E-Update for the Week of April 19, 2021

Highlights:

• On April 16, the White House announced the president’s intention to nominate Gwen Graham to serve as USED Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs.
• On April 15, the Senate HELP Committee held a full Committee hearing to begin consideration of James Kvaal to serve as USED Under Secretary.
• On April 15, the White House announced that it will be releasing child care funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

Biden Administration:

Nominations and Personnel:

HELP Committee expected to advance Marten, Kvaal nominations this Wednesday: On April 21, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a full Committee executive session during which they will consider the nominations of Cindy Marten to serve as USED Deputy Secretary and James Kvaal to serve as USED Under Secretary. Given statements of Republican members of the Committee during their nomination hearings, it is expected both nominees could advance through the Committee with some Republican support and will move to the full Senate for confirmation. More information is here.
April 21, 2021

White House announces first USED assistant secretary nomination, proposes Gwen Graham as Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs: The White House announced the president’s intention to nominate Gwen Graham to serve as USED Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs. Graham is a former Member of Congress, having served during the 114^th Congress as a Democratic Member from Florida. She currently serves as a board director of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida, the Florida State Parks Foundation, Ruth’s List, and the Vice Chair of the City of Tallahassee Independent Ethics Boards. In response to the announcement, USED Secretary Cardona stated, “Graham brings decades of invaluable experience as a public education leader, federal legislator, and public servant to this role. As a graduate of public schools and the parent of public school graduates, she is keenly aware of the importance of a strong public education system that serves all students well.” The White House announcement is here. The Secretary’s statement is here.
April 16, 2021

Kvaal, nominee for USED Under Secretary, faces largely supportive Senate HELP Committee: The Senate HELP Committee held a full Committee hearing to begin consideration of James Kvaal to serve as USED Under Secretary. During the hearing, Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) emphasized concerns about the rising cost of college and the inequities that result, especially in light of the pandemic. Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC) expressed concerns with the costs associated with President Biden’s proposals to relieve certain amounts of federal student loan debt, as well as the costs required to provide free college. However, there was a bipartisan emphasis on finding new solutions to supporting students and ensuring they can enter the workforce prepared – there were specific mentions of supporting apprenticeship and job training programs, as well as supporting community colleges and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Kvaal underscored his commitment to public service and expressed his desire to work with Members of Congress to find bipartisan solutions to challenges facing students and colleges. During the question and answer portion of the hearing, several Republicans concluded their questions by saying they looked forward to working with Kvaal and Ranking Member Burr noted that he was likely to support Kvaal’s confirmation. A recording of the hearing is here. Full opening remarks from Chairwoman Murray are here. Full opening remarks from Ranking Member Burr are here.
April 15, 2021

Budget and Appropriations:

House Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee examines FY22 HHS budget: The House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee held a subcommittee hearing to explore the President’s FY2022 budget request for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), during which HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra testified. While the hearing largely focused on the Department’s efforts to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, including vaccine distribution, Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) did emphasize the need to increase investments in early childhood and child care programs. The Chairwoman specifically recognized that the FY2022 budget request for HHS would provide $19.8 billion for the Department’s child care programs and appreciated the Department’s leadership by proposing a budget that “put children and families first.” A recording of the hearing is here. Full opening remarks from Chairwoman DeLauro are here.

Additionally, during the hearing, Chairwoman DeLauro announced that the House Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee will consider the FY2022 budget request for the U.S. Department of Education (USED) on April 27.  USED Secretary Miguel Cardona is expected to testify during that hearing.
April 15, 2021

Coronavirus Updates (as related to education):

White House:

