Search the grant forecast for fiscal year (FY) 2022 funding opportunities and information from the Department of Education.

Funding opportunities in this issue include those from the Afghan Refugee School Impact: Support to Schools Initiative, Office of Indian Education, and the Office of Innovation and Early Learning.

We are taking the month of July off. Watch for the next newsletter in August 2022!

We completed production of this newsletter prior to the horrific violence in Uvalde, Texas, but we cannot ignore the impact that this and other school shootings have on not only the families, the school, and the community, but also to all of us across the United States. Families should not worry about the safety of sending their kids to school, or teachers and administrators about their safety walking through the doors of work each day. Schools need to be a safe place for everyone to learn and grow.  At the Department, we will be supporting the state, district, and school to recover the learning environment, which we know will be an ongoing process. We will draw on resources from the Readiness and Emergency Management in Schools (REMS) and the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) technical assistance centers.

This month our newsletter’s focus is on our Title I, Part D program for neglected, delinquent, and at-risk youth, and youth in the juvenile justice system. Our National Technical Assistance Center has been around 20 years to provide educational resources to support these vulnerable populations. The website has several resources to assist these youth in safe and supportive learning environments. It also provides fast facts on the current state of these populations across the country.

We have also highlighted resources from other partnerships and centers on how to support youth in the juvenile justice setting. One is from a three-year partnership with U.S. Department of Justice on diversion initiatives to provide alternatives to formal justice involvement. In addition, there are resources addressing the barriers to school reentry from the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (EAC Region III).

For many of you the school year has just ended or is about to wrap up. I know we are turning our attention to summer vacations and some downtime. I hope everyone will take time to reflect and recharge over the summer.  We here at OESE are going to take a break from the newsletter for the month of July, so I will check back in with you in August!   

Ruth Ryder

The National Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Neglected or Delinquent Children and Youth (NDTAC) was established in 2002 through support from the Department. NDTAC serves as a national resource center to provide direct assistance to states, schools, communities, and parents seeking information on the education of children and youth who are considered neglected, delinquent, or at-risk. The education of youth involved in the juvenile justice system is a primary focus of the center.

While the NDTAC website provides information for the larger community interested in the education needs of neglected and delinquent children and youth, the primary goal of NDTAC is to provide technical assistance to the state coordinators who administer Title I, Part D programs at state educational agencies (SEAs). 

Here are some examples of NDTAC resources:

• Safe and Supportive Learning Environments resources (including COVID-19 resources)
• Fast Facts data, national and by state
• NDTAC tip sheet: Promising Uses of At-Risk Funding

Use this form to reach NDTAC. 

Meet Department Staff Member Felicia Goss

Learn more about Felicia Goss, Education Program Specialist for the NDTAC.

How long have you been at the Department?

• August will make two years. I taught PK through grad school for 25 years prior to coming to the Department.

What do you most enjoy about working at the Department?

• No two days are the same. Tasks and priorities can vary from day to day. This is the LEAST mundane job I’ve ever had 😊. I enjoy jumping in and helping out as different needs arise. I also enjoy talking with state coordinators and colleagues from other offices and programs. Collaboration is such an important part of our work.

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

• I would like for the TA center to become the go-to place for the most up-to date resources and research concerning Title I, Part D. I’d like to see the website used not only by grantees and sub-grantees, but also by students, parents, and community stakeholders. We serve a delicate population. I’d like to see more people have access to tools that help serve the youth that need it the most.

Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data from the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, which highlights the magnitude of the challenges our nation’s youth faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Department of Justice Partnership Creates the Young Adult Diversion Framework

In 2017, the Department, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, funded a three-year technical assistance initiative to help 14 state and local partnerships provide their justice-involved young adult population with alternatives to prosecution and/or incarceration, including special education, career and technical education, and other workforce development opportunities. The initiative developed a research brief that summarizes the evidence for how diversion initiatives can provide alternatives to formal justice involvement and explains the need for such initiatives to incorporate education and training. Grounded in this research, the Young Adult Diversion Framework was developed to guide the partnerships’ efforts, which are summarized in a policy brief.

Equity by Design: Facilitating Equitable School Reentry for Students Involved in the Juvenile System 

This Equity by Design brief by the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (EAC Region III) defines societal and academic barriers to school reentry, discusses considerations, and provides practical recommendations for equitable reentry into the school community.

Equity Dispatch: Who's Not Coming Back to School? The Pushout

This edition of the Equity Dispatch by the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (EAC Region III) states students often fail to realize the systemic nature of school problems and internalize the belief that they are to blame for school failures. Without the guidance and support of advocates to transform the system, these students may engage in self-defeating resistance—the behaviors typically seen before they are labeled as dropouts—including defiance, failure to complete assignments, and truancy. This systemic problem can be addressed by inviting young adults to chart a course for their high school experience and determine the symbolic value of their high school diploma.

Webinar on Race and the Justice System: The Traumatization of Incarceration

This webinar by the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (EAC Region IV) provides information about the impact incarceration has on an individual’s brain function. In this presentation, trauma specialist Da’Mond T. Holt examines what time in prison can do to the human brain, looks at the racial disparities in the prison system, and explores how the high number of people of color incarcerated creates trauma in their communities. 

