October 4, 2019

FEDERAL STUDENT AID

 

 

The 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) launched on October 1.  New and returning students who plan to attend college between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible.  To assist students and parents in the process, the Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) has been sharing tips @FAFSA, while new Homeroom blogs note “7 Things You Need Before You Fill Out the 2020-21 FAFSA Form” and “11 Common FAFSA Mistakes.”

 

In its continued efforts to modernize and improve the federal student aid process, the Department announced that it has added new features to the online FAFSA form and myStudentAid mobile application.

·       To promote an integrated customer experience, the FAFSA.gov web site has been synchronized with the myStudentAid mobile app’s myFAFSA component, allowing users to easily switch between platforms.

·       Customers who submit a FAFSA form can view their Student Aid Report (SAR) -- with the Expected Family Contribution, the number that schools use to determine a student’s financial aid eligibility -- via the mobile app’s myFAFSA component.

·       FSA made changes to the myFAFSA signature process, based on user feedback, making it easier and clearer.  The myStudentAid mobile app also offers checklists to guide students and parents through next steps in the student aid process.  Furthermore, students and parents can enable push notifications in the mobile app to get important reminders and updates from FSA.

·       Users will benefit from the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, which securely transfers students’ and parents’ financial information into the FAFSA form, which is mobile-friendly and will fit the screen size and shape of any device.

·       As part of ongoing efforts to enhance privacy protection, when students, parents, or preparers log in to FAFSA.gov using the student’s Social Security number, the number will be masked, as it currently is on the myStudentAid mobile app.

 

By the end of the year, the agency will launch the myFSApay account, a free option for students at participating schools to receive their credit balance refunds.  Through this limited pilot, students will have convenient self-service options, be able to add money other than student aid funds to the account (e.g., money from a parent or peer-to-peer transfer), and will not be charged fees.  The account will be accessible through the myStudentAid mobile app’s myMoney component.

 

Meanwhile, in the coming months, a new “digital front door” will consolidate multiple customer-facing web sites into one platform, and the Department will introduce more personalized communications and enhanced financial literacy tools and resources to help students and parents become more informed about their federal student loans.

 

In related news, the Department released the latest federal student loan cohort default rate, which decreased (from 10.8% to 10.1%) for students who entered repayment between fiscal years 2015 and 2016.  This latest cohort default rate represents the lowest national rate since the three-year rate was first released in 2012.  Schools with high default rates may lose their eligibility to participate in federal student aid programs.  This year, 15 schools are subject to sanctions.  FSA provides extensive assistance to institutions, including webinars and online training; state, regional, and national association training forums; and face-to-face training events.

 

EDUCATION FREEDOM SCHOLARSHIPS

 

 

Also this week, at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Secretary DeVos offered remarks and participated in a discussion with AEI’s Rick Hess and Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway on the Administration’s Education Freedom Scholarship proposal.  This proposal would provide a $5 billion annual federal tax credit for voluntary donations to state-based scholarship programs that empower families to choose the learning environment and style that best meets their students’ unique needs.  Companion bills have been introduced in the House and Senate, and Counselor Conway, urging Congress to act, declared that President Trump was ready to sign the legislation.  (Note: New fact sheets detail how Education Freedom Scholarships can expand preschool options and private and home education options.)

 

“[O]ur Education Freedom Scholarships proposal…doesn’t grow the government bureaucracy one tiny bit,” the Secretary said in her remarks.  “It doesn’t impose any new requirements on states or on families.  It doesn’t take a single dollar from public school students, and it doesn’t spend a single dollar of government money.  And, it doesn’t entangle students with federal strings or stifling red tape.  In fact, it can’t.  And that’s by design.”

 

Following the Secretary’s remarks and small group discussion, a panel with state leaders from Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee discussed the ways in which they are rethinking education to better serve students and how Education Freedom Scholarships could support those efforts (press release and video).

 

RECOGNIZING SCHOOLS

 

 

Last week, via video, Secretary DeVos announced 362 schools as 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools.  This program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students perform at the highest levels or where progress is being made on closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.  Chief State School Officers nominate public schools.  The Council for American Private Education nominates private schools.  All schools will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., November 14 and 15.  In its 37-year history, the program has bestowed this coveted award on more than 9,000 schools.  (Note: School profiles and applications are posted here.)

