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[edreviewnew] September 6, 2019 ________________________________ HURRICANE DORIAN [cid:[log in to unmask]] President Trump has been receiving regular briefings on Hurricane Dorian from the Department of Homeland Security (HHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). On August 29, at the White House<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/photos-president-donald-j-trumps-fema-briefing-hurricane-dorian/>, the President was provided an overview of the hurricane’s impact on Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and neighboring Caribbean islands and the ongoing response efforts. He directed federal agencies to continue their efforts to protect lives, promote preparedness efforts, and expedite authorized assistance in areas that have been affected and are still in the path of the storm during this federally supported, state-managed, and locally executed disaster response. Then on August 31, at Camp David<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/photos-president-donald-j-trumps-briefing-hurricane-dorian-camp-david/>, the President was provided an update on the projected track of the hurricane as it approached Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. He reiterated his support of those in the path of the storm and the officials working to keep them safe and asked federal officials to ensure that their teams are in close contact with state governors and providing all appropriate support. On September 1, the President delivered remarks<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-briefing-hurricane-dorian/> at FEMA headquarters. On September 4, the President facilitated a briefing<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-briefing-hurricane-dorian-2/> with HHS and FEMA from the White House. Throughout, the President ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local responses, approving emergency declarations for Puerto Rico<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-approves-puerto-rico-emergency-declaration-3/>, the U.S. Virgin Islands<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-approves-u-s-virgin-islands-emergency-declaration-3/>, Florida<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-approves-florida-emergency-declaration-4/>, the Seminole Tribe<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-approves-seminole-tribe-florida-emergency-declaration-2/> of Florida, Georgia<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-approves-georgia-emergency-declaration-3/>, South Carolina<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-approves-south-carolina-emergency-declaration-3/> (including the Catawba Indian Nation), and North Carolina<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-approves-north-carolina-emergency-declaration-2/> (including the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians). Also, the Department of Education’s Disaster Recovery Unit (DRU) has been in touch with representatives from all the State Education Agencies (SEAs) in the states and territories along Dorian’s path, while the Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) has mobilized its natural disaster protocol to help colleges and universities that may be impacted by the storm, issuing pre-disaster messages to the leaders of over 1,900 institutions. Information and resources are posted on the agency’s Hurricane Help web page<https://www.ed.gov/hurricane-help>. Separately, President Trump issued a proclamation<https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-proclamation-national-preparedness-month-2019/> declaring September as National Preparedness Month<https://www.ready.gov/september>. The overall theme is “Prepared, Not Scared. Be Ready for Disasters,” and there are weekly themes with digital products: “Save Early for Disaster Costs,” “Make a Plan to Prepare for Disasters,” “Teach Youth to Prepare for Disasters,” and “Get Involved in Your Community’s Preparedness.” TRAVEL LOG [cid:[log in to unmask]] Last week, Secretary DeVos spent four days visiting schools and meeting with students, educators, and community leaders across Alaska. On Monday, in the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley, she visited American Charter Academy, where students have access to place-based learning opportunities that are unique to the community and meet their needs and interests (photos<https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/albums/72157710565449026>). She was joined on site by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski and Commissioner of Education Michael Johnson. Next, she participated in a roundtable discussion at Mat-Su Central School (photos<https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/albums/72157710564466303> and video<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBZYprXCEeU>), joined by Governor Mike Dunleavy and Commissioner Johnson. Then, the Secretary met up with Commissioner Johnson in Anchorage to visit the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School, which has built its curriculum on traditional cultural learning (photos<https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/albums/72157710565500331> and video<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeR1xOKdUm4>). She also joined the Governor and Commissioner in Anchorage for a roundtable discussion about how Education Freedom Scholarships<https://sites.ed.gov/freedom/> could enhance the state’s education priorities in a way that supports Alaskan students, including expanding Native language and culture (photos<https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/albums/72157710565946197>). Both the Governor<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFDveW3Nn8A> and Commissioner<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exDgxjQZryE> recorded personal videos on why they support education freedom. The following day, the Secretary visited the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) Middle School Academy at the University of Alaska at Anchorage, joined by U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (photos<https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/albums/72157710573518873>). With Senator Sullivan and Commissioner Johnson, she then traveled to Kotzebue, where she met with school board members and toured the local high school (photos<https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/albums/72157710579919343>). The group also traveled to Kivalina and toured McQueen School (photos<https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/albums/72157710580882286>). These remote communities, located north of the Arctic Circle, well-illustrate Alaska’s opportunities and challenges for student growth. On Wednesday, the Secretary reunited