President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary DeVos, and other senior Administration officials are emphasizing the importance of safely reopening America’s schools this fall.

“It’s clear our nation’s schools must fully reopen and fully operate this school year,” the Secretary noted. “Anything short of that robs students, not to mention taxpayers, of their futures – and their futures represent our nation’s future. So, it’s not a question of ‘if’; it’s just a question of ‘how.’”

The Vice President and the Secretary held a briefing for the nation’s governors on the COVID-19 response and best practices on safely reopening America’s schools.

The White House hosted a Summit on Safely Reopening America’s Schools, with remarks by White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and Secretary DeVos; panel discussions on the ABCs of reopening schools safely and implementing safe school reopening plans featuring state and local officials, health care professionals, school teachers and administrators, higher education leaders, and parents; and a roundtable discussion with President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence, and stakeholders from K-12 schools and higher education institutions.

The White House Coronavirus Task Force also held a meeting at the Department and Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Frank Brogan spoke on the White House briefing call for state and local officials.

Vice President Pence and Secretary DeVos held roundtable discussions on reopening schools in the fall with Governor Edwards of Louisiana and Governor McMaster of South Carolina, in the states’ capitals of Baton Rouge and Columbia, respectively.

ED Deputy Secretary Mick Zais joined CDC Director Robert Redfield at the press briefing announcing the release of the CDC’s New Resources and Tools to Support Opening Schools. Deputy Secretary Zais also discussed reopening schools at the Texas Rural Education Association’s Virtual Summer Conference. Special Assistant for Rural Outreach Michael Chamberlain spoke about reopening schools at the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia’s Reopening Schools Summit.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Ohio State Senator Matt Huffman participated in a school choice roundtable discussion with students, parents, educators, and stakeholders on July 23, at Tree of Life Christian School in Columbus. The discussion focused on the importance of school choice, the Secretary’s Education Freedom Scholarships proposal, and the challenges to and opportunities for education freedom presented by COVID-19.

Several students spoke about what school choice has meant to them, including Tyreke Farquharson, who stated, “Without Tree of Life and school choice, I would not be the person I am.”

“We have to think about the child, who is just like me, who begged my mom not to go back to public schools, and we have to stop the division between schools,” said Walter Blanks, a scholarship recipient and alumnus of Tree of Life Christian School. “It’s not just the public schools that were affected by this pandemic. So, we have to be able to allow children to succeed in whatever environment is best for them.”

Secretary DeVos announced a $15 million grant competition to promote tribally directed education choice for Native American students. Accessing Choices in Education (ACE) grants will allow tribes -- or other education entities partnering with tribes -- to set up a variety of education options and services from which parents or students can choose.

“This pandemic has made very clear that education needs to be more adaptable and student-centered,” the Secretary emphasized. “Tragically, too many Native American students lack access to a high-quality education option that meets their unique needs. The ACE grant program helps to accomplish this for Native American families in two ways. First, it respects tribal sovereignty by empowering tribes to select the range of resources to offer students, including…tutoring, educational and technology supplies, and Native language, history, and culture courses. In turn, parents and students are then empowered to select the resources that are the right fit for them.”

Secretary Betsy DeVos announced more than $180 million in new grant funding will be awarded to 11 states rethinking education to better serve students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rethink K-12 Education Models Grants program will support states’ efforts to create new, innovative ways for students to continue learning in ways that meet their needs. Awardees include Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. The awards range from $6 million to $20 million.

“Ensuring every student can continue to learn during the coronavirus pandemic requires innovation from local education leaders and a laser-like focus on doing what’s right for students,” said Secretary DeVos. “This grant will help states adapt and overcome challenges to strengthen education both now and for the longer term.”

The Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) team recently presented on allowable uses of REAP funds and the Alternative Fund Use Authority (AFUA) at the National ESEA 2020 Summer Meeting. The Summer Meeting is hosted by the National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (NAESPA), an organization dedicated to providing disadvantaged children with a high-quality education by building the capacity of education professionals.

Presenters outlined the broad uses of Rural Low-Income School (RLIS) and Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) funds, REAP’s two formula grants, and provided examples of allowable activities under Title I, Part A; Title II, Part A; Title III; Title IV, Part A; and Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as well as parental involvement activities. Additionally, the presenters provided an overview of AFUA, which allows local education agencies (LEAs) eligible for SRSA to spend Title II, Part A and Title IV, Part A funds with greater flexibility. When exercising AFUA, an LEA may use Title II, Part A and Title IV, Part A funds for activities under any of the allowable uses of SRSA grant funds (i.e., Title I, Part A; Title II, Part A; Title III; Title IV, Part A; and Title IV, Part B). The presenters provided illustrative examples of an LEA exercising AFUA; for instance, if an LEA has depleted both its REAP and Title IV, Part A funds and is seeking to supplement distance learning resources, the LEA could exercise AFUA to use any remaining Title II, Part A funds towards purchasing supplemental online resources, such as digital practice problems or online reading materials.

