CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Running Thread: COVID-19 Resources, Laws, Updates for CTE Programs

The ongoing pandemic has had massive implications for people all across the world. First and foremost, ACTE and its staff hope that you are staying safe, and we are keeping everyone affected by this terrible virus in our thoughts. We realize that COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on, among other things, education. This running thread aims to provide resources and updates that may be useful for CTE professionals.

 

RESOURCES

• ACTE Resources on Distance Learning
• CDC Coronavirus Webpage
• CDC Guidance on School Closures
• State-specific COVID-19 Education System Actions (Excellence in Education)
• U.S. Department of Education Coronavirus Webpage
• U.S. Department of Education Fact Sheet on Online Learning for Students with Disabilities
• News Story Featuring ACTE Board Members on Distance Learning in CTE

 

RELEVANT ENACTED LAWS

• Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (Phase I): The law provides $8.3B in emergency funding for various federal agencies in light of COVID-19. Funding is provided for, among other things, vaccines and medical supplies, grants to public health agencies and organizations, small business loans, emergency preparedness, and humanitarian assistance. The bill was signed into law on March 6. The text of the law can be found here, and a detailed summary here.
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Phase II): The law includes new paid sick leave provisions for certain workers, and it expands the Family and Medical Leave Act to additional employers. The law also provides additional funding for unemployment insurance and coverage for COVID-19 testing. The bill was signed into law on March 18 and will take effect on April 2. The text of the law can be found here, and a detailed summary here.
• Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (Phase III): The CARES Act is a wide-ranging, more than $2 trillion package that includes a variety of provisions, from direct assistance to Americans to hospital funding, unemployment insurance, and small business and corporate relief. On the education front, the law allows Federal Work Study payments to continue, doesn't penalize students who dropped out of school from Pell Grant eligibility, allows additional flexibility on the student loan front, provides the Secretary of Education with certain waiver authority, defers student loan payments/principal/interest for 6 months on all federally owned loans without penalty, provides local workforce boards with additional flexibility under WIOA, and exempts teachers from certain requirements related to TEACH grant obligations or Teacher Loan Forgiveness if they can't finish the teaching year. It also appropriates $30.9 billion to the Department of Education, including for a stabilization fund for states and local school districts, $13.5 billion in formula funding to states through the ESSA formula and $14.25 billion in higher education funding to meet a variety of coronavirus-related needs, and more. You can read the text of the bill here, a summary of various provisions here, and summary of appropriations here. ACTE has also written a specific blog post on the law, available here.

 

ACTE Letters to Federal Policymakers

• Cross-Organizational Letter Requesting Workforce Development Investments in Fourth Stimulus Package (4/1/20)
• ACTE & Advance CTE Letter on CTE-related Coronavirus Investment Priorities (4/1/20)
• Requesting Emergency Stimulus Funding to Support Nonprofit Associations (3/24/20)

 

RUNNING UPDATES THREAD

April 2, 2020

• All 50 States Granted Federal Statewide Testing Waiver: The U.S. Department of Education has granted waivers to federal requirements in ESSA around statewide testing to every state, in addition to the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Bureau of Indian Education. This is the first such broad-sweeping waiver granted since the requirements were first imposed. Read more in Education Week here.

March 31, 2020

• OCTAE Releases Some Guidance: On Tuesday, the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education within the U.S. Department of Education released guidance related to CTE and the coronavirus. The guidance included an extension for states to submit their Perkins V plans, clarification that states may award a Perkins V subgrant to local recipients prior to fully approved local applications, and confirmation that states may provide local Perkins V recipients additional time to complete their local applications. You can read the guidance here, or ACTE's summary here.

March 27, 2020

• President Trump Signs CARES Act Into Law (Phase III): On Friday, President Trump signed the CARES Act into law. This is the third coronavirus-related package to be enacted. The signing came after a voice vote in the House of Representatives earlier in the day. See the "Relevant Enacted Laws" section above for a summary of the legislation.
• Sec. DeVos Speaks at Coronavirus Task Force Briefing: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos spoke at the White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing on Friday to share the Department of Education's efforts to address the global pandemic. The Secretary acknowledged school closures across the country and the challenges of distance learning. She pitched the Department's coronavirus website, and touched on a variety of relevant proposals, including a new proposal to provide microgrants to teachers to help them adapt to online education. You can read the Secretary's full remarks here.

