Margarito J, Garcia, III, Ph.D.

Aicragjm1205@aol.com

July 10, 2015

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RIGHTS FOR FAMILIES
On June 26, Secretary Duncan announced a set of rights that outlines what families should be able to expect for
their childrens education. I want to describe educational rights that I firmly believe must belong to every family
in America, and I hope youll demand that your leaders in elected or appointed offices deliver on them, he
stated during a speech to the 2015 National Parent Teacher Association Convention in Charlotte, North
Carolina. They come together as a set of rights that students must have at three pivotal stages of life -- to
prepare them for success in college and careers and as engaged, productive citizens (see press release, blog post,
and web site).
To help prepare every student for success in life, families have the right to:
free, quality preschool;
high, challenging standards and engaging teaching and leadership in a safe, supportive, well-resourced
school; and
an affordable, quality college degree.
The Secretarys announcement of this set of rights complements the Departments work to reach out to parents - from the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships, to tools that can help students
and families select the best colleges for their needs, to support of Parent Training and Information Centers and
resource centers.

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ESEA REAUTHORIZATION

This week, in advance of the consideration of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorizations bills
in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Cecilia

Muoz and Secretary Duncan held a press call and issued a new report.
Weve made a tremendous amount of progress, but its also true that we have a tremendous amount of work to
do to ensure equity and opportunity for every student in this country, Muoz emphasized. The achievement
data in the report paints a stark picture of the vast deficiency gaps between the lowest 5% of schools and other
schools. Currently neither bill being considered in the House or Senate has sufficient accountability provisions
to ensure that every child who needs the help the most will get the support that they need. Thats unacceptable.
And, the Administration believes strongly that we need to make improvements as both bills move forward in the
legislative process.
The Senates bill has some important provisions, the Secretary explained. It eliminates the proscriptive, onesize-fits-all approach of No Child Left Behind and includes expanding access to high-quality preschool, which is the
best investment we as a nation can make. It also makes critical investments in innovation and scaling what works
and provides important supports for teachers and principals. It also continues ensuring that students are held to
high standards and that parents, teachers, and communities receive comparable data every year. However, to live
up to ESEAs legacy as a civil rights law, we join with numerous business and civil rights groups in urging that
further improvements be made to the bill to make it a law that will further equity rather than moving
backwards. Every family and community deserves more than transparency -- they deserve action. They
deserve to know that if studentsfall behind, their schools will take steps to improve with the strongest action
in the lowest-performing 5% schools.
The White House also issued a new Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) on S. 1177, the Senates ESEA
bill. (A SAP on H.R. 5, the Houses ESEA bill, was issued in February.)
And, Secretary Duncan, National Urban League President Marc Morial, and Leadership Conference on Civil and
Human Rights President Wade Henderson penned a blog post: Fixing ESEA: Looking Out for All Students.
Also: On July 9, the Department announced that five states and Puerto Rico have received approval for
continued flexibility from provisions of ESEA. These recipients are implementing comprehensive, statedesigned plans to ensure student success and a continued commitment to college- and career-readiness for every
student. Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Puerto Rico have three additional years of flexibility, through the
2017-18 school year, while Delaware, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma have one more year of flexibility. (Note:
Approved flexibility requests and renewal letters are available here.)

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LEADERS SUPPORTING TEACHERS

Teachers across the country are working together to increase student success. They are learning from data, from
test scores to parent feedback, and engaging students through meaningful work to prepare them for college and
careers. For a closer look at how classrooms are being transformed, the Department launched a behind-thescenes video series. In the fourth video in the series, learn how Lehigh Senior High School in Florida turned
around to become one of the most sought-after schools in its school district. This turnaround was achieved
through leadership committed to providing ongoing professional development for teachers, an empowered and
cohesive teaching force, and a relentless focus on advancing student success through best practices.

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PROTECTING COLLEGE STUDENTS
It has been a busy two weeks on the higher education front:

