September 2022 IEL Federal Policy Update

Policy by the People Agenda 

Summary of federal policy action this past month and a look-ahead to the next few weeks/month 

1. Student Debt Relief Plan: On August 24^th, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a three-part plan to help student loan borrowers pay back their debt, including: forgiving up-to $20,000 in federal student loans, extending the student loan repayment pause until December 31, 2022, and capping monthly payments at no more than 5% of a borrower’s discretionary income. This program is designed to support low- and middle-income households, especially those who did not graduate from college or received a Pell Grant. If not automatically applied, borrowers who qualify for the plan can apply for loan forgiveness starting until December 31, 2022. The application is expected to go live in October 2022. 

2. Public-Private Partnership to Strengthen Teaching Profession and Help Schools Fill Vacancies: On August 31^st, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new efforts to address the national teacher shortage, including establishing partnerships with ZipRecruiter, Handshake, and Indeed, to streamline the recruitment and hiring process for K-12 educators. A partnership between CCSSO, AFT, NEA, and NGA will work to diversify the teacher pipeline and provide professional development opportunities to increase teacher quality. Additionally, the Departments of Education and Labor issued a joint letter to state and local education and workforce leaders to issue recommendations to address teacher retention including paying teachers a livable wage and implementing apprenticeship programs.  

3. Resource on Leveraging and Service Coordinators to Increase Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities:  On August 16^th, the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy released a Federal Joint Communication to State and Local Governments on the benefits of blending, braiding, and sequencing financial resources to increase competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities.  

4. Update on FY 2023 Appropriations: Congress spent the month of August on recess, but the Appropriations negotiations process resumed after Labor Day. Over the recess, Representative Charlie Crist, a member of the House Appropriations Committee since 2019, resigned to run for Governor in the state of Florida. 

Policy-related events and resources of interest, including federal funding opportunities 

Events 

• Upcoming Event: Data Quality Campaign will host Measuring Job and Credential Quality: The Role of State P-20W Data Systems on September 22th at 2:00pm EDT. More information and registration can be found here. 
• Upcoming Event: The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine will host the hybrid symposium The Future is Now: Advancing and Sustaining an Equity-Oriented Science (focused on the March 2022 The Future of Research at IES report) on September 20th from 9:00am-5:00pm EDT. More information and registration can be found here. 
• Upcoming Event: Children’s Funding Project will host How Federal Funding Tools Can Help Tribal Nations Support Child and Youth Programs on October 5th at 4:00pm EDT. More information and registration can be found here.  
• Upcoming Event: LPI will host the webinar The Civil Rights Road to Deeper Learning on September 20th at 4:00pm EDT. More information and registration can be found here.  
• Upcoming Event: ACE will hot the webinar Navigating Muddy Waters: Best Practices for Civil Online Discourse on September 21^st from 11:00am-12:15pm EDT. More information and registration can be found here.  
• Past Event: WorkforceGPS hosted the webinar Supporting Youth Mental Health in the Workforce System. More information can be found here. 
• Past Event: The Campaign for Grade-level Reading hosted the webinar special series 250,000 Caring Adults: Rolling Out a New National Effort. More information can be found here. 
• Past Event: NPSS hosted Power of Us Webinar: Mentors, Tutors, and More. Who are the adults who will work with youth, and what can we do to know more? More information can be found here. 
  
  Resources 

• Education Next: Report: Parental Anxieties over Student Learning Dissipates as Schools Relax Anti-Covid Measures 
• Curriculum HQ: Blog with resource links: Raise Your Hands for the Leaders in Education Recovery 
• U.S. Department of Education: Back-to School Checklist for Parents. This resource also includes strategies on how to increase family engagement on the school-level. 
• Changing the Odds: Blog on the National Partnership for Student Success : Build Upon, Not Build Anew. 
• Power of Us: Communications Toolkit: Power of Us Workforce Survey: Communications Toolkit 
• CEEDAR Centers: Toolkit: Educator Shortages in Special Education: A Toolkit for Developing Local Strategies. 
• NTACT: Webinar: Unpacking Assumptions: Equitable Approaches to Re-Engaging Students and Youth in Education and VR Services. 
• Children’s Funding Project: Database, Profiles and Additional Resources: American Rescue Plan Resource Guide 

Funding Opportunities 

• Federal Register: Education Department  

• Federal Funding: Federal Grant Opportunities: 

• Department of Education: Promise Neighborhoods (ED-GRANTS-062922-002), Due October 7, 2022 

IEL Policy Highlights 

• On September 7^th, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced the Road to Success Back to School Bus Tour. The Secretary will begin his 6-state tour on September 12^th and will be accompanied by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. The tour will highlight the Administration’s pandemic recovery work in K-12 and higher education including increasing access to s heath and academic supports through Community Schools. On September 15^th, the Secretary and Mr. Emhoff will visit Allentown, Pennsylvania to highlight Community Schools and Integrated Student Supports.  

• IEL signed onto First Focus on Children’s letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra requesting the establishment of a Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council housed within HHS. This council, comprised of representatives from at least 12 agencies, will create “a permanent and ongoing mechanism to improve both domestic and international policymaking for children” with an emphasis on “reducing racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes for children.” 
• IEL released the Youth Voice In Community Guide, which offers insights and support to Community Schools practitioners in better understanding and creating opportunities for youth leadership in their schools and communities. This guide provides way in which youth voice can be lifted up to develop more equitable school systems and youth-focused policies, as well as how to build capacity for youth in decision making and problem solving.  
• Coordinators Appreciation Week Congressional Resolution: The Coalition for Community Schools and partnered with Representative Judy Chu and Senators Brown and Booker to sponsor a Congressional Resolution in honor or Community School Coordinators Appreciation Week. The Resolution celebrates the impact Coordinators have in collaborative process of developing a dynamic and supportive learning environment for students and their families. 
• The Coalition for Community Schools proudly supported schools and districts applying for the Full Service Community Schools Grant after the announcement by the Department of Education. The Coalition team sprang into action to advance our advocacy efforts as well as provide direct assistance to our networks to help increase the number of schools applying for the grant.