Biden Administration releases ARP funds to support child care programs and providers: The White House announced that it will be releasing child care funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. According to the White House, the child care grants will be awarded on a formula basis to states, territories, and tribe for two types of ARP child care funding – $24 billion in Child Care Stabilization Grants and $15 billion in supplemental Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funds. Additionally, the White House released a fact sheet related to the release. Within the fact sheet, the White House notes that in the “coming weeks” the Administration will release the following: (1) guidance to states, tribes, and territories, while also providing technical assistance like webinars and peer-to-peer learning opportunities, to support states, tribes, and territories as they make historic investments in saving and rebuilding their child care systems, providing high-quality care to children, and getting families back to work, and (2) Frequently Asked Questions on the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to equip parents with the information they need to claim the credit next year. A press release is here. The fact sheet is here.
April 15, 2021

Congress:

Foxx, Burr push Becerra to describe plans, position on supporting states and providers to spend ARP child care funds: House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC) wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra urging him to provide details on HHS spending guidance for states regarding child care funds in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. In the letter, the Members ask for a “detailed summary of the agency’s position regarding the concept of spending funds quickly as a means to justify increased future appropriations.” The Members also asked for the Department to confirm how it is ensuring taxpayer funds are properly respected and protected against fraud and abuse. The letter is here, and a press release is here.
April 14, 2021

Non-Coronavirus Updates:

Congress:

Senate:

Murray requests Cardona’s support in preventing anti-AAPI harassment and discrimination: Senate HELP Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to USED Secretary Miguel Cardona urging him to take actions to ensure that elementary and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education address the “increasing harassment and discrimination targeted at Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students and educators.” The Chairwoman specifically requested the Secretary remind schools of their responsibility to provide all students a safe place to learn and to provide additional guidance for how schools can protect students from bullying, harassment, and violence. “I hope the Department will remind K-12 schools and IHEs of their responsibility to provide safe learning environments for students regardless of their race, ethnicity, or national origin, and point them towards new and existing resources to help them navigate their responsibilities to their students and staff members if instances of discrimination or harassment on the basis of race or national origin arise,” stated Chairwoman Murray. A press release is here. The full letter is here.
April 16, 2021

Warren releases USED data detailing impact of potential student loan relief: Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) released data from USED which showed the potential impact of large-scale, blanket student loan cancellation, should the Biden Administration act. The data showed that if the federal government were to provide up to $50,000 of student loan forgiveness per borrower, 36 million of the 45 million federal student loan borrowers – roughly 80 percent – would have their debt eliminated. The data also includes 9.8 million of the 10.3 million federal student loan borrowers who were either in default or more than three months delinquent on their debt at the end of 2019. In addition to projecting the impact of widespread debt cancellation, the data also showed that millions of borrowers have been carrying federal student loan debt for decades, with more than 10.6 million borrowers having been in repayment for more than 10 years. The data can be found here.
April 13, 2021

Upcoming Events (Congressional and Administration):

Administration:

• On April 21 at 3:00 pm, the National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments will hold an event titled, “Engaging Families in Re-Entry Planning.” The webinar will discuss school reopening and how schools and districts can effectively engage families as they plan on the return to in-person learning. More information and registration are here.
• On April 27 at 3:00 pm, the National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments will hold an event titled, “Evidence-Based Practices for Equity in Social and Emotional Learning.” The webinar will focus on lessons learned from district leaders as they have implemented continuous improvement practices for social and emotional learning, school climate, and other whole person initiatives. The webinar will focus specifically on effective practices for using data to advance equitable outcomes. More information and registration are here.

Congressional:

• On April 20 at 10:00 am, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, “Building Capacity, Building Community: Increasing Investments in Community Colleges.” The hearing will feature testimony from Dr. William Brown, CEO of Gateway Community College; Dr. Walter Bumphus, President and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges; Ms. Kelli Jordan, Director of IBM Career Skills and Performance; and Dr. Mary Alice McCarthy, Director of New America’s Center on Education and Labor. More information is here.
• On April 20 at 10:00 am, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a full Committee hearing titled, “COVID-19 Recovery: Supporting Workers and Modernizing the Workforce Through Quality Education, Training, and Employment Opportunities.” The hearing will feature testimony from Ms. Maria Flynn, President and CEO of Jobs for the Future; Ms. Deniece Thomas, Deputy Commission of Workforce Learning and Development of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development; Dr. Scott Ralls, President of Wake Technical Community College; and Mr. Alejandro Mendoza, Human Resources Director of Optimax Systems, Inc. More information is here.
• On April 20 at 10:00 am, the House Agriculture Committee will hold a full Committee hearing titled, “Rural Broadband – Examining Internet Connectivity Needs and Opportunities in Rural America.” No witnesses have yet been announced. More information will be posted here.
• On April 20 at 10:15 am, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a full Committee hearing titled, “For-Profit College Conversions: Examining Ways to Improve Accountability and Prevent Fraud.” No witnesses have yet been announced. More information will be posted here.
• On April 20 at 10:30 am, the full Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing to examine the American Jobs Plan, focusing on infrastructure, climate change, and investing in our nation’s future. A webcast of the hearing is expected to be available on the Committee’s website here. More information is available here.
• On April 21, the Senate HELP Committee will hold an executive session to consider the nominations of Cindy Marten to serve as USED Deputy Secretary, and James Kvaal to serve as USED Under Secretary. More information will be posted here.
• On April 21 at 12:00 pm, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a full Committee hearing titled, “In Their Own Words: Paid Leave, Child Care, and an Economy That Failed Women.” No witnesses have yet been announced. More information will be posted here.
• On April 22 at 10:15 am, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a full Committee hearing titled, “Members Day Hearing.” No witnesses have yet been announced. More information will be posted here.
• On April 27, it is expected the House Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine the USED FY2022 budget request. The hearing was announced during a prior Subcommittee hearing, but no official notice has been published. It is expected USED Secretary Miguel Cardona will testify.
• On April 29 at 12:00 pm, the House Financial Services Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, “Closing the Racial and Gender Wealth Gap Through Compensation Equity.” No witnesses have yet been announced. More information will be posted here.

Upcoming Events (Outside Organizations):

• On April 19 at 1:00 pm, Whiteboard Advisors will hold an event titled, “One Year Later: How is Higher Ed Putting Stimulus Funding to Work?” The panel discussion will focus on how colleges and universities are making use of the higher education relief funds included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including the creative and counterintuitive ways that the funding has helped institutions navigate this unprecedented time. More information and registration are here.
• On April 19 at 2:00 pm, the Brookings Institution will hold an event titled, “Teacher Diversity and Student Success: Why Racial Representation Matters in the Classroom.” The webinar will discuss a new book by Seth Gershenson, Constance Lindsay, and Brookings Senior Fellow Michael Hansen on this topic, and will include a broader conversation on the importance of diversifying the teaching force as a key step to closing student achievement gaps and moving schools closer to equity goals. More information and registration are here.
• On April 20 at 1:00 pm, Results for America (RFA) will hold a series of conversations, titled, “Why Data-Driven Government Matters: A Conversation with Michael Lewis,” and “What Can the Federal Government Do to Close Racial Gaps? A Conversation with Ambassador Susan Rice.” The event is part of RFA’s year-long series of conversations with leading policymakers, authors, philanthropists and social entrepreneurs on how to rebuild trust in government and help government deliver for the American people to make progress on our toughest challenges. More information and registration are here.
• On April 20 at 5:00 pm, the GLSEN and the National Safe Learning Partnership will hold an event titled, “Liberated Education: The Need for Police-Free Schools.” The fire-side chat will focus on police-free schools and will feature a review of GLSEN’s new issue brief: Civil Rights Principles for Safe, Healthy, & Inclusive School Climates. More information and registration are here.
• On April 21 at 1:00 pm, The 74 will hold an event titled, “Where Are All the Students: Dis-Enrollment in America.” The webinar will focus on the impact of parents dis-enrolling their children from public schools amid the COVID pandemic. More information and registration are here.
• On April 22 at 2:00 pm, Zero To Three will hold an event titled, “State of the Babies Yearbook 2021 Summit.” The webinar will focus on the recently released State of the Babies Yearbook, and will feature a conversation about the yearbook’s findings, stories behind the data, and national policy recommendations that can ensure families and babies thrive. More information and registration are here.
• On April 22 at 3:30 pm, Mastery Collaborative (MC), CompetencyWorks, and KnowledgeWorks will cohost an event titled, “Let’s Hear It from the Next Generation! Virtual Panels with Mastery Collaborative Youth Advisors.” The webinar will feature a conversation with Mastery Collaborative Youth Advisors, who will speak about topics such as a sense of belonging in school and living/learning through a dual pandemic. More information and registration is here.
• On April 23 at 1:00 pm, the Bipartisan Policy Center will hold an event titled, “Supporting Small Child Care Businesses During COVID-19 Roundtable Discussion.” The roundtable discussion will focus on supporting small child care businesses, many of which are women-owned and forced to operate on small budgets and slim profit margins. More information and registration are here.