March 25, 2020

• Senate Passes CARES Act (Phase III): Late Wednesday evening the Senate passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on a bipartisan 96-0 vote. See the "Relevant Enacted Laws" section above for a summary of the legislation.
• Collection on Defaulted Federal Student Loans Stopped: The Department of Education has ordered private collection companies to stop any collection actions on defaulted federal student loans until further notice. The order is retroactive to March 13. This is projected to impact roughly 9 million student loan borrowers in default.

March 23, 2020

• House Democrats' Coronavirus Package Directs $60B to Education (Phase III): House Democrats introduced their coronavirus response stimulus package, which would create a $50 billion fund for education, with at least $15B aimed directly at K-12 and another $15B earmarked for institutions of higher education, and another ~$10B for emergency relief. Grants would be based on both population and Title I ESSA numbers. Additionally, the bill provides relief to student loan borrowers, allows Federal Work Study payments to continue, extends federal student aid, and supports child care providers, among other things. You can find the text of the bill here, and a summary of the education-related provisions here.

March 22, 2020

• Senate Fails to Pass Republican Coronavirus Bill (Phase III)​: On Sunday, the Senate failed (47-47) to pass a procedural hurdle required to advance legislation offered by Republican leadership. Most notably for CTE, the bill did include grants to states for elementary and secondary education. The majority of these funds would be required to be provided to local education agencies as subgrants, and the bill specifically stated that any activity authorized under Perkins (among other laws) would be an acceptable use of funds. You can read the text of the bill here, and a summary of the bill and politics surrounding the vote here.

March 21, 2020

• ED Releases Fact Sheet on Special Ed Online Learning: Amid some confusion and uncertainty surrounding how school districts are to provide for students with disabilities as closures continue across the country, the U.S. Department of Education released a fact sheet to clarify that federal law does not prevent online learning opportunities from being offered to students with disabilities. You can find the fact sheet here, and more background on the issue here.

March 20, 2020

• Announcement on Standardized Testing, Student Loans: President Trump announced that the U.S. Department of Education would not enforce standardized testing rules on K-12 schools in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the President announced that federal student loan borrowers would have the option to pause payments for at least 60 days without incurring a penalty.

March 19, 2020:

• Senate Republicans Releases Coronavirus Response Proposal (Phase III): A wide-ranging proposal from Senate Republicans called the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) would include a number of education-related provisions. Among other things, the bill would allow the Secretary of Education to waive a number of requirements related to Perkins, HEA and ESSA; would ensure student grants and aid continues regardless of any school interruption; and would suspend student loan payments for three months without the accrual of interest, with the possibility of the Secretary extending this for another three months. The bill would also provide direct payments to Americans in certain income brackets, loans to businesses and corporations, and delayed tax filings, among other things. You can find the text of the bill here, and a summary of the education-related provisions here.

March 18, 2020:

• President Signs Coronavirus Relief Package (Phase II): The President signed into law a bipartisan proposal, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, originally negotiated by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The law extends paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave to certain workers, provides funding for SNAP, free testing, and welfare benefits. You can read the text of the law here, or a summary here.
• DOL Announces National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grants: The U.S. Department of Labor announced a $100 million grant fund for dislocated workers to address the impacts of COVID-19. States, outlying areas and Indian Tribal Governments are eligible to apply for the grants, which will be used for both disaster-relief employment and employment and training activities. You can learn more about the grant and the application process here.

March 17, 2020:

• Trump Administration Proposes $100M School Stimulus: A proposed $100M in supplemental funding for the Department of Education would be available to both k-12 and postsecondary institutions, and funneled through Project SERV, which aims to assist schools following traumatic events. Funds could be used for cleaning and distance/online learning, among other things. Additionally, the Administration is proposing additional spending for loan servicing, telework for Department of Education staff, and cleaning for Indian Education program facilities. Read the full proposal here.
• Department of Education Suspends Some College Accreditation Requirements: To limit interruptions in postsecondary education as a result of the inability to conduct in-person inspections, the Department of Education has given accreditors the go-ahead to conduct virtual site visits. Additionally, accreditors now have the power to extend accreditation for institutions facing renewal or loss of status if the accreditor is unable to perform a site visit or hold a hearing.
• House, Senate Education Democrats Release Coronavirus Bill (Phase III): Leaders of the House and Senate Education Committees released the Supporting Students in Response to Coronavirus Act. The legislation provides $3B in new funding for a variety of purposes, including cleaning facilities, providing meals, preparing for extended school closures, emergency aid for postsecondary students. Read the fact sheet here and full proposal here.

