Washington Update, May 13th 2024
Dear Colleagues:
I hope this message finds you well! In this week’s update I am excited to share some exciting updates from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) following the recent hearing where Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona discussed the Administration's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2025. Among the highlights are improvements in educator salaries and efforts to address personnel shortages, particularly in vital support services like social work and nursing. The Department's "Raise the Bar" webpage now features interactive maps allowing users to delve into state-level data on these issues. Additionally, the Department has announced new initiatives to expand pathways into teaching, increase pay, and enhance working conditions across various education sectors. Mental Health Awareness Month has also prompted the Biden-Harris Administration to unveil plans to boost access to school-based mental health services. Secretary Cardona also addressed discrimination issues in schools, issuing guidance and resources to combat antisemitism and discrimination based on ethnic characteristics. Moreover, the Department has opened grant opportunities under the Education Innovation and Research Program, focusing on initiatives to aid student recovery from the pandemic and promote equity in education. Check out the details below.
1. Secretary Cardona Testifies Before Labor HHS-Education Subcommittee
Following the release of the President’s FY25 budget request, Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona appeared before the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services to discuss the Administration’s budget proposal for the Department of Education for Fiscal Year 2025. Stressing the importance of responsible investment, Secretary Cardona highlighted key priorities such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), youth mental health, and the enhancement of the educator profession. Conversations among members centered on issues like college campus unrest, transgender athletes, and the implementation of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Ranking Member Susan Collins expressed support for increased funding for IDEA. Secretary Cardona's testimony marks a pivotal step in the process leading to the formulation of spending bills for the upcoming fiscal year.
You can view the hearing in its entirety and read the Secretary’s full testimony here.
2. The Department of Education Updates Raise the Bar: Eliminate Educator Shortage Webpage
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has recently updated its Raise the Bar: Eliminate the Educator Shortage webpage to showcase improvements in educator salaries and personnel shortages. Utilizing strategies funded by the American Rescue Plan (ARP), improvements have been noted in student support services, such as increased access to social workers and nurses. Despite these gains, significant work lies ahead. Disparities persist across states and schools, indicating uneven progress. The Raise the Bar webpage features interactive recovery maps enabling users to explore state-level data and make comparisons between states. The Department encourages users to provide feedback on the "Teacher Compensation 2022-2023" state-level action map, urging those aware of states deserving recognition to contact the Raise the Bar initiative.
You can view the updated webpage here.
The update comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Education (in coordination with the U.S. Department of Labor, announcing new efforts today to expand high-quality and affordable pathways into teaching, as well as to increase pay and strengthen working conditions across the early childhood, K-12, and higher education workforce.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s Good Jobs Initiative is a call to action across the federal government to help shore up access to and retention of good jobs as the foundation of a thriving economy that lifts all people in our nation. As part of this initiative, the Department is issuing a set of Good Jobs Principles for Education describing high-quality working conditions that comprise a good job and will help attract and retain a high-quality education workforce in all roles and at all levels, from early childhood through higher education.
3. The Administration Announces New Actions to Address Mental Health Services in Schools
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new actions to increase access to school-based mental health services, including: (1) nearly doubling investments in the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department’s) School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) and Mental Health Service Professionals (MHSP) grant programs in the current Fiscal Year; (2) making additional investments through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) to improve the mental health and wellbeing of students and educators; and (3) offering new mental health and wellbeing trainings and resources for schools and educators.
President Biden named tackling the mental health crisis a key pillar in his Unity Agenda for the nation because it’s an issue that we can all come together to advance. The Department will continue to advance this mission by making the pathway into mental health professions more accessible; increasing the number and diversity of school-based mental health professionals; expanding the number of full-service community schools, increasing partnerships with community-based organizations to provide school-based mental health supports and community violence interventions, and reducing the stigmatization and shame that young people often associate with seeking help.
4. OCR Addresses Issues of Discrimination in Schools
This month, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a Dear Colleague Letter to schools specifying with concrete examples the application of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to allegations of discrimination in schools based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, including discrimination against students and school community members who are or are perceived to be Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, South Asian, Hindu, or Palestinian.
In a statement, Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona said in part:
“I continue to be deeply concerned by the repeated reports of antisemitic and anti-Israeli, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian harassment on our campuses and in our communities. These incidents are abhorrent, period. There is nothing more important than making sure students feel safe on campus…The Administration will continue to develop and provide resources and support to ensure safe, supportive school environments. The Department will investigate and address any possible discrimination that causes harm to students and we will continue to remind schools of their responsibilities to enforce Title IV.”
This Dear Colleague Letter is the latest in a series of recent guidance documents on this topic and a key component of the Biden-Harris Administration’s U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism and the forthcoming National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Related Forms of Bias and Discrimination.
Additionally, Secretary Cardona sent a letter to all college and university presidents offering resources and guidance in the midst of increased antisemitism and widespread college protests on campus.
OCR has issued other resources to support schools in complying with their obligations under Title VI. These resources include:
• Dear Colleague Letter: Addressing Discrimination Against Jewish Students.
In a press release, the Department and OCR note that anyone who believes that a school has discriminated against a student based on race, color, or national origin can file a complaint of discrimination with OCR.
To file a complaint visit https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html OCR is available to provide technical assistance on the application of Title VI to discrimination based on race, color, or national origin as described in the letter released today. To request training, please contact OCR at OCR@ed.gov.
5. Department Releases New Grant Opportunities for the Education Innovation and Research Program
Earlier this week, the Department of Education released three grant opportunities for the Education Innovation and Research Program: Early-Phase Grants, Mid-Phase Grants, and Expansion Grants. The Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program, authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title IV, Part F, provides grant funding to either help create and develop new innovative programs, implement, and replicate existing initiatives, or take to scale entrepreneurial and evidence-based practices to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students.
These initiatives include those that can bolster the educator pipeline, as indicated by the Department’s focus for these FY24 Grants to “help students recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerate learning and academic achievement, reimagine schools, and transform our education system.”
These efforts are reflected in the EIR grant priorities, including an absolute priority in all three grants for Promoting Equity in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities: Educator Recruitment and Retention (Absolute Priority 5 for Early- and Mid-Phase Grants; Absolute Priority 3 for Expansion Grants). This means that a portion of EIR funding in each tier will be available for programs that support educator recruitment and retention.
Notice of Intent to Apply is due by June 6, 2024, and applications are due July 22, 2024.
Grantees are funded in a five year cycle with an estimated average award of up to $6 million, $10 million, and $15 million for Early-Phase, Mid-Phase, and Expansion Grants, respectively. See the table below for more technical details on the three EIR grants.
*Note that Mid-Phase grants typically build on a program implemented under an Early-Phase grant or a similar effort, and Expansion Grants are typically awarded to programs that “produce sizable, significant impacts under a Mid-phase grant” or a similar effort.
Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.
Until next time, see you on X (formerly Twitter)
Kait
@brennan_kait
Do you have a question about Washington Update? A story? Want to chat policy and politics in special education? Email me, let’s have virtual coffee: kbrennan@kbstrategies.org