Culturally Responsive Practice as a Strategy for Diversifying the Educator Workforce

This video by the National Comprehensive Center, for state and local education leaders, features a conversation with renowned researcher and educator Gloria Ladson-Billings. Ladson-Billings was joined by a panel of youth of color, who shared their experiences and insights on the importance of having racially diverse educators. The conversation highlights the importance of culturally responsive pedagogy and practices in recruiting, preparing, retaining, and supporting a racially diverse educator workforce.

Talent Management Alignment from the Region 14 Comprehensive Center

These online modules from the Region 14 Comprehensive Center provide a brief introduction to the Talent Management Alignment Workbook, which outlines eight steps to assess the strength of alignment among talent management policies and practices across multiple state-level programs and/or initiatives. The workbook can be used to guide leaders of SEAs through the process of assessing the alignment of talent management practices and developing recommendations to move toward a more coherent system.

Region 5 Comprehensive Center Featured on Education Talk Radio

The Region 5 Comprehensive Center was recently featured on two “Education Talk Radio” podcasts to discuss how the Department and its Comprehensive Centers Program support state and local education agencies nationally and in Region 5 (KY, TN, VA, and WV). This episode describes Region 5’s support for Networked Improvement Community (NIC), a strategy to solve complex educational challenges in the region. NIC emerged from states in Region 5 seeking to overcome obstacles to remote learning. Both interviews can be found on most podcast platforms and on the American Consortium for Equity in Education’s website.

Managing Teacher Leadership

This resource by the Region 5 Comprehensive Center will increase awareness and understanding of how to design, implement, and evaluate a formal teacher leadership program in a school or district. After introducing the concept of teacher leadership and its benefits, the course presents nine sequenced modules that describe components critically important to managing a teacher leadership program.

Policy Letter Announces Initiative

Issued by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, this policy letter announces the Afghan Refugee School Impact: Support to Schools (ARSI S2S) initiative. Like ARSI, ARSI S2S provides states funding for services that lead to the effective integration and education of eligible Afghan children and youth. However, given that ARSI S2S differs from traditional ARSI in terms of subrecipients and some allowable services, this policy letter defines the ARSI S2S initiative and provides guidance on its eligible populations, requirements, goals and services, equity and inclusion considerations, and reporting and monitoring requirements.

Find more resources to support Afghan children and youth on this Department website.

Message From the Office of Indian Education Director

This month on June 23, our office will be recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Indian Education Act of 1972, which statutorily created the Office of Indian Education (OIE). As we reflect on 50 years in operation, our office continues to envision what the next 50 years should look like for our grantee community. 

This event will be recognized as both a celebration and call to action. Our focus remains on ensuring that OIE grantees continue to receive essential supports and meaningful technical assistance that enables their success.

Come join us as we recognize various OIE student testimonies, announce the winners of our student artist competition, show a video of our program office history, and hear from a panel of former OIE directors and program staff. We look forward to you joining us!

Don’t forget to connect with us via our webpage and follow us on Twitter @OIEIndianEd for routine updates!

Native American Language Grant Competition

The Native American Language (NAL@ED) program notice inviting applications (NIA) was released in the federal register on June 3. Applications are due on Aug. 2. 

The NAL@ED grant program is a discretionary grant competition authorized under the Elementary and Secondary education Act of 1965 as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act. Authorized activities under this program are to maintain, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans and Alaska Natives to use, practice, maintain, and revitalize their languages, as envisioned in the Native American Languages Act of 1990; and to establish a grant program to support schools that use Native American and Alaska Native languages as the primary language of instruction.

• Estimated average size of awards is $350,000 and an estimate total of 3 awards, with a project period up to 60 months.
• NIA includes a 60-day application period to provide prospective applicants enough time to develop high-quality applications.
• The OIE will broadcast a pre-application webinar. Links to the webinar and all pre-application activities will be available on the NAL@ED website.

More information is available in this blog post.

Indian Education Formula Grant Updates

Discretionary Grants Update

Education Innovation and Research Program Fiscal Year 2022 Competition

On April 27, the Department issued an NIA for the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program. The EIR program provides funding for five-year grants to create, develop, implement, replicate, or scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations that improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students, and rigorously evaluate such innovations. EIR grants are designed in a tiered structure (Early-phase, Mid-phase and Expansion), which are differentiated by the level of evidence required to support the ability of the project to produce the proposed project outcome. 

For additional information about this grant opportunity, please visit the EIR FY 2022 Competition page or contact the EIR Team at EIR@ed.gov.

Announcing the Fiscal Year 2022 Small, Rural School Achievement and Rural and Low-Income Schools Final Cohorts

The final cohorts for the FY 22 Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) and Rural and Low-Income Schools (RLIS) grant programs have been published in the FY 22 Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) Master Eligibility Spreadsheet (MES). To view the final cohorts, download the FY 22 MES from the REAP website and navigate to Column R. Local educational agencies (LEAs) in the RLIS final cohort should continue to work with their state coordinators to receive their RLIS grant award.

LEAs in the SRSA cohort should expect to receive an email notification that FY 22 SRSA grant funds have been awarded, including a Grant Award Notification (GAN), after July 1. Once an LEA receives a GAN, FY 22 SRSA funds will be available for draw down in G5.gov. To ensure timely access to SRSA funds, an LEA should 1) maintain an active, registered Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in SAM.gov by following these instructions, and 2) ensure authorized LEA staff have access to manage SRSA funds in G5.gov by requesting payee access. For information on how to ensure your LEA has access to SRSA funds, other important next steps, and resources, please reference the confirmation email sent to all FY 22 SRSA applicants on May 5 from REAP@ed.gov.