Changes to student loan programs could bring millions closer to getting out of debt, Education Department says
A review found some servicers had been placing borrowers facing financial difficulties into forbearance instead of giving them clear information about income-driven repayment options.
cbsnews.com100,000 student borrowers eligible for debt cancellation: DOE
Nearly 100,000 people are eligible for student loan debt cancelation, the Department of Education announced on Wednesday.The cancellations would apply to people who were affected by changes the agency made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF) last year. In total, the cancellations would amount to almost $6.2 billion in student debt relief, according to CNN.Under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, eligible borrowers...
news.yahoo.comMillions return to in-person classes despite huge jump in COVID cases and calls for remote learning
Districts that have opted for virtual learning this winter are firmly in the minority right now. Only about 100 of the nation's over 13,000 school districts are opting for virtual learning this winter despite surging case numbers.
cbsnews.comHarris says Americans under the pressures of student loan debt 'are literally making decisions about whether they can have a family, whether they can buy a home'
Harris said the administration has to "figure out how we can creatively relieve the pressure that students are feeling because of their student loan debt."
news.yahoo.comEducation secretary talks federal support at McAllen roundtable
McALLEN — A conversation between U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and a group of Rio Grande Valley college students last week focused primarily on federal funds for higher education and pandemic response, and the importance those funds have in the tip of Texas. Cardona was in the Valley last week to talk about President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda. They told Cardona about how it had affected them, or their friends and family members. She told him how displeased she was that that isn’t the case for students at Valley high schools and middle schools. Valley students can do anything, she said, with a little help from Washington.
myrgv.comBiden administration overhauls student loan forgiveness program for public-sector workers
The Biden administration is overhauling the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. The Department of Education said the changes could benefit more than 550,000 public-sector workers. Seth Frotman, the executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, joins CBSN's Lana Zak to discuss the changes and who might qualify.
news.yahoo.comVela congratulates Blue Ribbon Schools
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela congratulated the four schools in his congressional district that are being recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools, Rising Scholars Academy in San Benito, Zeferino Farias Elementary in Alamo and two elementary schools in Brownsville.
myrgv.comGallegos, Pullam named National Blue Ribbon Schools
The Brownsville Independent School District announces today that two elementary schools, Dr. Ruben Gallegos Elementary and Mittie A. Pullam Elementary, were named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. All schools are honored in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores, and graduation rates:Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students over the past five years. Pullam Elementary was recognized for Exemplary High Performing and Gallegos Elementary was recognized for Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing. Gallegos and Pullam Elementary were nominated by Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency in February 2021 as two of 26 Texas public schools.
myrgv.comCity staff, KFD bag 250-plus pounds of trash
The department’s Office for Civil Rights sent letters to education chiefs in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. Those states have barred schools from requiring masks among all students and staff, a move that the department says could prevent some students from safely attending school. The state policies conflict with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends universal mask wearing for students and teachers in the classroom. If the investigations determine that the state mask bans have discriminated against students with disabilities, it could lead to sanctions including a loss of federal education funding. The investigations aim to determine whether state mask bans amount to a violation of students’ right to a free, public education.
dailytimes.comFederal government takes notice of South Carolina's stance on masks in schools
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has sent a letter to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Department of Education Superintendent Molly Spearman, warning against policies that prevent school districts from requiring masks.
news.yahoo.comCongressional Democrats condemn Abbott for not releasing billions in federal stimulus dollars intended for Texas public schools
National Safe School Reopening Summit kicks off with remarks from Dr. Jill Biden
FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, file photo, first lady Jill Biden speaks during a visit to the Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University. The National Safe School Reopening Summit kicks off Wednesday with remarks from First Lady Jill Biden. Delays are possible, if there is not a livestream available, check back at a later time. Dr. Biden will deliver opening remarks and will be joined by Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to give pre-taped remarks.
