Dear Partners and Stakeholders:

Happy March everyone! I would like to thank all who completed our OSGPS Newsletter Survey. We were able to glean some important information that helps us improve how we communicate with you. Most respondents like the newsletter and didn’t request major changes. Many respondents requested more specific information from the offices that fund their grant work. We are investigating some structural changes to the newsletter that you will see in the issues to come. Please let us know if you have additional feedback by emailing OESENewsletter@ed.gov, and please continue to share the newsletter sign up information with other potential subscribers! You can also find archived issues here.

We recently received the results of the annual Grantee Satisfaction Survey, an annual survey that has been conducted since 2006. Program directors have the opportunity to rate us on a number of items, including technical assistance, online resources, documents, and direct support to grantees. I’m pleased to say that we had a higher participation rate and higher ratings than ever this year! Of particular note was the recognition of our improved “online resources,” our “professionalism,” and our “responsiveness to your questions.” Grantees also noted a high rate of customer satisfaction and trust. We do have opportunities for improvement, particularly in sharing how we use grantee data. Thanks to all of you who took the time to complete the survey. Be assured that we will use this information to improve our customer service moving forward!

Additional big news in OESE is the arrival of Ian Rosenblum, who has joined OESE as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy and Programs and currently is delegated the authority of Acting Assistant Secretary of OESE. The values that guide his approach to our work include the urgency of educational equity and “building back better.” We look forward to supporting Ian and the new administration as we continue our commitment to our stakeholders and grantees. 

Thanks, as always, for all you are doing on behalf of our most vulnerable students!

Ruth Ryder

The National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL) is a partnership among literacy experts, university researchers, and technical assistance providers, with funding from the Department of Education. Its mission is to increase access to, and use of, evidence-based approaches to screen, identify, and teach students with literacy-related disabilities, including dyslexia. The five priorities of the Center are as follows:

• Identify or develop free or low-cost evidence-based assessment tools for identifying students at risk of not attaining full literacy skills due to a disability.
• Identify evidence-based literacy instruction, strategies, and accommodations, including assistive technology, designed to meet the specific needs of such students.
• Provide families of such students with information and collaborate with parent training centers.
• Identify or develop evidence-based professional development for teachers, paraprofessionals, principals, other school leaders, and specialized instructional support personnel.
• Disseminate the products of the comprehensive center to regionally diverse state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), regional educational agencies, and schools.

The Center has developed several implementation toolkits, literacy skill checklists, webpages, and resources that have been well-received by the field. Examples include:

• The Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) at Home webpage guides families on how to assess their child’s reading skills in grades K-3 to get an overall picture of his or her current reading skills and potential risk for reading disabilities. The page also includes home-based activities that are based on research and can fit into families’ daily routines.
• This literacy success toolkit helps families and schools work together to support children’s literacy success both in and out of school
• This literacy skill checklist is designed to help guide parents, caregivers, and professionals in recording the presence of important reading, writing, and language skills in kindergarten through 2nd grade.
• This remote literacy learning toolkit helps schools and families join efforts to support children’s literacy growth in remote or blended learning environments.
• The Kid Zone! is a place where students and families can participate as children build literacy skills in a fun and interactive way.

Meet Department Staff Member 

Learn more about Kristen Rhoads, Ph.D., an Education Program Specialist for the NCIL with the Office of Special Education Programs.

How long have you been at the Department?

• 18 years

What do you most enjoy about working at the Department?

• As a researcher and parent of a child with Down syndrome, I know how important it is that children receive evidence-based instruction, intervention, and services. My work at the Department allows me to translate my professional knowledge and personal experience to help children receive the instruction and supports they need to accomplish their academic and life goals.

What is one thing you’d like to see happen for this TA Center in the next year?

• I want the Center to continue its focus on use of evidence-based literacy instruction and assessments for students with or at risk for reading disabilities, including dyslexia, in the variety of school settings being experienced by students and their families this year. Use of evidence-based practices should help lessen the loss of learning due to COVID-related school closures. This year, the Department is also forecasted to recompete the Center to continue promoting and providing technical assistance to states, districts, schools, teachers, and families on evidence-based literacy instruction and assessment for students with or at risk for disabilities, including dyslexia.

CDC Guidance for Child Care, Schools, and Youth Programs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a webpage that provides information for child care, schools, and youth programs to plan, prepare, and respond to COVID-19. Topics include operating schools during COVID-19, decision-making indicators for reopening, testing and contact tracing, and returning to in-person learning, among others.

The CDC recently updated their Resources for Teachers and Staff guidance. The information and checklist, Teachers and Staff Resuming In-Person Learning, for teachers, substitute teachers, and paraprofessionals, assists with identifying ways to protect the health of teachers as well as the health of students in classrooms. The quick guide for teachers, How Do I Set Up My Classroom?, suggests ways to modify the layout of classrooms in a way that promotes healthy behaviors, environments, and operations that reduce the risk of COVID-19.

