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."

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TOUTS NEW LOAN COUNSELING TOOLS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Education Department Launches New Loan Counseling Tools to Help Borrowers Manage Their Debt

Students who are graduating this spring are now able to take advantage of new tools that can help them better understand their loan debt and stay on track in repayment. The U.S. Department of Education has launched two key features on its StudentLoans.gov website: a Complete Counseling Web page and a new Repayment Estimator that lets borrowers compare what their monthly payment amounts would likely be across all seven repayment plan options.

Both improvements are part of the Obama Administration’s ongoing effort to make college costs more transparent and help students make informed decisions at every step of the process – from selecting a postsecondary institution to financing their education to repaying their loans.

"With college graduation around the corner, thousands of students will soon start to repay their loans, and we want to help them select the repayment plan that makes sense for them," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "These tools give students the information they need to understand how to better manage their student loan obligations. Our goal is to make the entire challenge of college costs much less daunting, and these tools are additional steps in that direction."

Today's announcement builds on the Education Department's previous initiatives to carry out the Presidential Memorandum of June 7, 2012, which called on the Secretaries of Education and the Treasury to improve information available to borrowers about their student loan repayment options. Last July, the Department unveiled the Financial Awareness Counseling Tool (FACT) – an interactive loan counseling tool that covers topics ranging from managing a budget to avoiding default. The Complete Counseling Web page combines a number of resources, including FACT, into one comprehensive site.

The Education Department has already begun to receive feedback on the Complete Counseling site, and it is planning to release an upgraded version later this year. Meanwhile, the Department wanted to ensure that 2013 graduates could access the tool as they plan their next steps in managing their student debt.

DOE AND CNCS ANNOUNCE NEW SCHOOL TURNAROUND AMERICORPS PROGRAM

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Department of Education and the Corporation for National and Community Service Announce New School Turnaround Americorps Program

As education leaders from across the country gather at the Grad Nation Summit in Washington, D.C., we are pleased to announce a new collaboration between our agencies: School Turnaround AmeriCorps.

This competitive, three-year grant program is designed to strengthen and accelerate interventions in our nation’s lowest-performing schools. The new initiative will engage hundreds of AmeriCorps members in turnaround schools across the country. AmeriCorps members will help students, teachers, and principals to transform struggling schools by providing opportunities for academic enrichment, extended learning time, and individual supports for students. These interventions will lead to increased academic achievement and improved high school graduation rates and college readiness among our most disadvantaged students.

We know that students are most successful when they have personal, attentive support. We believe this initiative is an important step forward in the effort to provide our lowest-performing schools with the additional resources that they need to improve.

Turning around struggling schools is challenging work that requires everyone to play a part – from teachers, administrators, and counselors to business leaders, the philanthropic sector, and community members. This partnership will expand the role of AmeriCorps members in helping students, teachers, parents, and school administrators to transform persistently underachieving schools into models of success.

Public or private nonprofit organizations, including faith-based and other community groups; schools or districts; institutions of higher education; cities and counties; Indian Tribes; and labor organizations are eligible to apply to this program, along with partnerships and consortia of these entities.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ANNOUNCES GRANTS FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

U.S. Department of Education Announces Grants Totaling More Than $1.2 Million to Charter Schools

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded seven Charter School Exemplary Collaboration grants totaling more than $1.2 million to support collaboration between public charter schools, traditional public schools and school districts. Funds will be used to deepen the collaborations and share lessons learned with the education field.

Held for the first time this year, the Charter School Exemplary Collaboration grants program encourages high-quality charter schools, traditional public schools and school districts to share resources and responsibilities, build trust and teamwork, boost academic excellence, and provide students and their parents with a range of effective educational options.

"By sharing best practices, schools can work together to solve persistent challenges in public education," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. "It is so important that we break down traditional barriers and all work together to ensure that every child gets the world-class education they deserve."

The U.S. Department of Education's Charter Schools Program (CSP) has invested more than $255 million in charter schools this year. The purpose of the program is to increase financial support for the startup and expansion of these public schools, build a better national understanding of the public charter school model, and increase the number of high-quality public charter schools across the nation. More information about the Charter Schools Program is available from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement here.

