Happy Fall! It has been exciting to see everyone going back to in-person learning and focusing on critical strategies to help students of all ages be the best they can be! As always, September was a busy time for us as we wrapped up the fiscal year. We were excited to distribute the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Title IV-A Strong Connections Grant funds. The Department provided close to $1 billion to state educational agencies (SEAs), who will then distribute these funds to high-needs local educational agencies (LEAs) through a competition. Watch for technical assistance webinars over the next several months to support this important work to ensure safe and healthy learning environments!
October is a busy month as we will focus on two important mental health competitive grants, also funded through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program supports innovative partnerships to train school-based mental health service providers for employment in schools. The School Based Mental Health Services Grant Program is designed to increase the number of mental health service providers through hiring, retention and respecialization. Watch for details to apply for these important grants!
October is also Cybersecurity Awareness Month and the Department has an active internal workgroup coordinating our efforts to support states, school districts, and schools to implement effective cybersecurity strategies. To that end, we recently launched a website that includes curated resources from across the Department and relevant technical assistance centers. As noted on the website, we recognize the growing importance of addressing cybersecurity in educational settings. Please visit Cybersecurity Resources — Office of Educational Technology to learn more.
The first part of October will conclude National Hispanic Heritage Month, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. This provides an opportunity to highlight the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics here at the Department. You can find out about all the events the office, or its partner federal agencies, are sponsoring this month on this webpage. Finally, read and sign up for their newsletter “Nuestra Iniciativa.”
In advance of Native American Heritage Month in November, we are highlighting the Office of Indian Education (OIE) in OESE. This year OIE celebrates a major milestone: 50 years of service to Indian students and their Native communities! In this newsletter you’ll learn more about their primary responsibilities and programs. I congratulate the office for reaching this landmark and encourage you to read about the great work they do in service to Native communities since 1972.
Thank you for all you do to support children and families! I hope your October is starting off well, and we look forward to bringing you more content from OESE in November.
Ruth Ryder
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Danny Carlson, Chief of Staff, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
Danny Carlson joined our OESE as chief of staff. Prior to joining our office, he served most recently as associate executive director for policy and advocacy at the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). Prior to joining NAESP, Carlson worked in the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices—Education Division, helping guide governors’ offices on policies to address educator recruitment, preparation, working conditions, shortages, and diversifying the profession. Carlson previously served as an education advisor to Sen. Amy Klobuchar and was responsible for advancing her K–12 education agenda.
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Bernadine Futrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Equity and Discretionary Grants and Support Services, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
Bernadine Futrell will lead and provide executive oversight for our equity development and placements, as well as the discretionary grant policy and programs. Futrell was most recently the director for the Office of Head Start, in the Administration for Children and Families, at the Department of Health and Human Services. Futrell began her career as an assistant Head Start teacher in Richmond, Virginia. She later became the senior director for effective practice at the National Head Start Association (NHSA). Before her time at NHSA, Futrell led the superintendent certification programs at the American Association of School Administrators.
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Kortne Edogun-Ticey, Senior Advisor
Kortne Edogun-Ticey joined OESE as senior advisor and will support special projects to advance the administration’s agenda. Prior to joining OESE, she served as a senior director at a national nonprofit agency. Edogun-Ticey has supported every level of the governance structure, including serving as the K–12 policy director of a state education agency. Notably, she authored reports that brought data transparency to disparate discipline practices, which led to the D.C. Council’s bill to ban pre-K expulsions, created a strategy for free standardized testing in support of college readiness, and established state processes for supporting chronically truant students. Edogun-Ticey holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering, a Bachelor of Arts in French, and a Master of Public Policy from Vanderbilt University, as well as a Doctorate in education from Johns Hopkins University.
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Office of Indian Education’s 50th Anniversary and Student Art Competition
This year the Office of Indian Education (OIE) celebrated its 50th anniversary. In honor of this milestone, OIE is highlighted in this newsletter. OIE has three primary responsibilities, all centered around “bringing culture into the classroom”:
- To meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of Indian students, so that such students can meet the challenging state academic standards
- To ensure that Indian students gain knowledge and understanding of Native communities, languages, Tribal histories, traditions, and cultures
- To ensure that teachers, principals, and other school leaders and staff who serve Indian students can provide culturally appropriate and effective instruction and supports to such students
In honor of OIE’s 50th anniversary, the office reestablished the OIE Student Artist Competition. The theme was “50 Years of OIE: A Celebration and Call to Action.”