On July 1, the Administrations signature effort to protect students and taxpayers -- gainful
employment regulations -- went into effect, strengthening oversight that will end the flow of federal
student aid to career training programs that leave students buried in debt with few opportunities to
repay it. Under the new regulations, a program would be considered to lead to gainful employment if
the estimated annual loan payment of a typical graduate does not exceed 20% of his or her
discretionary income or 8% of his or her total earnings. Programs that exceed these levels would be
at risk of losing their ability to participate in federal student aid programs. (Note: In an op-ed by
published by Politico magazine, Secretary Duncan calls on Congress to hold shady colleges
accountable.)
Also on July 1, the Departments state authorization regulations went into effect, clarifying states role
to approve institutions and monitor public complaints about their operations. The agency has
provided ample time -- over four years -- for states and institutions to comply with requirements.
Now, if an institution is found to be out of compliance during the Departments normal review
process, it risks losing its eligibility to participate in federal student aid programs.
Moreover, final regulations are now in effect implementing changes made to the Clery Act by the
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The regulations: (1) increase transparency by
adding dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking to the list of crimes about which an institution
must disclose statistics to the public, its campus community, and the Department and (2) require
institutions to make enhanced disclosures regarding disciplinary proceedings used to resolve
allegations concerning these crimes, protective measures provided by the institution following an
allegation of these crimes, and the training programs in place to better inform its campus community
about awareness and prevention. In the months ahead, the agency will work with institutions, states,
and advocates to expand shared knowledge, identify best practices and prevention models, and
increase capacity to combat sexual violence (blog post).
Then, on July 7, the Department announced its plans to give an additional six million borrowers
access to student loan payments capped at 10% of income; create a streamlined process to identify
military servicemembers who hold Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program loans and who
are eligible for lower interest rates while on active duty (a process the agency already uses for
servicemembers with Direct Loans); and require guaranty agencies to contact FFEL borrowers who
rehabilitated their defaulted loans to provide them information on repayment plans, including
income-driven repayment options, to help them decide which repayment plan to choose (press
release).
The Department also updated lists on its College Affordability and Transparency Center, highlighting
institutions with the highest and lowest costs and those where costs are increasing rapidly.

Also: The Americas College Promise Act of 2015, which would make two years of community college free and
provide an affordable pathway to a four-year college degree for low-income students, was introduced in the
House and Senate.

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IDEA DETERMINATION LETTERS

As required by law, the Department has issued annual determination letters regarding states implementation of
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Each state was evaluated on key indicators under Part B
(ages 3 through 21) and Part C (infants through age 2) and placed into one of four categories: meets
requirements, needs assistance, needs intervention, and needs substantial intervention. Most states fell into the
top categories; 19 states met requirements for Part B, and 21 states met requirements for Part C. No state needs

substantial intervention. The IDEA identifies specific technical assistance or enforcement actions that the
agency must undertake for states that do not meet requirements. (Note: For the first time in 2014 and in 2015,
the agency made Part B determinations using both compliance and results data, giving each equal weight. For
the first time in 2015, the agency made Part C determinations using both compliance and results data, given each
equal weight. The Departments accountability framework, known as Results-Driven Accountability, brings into
focus the outcomes of children with disabilities.)

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ODDS AND ENDS

Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 1972-2012 updates a
series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports on high school dropout and
completion rates that began in 1988.
State plans to ensure equitable access to excellent educators, as well as resources the Department has
made available to states to support this important work, have been posted here.
A new blog post by R. David Edelman, Special Assistant to the President for Economic and
Technology Policy, tells the ConnectED Story.
Last fall, Secretary Duncan recognized 337 National Blue Ribbon Schools, based on their overall
academic excellence or progress in closing achievement gaps, and the Progress blog is sharing some
of their stories and lessons learned: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at a recent White House event celebrating students, teachers, and
innovators in career and technical education (CTE), featuring a showcase of student projects and
discussions on ways to expand CTE programs. Earlier, President Obamasigned an Executive Order
expanding the S. Presidential Scholars Program to establish a new category of outstanding scholars in
CTE.
The President has named 108 math and science teachers as recipients of the Presidential Award for
Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
June is Immigrant Heritage Month, and the Department is sharing immigration stories of its staff.
The nextstory comes from Acting Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education
Johan Uvin.
This months Education Matters bulletin, released by the Departments Center for Faith-Based and
Neighborhood Partnerships, focuses on human trafficking.

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QUOTE TO NOTE

Ask every politician -- across the political spectrum, at the local, state, and national levels -- whats your plan to
improve student outcomes? Whats your plan to ensure that students not only go to college in increasing
numbers but also graduate -- and do so without a burden of debt that will hinder their life choices? Whats your
concrete goal for high school graduation rates, and how will you accomplish it? Will you fund high-quality early
childhood education? Challenge the people who need your vote. Ask them to earn your vote by doing right by
your children and by every child in this country. Demand that they deliver on the rights of your family and every
family.
-- Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (6/26/15), in remarks at the 2015 National Parent Teacher Association
Convention

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Throughout the summer, many organizations are encouraging students and their families to participate in
summer reading. The National PTA has launched a Family Reading Challenge through July, Book It! Summer
Reading Challenge runs through August, and the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge kicked-off in May.
Many other organizations have an array of summer reading resources to keep kids reading, including Reading
Rockets, PBS Kids, Reading is Fundamental, and Common Sense Media, among others.

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ED Review is a product of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Communications and Outreach, State and
Local Engagement Joseph P. Walsh, Deputy Assistant Secretary
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