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New post on: U.S. Department of Education

Providing targeted support to end the high school dropout crisis and support Alaska’s rural communities, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced plans to award a three-year, $1.2 million grant to support Project Puqigtut in Anchorage public schools.

“Keeping students in school and bringing them back to the classroom are vitally important issues for this community and our nation’s future,” said U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who is visiting Anchorage today as the first stop in a three-day trip to Alaska as part of the White House Rural Tour. “Partnership programs such as Project Puqigtut should be supported and expanded to combat America’s high school dropout crisis. If successful, this program could serve as a model to be replicated in other school districts across the nation.”

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New post on: U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education today announced the award of more than $4.5 million in grants to operate 16 special education parent information and training centers in 14 states, including targeted centers for American Indians and military families.

Every state has at least one parent information center funded by the Department of Education to help improve results for children with disabilities. There are more than 104 centers nationwide.

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New post on: U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the award of $8.7 million for five grants under the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) that will help more than 11,000 at-risk students to prepare for college and receive the support they need to achieve success in postsecondary education.

“GEAR UP is the type of college prep program that provides essential academic and financial support to students who otherwise may not have access to college,” Duncan said. “One of President Obama’s goals is for America to again produce the highest number of college graduates in the world, which would end the cycle of poverty for many families. Early intervention is crucial to achieving higher success rates in high school, gaining access to college, and increasing completion rates for postsecondary institutions.”

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New post on: U.S. Department of Education

More than 150 college and graduate students have answered President Obama’s call to service while interning at the U.S. Department of Education this summer. The 158 interns are from 93 different colleges and universities and are working in 21 different offices throughout the Education Department.

“Having vibrant college and graduate students interning at the department over the summer is invaluable. They bring innovative ideas along with the enthusiasm and vigor that college and graduate school fosters,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “They are our next generation of educators and leaders. We are proud to have them here and we encourage others to serve.”

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New post on: U.S. Department of Education

Washington, DC — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that the Department will accelerate stimulus spending by making $11.37 billion in Title I, IDEA, and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) funding, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), available to states one month early to help save jobs and drive reform.

“The President and I directed the Cabinet to find ways to pick up the pace of Recovery Act implementation, and I applaud this critical step forward by the Department of Education,” said Vice President Biden. “With over 30,000 Recovery Act projects already approved nationwide and billions in relief flowing to hard-hit families and businesses, we’ve made a lot of progress in a short time—but we continue to focus every day on finding ways to ramp up our efforts to put Americans back to work and rebuild our economy.”

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The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) today announced the award of five charter school grants, totaling $82 million, to state education agencies in Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Tennessee and Wisconsin to increase public school options in those states.

“Charter schools have an important role to play in the overall strategy of promoting successful school reform and school turnaround models,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “These five states have an opportunity to be selective and provide new high-quality public charter school choices for students and parents.”

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U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that more than $52 million is now available for Vermont under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts. Vermont will be eligible to apply for another $25 million this fall. Today’s funding is being made available per Vermont’s successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application, which was made available on April 1.

“The Recovery Act was designed to meet two critical challenges: rescue the economy from the immediate peril it faces and invest in the building blocks of a strong economy,” Secretary Duncan explained. “The Recovery Act investments in our students and our schools will have a huge payoff in the years ahead.”

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President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that states leading the way on school reform will be eligible to compete for $4.35 billion in Race to the Top competitive grants to support education reform and innovation in classrooms. Between the 2009 budget and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), more than $10 billion in grant money will be available to states and districts that are driving reform.

“This competition will not be based on politics, ideology, or the preferences of a particular interest group. Instead, it will be based on a simple principle—whether a state is ready to do what works. We will use the best data available to determine whether a state can meet a few key benchmarks for reform—and states that outperform the rest will be rewarded with a grant. Not every state will win and not every school district will be happy with the results. But America’s children, America’s economy, and America itself will be better for it,” President Obama said in a speech at the U.S. Department of Education headquarters in Washington.

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Today’s report shows that nearly 40 percent of students who completed a bachelor’s degree in 2000 got some financial help through this program. In our current economy, the need for financial aid is greater than ever. The Pell Grants program and other federal financial aid programs are an economic lifeline for students at colleges and universities. Without that aid, students will struggle to get the education they need to compete in the international economy.

President Obama’s budget makes a historic investment in Pell Grants and student aid. The budget will provide $129 billion in new grants, loans and work-study assistance. Through the fiscal 2009 budget and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the maximum Pell Grant will increase to $5,550—a $819 increase over two years ago. In future years, the size of the grant will increase at the same rate as the consumer price index plus one percent.

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U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that more than $388 million is now available for Louisiana under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts. Louisiana will be eligible to apply for another $191 million this fall. Today’s funding is being made available per Louisiana’s successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application, which was made available on April 1st.

“The Recovery Act was designed to meet two critical challenges: rescue the economy from the immediate peril it faces and invest in the building blocks of a strong economy,” Secretary Duncan explained. “The Recovery Act investments in our students and our schools will have a huge payoff in the years ahead.”

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