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Message From the Office of Indian Education director
As we all kickoff a new federal fiscal year, we in OIE recognize your time and effort to get Indian education programs prepared for the opening of FY 2023! Our continued goal is to ensure a seamless experience when connecting to any one of our online resources. You can view hours of recorded technical assistance content on our YouTube channel for discretionary grants and get more information on OIE’s Communities of Practice for formula grants.
We encourage you to stay connected to our work via our webpage and follow us on Twitter @OIEIndianEd for more updates. Are you subscribed to our technical assistance listserv? You can subscribe and begin to receive bulletins regarding tribal consultation and funding opportunities as they are published in the Federal Register.
Mark Your Calendars!
November is Native American Heritage Month. Look out for our featured tweets that we will post all month long at @OIEIndianEd.
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Featured Program: Indian Education Formula Grant Program
The Indian Education Formula Grant program provides grants to support local education agencies (LEAs) in their efforts to “bring culture into the classroom.” Annually, each applicant develops and submits to the Department a comprehensive plan for meeting the needs of Indian children.
Who is eligible? Certain LEAs, as prescribed by ESEA section 6112(b), including charter schools authorized as LEAs under state law; certain schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education of the U.S. Department of the Interior (BIE), as prescribed by ESEA section 6113(d); Indian Tribes and Indian organizations (IO) under certain conditions, as prescribed by ESEA section 6112(c); and Indian community-based organizations (ICBO), as prescribed by ESEA section 6112(d). Consortia of two or more eligible entities are also eligible under certain circumstances, as prescribed by ESEA section 6112(a)(4).
For more information, contact Crystal C. Moore, formula group leader, at (202) 453-5593, or at crystal.moore@ed.gov, or check out our website!
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New Annual Report to Congress
The National Advisory Council for Indian Education (NACIE) is an advisory council established in Title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The purpose of NACIE is to advise the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the Interior on the funding and administration (including the development of regulations and administrative policies and practices) of any program, including any program established under Title VI, Part A of the ESEA.
NACIE’s 2021–2022 Annual Report to Congress was recently issued. This annual and independent NACIE report is sent to Congress and recommends a series of improvements for consideration by the departments of Education and Interior when implementing federal education programs that impact Native American education communities.
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National Indian Education Study Qualitative Data Companion
On Sept.12, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) hosted a virtual roundtable discussion to introduce the recently released 2019 National Indian Education Study (NIES) qualitative data companion, including the various applications for researchers and stakeholders. Learn more about NIES studies and the roundtable.
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OIE Formula Grant Updates
FY 2022 EASIE Application Cycle
All Electronic Application System for Indian Education (EASIE) grantees have received their Grant Award Notifications (GAN) and funding, and the 2022–23 Indian Education programs have officially kicked off!
Reminders
- Consolidated FY 22 EASIE applications will be uploaded to G5 grant files by the end of October.
- Grantees are required to draw down (liquidate) any remaining FY 21–22 funds no later than Oct. 27.
Annual Performance Review Season
The 2020–21 and 2021–22 annual performance reviews (APRs) are open and accepting grantee input! The FY 20 APR was released on Aug. 29 and closed on Sept. 23. The FY 21 APR will open on Oct. 3 and close on Oct. 28.
Technical Assistance for You
The OIE Formula Team provided in-person technical assistance at the annual National Johnson O’Malley (NJOMA) Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, from Sept. 19 to 21. The OIE team will also offer numerous presentations at the annual National Indian Education Association (NIEA) convention in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, from Oct. 5 to 8.
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Discretionary Grants Update
Congratulations to new Cohorts
Our new Native Youth Community Projects have been announced. NYCP has 43 new grantees, and you can learn more about them on our OIE webpage.
We finished our Native American Language competition and the grantees have been announced! NAL has five new grantees that can be viewed on our NAL@ED webpage.
