STATEMENT BY EDUCATION SECRETARY DUNCAN ON PROPOSAL TO EXPAND ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY EARLY EDUCATION PROGRAMS

FROM:  U.S. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT 
Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Bipartisan Proposal to Expand Access to High-Quality Early Education Programs

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

"The early learning bill introduced today reflects a growing, bipartisan understanding that to ensure our nation’s children have the educational and economic opportunities they deserve, we must act early. It’s long been clear that high-quality early learning opportunities produce lasting benefits, including higher high school graduation rates and lower incarceration rates. Now, a broad coalition is calling for action on President Obama’s plan to make quality preschool available to every 4-year-old in America, drawing on the example of leading states. Earlier today, Democrats and Republicans, including Sen. Harkin, Rep. Miller, and Rep. Hanna, stood with leaders from law enforcement, business, the military and early childhood education advocates to call for action—and to invite others to join this vital effort. This is the most important single step we can take for the future of our young people. Let’s join together to make it happen." – Secretary Arne Duncan

EDUCATION GRANTS OF OVER $4.6 MILLION AWARDED FOR RESEARCH TO HELP IMPROVE LIVES OF DISABLED

FROM:  U.S. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT 
$4.6 Million in Grants Awarded for Research Projects Aimed at Helping Improve Lives of People with Disabilities
SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

The U.S. Department of Education announced today the award of more than $4.6 million in grants to five institutions for research projects aimed at helping improve the lives of people with disabilities.

The grants are being awarded under the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) Program. The recipients will conduct programs of advanced research of an engineering or technical nature designed to apply technology, scientific achievement and psychological and social knowledge to solve rehabilitation problems and remove environmental barriers.

"These projects aim to conduct research, develop plans and provide technical assistance to help improve the lives of individuals with disabilities," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "All of these efforts are intended to fulfill the goal of inclusion, integration, employment and self-sufficiency for people with disabilities."

The grants include:

The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System (CFDA 81.133E-4) -- $925,000.
Regents of the University of Michigan (CFDA 81.133E-5) -- $923,442
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) - (CFDA 81.133E-5) -- $924,937
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) - (CFDA 81.133E-7) -- $924,939
Carnegie Mellon University - (CFDA 81.133E-8) -- $923,878
In recent years, a variety of products have been created through the RERC program to help people with disabilities. Among them: accessible kiosks, voting booths and ATM machines. Other products have included "talking signs" for the blind community and hand-held hearing screening devices to screen for hearing loss in newborns, infants, young children and other difficult to test people.

SECRETARY OF EDUCATION DUNCAN MAKES STATEMENT ON BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA'S CHANGE IN SEXUAL ORIENTATION POLICY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the Boy Scouts of America's Decision to No Longer Deny Membership to Youth on the Basis of Sexual Orientation

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today issued the following statement on the Boy Scouts of America's decision to no longer deny membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone:

"The Boy Scouts of America has been supporting the learning and development of youth for more than a century. The Scouts have helped boys gain skills in camping, hiking and nature, but also engineering, robotics and medicine. And scouting has been the foundation for character development for millions of young men. I can't think of a better lesson in character than one that teaches our young people to value the contributions each of us makes and respect one another. The Scouts have made a historic step in the right direction, and I encourage them to continue to move forward in ensuring equality throughout the organization."

SECRETARY OF EDUCATION DUNCAN'S COMMENTARY ON TEACHER APRECIATION WEEK

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Great teaching can change a child’s life. That kind of teaching is a remarkable combination of things: art, science, inspiration, talent, gift, and — always — incredibly hard work. It requires relationship building, subject expertise and a deep understanding of the craft. Our celebrated athletes and performers have nothing on our best teachers.

But, in honoring teachers, I think Teacher Appreciation Week needs an update. Don’t get me wrong — teachers have earned every bagel breakfast, celebratory bulletin board, gift card and thank-you note. Given the importance of their work and the challenges they face, teachers absolutely deserve every form of appreciation their communities can muster.

But we need to do something a bit more substantive and lasting than the bagel breakfast, too.

Complex as teaching has been over the years, it’s more so now — in part because of reforms my administration has promoted. The reasons for these changes are clear. Despite many pockets of excellence, we’re not where we need to be as a nation. The president has challenged us to regain our place as world leader in college completion, but today we rank 14th. A child growing up in poverty has less than a 1-in-10 chance of earning a college diploma.

To change the odds, we have joined with states and communities to work for major reforms in which teachers are vital actors. The biggest are new college- and career-ready standards that 46 states and the District of Columbia have chosen to adopt. These higher standards require a dramatic rethinking of teachers’ daily practice: working toward standards tied to literature and problem-solving; using data to inform and adapt instruction. It’s hard work — but done well, our children will have a better shot at a solid, middle-class life.

The teachers I talk to don’t question the need for broad change. They are enthusiastic about instruction that emphasizes depth rather than coverage, worthy literature to read and real-world problems to solve. They passionately want to be part of helping more students get prepared for college and career. But many have told me that the pace of change is causing real anxiety.

I’ve heard repeatedly that, given the newness of the college- and career-ready standards, teachers really want to see what they’re aiming for. They want models of excellence that they can study. And it all feels like the change is happening at once. It’s impossible not to be touched by the strength of their feelings — their desire to get it right, and for many, the worry that they won’t.

There’s no question in my mind that raising the bar for our students is necessary and that America’s educators are up to it. But I want to call on the other adults in the system to redouble their efforts to support our teachers through this change.

I’ll start with my own team at the Department of Education. We are listening carefully to teachers and other experts as we walk through this transition, and working hard to figure out how to make it as smooth as it can possibly be for teachers and for their students. And I pledge to redouble our own efforts to work with states, districts and schools to help connect educators who can offer a vision of outstanding teaching under these new standards.

But I also want to call on policy makers, district leaders and principals to find ways to help ease these transitions to higher standards. What does that mean?
Find opportunities for teachers to lead this work. There is far too much talent and expertise in our teaching force that is hidden in isolated classrooms and not reaching as far as it can to bring the system forward. Teachers and leaders must work together to create opportunities for teacher leadership, including shared responsibility, and that means developing school-level structures for teachers to activate their talents. This may mean reducing teaching loads to create "hybrid" roles for teachers in which they both teach and lead.
Find, make visible and celebrate examples of making this transition well.Teachers often tell me they’re looking for examples of how to do this right. Let’s spotlight teachers and schools that are leading the way.
Use your bully pulpit — and share that spotlight with a teacher. Whether you are a principal, superintendent, elected leader, parent or play some other role, you have a voice. Learn about this transition, and use your voice to help make this transition a good experience for teachers, students, and families. Especially important is educating families about what to expect and why it matters. Invite a teacher to help you tell the story and answer questions.
Be an active, bold part of improving pre-service training and professional development, and make sure that all stages of a teacher’s education reflect the new instructional world they will inhabit. Teachers deserve a continuum of professional growth; that means designing career lattices so that teaching offers a career’s worth of dynamic opportunities for impacting students.
Read and take ideas from the
RESPECT Blueprint, a plan released last month containing a vision for an elevated teaching profession. The blueprint reflects a vision shaped by more than a year’s worth of intimate discussions the department convened with some 6,000 teachers about transforming their profession. Teaching is the nation’s most important work, and it’s time for concrete steps that treat it that way — RESPECT offers a blueprint to do that.

Don’t get me wrong — teachers deserve a week of celebration with plenty of baked goods. But I hear, often, that this is a time that teachers want some extra support. They deserve real, meaningful help — not just this week, but all year long.

Arne Duncan is U.S. Secretary of Education