STUDENT LOAN DEFAULT RATES PUBLISHED

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

First Official Three-Year Student Loan Default Rates Published

Department continues efforts to help students better manage their debt.

September 28, 2012

The U.S. Department of Education today released official FY 2010 two-year and official FY 2009 three-year federal student loan cohort default rates. This is the first time the Department has issued an official three-year rate, which was 13.4 percent nationally for the FY 2009 cohort, a slight decrease from the trial three-year rate of 13.8 percent for the FY 2008 cohort. For-profit institutions had the highest average three-year default rates at 22.7 percent, with public institutions following at 11 percent and private non-profit institutions at 7.5 percent.

"We continue to be concerned about default rates and want to ensure that all borrowers have the tools to manage their debt," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "In addition to helping borrowers, we will also hold schools accountable for ensuring their students are not saddled with unmanageable student loan debt."

The Department is in the process of switching from a two-year cohort default rate to a three-year measurement as required by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. The national two-year rate rose to 9.1 percent for the FY 2010 cohort, from 8.8 percent in FY 2009.

Congress included this provision in the law because there are more borrowers who default beyond the two-year window, and the three-year rate captures a more accurate picture of how many borrowers ultimately default on their federal student loans. In particular, for-profit colleges demonstrate a large increase in borrowers who defaulted during year three.

To help students access the tools and resources they need to avoid the negative consequences of defaulting on their student loans, the Department has redoubled its efforts to make borrowers aware of their student loan repayment options, including plans like Income-Based Repayment, which allows borrowers to cap their monthly student loan payments at 15 percent of their discretionary income. The Department also recently released an interactive financial aid counseling tool that helps borrowers with their college financing decisions, including information on flexible loan repayment options.

Calculation and breakdown of the rates

The two-year cohort default rates (CDRs) announced today represent a snapshot in time, with the FY 2010 cohort consisting of borrowers whose first loan repayments came due between Oct. 1, 2009, and Sept. 30, 2010, and who defaulted before Sept. 30, 2011. More than 4.1 million borrowers from nearly 6,000 schools entered repayment during this window, and almost 375,000 defaulted for an average of 9.1 percent.

The two-year CDR increased over last year’s rates for both the public and private non-profit sectors, rising from 7.2 percent to 8.3 percent for public institutions, and from 4.6 percent to 5.2 percent for private non-profit institutions. CDRs decreased for for-profit institutions from 15.0 percent to 12.9 percent, though the sector still has the highest average two-year rate.

The FY 2009 three-year rates announced today capture the cohort of borrowers whose loans entered repayment between Oct. 1, 2008, and Sept. 30, 2009, and who defaulted before Sept. 30, 2011. More than 3.6 million borrowers from over 5,900 schools entered repayment during this window of time, and approximately 489,000 of them defaulted.

Sector differences also exist when comparing the increase in the CDR from the two-year to the three-year rates for the FY 2009 cohort, with for-profit schools displaying the biggest jump in rates from year two to year three. The Department reported the two-year CDR for the FY 2009 cohort last year. The increases from the two-year to the three-year rates were 7.2 percent to 11 percent for public institutions, 4.6 percent to 7.5 percent for private non-profit institutions, and 15.0 to 22.7 percent at for-profit schools.

Sanctions

Two schools are subject to sanctions for having two-year default rates of 25 percent or more for three consecutive years: Centro de Estudios Multidisciplinarios in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Tidewater Tech in Norfolk, Va. As a result, these schools face the loss of eligibility in federal student aid programs, unless they bring successful appeals.

No sanctions will be applied to schools based on the three-year rates until three annual rates have been calculated. During this transition period, sanctions will continue to be based on the two-year CDR. However, any school with a three-year CDR of 30 percent or more must establish a default prevention task force and submit a default management plan to the Department. There were 218 schools that had three-year default rates over 30 percent, and 37 schools had three-year default rates in excess of 40 percent.