Talking Circles Are Starting up Again
Talking circles are wonderful opportunities for our grantees to come together, network, and learn from each other and from our program officers. Each program has its own sessions. Find upcoming sessions by visiting our main webpage, select the page for your specific grant program, and view the Upcoming Events sidebar. Past sessions are recorded and published on our webpage.
Discretionary Grants in Action
This year’s Discretionary Team NIEA presentation will highlight all the discretionary programs with grantee content, data, and videos of our grantees in action.
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Meet Department staff member, Annabelle Toledo
Learn more about Annabelle Toledo, formula grants program officer for the OIE.
How long have you been at the Department?
- I have been with OIE for 19 years. In 2003, when I came to OIE, the Title VII formula grant was a paper application. Applicants had to submit three copies of their application! In 2007, the Title VII application was converted to an electronic format called the Electronic Application System for Indian Education (EASIE). Title VI (current Title) is now a fully electronic application process and continues to improve each year lessening the burden to our Title VI Formula grantees!
What do you most enjoy about working at the Department?
- I value the friendships I’ve established throughout the years within OIE and throughout the Department. I enjoy working with colleagues who are driven, committed, dedicated, passionate, and positive, and who have the same mindset and vision to serve the kids with our program funds. I know that at the end of the day I gave it my best to empower the Indian parent committees. Providing technical assistance to LEA administrators and staff to be successful in administrating their programs is reward enough.
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Centers for Disease Control Recommends the First Updated COVID-19 Booster
On Sept. 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendations for use of updated COVID-19 boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech for people ages 12 years and older, and from Moderna for people ages 18 years and older.
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Native Education Collaborative
This collaborative by the National Comprehensive Center provides resources to connect state education agencies (SEAs), Tribal education departments (TEDs), tribal representatives, LEAs, and schools. These resources:
- Integrate knowledge from indigenous educators and the strengths of students’ Native communities
- Offer a place to start conversations with SEAs to foster understanding of Native student education
- Provide the flexibility to adapt to individual states
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Tribal Consultation Toolkit
The National Comprehensive Center developed this Tribal Consultation Toolkit with input from Tribal and community leaders to guide effective, inclusive, and culturally responsive consultation that respects Tribal sovereignty and can advance critical conversations related to education. Explore the video Tribal Consultations: Building A Foundation For Partnership for more information, and click here for the full toolkit.
Considering Native Students: A Learning and Programming Toolkit for State Education Agencies, Local Education Agencies, and Tribes
The National Comprehensive Center created this toolkit to support SEAs, LEAs, and Tribal Education Departments (TEDs) when developing learning and programming that will advance education for Native students. SEAs, LEAs and TEDs should use the information in the toolkit in collaboration with each other to help ensure successful and effective programming for Native students.
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Diversity in the Educator Workforce Resource from the Equity Assistance Centers
"Diversity in the Educator Workforce" outlines a new series presented by the four Equity Assistance Centers (EACs). Each EAC created a course with content geared towards schools, districts, and SEAs. The four topics in the series are:
- The History and the Importance of a Diverse Educator Workforce
- Teacher Diversity - Recruitment
- Hiring a Culturally Responsive and Diverse Workforce
- Increasing Teacher Retention
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Native Youth Count
"Native Youth Count," by Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northwest, was developed for families of American Indian and Alaska Native students to help ensure that all Native children are identified in school in order to receive the services, benefits, and resources available to them.
Practicing Native Culture, Building Identity, Fostering Achievement
In this video, REL Northwest discusses how the genesis for the interTRIBAL immersion program was a student-led event. A former academic achievement coach encouraged American Indian students to organize a club, which they called interTRIBAL Strong.
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Secretary Miguel Cardona's Road to Success Back to School Bus Tour
On Sept. 12, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona launched the Road to Success Back to School Bus Tour alongside First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. The week-long, multi-state road trip showcased the many ways school communities are helping students recover and thrive — putting them on the road to success. The Secretary was also joined by Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, Under Secretary James Kvaal, and local students, families, and educators. Read more about it in this press release. The Department also issued a comprehensive ICYMI and Twitter capture of Secretary Cardona’s and posted the Secretary’s remarks at the University of Tennessee, the Secretary’s video with Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff from Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a video of happy students from 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools honoree Glendora Elementary School in New Jersey.
