News and reports from the Department of Education.

U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, appointed 11 esteemed education leaders to the National Assessment Governing Board

These centers are aimed at fortifying student mental health, safety, and academic opportunities, both during and after school hours

The Biden-Harris Administration made public a series of robust policies designed to safeguard students from the burden of unmanageable student loan debt.

The United States Department of Education, which had been under the administration of Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Kamala Harris, published a major study on diversity and access to higher education titled "Strategies to Towards Inclusive Practices in Higher Education."

The United States Department of Education took a significant step in reforming the student loan system by publishing an issue paper discussing various pathways for reducing student debt. This was an important move toward achieving the department's goal of making the student loan system more transparent and accessible.

University of Phoenix borrowers are finally seeing some relief as the Biden-Harris administration announced $37 million in student loan forgiveness for over 1,200 students. This decision comes after the U.S. Department of Education found that the university had misled students through a national advertising campaign, making false promises about employment opportunities.

ChinaAid Association announced the details for the 2023 Taiwan International Religious Freedom Summit (TIRF). In a press release, the association said that international NGO members, along with other representatives from other governments, participated in the summit which began on Sept. 7 in Taipei, Taiwan.

A comprehensive survey recently released by RAND Corporation on Sept. 12 highlights that 66% of U.S. teachers feel their base salary is not adequate, a sentiment that significantly contrasts with the 39% of other working adults in the country who feel similarly. The surveyed teachers suggested a need for a roughly $17,000 boost in their base pay, which translates to approximately a 27% pay increase. This desired increment aligns with the "teacher pay penalty," representing the gap between educators' salaries and those of other workers with similar education levels.

TechNet, a bipartisan group of innovation economy CEOs, and nine other industry groups are calling on Congress to fully fund the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) program established by the CHIPS and Science Act. The Tech Hubs program is an economic initiative intended to strengthen regional capacity to produce critical technologies.

The Department of Education has announced the upcoming National HBCU Week Conference, which will be organized by the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The conference, set to take place soon, aims to bring together federal agencies, private sector companies, and philanthropic organizations to discuss ways to improve HBCUs. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and other senior administration officials are expected to deliver remarks during the event.

A new multi-state initiative called the Kindergarten Sturdy Bridge Learning Community has been launched by the US Department of Education (DOE) to reinvent the kindergarten experience. The program aims to transform kindergarten into a platform that addresses the diverse needs of young learners and sets them on a path to success in later school stages.

The American Foundation for Policy Initiatives (AFPI) has recently released a comprehensive research report that examines and criticizes the role of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs within American universities. The report contends that these programs, often rooted in critical race theory, challenge the core educational values of "truth-seeking and knowledge-dissemination."

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced in an Aug. 28 press release that a resolution has been reached with the Newark, N.J., Public School District to address alleged Title IX violations concerning sexual harassment and discrimination.

The Biden-Harris administration approved $72 million in loan discharges for more than 2,300 former Ashford University students following a lawsuit that exposed the school's misleading recruiting practices.

The Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a 15-page "Dear Colleague" letter on Aug. 24 from Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights, offering guidance to schools on creating racially inclusive environments while upholding federal legal boundaries.