TURNING AROUND LOWEST-ACHIEVING SCHOOLS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
U.S. Department of Education Launches Enhanced Version of Online Learning Community for School Turnaround
　
The U.S. Department of Education today launched the School Turnaround Learning Community (STLC), an enhanced version of its online learning community for school turnaround. The site now features improved search and chat functions and a user-friendly reorganization of STLC resources and materials.
　
"Turning around the lowest performing schools is challenging work. Driving the dramatic changes needed in many of our hard-to-serve schools requires states, districts, and schools to collaborate and share promising practices in new ways," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "The enhanced School Turnaround Learning Community can better support this important work by providing an easy-to-use, interactive and public platform for turnaround leaders and community members to connect with peers and learn about effective strategies."
　
The STLC was first launched in July 2011 as a key element in the Department’s efforts to provide support to state, district, and school leaders working to turn around the nation’s persistently lowest-achieving schools through the School Improvement Grant (SIG). The site offers resources, training, and discussion tools enabling users to share and comment on school turnaround practices and lessons learned. To date, the site has over 4,300 subscribed members, offered over 500 school turnaround resources, and has hosted nearly 60 webinars on various topics including teacher and leader effectiveness, family and community engagement, increased learning time, early learning, and supporting rural and secondary schools.
　
Other improvements made to the STLC include opening the site to the public by eliminating required registration, and enhanced discussion and chat areas including a new "Ask the Expert" feature.
　
The SIG program makes funds available to states by formula to help them target the persistently lowest-achieving schools. When a school system applies to a state for SIG funding, it must indicate that it will implement one of four intervention models in each of its persistently lowest-achieving schools, based on school needs. The Department has awarded close to $4.5 billion to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico since the SIG program was redesigned in 2009.
　
To view or explore the upgraded School Turnaround Learning Community, visit http://www.schoolturnaroundsupport.org/.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE PROMISE NEIGHBORHOODS FUND

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

242 Applicants Compete for Share of $60 Million 2012 Promise Neighborhoods Fund

The U.S. Department of Education announced today that 242 applications were submitted to compete for a share of the nearly $60 million in 2012 Promise Neighborhoods funds.

"The huge response from the field shows the widespread need for comprehensive strategies to address poverty's effect on educating children," said Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement Jim Shelton. "This year's funding will build on President Obama's commitment to focusing on results by meeting the larger social challenges outside the classroom so that we can enable children to succeed inside the classroom."

The Department expects to award around $27 million in first-year funding for up to seven new implementation grants, and $7 million for up to 14 new planning grants. Of the 242 applications, 60 were for implementation grants, and 182 were for planning grants.

Implementation grants will range from 3 to 5 years with estimated first-year awards totaling $4 to $6 million each. New one-year planning grantees will be awarded up to $500,000 each.

Remaining funds will provide second-year funding to the five implementation grantees awarded in 2011.

Launched in 2010, Promise Neighborhoods grants have invested in locally driven efforts to improve the lives of families and children living in impoverished communities. Funds support community-led work to build partnerships, secure needed social services, and strengthen schools.

To date, Promise Neighborhoods has received over 850 applications from 48 states and the District of Columbia, American Samoa and Puerto Rico.

The Promise Neighborhoods program is a piece of a larger Obama Administration initiative to revitalize high-poverty communities through integrated resources to transform them into neighborhoods of opportunity.

President Obama's fiscal year 2013 budget requests $100 million to fund a fourth round of implementation and planning grants. 2012 awards will be made no later than Dec. 31, 2012.

THE BULLY ON THE BUS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
U.S. Department of Education Provides Guidance to Help School Bus Drivers Combat Bullying
Almost 10 percent of bullying related to schools occurs on school buses, yet many drivers don't feel equipped to handle bullying incidents on their buses. Training materials developed by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Healthy Students provide guidance on how bus drivers can effectively respond to and prevent bullying.

Published in June 2011, the materials help bus drivers create a safe and respectful environment on our nation's school buses. The state-of-the-art information, which includes a palm card for drivers as an easy reference tool for actions to take, provides ways to intervene in bullying behavior, de-escalate threatening behavior, and build a supportive bus climate to prevent bullying.