School survey shows ‘critical gaps’ for in-person learning
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the findings, while encouraging, also showed “critical gaps” for in-person learning, especially for students of color. In January, 38% of fourth graders were learning full-time in-person, compared with 28% of eighth graders, the survey found. Among fourth graders, almost half of white students were learning fully in-person, with just over one-quarter learning online. Just 42% of those with disabilities and 34% learning English were enrolled in full-time classroom learning, compared with 38% of all students. AdAmong students learning online, the survey found, the amount of time spent with a live teacher also varied greatly.
Students who got partial loan relief to see full discharge
WASHINGTON – Thousands of students defrauded by for-profit schools will have their federal loans fully erased, the Biden administration announced Thursday, reversing a Trump administration policy that had given them only partial relief. The change could lead to $1 billion in loans being canceled for 72,000 borrowers, all of whom attended for-profit schools, the Education Department said. The borrower defense to repayment program allows students to have their federal loans canceled if they were defrauded by their schools. The Education Department said a total of 343,331 applications for relief under borrower defense had been received as of Feb. 28. Sen. Patty Murray, who heads the Senate committee overseeing education, said DeVos used “faulty math” to deny student full relief.
Expanded testing part of Biden administration school plans
As part of that effort, first lady Jill Biden visited a school in New Hampshire on Wednesday. Also Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced $10 billion for states to support school COVID-19 testing programs. The Education Department said first lady Jill Biden will deliver opening remarks. The Education Department will begin making the money available this month. AdPresident Biden has ordered states to prioritize teachers in their vaccination plans, and the CDC has released guidelines to help schools reopen.
Biden, Harris and others to promote relief plan’s benefits
Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses have launched an ambitious tour this week to promote the $1.9 trillion plan as a way to battle the pandemic and boost the economy. “We want to avoid a situation where people are unaware of what they’re entitled to,” Harris said at the culinary academy. Biden stayed back in Washington for a day, declaring that “hope is here in real and tangible ways." “Shots in arms and money in pockets,” Biden said at the White House. After beginning the sales campaign with high-profile speeches, Biden will head to Pennsylvania on Tuesday and then join Harris in Georgia on Friday.
It's back to school for Jill Biden and new education chief
AdBiden and Cardona also visited a Pennsylvania middle school on Wednesday. To help nudge that along, Biden said Tuesday he is pushing states to administer at least one coronavirus vaccination to every teacher, school employee and child-care worker by the end of March. He said the president’s directive that teachers and school staff be vaccinated quickly will be “my top priority.”Later Wednesday, Biden and Cardona visited Fort LeBoeuf Middle School in Waterford, Pennsylvania, where parents told them they appreciated that the school district had sought their opinion about reopening. She and Cardona also visited a robotics class at the middle school and a class for students who need or want a little extra push. Biden asked the teacher in the sensory room whether she had seen anxiety in children increasing because of the pandemic.
Biden's Cabinet half-empty after slow start in confirmations
Also pictured is Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second from right, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, third from right. Among Biden’s 23 nominees with Cabinet rank, just 13 have been confirmed by the Senate, or a little over half. On Tuesday, Biden's Cabinet was thrown into further uncertainty when his nominee to lead the White House budget office, Neera Tanden, withdrew from consideration after her nomination faced opposition from key senators on both sides of the aisle. That must change.”The Biden administration has prioritized confirming those nominees who are key to national security, the economy and public health decisions. The Biden administration has not been completely hamstrung by the slow pace of confirmations, however.
Biden's Cabinet half-empty after slow start in confirmations
Also pictured is Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second from right, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, third from right. Among Biden’s 23 nominees with Cabinet rank, just 13 have been confirmed by the Senate, or a little over half. On Tuesday, Biden's cabinet was thrown into further uncertainty when his nominee to lead the White House budget office, Neera Tanden, withdrew from consideration after her nomination faced opposition from key senators on both sides of the aisle. That must change.”The Biden administration has prioritized confirming those nominees who are key to national security, the economy and public health decisions. The Biden administration has not been completely hamstrung by the slow pace of confirmations, however.