Evidence-based Literacy Instruction within Remote and Blended/Hybrid Learning Environments

This professional development package by the National Comprehensive Center shares information from an expert literacy roundtable event that showcased evidence-based guidance to state policymakers and educators about best practices for delivering literacy instruction in remote and blended/hybrid learning environments. The professional development package includes short videos, researchers’ answers to questions posed by participants, and links to training resources.

Literacy Leads, Setting Follows: Advice for Grades 1-3 Literacy Leaders in Disrupted Environments

This guide by the National Comprehensive Center is the first in a series of online guides that provide advice for literacy leadership teams. In addition to information about instructional priorities, the guide includes suggestions for planning efficient use of instructional time, relieving the burden on teachers, centralizing support for parents, and engaging community resources. Links to evidence-based resources are provided throughout the text.

Innovative Approaches to Literacy Program Competition in 2021

The Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program supports high-quality programs designed to develop and improve literacy skills for children and students from birth through 12th grade in high-need LEAs and schools. The Department intends to promote innovative literacy programs that support the development of literacy skills in low-income communities, including programs that:

1. develop and enhance effective school library programs, which may include providing professional development for school librarians, books, and up-to-date materials to high-need schools;
2. provide early literacy services, including pediatric literacy programs through which, during well-child visits, medical providers trained in research-based methods of early language and literacy promotion provide developmentally appropriate books and recommendations to parents to encourage them to read aloud to their children starting in infancy; and
3. provide high-quality books on a regular basis to children and adolescents from low-income communities to increase reading motivation, performance, and frequency.

In 2018 and 2019, the Department awarded IAL grants to 44 schools districts, representing 17 states. The next IAL grant competition will be held in 2021.

Student Engagement and Attendance Support for States

To support states as they navigate the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the  Student Engagement and Attendance Center recently launched the Attendance Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Network. The Network provides eight states and selected partner districts or regional education agencies with technical assistance related to attendance data and attendance supports during the 2020-21 school year. The cohort meets virtually approximately twice per month to share promising practices, focusing on measuring, collecting, and reporting attendance data, and on providing supports to address attendance challenges.

If you are interested in participating in the P2P Network, please contact Dana Chambers (dchambers@insightpolicyresearch.com) or Jenny Scala (jscala@air.org).

Portfolio of School Choice

States have long been working to provide families with educational options, and the COVID-19 crisis has elevated the need for families to have different schooling options that meet their specific needs. This series of briefs by the National Comprehensive Center covers District Open Enrollment, Charter Schools, Private School Choice Programs, Homeschooling, Virtual Schooling, Dual Enrollment (high school and college), and School Choice in Rural Communities. Each brief discusses the financial and policy implications of an educational choice strategy and available data on student outcomes and concludes with promising practices to support policymakers in designing school choice policies.

Out-of-School Time Career Pathway Grant Program

On Jan. 4, the Department awarded four grants under the new 21^st Century Community Learning Centers’ Out-of-School Time Career Pathway discretionary grant program. This program makes grants to SEAs that, in partnership with eligible entities, will provide students with expanded options to participate in a career pathway program that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential, such as an industry-recognized certification or a certificate of completion of an apprenticeship in an in-demand industry sector or occupation. The new grantees for this program are the:

• New Hampshire Department of Education, partnering with the New Hampshire Learning Initiative and four school districts;
• Tennessee Department of Education, partnering with the Nashville Tech Council and five school districts;
• Utah State Board of Education, partnering with Career and Technical Education, the Utah Afterschool Network, Amazon Web Services, and four county school districts; and
• Iowa Department of Education, partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa and two school districts.

The approved funding for the four grantees for the first year of their five-year grants totals $2,133,357.00.

Regional Education Laboratory Tool: A Second Grade Teacher’s Guide to Supporting Family Involvement in Foundational Reading Skills

REL Southeast has developed a Teacher’s Guide to supplement the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide, Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade.

The Teacher’s Guide complements and extends the practice guide by providing step-by-step guidance for second grade teachers to support families in practicing foundational reading skills at home. The Teacher’s Guide includes:

• Recommendation reminders that provide a snapshot of each recommendation and how-to steps from the WWC guide
• Teacher scaffolds that model the language teachers can use with families to describe a specific skill, why it is important in learning to read, and how to support that skill
• Family activities that contain evidence-based literacy activities with easy-to-follow plans and materials that teachers model and share with families
• Family literacy videos that show families engaging their child in activities related to the skills teachers modeled during family literacy nights or at parent-teacher conferences

Click here to access the guide. You may explore a range of additional literacy resources by visiting the IES literacy page.

