September 2023 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

I: Secretary Cardona’s Back to School Tour: On September 5^th, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona started his 2023 Back to School Bus Tour, visiting schools in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The goal of this annual tour is to promote the Raise the Bar initiatives the Biden Administration is engaging in to help children, parents, and families recover from learning loss, encourage parents to be part of the leadership in education, and highlight the mental health resources available to students. As part of the tour, Secretary Cardona will visit the Brown v. Board of Education historic site and will provide remarks on the importance of teacher recruitment.

II: Joint Guidance Issued by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education to Address Questions Raised by Students for Fair Admissions Rulings: On August 14^th, the DOJ and the ED released guidance to help colleges and universities navigate the new standards for compliance with the Equal Protection Clause in college admissions set by the Supreme Court in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Student for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina. The guidance encourages colleges and universities to still engage in practices that uplift students of diverse backgrounds while also protecting the civil rights of all students.

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

Events

• Upcoming Event: OECD is hosting its annual “Education at a Glance” webinar on September 12^th at 11:00 am ET. More information can be found here.
• Upcoming Event: NASSP is hosting the Be Well: Centering Mental Health in Schools Campaign webinar on September 13^th from 4:00-5:30 pm ET. More information can be found here.
• Upcoming Event: CQ is hosting the webinar Fall 2023 Legislative Preview: Appropriations, Farm Bill, NDAA, and Beyond on September 13^th at 2:00 pm ET. More information can be found here.
• Upcoming Event: FutureEd is hosting the webinar New Tools For District Leaders: Fostering Conditions for Student Success on September 19^th, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. ET. For more details, click here.
• Upcoming Event: The Hunt Institute is hosting the next session in the Homeroom with Education Leaders series: Across the Aisle: Parent and Voter Priorities One Year from the ESSER Deadline on September 21^st at 2:00 ET. Click here for more information.

Resources

• The 74: Article: Where do new teachers come from? It’s complicated. Policymakers need to know it.
• Departments of Homeland Security, Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice: Public Awareness Campaign: Biden-Harris Administration Launches SchoolSafey.gov Awareness Campaign to Support Schools with Safety Resources
• FutureED: Report: Progress in Spending Federal K-12 Covid Aid: State by State
• The 74: Interview: Time is not Equal to Learning. Tim Knowles on Scrapping the Carnegie Unit
• Politico: Video: Where GOP Hopefuls Stand on Education
• CRPE: Report:Navigating the Post-Pandemic Fiscal Landscape:Unraveling Covid-19 Relief Spending Decisions and Empowering Education Advocates

Funding Opportunities

Federal Register: Education Department

• NIA: The Office of Postsecondary Education and Department of Education is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2023 for the HBCU, TCCU, MSI, and RDI grant programs. The deadline to apply is November 30^th, 2023.
• NIA: The U.S. Department of education invites applicants for the FY23 Perkins Innovation and Modernization Grant Program.

IEL Policy Highlights:

• The Coalition for Community Schools celebrated the 7^th Annual Community Schools Coordinator Week September 17^th-23^rd, which was marked with a Resolution in both the U.S. House and Senate. Schools, Coordinators, and communities across shared their celebrations on social media using #CoordinatorsRock.