March 14, 2020

• House Passes Coronavirus Bill (Phase II): A bipartisan proposal to provide, among other things, financial assistance, paid sick and family leave, and guaranteed free testing overwhelmingly passed the House. Read ACTE’s summary of the legislation here.

March 6, 2020

• President Signs Emergency Coronavirus Funding Bill (Phase I): President Trump signed legislation providing $8.3B in Coronavirus-related funding. The bulk of the funding is allocated to the Department of Health and Human services for prevention, medical supplies and vaccine research, among other things. The text of the law can be found here, and a detailed summary here.

ED Releases FAQ’s Related to Perkins and COVID-19

On Tuesday evening, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) released a memo outlining answers to a series of critical questions facing CTE leaders during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The first question dealt with whether OCTAE will extend the deadline for States to submit their Perkins V State Plans, which are currently due April 15, 2020. OCTAE acknowledges the various unique difficulties that states may have in submitting their plans on time and are extending the deadline. If a state is able to get their plan submitted by June 15, 2020, OCTAE expects to review and approve the plan by June 30, 2020. If approved, the state will receive the first installment of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Perkins funds on schedule on July 1, 2020.

If a state is unable to submit their plan by June 15, 2020, OCTAE is able to extend the duration of the state’s one-year transition plan by three months, through September 30, 2020. For these states, OCTAE will issue the first installment of FY 2020 Perkins funds on schedule on July 1, 2020, under the condition that the State will submit its full Perkins V State Plan by September 15, 2020. This will allow states to continuously administer their Perkins V grants without interruption. While most states will likely be able to submit their plans on time, this is important flexibility for those that need a bit more time.

The second question dealt with whether States are able to award sub-grants to local recipients prior to fully approving their local application for funds. The answer to this question is “yes”! States are able to authorize a local recipient applying for a sub-grant to obligate funds when the local recipient submits its application to the State in “substantially approvable form.” States have the authority to define this term, so have flexibility in which requirements of the local application have to be met in order to release funds to locals.

The final question addressed whether States are able to provide local recipients additional time to complete their local applications. Again, the answer is “yes”! If local recipients are unable to submit a “substantially approvable” application by the State’s due date for local applications, OCTAE is using its transition authority under section 4 of Perkins V to enable States to extend the duration of the local recipient’s one-year local application from the transition year by three months, through the end of September. States may still issue the FY 2020 grant award to these recipients on time on July 1 to ensure seamless delivery of services.

The Department acknowledged that there are more questions that will need to be answered as we progress. They will continue to add additional questions and answers as they become available, so please continue to check back on the CTE Policy Watch Blog for any new updates!

DC Digest: March 22-29

Most of the activity in Washington is focused on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find all the latest information about actions by Congress or the Administration on ACTE’s blog in COVID-19 Resources, Laws, Updates for CTE Programs. Understandably, with this the primary focus, there are only a few other updates for federal education policy.

• Deadline Extended for OCTAE’s Pathways to Credentials Incentive: The Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) has extended the deadline for Pathways to Credential applications to 5pm Central on Thursday, April 16, 2020, due to COVID-19. This initiative allows for colleges to apply for free customized technical assistance on stackable credential programs.
  
  
• Department of Education Releases FY 20 State Perkins Allocations: Earlier this month, OCTAE also released the state allocations under Perkins for next school year--the funds available beginning July 1, 2020.
  
  
• Update on Congress’ Schedule: COVID-19 has created a change in the congressional schedule. The House is now in recess indefinitely, while the Senate is expected to be out of session until April 20. Due to this prolonged recess, DC Digest may be on hiatus for a few weeks as most policy activity remains COVID focused.