Publications (Congressional and Administration):

• On April 14, Mark Schneider, Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), wrote a post that followed up on part one of his anniversary blog and outlined his priorities for IES’ agenda during the next five years. In the post, Director Schneider discussed his intention to establish a Center for Excellence in Education Data Sciences within IES; his hope to be a “good shepherd” of the $100 million of funding for IES included in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act; and his plan to create new programs to continue supporting use of statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDS) data to answer questions raised by researchers, by state policy makers, and by parents and students. The full post is here.

Publications (Outside Organizations):

• On April 15, the Boston Consulting Group and Common Sense published a report titled, “Closing the K-12 Digital Divide in the Age of Distance Learning.” The report analyzes the digital divide for K-12 public school students and teachers and found that the “homework gap” is larger than previous estimated. Key findings include that approximately 15 million to 16 million K-12 public school students, or 30% of all public K-12 students, live in households either without an internet connection or device adequate for distance learning at home; that the digital divide is most pronounced in rural communities and households with Black, Latinx, and Native American students; and that 300,000 to 400,000 K-12 teachers, or roughly 10% of all public school teachers, live in households without adequate internet connectivity. The full report is here.
• On April 15, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) published a report titled, “What’s Behind Racial Differences in Attitudes Toward School Reopening (and What to Do About Them)?” The report leveraged different surveys fielded throughout 2020 and into early 2021 to examine the emergence and persistence of racial polarization in public opinion regarding when and whether to reopen schools. Key findings include that nearly twice as many parents of color reported that their child’s school was providing only virtual instruction in November compared to white families, and racial gaps persisted into the spring; that one of the strongest predictors of attitudes toward in-person learning is whether one’s own school has reopened; and that the racial disparities in access to in-person learning options appear to be one cause (rather than merely a consequence) of continued disagreement among racial groups about whether it is safe for kids to return to school. The full report is here.
• On April 14, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis published a report titled, “COVID-19’s Disruptions Disproportionately Hit Child Care Workers.” The report analyzes the pandemic’s outsized impact on employment for the child care industry, and highlights the need to support child care workers, who have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic, and the industry, which is critical to a robust economic recovery from the pandemic. Key findings include identifying that over 40% percent of child care workers who were employed in February 2020 were unemployed in April 2020; that through the second half of 2020, employment remained around 30 percent below pre-pandemic levels; and that child care workers who remained employed during the pandemic worked fewer hours than before. The full report is here.
• On April 13, the Wallace Foundation published a report titled, “The Role of Assistant Principals: Evidence and Insights for Advancing School Leadership.” Through a synthesis of 20 years of research on assistant principals in U.S. public schools, as well as analyses of data from national and state sources, the report examines the role of Assistant Principal (AP), which has grown increasingly prevalent in recent years as the numbers of schools with the role increase. The report ultimately concludes that with the proper training and development, APs could make more powerful contributions to important efforts including advancing educational equity, improving schools, and fostering principal effectiveness. Other key findings include that that the number of APs jumped from 44,000 to 81,000 from the 1990-1991 school year to the 2015-2016 school year; that there has been substantial growth in the proportion of principals with AP experience, suggesting that serving as an AP has become an increasingly common stop along the pathway to the principalship; and that while racial and gender disparities persist in the school leadership pipeline, it seems that there are a higher percentage of APs of color, compared to principals of color. The full report is here.
• On April 12, the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and the Center on Poverty and Social Policy published a report titled, “A Lifetime’s Worth of Benefits: The Effects of Affordable, High-Quality Child Care on Family Income, the Gender Earnings Gap, and Women’s Retirement Security.” The report examined data to determine the impact of high-quality, affordable child care on parents’, specifically mothers’, outcomes. Key findings of the report include identifying that expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care will increase the number of women with young children working full-time/full-year, especially for women with less than a college degree; will narrow the unconditional earnings gap between men and women by allowing more women to enter the workforce and work more hours; will increase lifetime earnings for women, with the greatest effects for Black and Latina women; and will improve the economic and retirement security of child care workers. The full report is here.
• On March 31, NWEA published a report titled, “Preparing Early Learners: Considerations for Supporting the Kindergarten Class of 2021.” The report offers considerations for district, school, and classroom leaders as they plan for the incoming kindergarten class, particularly in the context of changing public school kindergarten enrollment resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Key takeaways include expecting greater age differences in kindergarten (and some first-grade) classrooms, as a result of substantial enrollment drops during the 2021-21 school year; preparing for wider skill disparities upon entry, as the pandemic exacerbated the many existing inequities that cause early learning opportunity disparities; utilizing summer as an opportunity to get kids kindergarten-ready; and using data to drive evidence-based decision making and understand long-term implications. The full report is here.