with Commissioner Johnson in Anchorage for a visit to King Tech High School, where students have access to career and technical education (CTE) programs in 25 occupations. Students learn what is expected of them in the workplace, how to create a career portfolio, and how to apply and interview for a job. They are also required to complete an internship before graduation (photos<https://twitter.com/BetsyDeVosED/status/1167217867986747395>). Then, she and Commissioner Johnson visited Nome-Beltz Junior/Senior High School and the Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center (NACTEC), which shares a campus with the school. Students from around the region may take courses at NACTEC, where the curriculum is focused on CTE, career exploration, life skills, and workforce preparedness (photos<https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/albums/72157710596097551>). Thursday morning started with a workforce development roundtable hosted by the Secretary and Commissioner in Fairbanks, including representatives from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce and other business officials and community leaders (photos<https://twitter.com/BetsyDeVosED/status/1167463116604678147>). The Secretary later toured Eielson Junior/Senior High School on Eielson Air Force Base, where students participate in an e-learning lab which allows them to pick a subject of interest and learn at their own pace. During this final stop, she also met with military families for a candid conversation about educating military-connected children and the importance of education freedom (photos<https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/albums/72157710607132531>). CIVIL RIGHTS DATA QUALITY [cid:[log in to unmask]] Also last week, Secretary DeVos announced that the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) will work collaboratively to improve the information collected in the Civil Rights Data Collection<https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-continues-work-improve-civil-rights-data-quality> (CRDC). This partnership will help ensure that CRDC data is valid, reliable, and authenticated in a manner that provides a more accurate picture of key civil rights issues in education. Under the agreement, OCR and NCES will work together to support school districts by providing technical assistance resources, training, and prompt feedback on identified issues. OCR and NCES will also work together in reviewing and revising data quality procedures when needed to reflect lessons learned during the collection and evaluation of CRDC data. The partnership is another significant step toward improving the collection and reporting of CRDC data. Over the past year, OCR has increased funding to its technical assistance center, which provides support to districts on accurately reporting CRDC data. Moreover, OCR has been working to make sure that improvement action plans submitted by districts specifically address data quality. With the recent close of the 2017-18 collection, a record 99.81% of districts reported CRDC data to OCR. BORROWER DEFENSE REGULATIONS This week, the Department finalized regulations to protect student borrowers, hold higher education institutions accountable, and provide financial safeguards for taxpayers. These Institutional Accountability rules<https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-finalizes-regulations-protect-student-borrowers-hold-higher-education-institutions-accountable-and-save-taxpayers-111-billion-over-10-years> are the result of more than two years of deliberations, public hearings, negotiated rulemaking with a variety of stakeholders, and careful consideration of tens of thousands of public comments. Among other provisions (see detailed summary<https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2017/borrower-defense-institutional-accountability-summary.pdf>), the regulations: · grant borrowers the rights to assert Borrower Defense to Repayment<https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/borrower-defense> claims against institutions, regardless of whether a loan is in default or in collection proceedings; · maintain the current rule’s preponderance of evidence standard for all borrower defense to repayment claims; · allow borrowers ample opportunity to file defense to repayment claims -- up to three years from either the student’s date of graduation or withdrawal from the institution; · create streamlined and fair procedures, regardless of the borrower’s current repayment status, that ensure basic due process for all parties; · give students the ability to allege a specific amount of financial harm and to obtain relief in an amount determined by the Department; · extend the closed school discharge window from 120 days 180 days, ensuring that students have a meaningful opportunity to obtain relief if they cannot complete their programs due to closures; · reduce precipitous closures by encouraging institutions to close only after the completion of well-planned teach-outs that allow students a reasonable opportunity to finish their programs; and · provide fair, clear, and verifiable triggers for recalculating an institution’s financial responsibility composite score and triggering additional security to protect taxpayers. The regulations will take effect July 1, 2020, although the rules relating to financial responsibility are available for immediate implementation. ADDRESSING SEXUAL ABUSE The Department announced on September 5 it will fine Michigan State University (MSU) a record $4.5 million and require the institution to make major changes to its Title IX procedures following its systemic failure to protect students from sexual abuse. The fine and required corrective action<https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/secretary-devos-levies-largest-ever-clery-fine-against-michigan-state-university-requires-major-corrective-action-following-systemic-failure-address-sexual-abuse> come after two separate investigations, one by FSA and the other by OCR, as directed by Secretary DeVos. “What transpired at Michigan State was abhorrent, inexcusable, and a total and complete failure to follow the law and protect students,” the Secretary asserted. “MSU will now pay for its failures and will be required to make meaningful changes to how it handles Title IX cases. No future student should have to endure what too many did because concerns about Larry Nassar and William Strampel were ignored.” ODDS AND ENDS · The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is running a national contest for K-12 students to name the Mars 2020 rover<https://blog.ed.gov/2019/09/calling-students-mars-2020-name-rover-contest/>, the latest robotic scientist to be sent to the “Red Planet.” NASA will identify 156 state winners (one from each state and age group) before narrowing down to the top nine entries to be part of a public poll. · The Department recently posted a new cancer treatment deferment form<https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/deferment-forbearance>. Borrowers who are undergoing cancer treatment and wish to request a deferment of their federal student loan payments should complete the form and submit it to their loan servicer. · The Department’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) continues to add to its online video library<https://cte.ed.gov/legislation/perkins-v> addressing key considerations in the development of state Perkins Act plans. The latest entry addresses submitting a combined Perkins-Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) plan. · “I Can Do It!