Phase III Coronavirus Relief Package Includes $30.9B for Education

After intense negotiations, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) into law on Friday. The bill was passed out of the Senate 96-0, and the House passed it on a voice vote.

The law contains more than $2 trillion worth of direct aid or relief, including providing direct payments to millions of Americans, bolstering unemployment insurance, funding hospitals and research, and granting relief to small businesses and corporations. However, the law also contains $30.9 billion worth of funding for the Department of Education. The following education-related provisions are most relevant for CTE professionals and programs. In several places specific sections of the law are referenced in the event you are interested in more detail. You can view the bill text here.

State/Local Education Stabilization Fund: The vast majority of the funding for the Department of Education is targeted to help stabilize education at the elementary, secondary and postsecondary levels. Specifically, $13.5 billion is earmarked for elementary and secondary programs, and will be allocated to states based on the ESSA formula. An additional $14.25 billion is earmarked for postsecondary education. Within 30 days of the law’s passage (last Friday), the Secretary must issue a notice inviting applications for these funds. Applications must then be either denied or approved within 30 days. Funds will be made available through 9/30/2021, and are intended “to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.” Funds can be used to provide emergency support to local education agencies, institutions of higher education, and any other education-related entity within the state that the state’s governor deems essential. At least 90 percent of funds allocated to states for elementary/secondary education must then be sub-granted to local education agencies. Notably, local education agencies may use funds for any activity authorized by Perkins, as well as other federal education programs. At the postsecondary level, allocations are largely determined by enrollment of Federal Pell Grant recipients. IHEs must use at least half of their funds to “provide emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus.” Any entity receiving funding under the stabilization fund must make the greatest possible effort to continue to pay employees and contractors. You can find the legislative text on the education stabilization fund beginning on the bottom of page 752 of the bill.

Health Care Workforce: The law directs the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a plan for health workforce programs. (§3403) 

Federal Work Study: Work-study payments may be issued to students who are unable to work due to closures, and such payments may be in a lump sum or in regularly continued paychecks. (§3505) Work-study funds are permitted to be used for supplemental grants. (§3503)

Pell Grants: Coronavirus-related school dropouts do not count toward the lifetime limit on Pell Grant eligibility. (§3507)

Student Loan Issues: Coronavirus-related school dropouts do not count toward lifetime eligibility for subsidized student loans. (§3506) Students who drop out of school due to the coronavirus are not required to refund any federal Pell grants or student loans. (§3508) Coronavirus-related dropouts do not factor in to federal academic requirements for student aid. (§3509) The Secretary is required to defer federal student loan payments, principal, and interest through September 30, 2020 without penalty. (§3513)

TEACH Grants Teacher Loan Forgiveness: If teachers cannot finish the year as a result of the coronavirus, they will not be penalized and the partial year will count as a full year toward TEACH grant obligations or Teacher Loan Forgiveness. (§3519)

Workforce Response Activity: Local workforce boards were granted additional flexibility to use unobligated statewide activity WIOA funds for administrative costs, including moving to online-based resources. Governors may also use reserved workforce funds in responding to the coronavirus. (§3515)

Campus-Based Aid: The law waives institutional matching requirements for campus-based aid programs. (§3503)

Waiver Authority: The Secretary of Education was granted waiver authority for ESEA, with the exception of civil rights laws, as required to deal with the coronavirus. (§3511) The Secretary is also permitted to waive or modify allowable uses of funds for institutional grant programs, and for matching requirements in competitive grants.

You can continue to follow the latest coronavirus-related CTE news on this blog post, which will be updated as appropriate.

NPS 2020 Virtual Visit Guide

Earlier this month, ACTE had to cancel our 2020 National Policy Seminar (NPS). While we know canceling NPS was the right decision for the health and safety of everyone involved, it does not mean that our advocacy has to stop! In fact, ensuring CTE programs are included and valued is as important now as ever. Some NPS attendees were able to reschedule their meetings as phone calls, and will be meeting with those Members of Congress virtually next week. Even if you had not planned to attend NPS, or had not made appointments with your Members of Congress, there is an opportunity to stay engaged in virtual advocacy! We have created a “Virtual Visit Guide” to help NPS attendees and other CTE stakeholders with advocacy during this important time. This document is intended to provide you with relevant information ahead of any conversations with policymakers in the near future, but if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact the ACTE Public Policy Department at publicpolicy@acteonline.org.