Research from the National Center for Education, Evaluation and Regional Assistance indicates that, while 52.2 percent of the nation's roughly 550,000 bus drivers believe that bullying is a serious problem on their school buses, two-thirds of the incidents go unreported. Research also shows that the older the students are, the less likely they are to report such incidents.

Many states, such as Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Maryland, Iowa and Arkansas, have used the training materials and are seeing positive results, according to the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT). NAPT's goal is that all bus drivers will be trained in how to prevent bullying on their school buses. To access the free materials, visit http://safesupportiveschools.ed.gov.

REPAYING STUDENT LOANS BASED UPON INCOME

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Income Based Repayment: Everything You Need to Know
Over the past several years, the Obama Administration has worked to improve repayment options available to responsible student loan borrowers. Since 2009, former students have been able to enroll in an “Income Based Repayment” (IBR) plan to cap their student loan payments at 15 percent of their current discretionary income if they make their payments on time.

In 2010, President Obama signed into law an improved income-based repayment plan that would lower this cap to 10 percent of discretionary income for students who take out loans after July 1, 2014. Then, last October, the President announced an executive action to make that lower cap available to more borrowers by the end of 2012, rather than 2014. The latest change will likely reduce monthly student loan payments for more than 1.6 million responsible student borrowers.

Despite these opportunities and policy improvements to help graduates make their monthly payments, too few responsible borrowers are aware of their repayment options.  Even among borrowers who understand their options, many have difficulties navigating and completing the application process.

Today, President Obama is introducing a Presidential Memorandum that will help educate more students about their loan repayment options and streamline the IBR application process. Read through the questions below to learn more about income based repayment and how these changes might affect you.

1. What is income-based loan repayment?
Income-Based Repayment (IBR) is a repayment plan that caps your required monthly payments on the major types of federal student loans at an amount intended to be affordable based on income and family size. All Stafford, Grad PLUS, and Consolidation Loans made under either the Direct Loan or Federal Family Education Loan programs are eligible to be included in the program. Non-federal loans, loans currently in default, and Parent PLUS Loans are not eligible for the income-based repayment plan.
The program lowers monthly payments for borrowers who have high loan debt and modest incomes, but it may increase the length of the loan repayment period, accruing more interest over the life of the loan.

2. Who qualifies for IBR?
IBR helps people whose federal student loan debt is high relative to income and family size. Currently, your loan servicer (the company you make your loan payments to) determines your eligibility, but starting in September 2012, students won’t have to contact their loan servicer to apply—they will be able to apply directly through the Department of Education’s website, thanks to a new directive from President Obama.

You can use the U.S. Department of Education’s IBR calculator to estimate whether you are likely to qualify for the plan. The calculator looks at your income, family size, and state of residence to calculate your IBR monthly payment amount. If that amount is lower than the monthly payment you are paying on your eligible loans under a 10-year standard repayment plan, then you are eligible to repay your loans under IBR.
3. Will my eligibility change if I’m married? What if my spouse also has loans?

If you are married and file a joint federal tax return with your spouse, both your income and your spouse’s income are used to calculate your IBR monthly payment amount.

If you are married and you and your spouse file a joint federal tax return, and if your spouse also has IBR-eligible loans, your spouse’s eligible loan debt is combined with yours when determining whether you are eligible for IBR. If the combined monthly amount you and your spouse would pay under IBR is lower than the combined monthly amount you and your spouse are paying under a 10-year standard repayment plan, you and your spouse are eligible for IBR.

4. How will enrolling in IBR affect my monthly payments compared to the standard repayment plan?

It depends on your income. But, take for example a nurse who is earning $45,000 and has $60,000 in federal student loans. Under the standard repayment plan, her monthly repayment amount is $690. The currently available IBR plan would reduce her payment by $332, to $358.  President Obama’s improved “Pay As You Earn” plan — reducing the cap from 15 percent to 10 percent — will reduce her payment by an additional $119, to a more manageable $239 — a total reduction of $451 a month.
6. How will enrolling in IBR affect my payments over the life of the loan compared to the standard repayment plan?

