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Department of Ed Urges Schools to Protect Muslim Students from Harassment. The U.S. Department of Education published a "Dear Colleague" letter urging schools to take extra steps to protect Muslim students from harassment and discrimination. Schools are always obligated to address any harassment or bullying students face, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or national origin. ...
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John King Appointed Acting U.S. Secretary of Education. John King Jr. took over as the acting secretary of education. He will not undergo the usual confirmation process, but rather will serve as acting secretary for the rest of President Obama's time in office. A native of New York, King was one of the founders of the Roxbury Preparatory Charter School in Boston. Read more about K...
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Omnibus Package Includes Education Spending. The FY 2016 omnibus (H.R. 2029) passed and signed into law last week provides $162.1 billion for the programs funded under the Labor-HHS-Education section. That is $5.4 billion more than last fiscal year, but $5.5 billion less than President Barack Obama had requested. Title I got an additional $500 million, up to approximately $14.9 bil...
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Supreme Court Weighs Affirmative Action Case, Again. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments a second time in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. In 2013, the Supreme Court heard the case and ruled 7 to 1 against a lower court's decision. The ruling said that the lower court had not applied proper legal scrutiny to the university's admission's policy but did not offer much more...
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House Passes ESEA Reauthorization. The House voted 359 to 64 to approve the Every Student Succeeds Act, to replace the outdated No Child Left Behind Act. The final language must now be passed in the Senate before being sent to the president. The bill would significantly reduce the federal role in elementary and secondary education, according to the Washington Post. While it would g...
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House and Senate Conference Pass No Child Left Behind Reform. A Senate and House Conference Committee approved legislation which would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, an update to No Child Left Behind, which expired in 2007. The committee voted 38 to 1 to pass a framework, which staff had crafted from the versions passed on the chambers' floors. With a frame...
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Education Department Announces New Rules for Accreditors. The U.S. Education Department announced "a series of executive actions to improve accreditors' and the department's oversight activities and move toward a new focus on student outcomes and transparency." The announcement included executive actions and recommended legislative reform, focusing on transparency, that officials s...
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Ed Department Finalizes Rules on Income-Based Repayment and Student Aid Delivery. The U.S. Education Department finalized two rules expanding an income-based student loan repayment program and giving students more options for receiving aid. The rule will expand the REPAYE program to allow five million more Direct Loan borrowers to cap their monthly student loan payment amount at 10...
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STEM Education Act Signed into Law. President Obama signed the STEM Education Act of 2015, which expands the definition of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) to include computer science programs. The bill was originally introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), members of the Science, Space and Technology Committee. The law does not increas...
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Arne Duncan to Step Down in December from Education Secretary Position. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced he will step down at the end of December. He has served since the beginning of President Obama's first term, almost seven years. Obama will name John B. King Jr., currently deputy secretary of education in the Education Department, as interim secretary to serve unti...