Broadening the Path: Design Principles for Middle Grades CTE

Over the past few years, ACTE has increased our focus on middle grades CTE in recognition of the growing importance of early career development. Today, Advance CTE and ACTE released Broadening the Path: Design Principles for Middle Grades CTE to support state and local leaders as they work to develop or strengthen middle grades CTE policies, programs and practices. Critically, this resource provides a theory of action for state and local leaders looking to design a new middle grades CTE program or policy or to reflect on and improve upon what is already in place.

There is widespread agreement that high school is simply too late to begin to expose learners to the variety of high-skill, high-wage and in-demand careers available to them and the foundational skills they will need to be able to access and succeed in those careers. Yet there remains a lack of consensus — or even basic understanding — about what CTE and career readiness more broadly should entail at the middle grades level.

With the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) emphasizing career exploration and career development activities in the middle grades and allowing funds to be spent on students as young as fifth grade, the need to understand what high-quality middle grades CTE is – and isn’t – is more important than ever before.

Specifically, this paper lays out:

• Outcomes for student learning that identify what students should gain through participation in middle grades CTE.
• Ten design principles that must undergird any middle grades CTE program or policy. The principles should serve as a resource to ensure that middle grades CTE is comprehensive and fully meets each learner’s needs.
• The core programmatic elements of a middle grades CTE program or policy through which the design principles are applied, with relevant questions for consideration to identify strategies or steps for addressing gaps in the implementation of the 10 design principles.

Broadening the Path also includes a design principles self-assessment for state and local leaders to evaluate their current policies and programs.

This resource was created with the support of the Middle Grades CTE Shared Solutions Workgroup, comprised of national, state and local leaders, convened by Advance CTE with support from ACTE and generously funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

For those interested in leading state examples of middle grades CTE policies and programs, check out Advance CTE’s 2018 report, Expanding Middle School CTE to Promote Lifelong Learner Success. For those interested in local examples, you can find podcasts and webinars here, and more research here.

Explaining the Latest IDEA COVID-19 Guidelines

Many educators have concerns regarding support for students with disabilities in light of COVID-19 school closures and the transition to remote learning. On March 21, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released new supplemental guidance to help address some of these issues. This builds on the initial questions and answers distributed on March 12. 

ED says it will offer guidance, technical assistance and information on any applicable flexibility, and specifically noted that compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should not prevent any school from offering distance learning education. While ED acknowledges that there is no uniform approach to providing online/distance learning to students with disabilities, districts should feel encouraged to pursue innovative ideas to meet the needs of these students. The guidance goes on to outline some possible solutions, such as utilizing phone consultations or providing information in multiple forms. 

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) within ED has also provided information on how IDEA timelines can be extended, including under both Part B and Part C of IDEA. Timeline adjustments may apply to areas such as State complaints, due process hearings, individual education programs and eligibility determination/individual family service plans. For all questions pertaining to Part B of IDEA, please visit ncsi.wested.org and for questions regarding Part C, please visit ectacenter.org. 

In addition, the National Center for Learning Disabilities has released two new resources to help parents and educators support students during the COVID-19 crisis. 

For the latest coronavirus-related CTE policy updates, visit ACTE’s blog post on the topic, which will be constantly updated throughout the pandemic.

DC Digest: March 16-22

We at ACTE hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy during these uncertain times. We will continue to bring you news from the federal government on COVID-19. For the most recent updates on federal policy activities related to COVID-19, please visit this blog post, which is being updated on a daily basis with any recent news or activity. While Congress and the Administration are spending most of their time on these response activities, there were a few other news items on CTE-related issues last week:

• The Education Commission of the States (ECS) and National Governer’s Association (NGA) released their new report “Governor’s Top Education Priorities in 2020 State of the State Addresses”. One of the top findings showed CTE and workforce development programs were addressed by Governors in at least 34 states, making it the most addressed issue in 2020 state-of-the state addresses.
  