Impact Aid 7002 and 7003 FY 2022 Late Application Deadline Reminder

Does your district apply for Impact Aid Funding? 

The application deadline for FY 2022 Impact Aid 7002 (payments for federal property) and 7003 (payments for federally connected children) was Feb. 1. Over 1,200 LEAs submitted applications. 

If your district normally applies for Impact Aid but missed the deadline, you may apply by April 2 for a late submission. Late applications completed between Feb. 2 and April 2 incur a 10% penalty. Applications submitted after April 2 (60 days after the deadline) will be ineligible for funding for FY 2022.

Visit our portal at https://impactaid.ed.gov/ for more information about how to apply.

Need Help? You can submit questions from inside the application system. You may also phone our Help Desk at (202) 260-3858 or send an email to Impact.Aid@ed.gov.

Impact Aid March Webinars

The Impact Aid program offers technical assistance webinars of various topics throughout the program year. During the month of March, the program will focus on monitoring activities. 

If you submitted an Impact Aid application and want to learn how to prepare for a field review, we recommend you join us for an upcoming session of “How to Survive a Field Review” to learn about the process and to ask questions. 

If your district claims children who live on Indian Land, you may be interested in our sessions on “Indian Policies and Procedures (IPPs) Implementation” to learn more about regulatory requirements, best practices, and tools to assist your district during implementation and monitoring. 

Visit our application portal at https://impactaid.ed.gov/news/ to find the most current list of webinars. You will find the Microsoft Teams meeting link and call-in number for each session on this page. You may join via computer, or you may dial in by phone. If you cannot attend a session, you can visit our resources page at https://impactaid.ed.gov/resources/ to find copies of most sessions. Pre-registration is not required.

Help is always available by phone at (202) 260-3858, or email at Impact.Aid@ed.gov.

Message from the Office of Indian Education Director

It is hard to believe that March marks a full year of grappling with the impacts of the pandemic. The Office of Indian Education (OIE) remains focused on the needs of students, parents, and educators. Every day, we envision more meaningful ways to deliver services to grantees. We are proud to highlight a handful of recently developed resources to support Indian Education grantees.

We recently hosted a Distance Learning: Communicating with Students and Families technical assistance session to identify ways to use online tools and strategies to communicate during the pandemic. We also hosted a How to Access and Complete the EASIE Part 1 technical assistance session to help grantees navigate the recently enhanced formula grant application process via OMB Max.

Please welcome our newest Discretionary Team members. 

• Donna Bussell (Oklahoma) – As a former Director of Communities in Schools of Mid-America who was a subcontractor for the National Indian Education Association, she saw firsthand the impact the Native Youth Community Projects (NYCP) grant has on students, families, schools, and communities. Donna will work with the NYCP grants. 
• Jennifer Leo (California) – Jennifer spent seven years as a Title VI coordinator and saw 100% of seniors in her district graduate high school, for five consecutive years. She looks forward to supporting educators as they pursue opportunities for Native students. Jennifer will work on Native American Language (NAL@ED) grants.

These two new members bring a wide range of experiences working with Native youth and education. Please help us welcome them aboard, and stay tuned for more updates as we continue to build capacity for all Indian Education programs!

Applications for New Awards: Indian Education Formula Grants to LEAs 

The Department issued a notice inviting applications (NIA) for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2021 or SY 2021-22 for OIE Education Formula Grants to LEAs.

In an effort to enhance the applicant experience, the OIE Formula Team has significantly revised the Electronic Application System for Indian Education (EASIE) by reducing applicant burden and migrating the application from the 14-year-old EDEN portal to the new OMB-MAX Survey portal. After a successful pilot test in fall 2020 and several technical assistance webinars, EASIE Part I successfully opened on Monday, Feb. 8 with an increase in application participation as compared to last year. EASIE Part I will close on Thursday, March 11. EASIE Part II for SY 2021-22 is scheduled to open on April 5 and close on May 14, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

Upcoming SY21-22 EASIE Webinars

• EASIE Part I Closes Thursday, March 11
• EASIE Part II Opens Monday, April 5

• EASIE Part II Closes Friday, May 14

Click here to register for an EASIE webinar. All webinars will be recorded and uploaded to the EASIE Community of Practice website after each session.

For questions about the Formula Grants program, contact Dr. Crystal C. Moore, at crystal.moore@ed.gov .   

For technical questions about the EASIE application and uploading documentation, contact the EDFacts Partner Support Center at (877) 457-3336 (877-HLP-EDEN) or OIE.EASIE@ed.gov. 

For award-specific information, please contact your assigned OIE Formula Program Officer: 

• Annabelle Toledo: states east of the Mississippi River 
• Dr. Marie Julienne: northwest region of U.S. 
• Tawanda Avery: southwest region of U.S. 
• Wanda Lee: Oklahoma

All recent technical assistance information can be found on our http://easie.grads360.org website.  