In general, your payments will increase as your income does, but they will never be more than they would have been under the standard 10-year repayment plan. Although lower monthly payments may be better for some borrowers, lower payments may also mean you make payments for longer and the longer it takes to pay your loans, the more interest you pay compared to the standard repayment plan.

7. Is it possible my payments will be higher under IBR than they would under the standard repayment plan?

IBR will never cause your payments to increase more than they would have been under the standard repayment plan. It is possible, however, that your income and the size of your outstanding loan balance may mean that IBR is not beneficial to you. If your payments would be higher in IBR than they would be in the standard repayment plan, the IBR option will not be available to you.
Also, because a reduced monthly payment in IBR generally extends your repayment period, you may pay more total interest over the life of the loan than you would under other repayment plans.

8. How do I opt in to IBR?
To sign up for IBR, call your loan servicer. The loan servicer is the company that sends you your monthly student loan bills.  If you don’t know who your servicer is or would like more information about your loans, such as the balance and interest rates, you can look it up on www.nslds.ed.gov. To see a list of and contact information for common servicers of student loans held by the US Department of Education, you may visit the Loan Servicer page.

9) What does today’s Presidential Memorandum mean for IBR?
The PM will do three things:
Streamline the IBR application process: The Department of Education, in collaboration with the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service, will create a streamlined online application process for IBR that allows student loan borrowers with federally held loans to import their IRS tax return income data directly into the IBR application. This process will allow income information to be seamlessly transmitted so that borrowers can complete the application at one sitting.  Federal direct student loan borrowers will no longer be required to contact their loan servicer as the first step to apply.

Enhance online and mobile resources for loan repayment options and debt management: The Department of Education will create integrated online and mobile resources for students and former students to use in learning about Federal student aid, including an explanation of the various options to cap monthly payments based on income. The Department will also develop and make available to borrowers an online tool to help students make better financial decisions, including understanding their loan debt and its impact on their everyday lives. This tool would incorporate key elements of best practices in financial literacy and link to students’ actual Federal loan data to help them understand their individual circumstances and options for repayment.

Increase awareness of IBR: The Department of Education will instruct Federal direct student loan servicers to make borrowers aware of the option to participate in IBR before a student leaves school and upon entering repayment. The Department of Education will make available for institutions of higher education a model exit counseling module that will enable students to understand their repayment options before leaving school and to choose a repayment plan for their student loans that best meets their needs.
10. How can I find out more?

Visit www.studentaid.ed.gov or call 1-800-4-FED-AID. You can also learn more about other student loan repayment options and find advice on paying loans off more quickly using the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau’s Student Debt Repayment Assistant.
To find out about other changes to student loan programs, including President Obama’s plan to allow borrowers to consolidate Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loans, click here.

Megan Slack is Associate Director of Digital Content for the White House Office of Digital Strategy

U.S. OBAMA ADMINISTRATION HOSTS NATIONAL RECOGNITION CEREMONY FOR U.S. ED. DEPT. GREEN RIBBON SCHOOLS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Obama Administration Officials Host National Recognition Ceremony for First-Ever U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools
Senior Administration officials honored the first-ever U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) this morning at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C. Among the inaugural honorees are 78 schools that represent 29 states and the District of Columbia. The program was developed by the Department with support from the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), several other agencies and dozens of non-profit stakeholders.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined White House CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin to address the honorees and congratulate them on their achievements. Representatives from winning schools received plaques and banners in recognition of their high achievement in saving energy, reducing costs, providing healthy learning spaces, and offering education geared toward the challenges of the 21st century.?

"These schools represent a broad portfolio of urban, suburban, and rural communities, working to provide students with a high-quality, well-rounded education, healthy living, clean environments and best practices for reducing our environmental impact," said Secretary Duncan. "Green Ribbon Schools are an inspiration and deserve the spotlight for embodying strong examples of innovative learning and civic engagement."