A recording of the presentation is available to the public on the REAP website. More information on the allowable uses of REAP funds and AFUA can be found on REAP’s website.

The White House, the Department, and other federal agencies are continually releasing and updating information to support schools, educators, families, and students regarding COVID-19. In addition to the links below, please visit https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus for the latest education-related information and address questions for the Department to COVID-19@ed.gov.

• Coronavirus.gov, CDC.gov/Coronavirus, and USA.gov/Coronavirus
• Office for Civil Rights (OCR) webinar covering various civil rights issues that affect K-12 and postsecondary education, in light of the COVID-19 national emergency
• Additional regulatory flexibilities for institutions of higher education -- campus and fire safety reports, equity in athletics disclosures, and fiscal operations reports and applications to participate

Last month’s edition of the Education Almanac discussed the Rural Tech Project, the $600,000 challenge to advance rural technology education and prepare students for the careers of today and tomorrow announced by Secretary DeVos on June 30.

A July 21 virtual information session provided more information about the challenge. For those who weren’t able to attend, or would like a refresher on the information session, highlights and a video transcript are now available. Attendees were encouraged to submit questions to the challenge team and a summary of Q&A will be posted soon.

The Department invites high schools and local educational agencies to propose technology education programs that use competency-based distance learning. Remember, proposals are due October 8. Up to five finalists will progress to Phase 2 and each receive an equal share of the $500,000 cash prize pool, on-the-ground-assistance, and access to virtual resources. One grand-prize winner will receive an additional $100,000.

You can catch Michael Chamberlain, Special Assistant for Rural Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education, as he appears on a panel, “Fortifying Native Students, Faculty and Communities During and After COVID-19,” at the Rural Resilience Week virtual conference by GlobalMindED. Scheduled from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, August 6, the panel will be moderated by Ron Lessard, Acting Executive Director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education.

On Monday, August 10, 2020, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET, the Department, Office of Safe and Supportive Schools (OSSS), and its Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center will host a webinar on the topic of opioids, drug-related emergencies, and substance abuse prevention before, during, and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Presenters:

• Dr. Sycarah Fisher, Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Georgia;
• Elyse Robertson, Education Program Specialist, OSSS, U.S. Department of Education; and
• Alison Curtis, Director of Information and Product Management, REMS TA Center

Join Us for a Live Twitter Chat Following the Event! The webinar will be followed by a live Twitter Chat from 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.

Register for the webinar.

The Ad Council recently unveiled Find Something New, a national campaign created in collaboration with Apple, IBM, and the White House, with support from more than 200 public, private, and non-profit members of the Business Roundtable and the President’s American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. With nearly 18 million Americans out of work amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign aims to help people of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences develop their skills for the rapidly changing job market. All individuals are encouraged to “find something new” at FindSomethingNew.org, which offers resources to explore a wide range of education and training options.

The Trump Administration is committed to improving the health of all Americans by improving access to better care, including for the approximately 57 million Americans living in rural communities.  Americans living in rural communities face unique challenges when seeking healthcare services. President Trump signed an Executive Order to increase access to, improve the quality of, and improve the financial economics of rural healthcare, including by increasing access to high-quality care through telehealth.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION INVESTS $153 MILLION IN RURAL COMMUNITY FACILITIES IN 23 STATES

The Trump Administration also announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $153 million to build and improve critical community facilities to benefit nearly two million rural residents in 23 states.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES KEY TRANSPORTATION GRANT RESOURCE FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced the Applicant Toolkit for the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) Initiative at the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is the latest effort by the Department of Transportation and the Trump Administration to improve rural access to federal grant funds. 

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that USDA is taking steps to increase private investment in rural communities across the country by making it easier for lenders to access four flagship loan programs.

August 2-8 is the U.S. Census Bureau’s Rural Week of Action, to increase outreach to historically hard-to-count communities in rural America. Census data will impact the quality-of-life in rural communities for the next decade, so it’s crucial that we count everyone! The census impacts funding for hospitals, health care, infrastructure, education, and more. Respond today at 2020CENSUS.GOV or call 844-330-2020.

Please note that the material presented concerning resources available on the Census Bureau’s website is being provided for convenience as a potential resource for schools and educators.  It was not developed by the U.S. Department of Education, and we do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information.  Furthermore, the inclusion of any hyperlinks and the content presented is not intended to convey their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed or products or services offered.  The Department does not control, direct, or encourage any information in a curriculum.  The use of Census Bureau materials or other materials by a school or educator is strictly a State and local matter.

The Wahluke School District (WSD) is a school district in an agricultural region of eastern Washington. The district serves 2,563 students, 98 percent of whom are minority and 92 percent of whom qualify for free and reduced price lunch. The WSD maintenance department is applying automation to coordinate HVAC systems around the district. LED bulbs are phased in as old bulbs die out. All district electricity comes from renewable hydropower provided by the Grant County Public Utility District…

Read more about 2020 Green Ribbon district Wahluke School District.