through work-based learning (e.g., apprenticeships, internships, etc.),
  • leadership opportunities through Career and Technical Education Student Organizations,
  • application of core skills to a career (e.g., technical writing, presentation skills, construction math, culinary science, economic application to a small business, etc.),
  • earn industry certifications and/or credits toward an Associate or Baccalaureate degree, plus
  • create partnerships and networks to provide career entry-level opportunities and to advance careers.

For more information on NACTEP, NHCTP or TCPCTIP, contact Patti Beltram, Ed.D., patti.beltram@ed.gov.

ED Invites Organizations to Make School Infrastructure and Sustainability Commitments

ED invites organizations to make school infrastructure and sustainability commitments

In the U.S., accountability and funding for school curriculum, buildings, and grounds primarily comes from state and local agencies. For this reason, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has limited authorities in the areas of school infrastructure, sustainability, environmental justice, and climate. Nevertheless, ED continues to think creatively about how it can spur action and build leadership capacity to make all schools healthy, sustainable 21st century environments that offer environmental sustainability learning. One way ED can grow these efforts is by inspiring school partner organizations and developing shared messaging across the nation for what makes a healthy and sustainable school.

Today, we are thrilled to invite national, regional, and local non-profits, foundations, businesses, and community-based organizations to share bold commitment(s) to advance school sustainability, encompassing infrastructure, health, environmental sustainability education, climate, and environmental justice in America. By May 31, we ask organizations and entities to complete an online form to share how they will advance at least one of these infrastructure and sustainability priorities:

  • Priority #1: Ensure equitable access to healthy, safe, sustainable, 21st century physical learning environments.
  • Priority #2: Develop, maintain, and provide environmental sustainability learning, such as climate literacy, green workforce development, and outdoor learning.
  • Priority #3: Build capacity for infrastructure, sustainability, environmental justice, and climate mitigation and adaptation in schools.

Those making commitments are encouraged to address at least one of the following parameters in their commitment submission:

  • Environmental Justice: How does your commitment account for and take actions to promote environmental justice, so that all students have equitable access to safe, healthy, sustainable, and modern school environments and engaging environmental sustainability education?
  • Health: How does this work ensure access to sustainable school buildings and grounds that are healthy environments for learning?
  • Climate Action: How does this effort help education leaders understand their role and act on climate issues, including mitigation, adaptation, and climate education?
  • Capacity Building: How does this work build school district and state education agency capacity to continuously improve school environments and environmental sustainability learning?
  • Data Collection and Standardization: How will your commitment advance data collection and standardization on infrastructure and sustainability, with a view toward informed and equitable policymaking?
  • Transparency and Goal-Setting: How do you plan to achieve the outcomes? What is the unit of change, and why do you think your approach will work?

Example commitments might include:

  1. Plans to bolster environmental, sustainability, and climate education in X number of schools in the country by doing Y over Z timeframe.
  2. A partnership to bring indoor air quality technical assistance to X number of school districts annually for Y years.
  3. A pledge of Y dollars toward a specific school infrastructure purpose that mitigates climate change, reduces utility costs, and improves health and learning outcomes.
  4. A proposal of X practices to Y schools which will enable more healthy, nutritious, local, student-grown produce in cafeterias.
  5. A commitment of X dollars into Y community(ies) in support of any or all of the following: infrastructure, environmental justice, health, climate, or whole school sustainability.

Around the time of our July 25 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools awards ceremony, ED will share about bold new commitments through a variety of communications mediums. Take the School Infrastructure and Sustainability Challenge by making a commitment today!

California School Counselor Advocacy Tips

California school counselor advocacy tips

As a school counselor in the Livingston Union School District, I have seen firsthand the vital role that school counseling positions play in supporting academic achievement, social-emotional development, college and career readiness, and mental health and wellness in our students.  My Superintendent, Andres Zamora, has been a leader in expanding and supporting school counseling positions, recognizing the positive impact they have on our school community.  

Between 2006 – 2015, I was one of only two school counselors serving our 2,500 student body, four schools in Livingston.  I was a guidance counselor more than a school counselor.  In fact, I called myself an “ASCA wanna-be” school counselor providing each school site with whatever counseling service they needed most during my limited time at each site instead of comprehensive services. 

In 2015, the local control and accountability plan (LCAP) was introduced in California and we had an opportunity to do things differently.  My superintendent, Andres Zamora, invited me to a conversation that changed school counseling in Livingston. I spoke about the role of school counselors in every building as academic advisors, social emotional developers and college and career explorers.  I spoke about how school counselors could provide students and families with access to information, opportunities, and resources. 

My superintendent understood the value of school counselors in education, agreed without hesitancy and the rest is history.  We hired four additional counselors ensuring every school had at least one counselor and the middle school with two.  This significant change stemmed from an intentional and inclusive conversation between practitioner and a Superintendent who believes that all students, regardless of their individual circumstances, deserve equitable access to education, information, opportunities and resources. 

In 2018, my middle school earned national recognition for providing all students in the building with a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program.  The next year, two additional schools in my District achieved national recognition and the last school in our District achieved national recognition.  We are the only California school district to have all nationally recognized schools! 