  
• The Department of Education is now accepting applications for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program. This goal of this program is to decrease, eliminate and prevent isolation of minority groups through grant-based funding to create and reproduce evidence-based programs in schools. The application deadline is May 26.

House Passes Bipartisan Coronavirus Financial Assistance Proposal

3/18 UPDATE: The Families First Coronavirus Response Act passed the Senate by a vote of 90-8. It will now head to the President's desk to be signed into law.

On Saturday, the House overwhelmingly passed legislation that would provide financial assistance to people impacting by the coronavirus pandemic, in an effort to mitigate its economic impact. The bill, which passed 363-40, includes provisions that would strengthen unemployment insurance, allow workers to take paid sick and family leave, and guarantee that diagnostic testing kits for the coronavirus are free and available to all Americans. Then on Monday evening, the House passed the bill for a second time in as many days, after making a number of technical corrections.

More specifically, H.R. 6201, or the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, provides some workers two weeks of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave. It also limits the paid family medical leave to at-least two-thirds of your current pay. It’s important to note that the family paid leave provision only guarantees 12 weeks of pay for families caring for small children.

Further, the proposal includes about $1 billion for food programs aimed at helping those who may struggle to get access to meals during the pandemic. These programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, food banks, and the 22 million children who receive free or reduced-price lunch at school.

H.R. 6201 is still awaiting action in the Senate, which may include provisions that would add additional economic stimulus aimed at bolstering small businesses around the nation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced that the Senate will not adjourn until a concrete proposal is passed.

Aside from congressional action, the Administration has taken numerous steps in an effort to mitigate the pandemics economic and health impact. Most notably, President Trump has declared a national emergency, which gives the government additional flexibility to deploy resources and waive certain laws and regulations. Additional proposals are emerging and evolving on a daily, if not hourly basis. Please continue to check the CTE Policy Watch Blog for updates on this and other proposals. For an exhaustive list of what the federal government is currently doing, please click here.

For additional information regarding the coronavirus and how to stay safe during this unprecedented time, please visit the CDC’s website.

Record House Signers for Perkins Funding Letter; Senate Letter Circulating Now

A “Dear Colleague” letter is currently circulating in the U.S. Senate, urging the Appropriations Committee to make a robust investment in Perkins Basic State Grants. The letter, led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), is addressed to Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, respectively. It highlights the important role that Perkins plays in meeting the need of both students and employers, and urges a strong investment to address the skills gap and growing demand for CTE Programs. You can read a draft of the letter here.

Click here to ask your Senators to sign the Perkins funding letter. The sign-on deadline is this Friday, March 20, at noon, so please contact your Senators today!

A similar letter earlier this month in the House garnered 182 bipartisan signatures – beating last year’s record of 162! Thank you for all of your advocacy efforts that made this strong showing possible. We should have the full list of signers soon to share.

DC Digest: March 9-15

Most of the news from the federal government is understandably focused on the Coronavirus, so this Digest (and likely others for the next several weeks) largely concentrates on news and guidance coming from the administration and the Education Department. We will certainly still report on other news concerning federal education policy when it occurs! Here’s the news from this week:

 

• Senate Introduces Early Educators Apprenticeship Act: Three Senators—Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)—introduced the Early Educators Apprenticeship Act. The Act increases the number of child care apprentices with credentials or degrees, recruits new workers and offers apprentices career advancement opportunities.

 

• New Resources from the Department of Education for the Coronavirus: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has released new resources to help education leaders protect student privacy, allow for flexibility on accountability standards under ESSA and ensure students with disabilities continue to receive services that are required for learning. 

 

• COVID-19 Conference Call Between Department of Education and Chief State School Officers: The Department of Education, along with other agencies, hosted a conference call with the Council of Chief State School Officers and discussed issues relating to the Coronavirus such as school closures, school meal programs, testing and accountability measures and grant administration. Read the summary of that call here. 

 

• CDC Guidance on School Closures: The CDC has released guidance for schools when faced with decision to close down for a short period of time due to the Coronavirus or measures that should be taken if your school has already shut down. 

 

For the most up-to-date information on the Coronavirus, the Department of Education has created an information page for schools and educators. You can find more here.