The information covered below is from October 25, 2024, through November 7, 2024.

Highlights:

• On October 30, the Biden Administration announced $19 million in new grants to five Hispanic-Serving Institutions that will support each institution in building their research and physical infrastructures.
• On October 30, the Biden Administration issued a fact sheet with key accomplishments made related to artificial intelligence on the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.
• On October 28, the U.S. Department of Education hosted an event titled, “Supporting State Action to Advance the Education Profession” to convene education leaders and researchers to discuss evidence-based strategies and programs to boost the number of teachers, increase teacher diversity, and improve teacher retention.

Administration:

White House:

White House announces $19 million in new grants to Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) following July Executive Order to invest in research and physical infrastructures: On October 30, the Biden Administration announced $19 million in new grants to five HSIs that will support each institution in building their research and physical infrastructures. The announcement was paired with a ceremonial signing of President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) on White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through Hispanic-Serving Institutions, which was first put into place in July 2024 and aims to strengthen the federal government’s commitment to advancing opportunity for HSIs and the students they serve. The EO is a new Initiative and includes the first-ever President’s Board of Advisors on HSIs to increase awareness of opportunities for HSIs to equally participate in Federal programs, and identify best practices for HSIs to scale effective strategies and programs to support the educational success and economic mobility of their students, among other priorities. An announcement from the USED noted that the new investments are made through the Department’s Research and Development Infrastructure Program (RDI) to support institutions in increasing their level of research activity and advance their Carnegie Classification designations.

White House releases key AI accomplishments in the year since the Biden-⁠Harris Administration’s Executive Order: On October 30, the Biden Administration issued a fact sheet with key accomplishments made related to artificial intelligence on the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The fact sheet states that the requirements established in the EO of the federal agencies have been completed on schedule, including the USED’s toolkit for AI use in education. Additionally, the fact sheet describes the launch of the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot, a national infrastructure led by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) to study AI safety and materials engineering, among other issues. The NSF and DOE are also promoting AI education through the EducateAI initiative, which provides funding for educators to create high-quality, inclusive AI educational opportunities at the K-12 through undergraduate levels.

U.S. Department of Education (USED):

USED hosts event to present best practices to address educator shortages and elevate the teaching profession: On October 28, the USED hosted an event titled, “Supporting State Action to Advance the Education Profession” to convene education leaders and researchers to discuss evidence-based strategies and programs to boost the number of teachers, increase teacher diversity, and improve teacher retention. The event, which was supported by the Hunt Institute and Teach.org, included three sessions which featured research and exemplary work to increase educator compensation, expand access to high-quality and affordable educator preparation, and increase educator diversity in Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, and Tennessee. USED Secretary Cardona also spoke at the event.

In the first session focused on increasing educator diversity, Dr. Cassandra Herring of the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity stressed the beneficial impacts teacher diversity brings and ways to increase teacher diversity including loan forgiveness for teacher preparation programs, increased access to scholarships, and principal leadership development opportunities. State exemplars from this session included Massachusetts and their Aspiring Principal Fellowship program, Colorado’s educator recruitment and retention program, and Illinois’ efforts to increase recruitment and persistence in education prep programs. The second session focused on high-quality and affordable pathways to teaching, during which Ryan Saunders of Learning Policy Institute discussed the importance of high-quality teacher preparation programs; some states provide coverage of program costs in exchange for multi-year commitments from participants to teach in rural and urban schools and residency programs to prepare participants to teach in the communities where they are placed. State exemplars from this session include Michigan and Tennessee’s Grow Your Own teacher programs and New Mexico and its teacher residency program. The third session focused on improving teacher compensation and featured Dale Templeton and Kathleen Flaherty of the National Education Association, who promoted the benefits of higher pay on student outcomes, teacher retention, as well as ways to promote effective educator compensation. State exemplars for this session included Maryland, which promoted its Blueprint for Maryland’s Future plan and Nevada where teacher pay was increased after the success of the Time for 20 Campaign: Invest in Educators campaign. Finally, Secretary Cardona spoke about the need for educators to have increased agency, better workloads, competitive salaries, and livable wages, as well as increased teacher diversity.