Legislation:

H.R.2459
A bill to require the Secretary of Labor to award grants for promoting industry or sector partnerships to encourage industry growth and competitiveness and to improve worker training, retention, and advancement as part of an infrastructure investment.
Sponsor: Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)

H.R.2460
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize borrowers to separate joint consolidation loans.
Sponsor: Rep. David Price (D-NC)

H.R.2498
A bill to provide for the discharge of a private education loan in the case of death or total and permanent disability of a student obligor, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA)

H.R.2520
A bill to assess the impact of school closures due to COVID-19, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD)

H.R.2525
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education to disclose hazing incidents, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA)

H.R.2539
A bill to direct the Secretary of Education to make grants for hate crime prevention and prejudice reduction education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)

H.R.2555
A bill to amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to establish a grant program to provide grants to local agencies and clinics to improve the health of mothers and infants, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC)

H.R.2560
A bill to amend the Head Start Act to authorize block grants to States for prekindergarten education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN)

H.R.2592
A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide that children who have relocated from Puerto Rico to the States are fully considered for purposes of State allotments under the English Language Acquisition grants.
Sponsor: Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL)

S.1078
A bill to require the Secretary of Labor to award grants for promoting industry or sector partnerships to encourage industry growth and competitiveness and to improve worker training, retention, and advancement as part of an infrastructure investment.
Sponsor: Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)

S.1098
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize borrowers to separate joint consolidation loans.
Sponsor: Senator Mark Warner (D-VA)

S.1126
A bill to amend the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 and the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 to strengthen research in adult education.
Sponsor: Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)

S.1152
A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide that children who have relocated from Puerto Rico to the States are fully considered for purposes of State allotments under the English Language Acquisition grants.
Sponsor: Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)

S.1153
A bill to amend the Head Start Act to authorize block grants to States for prekindergarten education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Senator Mike Lee (R-UT)

S.1173
A bill to establish a matched savings program for low-income students.
Sponsor: Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)