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Best Practices Clearinghouse
The Best Practices Clearinghouse has an interactive map that presents a state-by-state view of Clearinghouse resources in the Resource Library. This feature allows users to see resources submitted by stakeholders in each state and national organization. The map also links to state plans and state links to LEA plans for the use of American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds, where available. You can also find archived and upcoming events on the Clearinghouse’s events page. The Department welcomes lessons learned and best practices from the field for consideration for the Clearinghouse, including those with an educational equity focus. Send submissions via email to Bestpracticesclearinghouse@ed.gov. Please find additional submission information in the Federal Register notice.
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Regional Education Laboratory Highlight: Resources to Support American Indian Students
RELs Northwest and Southwest have developed several resources over the last five years geared towards supporting American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) students.
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Statewide Family Education Centers Grants
On Sept. 14, the Department announced awards totaling over $7 million to eight statewide organizations under the 2022 Competitive Grants for the Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFEC) program, underscoring the Biden-Harris Administration's ongoing efforts to enhance and increase parent and family engagement in local education.
These SFEC grants will provide financial support to organizations that offer technical assistance and training to SEAs and school districts that effectively engage families on policies, programs, and activities that lead to improvements in student development and academic achievement. Grants will help position these states to develop resources and other supports to foster parental and family involvement in the academic setting and enhance statewide collaborations and communication to further the commitment to student success.
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New Awards for Equity Assistance Centers
The Department announced four new grant awards for the 2022 Equity Assistance Centers (EAC) program competition. EACs are funded by the Department to provide technical assistance and training, upon request, in the areas of race, sex, national origin, and religion to public school districts and other responsible governmental agencies to promote equitable education opportunities. The centers work in the areas of civil rights, equity, and school reform to help schools and communities ensure that equitable education opportunities are available and accessible for all children.
Read more about the four new grants, funded for a period of five years.
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2022 Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program Awards
On Aug. 17, the Department announced the FY 2022 Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program (Javits) Awardees. The program awarded 13 new Javits grants with over $6.7 million for projects that support evidence-based research, demonstration projects, innovative strategies, and similar activities that enhance elementary and secondary schools’ capacity to identify gifted and talented students and meet their unique educational needs.
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New Publication: Providing Wraparound Services Under the American Rescue Plan Homeless Children and Youth Program
The Department, in conjunction with the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), published a brief, “Providing Wraparound Services Under the American Rescue Plan Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Program.” This brief provides an overview of the requirements of ARP-HCY to provide wraparound services for children and youth experiencing homelessness, and spotlights examples of state initiatives based on the plans submitted by each state and approved by the Department. A summary of the approved and completed state plans is available at the link above.
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Alaska Native Education Program Conducts Virtual Tribal Consultation, Announces Funding
In accordance with section 6302 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which states, “It is the policy of the Federal Government to maximize the leadership of and participation by Alaska Natives in the planning and the management of Alaska Native education programs and to support efforts developed by and undertaken within the Alaska Native community to improve educational opportunity for all students,” the Department conducted a Tribal Consultation on Aug. 23, to learn how it can improve administration of the Alaska Native Education (ANE) program.
On Sept. 2, the Department announced 28 new three-year grants totaling $35.3 million through the ANE program. ANE grants were made to Alaska Native Organizations and entities in Alaska governed predominately by Alaska Natives. They support innovative projects that recognize and address the unique educational needs of Alaska Native children and adults. Grantees under the ANE program use their funds for such activities as the development of curricula and education programs that address the needs of Alaska Native students, and the development and operation of student enrichment programs in science and mathematics. Eligible activities also include training and professional development for educators, early childhood and parent outreach, and enrichment programs.
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REAP Presents at National Rural Education Association in October of 2022
The Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) team will participate in the upcoming National Rural Education Association’s annual convention in Green Bay, Wisconsin (Oct. 19–21). REAP will co-present two different sessions with colleagues from the NCES Innovation and Research program. One session will focus on new data tools related to rural education and the other will focus on innovative practices in rural school systems. To learn more about REAP’s Small, Rural School Achievement formula grant program, you may view the most recent webinar recording.
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This newsletter may reference and contain links to external sources. The opinions expressed in these sources do not reflect the views, positions, or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, nor should their inclusion be considered an endorsement of any organization.
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