USED Deputy Chief Data Officer for Innovation and Engagement and other Administration officials remark on evidence, data, and AI at Data Foundation event: On October 30, the Data Foundation hosted an event titled, “govDATAx” to reflect on the achievements of the past five years since The Evidence Act was passed, and consider strategies for advancing data-driven innovation across government. The Evidence Act, signed into law in 2019, requires federal agencies to develop evidence-building plans, Annual Evaluation Plans, and agency evaluation policies, and conduct capacity assessments to further evidence-building activities. Sessions at the event included topics such as applying framework for artificial intelligence (AI) in government agencies and successes in using evidence-based approaches, at which Brent Madoo, Acting USED Deputy Chief Data Officer for Innovation and Engagement, spoke. In a discussion about the current use of evidence and data, Madoo expressed enthusiasm for the advancements the Department has made in applying evidence-based practices in policies and practices. Specifically, Madoo named the recently-announced Postsecondary Success Recognition Program, which was created to recognize institutions that use data and evidence-based practices to ensure all students are earning credentials of value. Several of the speakers from federal agencies, including Madoo, spoke about the challenges in adapting current government technologies to implement AI, referring to their current processes as “legacy systems,” or those that are not up-to-date with the software that AI needs to operate successfully. Madoo also expressed a sense of urgency in updating systems to be able to collect, connect, and use data to best serve students.

USED Secretary Cardona visits Arizona to elevate the importance of early learning and multilingual education: On October 31, USED Secretary Miguel Cardona traveled to Tucson, Arizona to uplift the importance of early learning and multilingual education. Secretary Cardona first visited a multilingual early childhood classroom in a K-8 school and shared a video of his time with students in a post on X. Additionally, Secretary Cardona hosted a conversation with local leaders on the importance of multilingual and multicultural learning in schools.

Congress:

House:

House Education and Workforce Committee releases report on antisemitism on college campuses in continuation of investigation: On October 31, the House Education and the Workforce Committee majority released a report titled, “Antisemitism on College Campuses Exposed,” which studied how antisemitism impacted college campuses and the safety of Jewish students, faculty, and staff. The report names four primary conclusions of its ongoing investigation:

• “University administrators made astounding concessions to the organizers of illegal encampments.
• University administrators deliberately chose to withhold support from Jewish students.
• University administrators overwhelmingly failed to impose meaningful discipline for those who engaged in antisemitic conduct.
• University administrators considered Congressional oversight a nuisance at best and with open hostility at worst.”

The report names instances of harassment and threats to safety on specific college campuses, as concurrent investigations continue at Harvard University, Yale University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others. Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) penned an op-ed in the New York Post describing the findings of the report, stating, “What we discovered was a massive, systemic failure by university administrators to respond to the antisemitic displays roiling their campuses.”

Upcoming Events (Congress & Administration):

• On November 12 at 4:00 p.m., the House Rules Committee will meet to consider H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act. Companion bills were first introduced in both chambers in July by Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Congresswoman Erin Houchin (R-IN), and would establish an earlier application processing cycle for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The bill follows delays in FAFSA implementation for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, and would require the USED to make the FAFSA available each year on October 1. Bill text for H.R. 8932 can be found here.
• On November 14 and 15, the National Assessment Governing Board will host standing committee meetings and a quarterly Governing Board meeting. The agenda for the quarterly Governing Board meeting includes updates on the board’s work from Lesley Muldoon, Governing Board Executive Director, followed by an update from NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr and a closed session to receive an update on the NAEP Budget and Contracting. The Reporting and Dissemination Committee and Executive Committee will hold additional open meetings, while the following committees will hold closed sessions: Nominations Committee, Assessment Development Committee, and the Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology. More information on the meetings can be found here, and the public may submit written comments related to the work of the Governing Board and its standing committees to Angela.Scott@ed.gov or in hard copy to the address listed in the notice no later than close of business on November 6, 2024.
• On November 15 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the National Board for Education Sciences will hold a Board meeting. The meeting will include a closed session to discuss member qualifications for the position of Vice Chair of the Board, and an open session to elect a Vice Chair for the Board and to authorize submission of the annual report upon completion and review. Information on how members of the public can access the meeting and submit public comment is here.
• On November 20 at 10:00 a.m., the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) Advisory Council will hold a hybrid meeting. The purpose of this meeting is for the council to provide advice and recommendations to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on how to leverage HBCUs and MSIs to help diversify the agency's workforce and nurture the next generation of environmental leaders and ensure that these institutions of higher learning have the resources and support needed. Members of the public who wish to participate during the public comment period can register here, and written comments must be submitted by December 5.