As a school counselor, here are a few key tips I recommend for advocating for school counseling positions:

  • Educate others about the benefits of school counseling positions: Share research and data about the positive impact that school counseling positions have on student academic achievement, social-emotional development, college and career readiness, and mental health and wellness.  I’ve done this regularly in school bulletins, caregiver newsletters, school counseling advisories and school board presentations.
  • Share success stories: Share specific examples of how school counseling positions have made a difference in the lives of individual students or the school community as a whole.  I’ve done this regularly through staff shout outs and, mostly recently, created an LUSD Student Success story that is shared with staff and community.
  • Advocate for the ASCA national model and recommended ratio: Use the ASCA national model and recommended ratio as a guide for advocating for sufficient staffing levels and support for school counseling positions.  Use data to share how school counseling programs impact the lives of students.

By increasing the number of school counselors in schools, we can better support the success and well-being of all students.  Counseling gives students the opportunity to work through challenges they may be facing and build the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the classroom. In a time where mental health challenges are becoming more prevalent, the support of school counselors is more important than ever. 

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) has developed a national model for school counseling programs that provides a framework for how these positions can support student success. The ASCA also recommends a ratio of one school counselor for every 250 students, to ensure that students have access to the support they need.

Department of Education Bio

Alma Lopez, 2022 School Counselor of the Year, Lead Counselor, Livingston Middle School (California)

The first Latina School Counselor of the Year, Lopez has served as a school counselor for 15 years. She is lead school counselor at Livingston Middle School, as well as Livingston Unified School District’s school counseling coordinator. A graduate of California State University – Fresno, Lopez embodies the full spirit of school counseling. She serves as a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) reviewer and is a board member for the California Association of School Counselors. In 2018, Lopez received the city of Livingston’s “You Make Us Proud Award” and also helped her school achieve RAMP status the same year. Colleagues refer to her as a positive, humble, and strong advocate for school counselor programs who keeps the students with the most needs top of mind, ensuring they have access to the resources to support their success.

An Open Letter from Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on MLK Day

An Open Letter From Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on MLK Day

Each January, we have an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to advancing equality, as we honor the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Education is one of the greatest levers to advance equality and empowerment. That’s because with great educators, high expectations, and an excellent, equitable education, all students, of all backgrounds, can do all things they set out to achieve.

Giving all students access to an education that helps them reach their potential is one of the greatest civil rights issues of our time.

Each of our children has limitless potential and unique value. Every day, we must fight for them and their futures. And each of us involved in that work is part of the civil rights movement that Dr. King led.

I’m humbled to be in that movement with you.

And I’m proud that since the President’s first day in office, the Biden-Harris administration has been fighting to dismantle disparities in our public policies, institutions, and communities that take us further from what our country stands for: opportunity for all. 

In our first two years, we’ve safely reopened our public schools and taken important steps to address what I call “the ABCs of the teaching profession”—agency, better working conditions, and competitive salaries for our educators. 

We’re delivering vital improvements in infrastructure and school safety. We canceled $48 billion in student debt for 1.9 million borrowers, including public servants, Americans with disabilities, and students cheated by colleges that promised them a better life, but failed to deliver. We announced and continue to fight for historic student debt relief for 40 million low-and-middle-income people. In addition to providing funding and calling for reimagined mental health supports in our schools, we’ve launched ambitious new public-private initiatives for recruiting and training new tutors and mentors to help our students feel seen and supported, and for erasing inequities in access to afterschool and summer learning programs.

And we’re intentionally partnering with other federal agencies to reimagine high school, so students have more pathways to earn industry credentials and college credits, and graduate better prepared for careers and higher education.

Throughout this process, we have proudly and unapologetically stood up for students whose rights to an education free from discrimination have been under attack. Our schools are places of inclusion and respecting the differences that make all our students special. That is what makes us unique; that’s what makes us American. 

With the President’s leadership and historic support from the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, we have more funding to do more in education than ever before. These investments and efforts are a down payment on transformational change. 

We have a chance to be the generation that truly transforms our education system into one that makes Dr. King’s dream a reality … by working together and by recognizing that all of us are connected. 

In a 1968 speech Dr. King said, “[W]e are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. … I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. …”

When we provide our children—regardless of background or circumstance—with a high-quality, rich education, we empower them to be what they can be.

So, especially today and in the days ahead, let’s follow Dr. King’s example of leadership and service, finding ways to give a hand up to others and make a difference in our communities.

Together, let’s work harder than ever to raise the bar for learners of all ages and backgrounds … to reimagine education … and to bring the transformative change that this moment requires and that our students and families deserve. 

Department Announces $160 Million in Grants to Raise the Bar for Student Success and Innovation

Secretary Cardona has challenged us to not just refine the same strategies but to make the most of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform education. We have a clear challenge to reimagine our schools, and the Department is making investments in education innovation through programs like EIR and other federal grants.  