<https://acl.gov/programs/health-wellness/icdi>” (ICDI), offered by the Administration for Community Living within the Department of Health and Human Services with support from the Department of Education, helps schools provide an inclusive, integrated program of physical activity and nutritional training in which students with and without disabilities play and participate together. This summer, representatives from eight states and the District of Columbia were recognized for launching ICDI and providing the access and opportunity for all students to achieve 60 minutes of daily physical activity in the school environment (meeting recommendations in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans<https://health.gov/paguidelines/second-edition/pdf/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf>). · A new First Look report<https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2019141> from NCES provides descriptive statistics and information from the 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey (blog post<https://nces.ed.gov/blogs/nces/post/new-data-tell-the-story-of-public-and-private-schools-and-their-leaders>). · An NCES Data Point<https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2019489REV> examines federal Pell Grants in relation to the total price of attendance by control and level of institution for four academic years: 2003-04, 2007-08, 2011-12, and 2015-16. Overall, Pell Grants covered about 24% of the total price of attendance (tuition and fees, plus room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses). · In a new Surgeon General’s advisory<https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/addiction-and-substance-misuse/advisory-on-marijuana-use-and-developing-brain/index.html>, Vice Admiral Jerome Adams emphasizes the importance of protecting the nation from the health risks of marijuana use in adolescence and during pregnancy. · The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), is seeking qualified candidates for eight specific positions to be appointed in fall 2020. All nominations<https://www.nagb.gov/governing-board/join-the-board.html> must be submitted by October 18. QUOTE TO NOTE “As the 21st century global economy evolves, my Administration is making it a priority to prepare the American workforce of tomorrow. Last year, I signed an Executive Order establishing the President’s National Council for the American Worker to ensure that students and workers have access to the affordable, practical, and innovative education and job training they need to be successful across high-demand industries. We are asking companies to sign our Pledge to America’s Workers and commit to expanding programs that educate, train, or reskill employees. In July, the one-year anniversary of our pledge, more than 300 companies and organizations had already joined us in this effort, committing to more than 12 million new education and training opportunities for American students and workers. We are also promoting expanded access to apprenticeships through the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program, which will enable associations, unions, education institutions, and non-profit organizations to partner and create exceptional opportunities for apprentices to earn and learn through their careers. Additionally, we are seeking to expand Pell Grant program eligibility for high-quality, short-term education and training programs in popular career fields.” -- President Donald Trump (8/30/19), in a proclamation<https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-proclamation-on-labor-day-2019/> on Labor Day 2019 UPCOMING EVENTS The 2019 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Week Conference<https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/hbcu-week-conference/2019-national-hbcu-week-conference/> gets underway on September 8. Presidents and other representatives from HBCUs, federal agencies, corporations, and foundations will participate in discussions on significant issues of interest to the HBCU community. The Department and the American Association of Community Colleges are co-hosting convenings designed to help rural community colleges identify, plan, and design projects for federal grant applications. The next convening is next week (September 12-13) at Gulf Coast Community College<http://www.cvent.com/events/rural-community-college-convening-biloxi-mississippi/event-summary-668cd67592a34f9a9a454e5207729865.aspx> in Biloxi, Mississippi. September 17 is Constitution Day/Citizenship Day<https://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/constitutionday.html>, commemorating the September 17, 1787, signing of the U.S. Constitution. In recognition, Congress has mandated that every educational institution receiving federal funding hold an educational program about this seminal document. As part of an effort to close the digital divide in Indian Country, the National Tribal Broadband Summit<https://www.doi.gov/tribalbroadband> (September 23-24, in Washington, D.C.) will connect community leaders with information and resources for public and private solutions to help close the connectivity gap in schools and libraries on tribal lands. On September 26, FSA will host a free Partner Summit-Appalachian Region<https://web.cvent.com/event/5d72784d-c8b5-4e83-a41f-d2c3641c81bf/summary>, offering federal guidance and activities to encourage open discussions and sharing of best practices around college access. ________________________________ ED Review is a product of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Communications and Outreach, State and Local Engagement To be added or removed from distribution or submit comments (we welcome your feedback!), please contact Managing Director Adam Honeysett at (202) 401-3003 or [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. Or, visit http://www2.ed.gov/news/newsletters/edreview/. This newsletter contains hypertext links to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. 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