 

Also, successive Homeroom blogs (1 and 2) feature video profiles of past National Blue Ribbon Schools.

 

Moreover, senior officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Campaign for Environmental Literacy, and the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council joined the Department’s Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Frank Brogan to congratulate the 2019 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.  During the event, 35 schools, 14 school districts, and four higher education institutions were honored for their leadership in reducing environmental impact and costs, promoting better health, and ensuring effective environmental education.  Brogan also announced the 2019 Green Strides Tour, with the theme “Whole Child, Whole School Sustainability,” to be held October 28-30 in Washington state.  (Note: To learn more about the honorees, see the nomination packages and highlights document, and check out the resources available for all schools through the agency’s Green Strides portal.)

 

SCHOOL SAFETY DISTRICT GUIDE

 

On September 25, as part of National Preparedness Month, the Department of Education, along with the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Justice, issued a planning guide to help districts support schools in developing and maintaining customized emergency operations plans (EOPs).  “The Role of Districts in Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans” delivers on an interagency recommendation from the Federal Commission on School Safety’s final report to provide resources for schools and districts in developing customized EOPs with community partners, such as first responders.  It serves as a complement to the “Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans,” suggesting specific roles and responsibilities for district-level leaders and staff.

 

CTE DATA STORY

 

The Department recently released an interactive data story that illustrates career and technical education (CTE) in U.S. high schools and outcomes for students who participate in these programs.  The data shows that CTE participation -- especially focusing one’s studies by taking two or more CTE classes within the same career cluster -- is positively correlated with both future employment and future earnings.  Yet, while 77% of students take at least one CTE class while in high school, only 37% of participants focus their studies on a single career cluster.

 

ODDS AND ENDS

 

·       President Trump signed into law a Continuing Resolution (CR), extending funding for education programs and other parts of the federal budget at Fiscal Year 2019 levels through November 21, 2019.

·       By Executive Order, the President extended several federal advisory bodies, including the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans, the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, and the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

·       In a new video, Secretary DeVos recaps her back to school tour across the Midwest.

·       Other new videos capture HBCU student stories and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (English and Spanish).

·       Among other events, the Secretary recognized National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week at Montgomery College in Maryland (which offers hands-on CTE and adult learning courses), discussed opportunities at the Private School Leadership Conference, and reaffirmed the Administration’s commitment to education initiatives within the criminal justice system at the Prison Fellowship’s Justice Declaration Symposium.

·       Before the end of the federal fiscal year (September 30), the Department announced a number of competitive grant awards, including $123 million for 41 SEAs, LEAs, and non-profit organizations under the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program and $1.49 million for nine entities under the Perkins Act Innovation and Modernization Grant Program.

·       “School Choice in the United States: 2019” uses the latest data from multiple National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) surveys to describe the landscape of school choice in the country.  The report reveals the changes over time in enrollment in elementary and secondary education, as well as changes in the number of students who were homeschooled.  It also supplies information on the characteristics and achievement of students enrolled in public and private schools (blog post).

·       Another NCES report, “Student Victimization in U.S. Schools: 2017,” contains estimates of student criminal victimization at school, reports of bullying, school security measures, and student avoidance behavior.

 

QUOTE TO NOTE

 

“My mission is to unleash a new era of innovation in education to drive unprecedented achievement.  It will happen in public and private schools alike, and we should embrace that.  Our obligation isn’t to any type of school -- it’s to students.  America’s students can lead the world, because America must continue to lead the world.  It’s time we put them first, and that’s exactly what Education Freedom Scholarships will do.”

 

-- Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos (10/1/19), in remarks at the American Enterprise Institute on Education Freedom Scholarships

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

Among other education-related observations, October is National Principals Month, Learning Disabilities Awareness Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month (Presidential proclamation), National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (Presidential proclamation), and National Substance Abuse Prevention Month (Presidential proclamation).

 

On November 7, some two million people around the world will read the same book (Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora) on the same day for Jumpstart’s “Read for the Record” campaign.

 

The National #GoOpen Summit, November 7 and 8 in Washington, D.C., will provide an opportunity for educators and district, state, and organization leaders to connect, collaborate, and share strategies for engaging students and shifting instruction through the implementation of open educational resources.

 

 

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