The Department recently announced $160 million in new grant awards through the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program. This year’s cohort of grantees is comprised of 28 entities that include state education agencies, local education agencies, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations across the U.S. Through the EIR program, grantees will design, scale, and validate programs that can help solve education’s most pressing problems. Most importantly, they’ll be working to address the continuing impacts of the COVID19 pandemic. 

Here are 5 examples of how EIR grantees are responding to support students:

  1. San Diego Unified School District introduces work-based learning experiences

EIR funds will help support the development of the district’s MetaSocratic Peer Tutoring Project. Tenth through 12thgrade math students from across the district will be paired with 9th-11th graders to provide math tutoring. Through this experience students will be introduced to education and child development career pathways. Work-based experiences like this can help students better decide career pathways and feel better prepared to enter the workforce.

  1. CommonLit, Inc. offers a blended learning curriculum to help student achievement in reading, writing, speaking, and listening

CommonLit, Inc. was awarded EIR funds to advance a blended learning curriculum for grades 6-12.  The curriculum will include aligned PD, assessments, and school district support framework. Through digital assessments, teacher professional learning, and cultural and technology-based supports, the project helps students improve their English Language Arts skills.

  1. Wisconsin Center for Education examines a web-based classroom assessment system

EIR funds will help the Wisconsin Center for Education examine a web-based classroom assessment system that promotes data-driven instruction and student autonomy. This program supports high-need middle school science learners, particularly multilanguage learners. Visuals, graphics, animations, and on-screen assists will help students who would otherwise be disadvantaged by traditionally language-heavy assessments.

  1. The M-SENS project led by the University of Oregon Foundation develops a program to support kindergarten student math achievement and support positive behavior management strategies

The “Math Ready-Supporting Early Number Sense (M-SENS)” at the University of Oregon Foundation was awarded EIR funds to work with kindergarten teachers to integrate positive behavior management strategies. M-SENS is meant to help students improve in math faster, reduce challenging behavior in whole-class settings, and give teachers more tools to help students with their early math and behavior needs.

  1. The RWDS project from PREP- KC helps students solve real-world challenges and become data scientists

EIR funds were awarded to the “Real World Data Science (RWDS)” project from PREP-KC to help middle school students learn data science skills. Through the program, students prepare for a STEM-focused career by combining STEM learning with hands-on learning. Industry professionals serve as mentors and experts on the subject matter. Students will solve problems in data science that come from the Kansas City area and their own interests. These real-world problems are the core of a curriculum that aims to make every student feel like a data scientist and align data science instruction with important math and science standards, which will help students do better in STEM-focused classes.

These FY22 grantees reflect Secretary Cardona’s priority to promptly respond to the effects of the pandemic and ensure that all students have equal access to high-quality educational opportunities, as well as the FY22 directive from congress to prioritize innovations focused on social-emotional learning and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).   

Learn more about the EIR program and see the full list of grantees: https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/innovation-early-learning/education-innovation-and-research-eir/awards/

Virginia Elementary School Invokes Code to Fight Bullying

“Red, Green, Black, and Blue. 

My Tribe is my Crew. 

We are O-C-C-O-Q-U-A-N! 

My school is the perfect 10…at The ‘O’!” 

These are words from one of the cheers we recite when we welcome new students to our school. At Occoquan Elementary School in Woodbridge, Virginia, we have a House System that fosters our sense of community. This is a common practice where the school is divided into subunits called “houses” and each student is allocated to one house at the moment of enrollment.  We compete to see who has the most spirit, but we also strive to uphold a code of behavior we call The 30 Essentials. 

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Dominican University: Serving Latine Students in the Midwest

Dominican University: Serving Latine Students In The Midwest

By: Verónica Gutiérrez, MBA’22, Dominican University, River Forest IL and Marcela Reales Visbal, Activity Director for Title V, Part B – Promoting Post-Baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans, Dominican University, River Forest IL

“I had never heard of the term HSI until I came to Dominican University”, said Verónica Gutiérrez, a first-generation Latina who grew up in one of Chicago’s northwestern suburbs and recently graduated with her Master’s in Business Administration from Dominican.

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Colleges Have a Responsibility to Protect Students’ Best Financial Interests

Colleges have a responsibility to protect students' best financial interests

Students look to their college as a trusted source of information as they determine how to pay for tuition, housing, books, and other basic needs. In today’s environment, students are facing additional financial challenges coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising interest rates, and inflation. Each year, millions of students look to their college when receiving federal financial aid and may receive information about financial banking products, debit cards, and deposit accounts.

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Resources for Communities Following Natural Disasters

Resources for communities following natural disasters

Recent natural disasters have significantly impacted communities and their education institutions. Since 2017, there have been over 300 presidentially declared major disasters across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Outlying Areas. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) closely follows the impacts of natural disasters on students, educators, staff, families, and others. 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. When schools close after a natural disaster, it is critical that these resources remain available to the community and that schools are reopened and operating as soon as possible. In 2018, to better assist schools in dealing with impacts of natural disasters, ED’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education formed a Disaster Recovery Unit (DRU) with the goal of increasing resources dedicated to K-12 schools disaster recovery efforts. ED’s Federal Student Aid (FSA) office and Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) offer support to postsecondary schools.

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