"By embracing 'green' these schools have demonstrated their commitment to incorporating environmental practices in education," said White House CEQ Chair Sutley. "The U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools winners honored today are taking bold steps to increase environmental awareness that will have an impact on the health of America's students and create the next generation of environmental stewards."
The U.S. Department of Education released a document with highlights from the 2012 honorees. Along with the awards, Secretary Duncan also announced the first installment of the Green Strides Webinar Series to help all schools move toward reduced environmental impact, improved health and effective sustainability literacy — the three 'Pillars' of the Green Ribbon award.

"Every child should have a safe and healthy place to learn, and every parent should have confidence that sending their child to school in the morning doesn't mean exposing them to environmental threats," said EPA Administrator Jackson. "These Green Ribbon Schools are making our schools healthier places to learn, and giving students hands-on STEM learning opportunities that show them how the environment connects to their own lives. Those experiences will be valuable to their future, and ours."

"The Green Ribbon Schools program is a wonderful example of our overall National Prevention Strategy to increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life," said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Benjamin. "These schools show us how we can make health and wellness a part of our children's everyday lives."

In 2012, more than 350 schools completed applications to some 30 state education agencies. Schools will have another opportunity to apply to their state education agencies for their nominations to the Department this winter. Next year's program criteria will be published this summer for states to develop those competitions and will require state agencies to submit their nominees in early 2013. Fourteen states have already indicated their intent to nominate schools in the next round of the competition.
U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools resources.
U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools blogs.
U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools on Facebook.
A complete list of the 2012 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools follows:
Alabama
Munford Elementary School? Munford, Alabama
Winterboro High School? Talladega, Alabama
Arizona
The STAR School? Flagstaff, Arizona
Roadrunner Elementary School? Phoenix, Arizona
Arkansas
Acorn High School? Mena, Arkansas
California
Longfellow Elementary School ?Long Beach, California
Environmental Charter High School? Lawndale, California
Grand View Elementary School? Manhattan Beach, California
The Athenian School? Danville, California
Colorado
Flagstone Elementary School? Castle Rock, Colorado
Denver Green School ?Denver, Colorado
Wellington Middle School? Wellington, Colorado
District of Columbia
Stoddert Elementary School? Washington, DC
Sidwell Friends Middle School? Washington, DC
Florida
Learning Gate Community School? Lutz, Florida
Pine Jog Elementary School? West Palm Beach, Florida
TERRA Environmental Research Institute? Miami, Florida
Georgia
Springdale Park Elementary School? Atlanta, Georgia
Arabia Mountain High School? Lithonia, Georgia
Savannah Country Day School? Savannah, Georgia
Hawaii
Ewa Makai Middle School? Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Hawaii Preparatory Academy? Kamuela, Hawaii
Illinois
Academy for Global Citizenship? Chicago, Illinois
Thomas J. Waters Elementary School ?Chicago, Illinois
Prairie Crossing Charter School? Grayslake, Illinois
Iowa
Des Moines Central Campus High School? Des Moines, Iowa
Kansas
Eisenhower High School? Goddard, Kansas
Erie High School? Erie, Kansas
Brookwood Elementary? Leawood, Kansas
Kentucky
Rosa Parks Elementary School? Lexington, Kentucky
Georgetown Middle School? Georgetown, Kentucky
Richardsville Elementary School? Bowling Green, Kentucky
Maryland
Dunloggin Middle School? Ellicott City, Maryland
Francis Scott Key Middle School? Silver Spring, Maryland
Folger McKinsey Elementary School? Severna Park, Maryland
Lucy School? Middletown, Maryland
Michigan
Clarkston High School? Clarkston, Michigan
Detroit Edison Public School Academy ?Detroit, Michigan
Minnesota
North Shore Community School? Duluth, Minnesota
Garlough Environmental Magnet School? West St. Paul, Minnesota
Kennedy Community School? Saint Joseph, Minnesota
Missouri
Crossroads College Preparatory School? St. Louis, Missouri
The College School? St. Louis, Missouri
Nebraska
Lothrop Science & Technology Magnet Center? Omaha, Nebraska
Miller Park Elementary ?Omaha, Nebraska
New Jersey
Bernards High School? Bernardsville, New Jersey
Midtown Community Elementary School? Neptune, New Jersey
Alder Avenue Middle School ?Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
The Willow School? Gladstone, New Jersey
New York
Hampton Bays Middle School? Hampton Bays, New York
Sleepy Hollow Middle School? Sleepy Hollow, New York
Bethlehem Central Middle School? Delmar, New York
North Carolina
Evergreen Community Charter School? Asheville, North Carolina
American Hebrew Academy ?Greensboro, North Carolina
North Dakota (Bureau of Indian Education)
Circle of Nations? Wahpeton, North Dakota
Ohio
Loveland High School? Loveland, Ohio
North Adams Elementary School? Seaman, Ohio
Oregon
Sunnyside Environmental School ?Portland, Oregon
Willamina Elementary School? Willamina, Oregon
Gladstone High School? Gladstone, Oregon
Catlin Gable School? Portland, Oregon
Pennsylvania
Radnor Middle School? Wayne, Pennsylvania
Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School? Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
A.W. Beattie Career Center? Allison Park, Pennsylvania
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy ?Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Classical High School? Providence, Rhode Island
Nathan Bishop Middle School? Providence, Rhode Island
Virginia
Fishburn Park Elementary Schoo l?Roanoke, Virginia
The Gereau Center for Applied Technology & Career Exploration? Rocky Mount, Virginia
Washington
Tahoma Junior High School? Ravensdale, Washington
Camelot Elementary School ?Auburn, Washington
Secondary Academy for Success? Bothell, Washington
The Overlake School? Redmond, Washington
West Virginia
Hilltop Elementary School? Wheeling, West Virginia
Wyoming County Career & Technical Center ?Pineville, West Virginia
Wisconsin
Dimensions of Learning Academy? Kenosha, Wisconsin
Middleton High School? Middleton, Wisconsin
Purdy Elementary School ?Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIES REMIND GRADUATING STUDENTS OF NEW HEALTH CARE COVERAGE OPTIONS

