All4Ed Flash

By Alliance for Excellent EducationEducation

All4Ed Flash episodes

May 13, 2020 Federal Flash: Secretary DeVos Steers Federal Funds to Private Schools While Senators Take Action to Close the Homework Gap
In today’s Federal Flash, we have updates on three coronavirus-related issues: (1) legislation to support home internet access and close the homework gap during the pandemic; (2) a House Education Committee briefing on remote learning and education equity; and (3) new guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on equitable services and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Two topics we won’t cover in this edition are the final Title IX regulations released by ED and House Democrats’ new $3 trillion proposed coronavirus relief package. Because there’s been so much news this week, we’ll cover those topics in a second, bonus edition of the Flash this week.
Addressing the Homework Gap
This week, forty-six Senate Democrats, led by Senators Edward Markey (D-MA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Brian Schatz (D-HI), introduced legislation to direct $4 billion to the E-rate program to help close the growing homework gap during the pandemic. The legislation is nearly identical to the Emergency Educational Connections Act introduced by Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) in the U.S. House of Representatives, except that it makes one significant change: the Senate bill increases the appropriation from $2 billion to $4 billion. When Congresswoman Meng introduced her bill, education groups believed coronavirus school closures would last only through the current school year. As school leaders have come to suspect the crisis will last much longer, it’s clear that more funding will be needed to ensure students have home internet access so they can participate meaningfully in virtual learning. The Emergency Education Connections Act is supported by more than fifty education-related groups, including the Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed).
In urging passage of the bill, All4Ed president and CEO Deb Delisle said, “COVID-19 isn’t just a health crisis, it’s an equity crisis and an education crisis. The homework gap is going to widen the achievement and opportunity gaps unless we provide all students with home internet access and devices so they can participate fully in remote learning, particularly those who have been historically underserved.” For more information, see https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-schumer-cantwell-van-hollen-bennet-schatz-and-hassan-lead-colleagues-on-legislation-to-ensure-all-students-have-access-to-internet-during-coronavirus-pandemic.
House Briefing on Remote Learning
Last week, the House Education Committee held a virtual member briefing titled Remote Learning in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Panelists discussed challenges delivering virtual learning, how schools are working to address equity gaps in remote learning and instruction, and the importance of federal aid to help schools respond to the coronavirus. One witness, Marlon Styles, superintendent of Middletown City School District in Ohio, shared his thoughts in the clip below about equity and students being “logged in” or “logged out.”
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Superintendent Styles is one of the nearly 4,000 superintendents who have pledged to use technology to personalize education for all students through All4Ed’s Future Ready Schools® initiative. To hear the rest of Superintendent Styles remarks and watch the full briefing, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhgUcIB5stA&feature=youtu.be&t=1 .
ED Guidance Under the CARES Act
Across town, ED recently released guidance on equitable services under the CARES Act. The CARES Act included billions in aid to K–12 school districts and according to the legislation,
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8 min
April 30, 2020 More CARES Act Money, More Coronavirus Problems
The
quest to educate students in the K–12 and higher education systems during the
COVID-19 pandemic continues. Today’s Federal Flash covers four coronavirus-related
issues: (1) recommendations from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on further flexibility under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), (2) federal relief for state
education agencies to support K–12 schools, (3) new competitive grant funding for states to “rethink”
K–12 education and workforce
preparation, and (4) COVID-19’s effect on completion of the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA®).
IDEA Provisions
Preserved During COVID-19
The wait is over. In a report
to Congress released Monday, Secretary DeVos declined to request any significant
waiver authority from provisions of IDEA or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act. While she did suggest waiving several smaller provisions related to scholarships
for teacher preparation and transitions for children receiving infant and
toddler services to early childhood programs, DeVos left the heart of IDEA
untouched: the right of a student with a disability to a free appropriate
public education in the least restrictive environment.
Our viewers may recall that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act gave Secretary Devos thirty days to report whether waivers were needed under a slew of federal laws, including IDEA. This set up a showdown between special education administrators, who argued flexibility was needed as they struggled to reach students with disabilities during school closures, and special education advocates, including the Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed), who argued that waivers were unnecessary because IDEA was flexible by design. While Congress still has the final say, Secretary DeVos’s recommendations are a win for advocates who were concerned that IDEA waivers would undercut students’ civil rights.
Federal Relief
for State Education Agencies
In addition to its waiver
provisions, the CARES Act provided more than $30 billion for education,
including $13.2 billion for K–12 state education agencies. Last week, the U.S.
Department of Education (ED) released the application for this Elementary and
Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. States and school districts will
receive funding based on their relative share of Title I funding in Fiscal Year
2019. States must distribute 90 percent of funds to districts, including
charter schools, and may reserve up to 10 percent of funds to support
coronavirus efforts at the state level.
In a letter to chief state
school officers, Secretary DeVos said she will not “micromanage” how the funds
are spent. She did encourage states to think creatively about technology
infrastructure and professional development that will help students learn
remotely, including by requiring states to explain if they will use funds for these
purposes when they apply.
State chiefs have until
July 1 to apply, and ED expects to obligate funds to states within three business
days of receiving a signed certification and agreement. More information,