New Office of Indian Education Professional Development Competition in 2021

The Title VI Discretionary Team is excited to share a new OIE Professional Development competition in calendar year 2021.

The Professional Development Program (84.299B) Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) was published in the Federal Register on March 4. The application package is available at https://www.grants.gov/. 

The NIA incorrectly states that Feb. 26 and March 4 are the dates for the pre-applicant workshops. The correct dates of the workshops are March 4 and 25. The next date for the workshop is:

• Thursday, March 25, 4:00pm – 6:00pm ET (This is a repeat of the March 4 event. Use this link to register: https://seiservices.zoom.us/j/93245232807)

Both applicant events will be recorded and subsequently posted on OIE’s website.

Individuals trained under this program must perform work related to their training and which benefits Indian people, or repay the assistance received. The program seeks to increase the number of qualified individuals in professions that serve American Indians and provide training to qualified American Indians/Alaska Natives to become teachers and administrators. More information can be found here.

Virtual Program Director's Meeting

The OIE Discretionary Team is excited to announce our upcoming, all-virtual Program Directors’ Meeting on April 20-22. We are bringing staff from four OIE discretionary programs together over two and a half days to share in professional development opportunities and to hear from some great speakers and presenters. We look forward to sharing the results!

CAMP Student Spotlight

Chayse Stevens interned with the Office of Migrant Education (OME) from October to December 2020. He has a unique connection with the office because he was in the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) as a freshman at SUNY Oneonta, New York. OME administers the CAMP program, which provides financial, academic, and personal support to first-year college students who have a migrant/seasonal farm working background. 

Chayse says the most important thing about the program is that it provides a home away from home, and a group of people he can call “family.” The main goal of the program is to help students pursue higher education and to build the skills and relationships needed to become successful college graduates.

Even though Chayse is now a senior majoring in political science and is applying to graduate programs to pursue an M.A. in psychology, he still works closely with the CAMP program. He is currently the CAMP Ambassador Coordinator, which allows him to work with incoming CAMP freshmen and to ensure mentors and mentees are carrying out the program requirements. We wish him the best in his future endeavors!

MEP Annual Directors’ Meeting

The Migrant Education Program (MEP) Annual Directors’ Meeting (ADM) will be held virtually from Tuesday, March 23 through Friday, March 26. The objectives of this meeting are to 1) facilitate opportunities for directors to network and share best practices and resources, 2) provide directors with information pertinent to the state administration and operation of the MEP, and 3) provide directors and OME personnel with opportunities to coordinate on issues important to the successful design and implementation of programs and services that benefit migratory children.

Registration is limited to MEP state directors and their guests. However, if you would like to learn more about the topics discussed at the ADM, please visit the RESULTS website at http://results.ed.gov. Presentations and handouts from the various sessions will be available for download, and previous ADM materials are currently available under the “Webinars & Meetings” tab.  

Alaska Native Education Program FY 2021 Competition

On Jan. 12, the Department issued a notice inviting applications for the Alaska Native Education Program (ANEP). The purpose of ANEP is to support projects that meet the unique educational needs of Alaska Natives and to support supplemental education programs to benefit Alaska Natives. The Department also encourages applicants to propose projects that plan to build capacity for remote learning, which includes both a) providing access to technology, devices, and/or high-speed internet and b) providing opportunities for high-quality distance learning. The Department expects to award approximately 18 three-year grants, estimated at $500,000 annually. Applications are due April 12. For more information about this grant opportunity, please contact Almita Reed at OESE.ASKANEP@ed.gov.

Small, Rural School Achievement Grant Application Now Available  

It is Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) grant season!

Each SRSA-eligible LEA is now able to apply by submitting a brief survey through MAX.gov to receive a FY 2021 SRSA grant. The application survey should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete. Eligible LEAs received an email invitation to access the SRSA application survey on Feb. 10. An eligible LEA must submit an electronic application via OMB Max Survey by April 16 to be assured of receiving an FY 2021 SRSA grant award.

If you are interested in finding out whether your LEA is eligible for an SRSA grant, please view the Master Eligibility Spreadsheet and locate the row of data specific to your LEA. Column K indicates whether your LEA is eligible, and Column O indicates the estimated allocation your LEA would receive through the FY 2021 SRSA grant. Only LEAs that are eligible and projected to receive funding through the SRSA program received an application to apply. Columns AD and AE indicate the name of the individual at each LEA that received a link to the SRSA application. The link may be forwarded to others at the LEA to complete the application.

The REAP team has recorded a webinar that walks applicants through the process and provides other relevant information, which you can view here. Please reach out to REAP@ed.gov if you have any questions about the application.