News and reports from the Department of Education.

The Biden-Harris Administration has announced the next step in providing student debt relief to tens of millions of borrowers this fall. Beginning tomorrow, the U.S. Department of Education will email all borrowers with at least one outstanding federally held student loan to provide updates on potential student debt relief. Borrowers have until August 30 to call their servicer and opt out if they do not want this relief.

On Thursday, August 1 and Friday, August 2, the U.S. Department of Education will host the Strengthening Whole Child Communities: Raising the Bar from Cradle to Career Summit in Detroit, Michigan. The summit aims to bring together policymakers, practitioners, advocates, philanthropy leaders, youth, and community-based organizations to emphasize public education's role in fostering opportunity and socioeconomic mobility for children and youth from low-income backgrounds.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced today the resolution of a complaint alleging antisemitic harassment of students at a school in the Carmel Unified School District in California. The district entered into an agreement to ensure its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) when responding to discrimination based on race, color, and national origin, including antisemitic harassment of its students.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona released a statement today regarding the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced today that the Colonial School District near Wilmington, Delaware, has entered into a resolution agreement to ensure compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This agreement focuses on providing students with disabilities equal access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced the approval of approximately $1.2 billion in additional student loan relief for 35,000 public service workers. This move is part of ongoing efforts to address issues within the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. The recent approval brings the total loan forgiveness under the current administration to $168.5 billion for 4.76 million Americans, including $69.2 billion for 946,000 borrowers through PSLF.

The U.S. Department of Education has released proposed regulations aimed at increasing college access for high school students, enhancing public data on student outcomes, and strengthening oversight of distance education programs. These regulations propose changes in three key areas: federal TRIO programs, Distance Education, and Return to Title IV (R2T4). This initiative is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to improve college access, affordability, and the overall quality of postsecondary education.

New Data Shows Streamlined Procedure Is Helping Increasing Numbers of Eligible Borrowers

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced today that Brown University in Rhode Island has entered into a resolution agreement to ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 concerning alleged harassment of students based on national origin, including shared Jewish, Palestinian, Arab, and/or Muslim ancestry. The complaint was filed against the university in December 2023 alleging Title VI violations.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued a statement today ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling on college affirmative action programs.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued a statement on June 25, 2024, regarding recent rulings by district courts in Missouri and Kansas that impact the Biden-Harris Administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that Lafayette College has entered into a resolution agreement to ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when addressing allegations of discrimination or harassment based on shared ancestry, including Jewish ancestry.

The U.S. Department of Education announced today the allocation of over $44.5 million in grants under the Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development (RPED) program. These funds aim to enhance postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion rates among rural students by developing high-quality career pathways aligned with high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industry sectors.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released three new resources today, providing information for students, parents and families, and schools on the civil rights of students with sickle cell disease, epilepsy, and cancer. This release coincides with World Sickle Cell Day and National Black Family Cancer Awareness Week.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the resolution of nine pending complaints against the City University of New York (CUNY), its Central Office, and several CUNY colleges: Hunter College, CUNY School of Law, Brooklyn College, Queens College, and Baruch College. These resolutions address discrimination concerns from the academic year 2019-2020 onward.