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Secretaries Duncan and Sebelius Remind Graduating Students of New Health Coverage Options Under Health Care Law
Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are reaching out to campus leaders to remind graduating high school, college and university seniors about their new health insurance options under the Affordable Care Act – the health care law.

Because of the new law, many young adults will be eligible to remain on their parent's health plan until their 26th birthday. The Secretaries sent letters to college and university presidents as well as student associations encouraging them to spread that information to college students.

"The Affordable Care Act now gives students and their families peace of mind about their health insurance," said Secretary Sebelius. "The President's health law gives hard-working, middle-class families the security they deserve."

In the past, many young adults were removed from their parent's health plan when they graduated from college or high school. Previously, young adults were about twice as likely as older adults to lose private health coverage due to aging out of coverage. However, because of the health care law, 2.5 million more young adults have gained health coverage since September 2010.

"By partnering with school leaders, we hope more young Americans are aware of their options so they can access the care they need to stay healthy," said Secretary Duncan. "Many graduates are focusing on paying back student loans in a tough economy – they don't need to take on the cost of high medical bills, too."
The letter outlined ways university officials and student leaders can reach out to graduating students including:
Universities or student groups can post a new "badge" on their websites that automatically links to information on how students can remain on a parents' health insurance plan. Download the badge by visiting www.healthcare.gov/stay_connected.html#ya.

Brochures outlining the new benefits can be distributed to students and are available for download atwww.healthcare.gov/center/brochures/new_benefits_for_graduates_and_young....
Staff can talk to students about other insurance options— including improvements to student health plans starting this summer thanks to the health care law.

Information for young adults and parents about coverage for individuals under age 26 is available on a Facebook page that can be found at: www.facebook.com/youngadultcoverage.
The letter can be found at http://www.healthcare.gov/law/resources/letters/young-adults05212012a.htmland http://www.healthcare.gov/law/resources/letters/young-adults05212012a.pdf.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT GIVES OUT $254 MILLION FOR PREPARING STUDENTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Education Department Announces $254 Million for Upward Bound Projects to Help About 60,000 Students Access and Succeed in Higher Education

The U.S. Department of Education announced its first set of awards for 780 Upward Bound projects today, which will help close to 60,000 students acquire the knowledge and skills they need to access and succeed in college. These grants represent more than $254 million to fund projects that are designed to increase both the high school graduation and college completion rates of low-income, first-generation students.