Upcoming Events (Outside Organizations):

• On November 12 at 12:30 p.m., the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading will hold a webinar titled, “Words in Every Neighborhood: Citywide Efforts to Expand Literacy-Rich Environments.” The webinar will serve as a re-launch of the Crucible of Practice Salons, where a series of sessions will explore strategies for cultivating literacy-rich environments. This session will highlight efforts to cultivate literacy-rich environments in Philadelphia, and panelists will discuss replicable strategies for fostering community-wide literacy through collaborations between local nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies. The conversation will be moderated by Priscilla Little from The Learning Agenda and feature the following speakers: Jenny Bogoni, Read By 4th at the Free Library of Philadelphia; Amanda Charles, William Penn Foundation; Emily Nanney, Charlotte-Mecklenberg Library; Rachael Todaro, City of Philadelphia; and Dea Wright, City of Milwaukee. More information and registration are here.
• On November 13 at 9:00 a.m., the Brookings Institute will host a webinar titled, “Beyond the buzzword: Collaboration for transformed education systems.” Brookings’ Center for Universal Education will introduce the Collaboration Conversation series and provide an overview of the Knowing-Doing Network (KDN), a global community dedicated to transforming education systems to ensure that children and youth are able to learn what they want and need to thrive. This first session will explore the foundational “whats,” “whys,” “hows,” and evolving sense of purpose for the KDN, as well as insights from our collective work and strategies for meaningful collaboration. Speakers include: Jennifer L. O’Donoghue, Deputy Director of the Center for Universal Education and Senior Fellow for Global Economy and Development; Nasrin Siddiqa, Executive Director for Education & Cultural Society, Bangladesh; and Nariman Moustafa, Senior Researcher for the Edtech Hub and Senior Analyst at the Open Development and Education, among others. More information and registration are here.
• On November 13 at 12:00 p.m., FutureEd will host a webinar titled, “The Future of State Standardized Testing.” Recognizing that federally mandated testing has become increasingly divisive, the webinar will feature a conversation on the future of standardized testing to help move this important conversation forward. Moderated by FutureEd Senior Fellow Lynn Olson, the panel will feature: Andrew Ho, Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; Nicholas Munyan-Penney, Assistant Director of P-12 Policy at EdTrust; and Jenn Vranek, founding partner at Education First. Registration is here.
• On November 13 at 2:00 p.m., the Progressive Policy Institute will hold a webinar titled, “Teaching Common Democratic Values in a Divided America.” The session will explore the ways in which community service programs and school curriculum and practices can, in the wake of a deeply divided election, help build social cohesion among young Americans of different races, religions, economic backgrounds and political beliefs. Panelists include: Richard Kahlenberg, Director of the American Identity Project at the Progressive Policy Institute; David McCullough III, Co-Founder and CEO of The American Exchange Project; Paul Monteiro, Secretary of Service and Civic Innovation for the State of Maryland; and Robert Pondiscio, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) more information and registration are here.