including how much money each state will receive, is available at https://oese.ed.gov/offices/education-stabilization-fund/elementary-secondary-school-emergency-relief-fund/.
New
Competitive Grants for COVID-19 Relief
Also
on Monday, Secretary DeVos announced a $307 million grant competition authorized
by the CARES Act to support states with the highest coronavirus burden. ED has
allocated $180 million for what it has dubbed Rethink K–12 School Models Grants and
$127.5 million for Reimagining Workforce Preparation Grants.
State
education agencies can apply for a Rethink K–12 School Models Grant in
three categories aligned with Secretary DeVos’s priorities: (1) microgrants for
families to ensure access to technology, (2) statewide virtual learning and
course access programs, and (3) new models for providing remote education. Grants
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9 min
April 22, 2020 Special Education Advocates Clash on IDEA Flexibility
As
governors extend stay-at-home orders to slow the spread of COVID-19, thirty-four
states and counting have mandated or recommended that schools remain closed for
the rest of the school year, affecting 38.6 million children.
In today’s Federal
Flash, we’ll discuss three coronavirus-related issues: funding for
governors to support education, new legislation to close the homework gap, and
the clash between special education administrators and advocates regarding
waivers from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) during the
pandemic. We’ll also cover the federal court decision vacating the Trump administration’s
efforts to roll back Obama-era nutrition standards for school meals and the U.S. Department
of Education’s (ED’s) proposal to give educators vouchers or stipends to choose
their own professional development courses.
Education
Funding During COVID-19
Our viewers may recall
that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided more than $30 billion for education,
including $3 billion for governors. Last week, ED released the application for these
funds. Governors can use the emergency aid to provide school districts,
colleges, and other education-related entities with resources to respond to the
coronavirus. Grants will be awarded based on a state’s student-aged population
and poverty levels.
In a letter to governors,
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos called the emergency funds “extraordinarily
flexible” but encouraged states to spend funds on expanding and improving
remote learning experiences. Each of the three required questions in the
application asks states to describe whether they will use funds to support various
aspects of virtual learning.
Governors have until
June 1 to apply, and ED expects to obligate funds to states within three business
days of receiving a signed certification and agreement. More information is
available https://oese.ed.gov/offices/education-stabilization-fund/governors-emergency-education-relief-fund/.
Secretary
DeVos also has begun the process of distributing the $14 billion for institutions
of higher education included in the CARES Act, but we have yet to hear how and
when the $13 billion for K–12 education will be distributed. We’ll keep viewers
posted.
Emergency
Educational Connections Act of 2020
Meanwhile,
Congress continues to debate further coronavirus relief. Lawmakers and the
White House have just struck a deal on a $484 billion aid package for small
businesses, hospitals, and coronavirus testing, but will there be additional
funding for education in future aid packages? Advocates and educators certainly
hope so.
As
part of this effort, the Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020 was
introduced this week by Representative Grace Meng (D-NY). The
legislation would create a $2 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund to ensure students
have home internet access during school closures caused by the pandemic. The
Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed) and many other organizations support
the bill, but Congress has extended its recess until early May due to the
pandemic, so it likely will be several weeks before we know whether this or any
other additional funding will be provided for education.
IDEA
Requirements During School Closures
A
clash is brewing among the special education community regarding how to support
students with disabilities during school closures. The CARES Act included
language giving Secretary DeVos thirty days to tell Congress if she needs
authority to waive parts of IDEA. As a result, the Council of Administrators of
Special Education and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education
recently sent a letter to Congress requesting waivers from timelines,
procedures, and fiscal management under IDEA. These groups say that in many
situations, meeting IDEA requirements during the pandemic is impossible.
On
the other hand,
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7 min
April 08, 2020 Federal Flash: Education Advocates’ Reactions, Concerns, and Questions about the CARES Act
What are education advocates saying about the #CARESAct and hoping for in a fourth stimulus package? Find out on this edition of Federal Flash.-
7 min
March 30, 2020 Federal Flash: What Federal Policymakers Have Done to Help Schools Respond to Coronavirus
March Madness. With no end in sight for school closures and the ballooning public health and economic fallout from COVID-19, what have Secretary DeVos, the FCC, and Congress been doing to help schools and students manage through the crisis? Find out on this edition of Federal Flash.
12 min
March 13, 2020 Federal Flash: Coronavirus, Closures, and Congress
“Corona Closures” are pushing students across the country to online learning, but nearly 20 percent of Black and Latino students didn’t have home internet access in 2017. How are policymakers addressing the Homework Gap? Find out on this edition of Federal Flash.
6 min
March 03, 2020 Who are education advocates supporting on Super Tuesday?
Today’s Federal Flash, discusses Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ testimony before the House Appropriations committee, funding for rural schools, where the unions are lending their support in the Democratic Presidential primary, and this year’s Digital Learning Day.
6 min
February 14, 2020 Federal Flash: Trump’s 2021 Budget Deprives Historically Underserved Students of Crucial Resources
In today’s Federal Flash, we’ll discuss President Trump’s proposed budget for the Department of Education, last week’s hearing on the SNAP program, and new flexibility awarded to several states by Secretary DeVos.
5 min
February 07, 2020 Critiques of Trump’s State of the Union Education Proposal from Both Sides of the Aisle
Today’s Federal Flash examines the response from lawmakers and advocates to the President’s State of the Union education proposal for a federal tax credit scholarship and highlights courageous African-American students of the past for Black History Month.
5 min
January 27, 2020 Should Federal Dollars Go to Religious Schools?
Today’s Federal Flash covers the latest education-related case to hit the Supreme Court, the roll-back of Obama-era changes to the school lunch program, and the new OPEN Center at the Department of Education.
5 min