In addition, following statutory requirements, the Department will be awarding a second slate of almost $9 million in the coming weeks, which will result in the program providing in total over $260 million to serve almost 62,000 students.

“A college education is the ticket to the middle class, and these Upward Bound projects will help students take the next step toward the American Dream,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “The Upward Bound program has a long history of providing key support to those who need it the most. Continuing to provide these resources for disadvantaged students will help to build a college-educated workforce in communities across the nation and ultimately revitalize our country’s economy.”

Due to the expiration of College Cost Reduction and Access Act funds, significantly less money – about $49 million – is available for Upward Bound grants in 2012 than was awarded in the last competition. Despite the reduction, due to increased efficiencies and new funding strategies the Department will serve almost the same number of students as it did in the last competition.

In the FY 2012 competition, the Department took steps to strategically align Upward Bound with overarching reform strategies for K-12 and to further enhance the Administration’s 2020 college completion goal. Through the inclusion of targeted preference priorities, many of this year’s grantees will be serving more students in the persistently lowest-achieving schools; emphasizing data to help drive decision-making; and being more productive to make better use of resources in achieving improved results. It also introduced a new funding framework that created strong incentives for applicants to serve additional students, while still having a safety valve that gave less efficient applicants room to improve.

EDUCATION HAS PLAN TO BETTER MEASURES OF POST-SECONDARY SUCCESS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ECUCATION
Education Department Releases Action Plan To Improve Measures of Postsecondary Success
To provide more complete information on student persistence and completion, the Education Department released an action plan today that takes steps to augment its current measures of student success in postsecondary education. Graduation rate reporting required for institutions of higher education will be broadened to include part-time and other students who have previously attended postsecondary education.

Current law excludes a substantial portion of the student population by only requiring that schools track graduation rates for full-time, first-time students. The additional reporting would supplement this existing requirement.

“Not all students take a linear path in their pursuit of higher education,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan. “Many students work full-time and are balancing family obligations while also attending school. These new outcome measures will accurately demonstrate how postsecondary schools are preparing students for success in different ways.”

Entitled “Action Plan for Improving Measures of Postsecondary Success,” the plan responds to the final report of the Committee on Measures of Student Success (CMSS). The committee was created under the Higher Education Opportunity Act to help two-year degree granting institutions comply with the law’s disclosure requirements, and to develop alternate measures of student success that are comparable to completion and graduation rates. The 15-member committee, appointed by Secretary Duncan in June of 2010, held five public meetings in 13 months and made several recommendations that are incorporated in the action plan.

One key recommendation adopted by the Department is that broader measures of student success be implemented for four-year as well as two-year institutions.
“Better data across institutions is the basis for finding sound solutions to help students stay in school and complete their postsecondary studies,” Duncan said. “It is critical to their success and our nation’s economic prosperity.”

About 7000 postsecondary institutions that participate in federal student aid programs report their graduation rates through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) of the Department’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In addition to taking steps to expand the population of students to include part-time and others who are not attending postsecondary education for the first time, NCES is examining other measures to better document students’ progression through higher education as well as other significant outcomes.

The action plan also includes activities and grant opportunities to help schools and states strengthen their capacity to collect and disseminate quality data. Among them are:

Developing easy-to-use templates that institutions can use to meet the HEOA disclosure requirements;
Making improved data collection and reporting a focus in its postsecondary education initiatives and grant programs;

Continuing to provide incentive funding to strengthen states’ data infrastructures through Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) grants, which will award round five recipients this spring;
Convening a summit this year to highlight promising practices in the collection and dissemination of data related to student success, such as student learning and employment.
Action Plan for Improving Measures of Postsecondary Success can be found at:http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/ous/initiatives. The process and timeline for implementing the additional measures are under development and will be posted at that site in the next few weeks.