Publications (Congress & Administration):

• On October 28, the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) released a report titled, “Identifying the Nation’s Lowest Performing Schools: Shifts Following the Passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).” In this report, IES analyzes whether the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) improved the process for identifying low-performing schools by providing greater flexibility in annual evaluation design, by comparing schools identified for the most intensive supports, before and after ESSA’s implementation. IES found that a smaller set of schools were identified for support in the school year after ESSA than before and that changes in the types of schools identified, such as charter schools, may have resulted from ESSA’s intent to broaden the ranges of schools that can receive Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI). IES also found that the number of schools identified with the lowest achievement seemed unaffected by the expansion of accountability measures beyond test scores. However, ESSA may have reduced focus on schools with high concentrations of historically underserved students.
• On October 30, the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance released a report titled, “Lessons from the First Statewide Family Engagement Centers: Alignment with Federal Priorities and Factors Influencing Implementation.” The report describes the implementation efforts of the first grantees under the Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFEC), which provides grants to selected partnerships of education organizations and their states to deliver services and disseminate technical assistance resources to further family-school engagement. Among the findings, the report saw SFEC grantees allocated their funding and prioritized activities in ways that reflected an emphasis on directly serving families, districts, and schools. Another finding included that the districts served by SFEC grantees had similar or higher proportions of disadvantaged students than did their respective states, with some exceptions, as well as pandemic-related other staffing issues were the most commonly reported source of these challenges in carrying out key family engagement activities.

Publications (Outside Organizations):

• On October 8, the American Educational Research Association released a report titled, “Educational Spillover Effects of New English Learners in a New Destination State.” The study examines the spillover effects of the large influx of English learners (EL) students in new destination states over the past two decades, by looking at student-level administrative data from Delaware. The study found beneficial impacts on current and former EL students’ academic achievement in their first year in a new destination state and no adverse effects no adverse effects on non-EL’s.
• On October 24, EdTrust released a report titled, “Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD) Assessments: A Framework for State and District Leaders.” The report proposes that schools use assessments to measure whether they are meeting students’ social and emotional development needs as well as academic ones. The first part of the report provides a framework for identifying high-quality social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD) assessments, while the second part of the report offers considerations for adopting and using a system of SEAD assessments.
• On October 30, Funds for Learning released a report titled, “FY2024 Trends Report.” The report gives insights into the effects of E-rate funding, which provides support for telecommunications and internet services to U.S. schools and libraries. The report’s survey saw overwhelming agreement among respondents about the benefits the program brings to bridging the digital divide, concerns about the rising cost of the eligible services, as well as a desire for strong support for cybersecurity funding, and for a more user-friendly application process.
• On November 4, the Center for American Progress released a report titled, “A Progressive Vision for Education in the 21st Century.” The report provides recommendations for strengthening the American education system across early childhood, K-12, higher education, and workforce development. The report has three overarching themes: opportunity, strengthening the nation, and inclusion and belonging. Key points include continuing to invest in high-quality public schools, the role education plays in supporting democracy, and the need for policymakers to expand access to education to include the earlier years of life which in turn will increase equitable outcomes for all students.
• On November 7, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a report titled, “A Nation of Problem-Solvers: How State Leaders Can Help Every Student Achieve in Math.” The report analyzes the current research and best practices in mathematics and provides six recommendations for state leaders based on their state context to improve math education for their students. These recommendations include: signaling quality and incentivizing adoption of high-quality instructional materials; incentivizing district partnerships with high-quality professional learning providers; providing guidance and support to districts to align supplemental and intervention learning experiences to core instruction; supporting districts in streamlining assessment systems to leverage real-time student data; expanding early access to advanced math courses; and aligning state education agency resources to support implementation.

Legislation:

Introduced in the House of Representatives:

H.R. 10077

A bill to direct certain institutions of higher education to pay the medical costs of students who were diagnosed with certain diseases following a required COVID–19 vaccination, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Matthew Rosendale (R-MT)

H.R. 10080

A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve accessibility to, and completion of, postsecondary education for students, including students with disabilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)

H.R. 10085

A bill to require that opioid overdose rescue kits be located at public institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX)