Secretary Duncan announced guidance, in the form of a Dear Colleague letter to states, school districts, and schools to ensure that students have equal access to such educational resources that provide an equal opportunity to succeed in school, careers, and life. The guidance, issued by the Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), provides detailed and concrete... Read More
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U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Announces Guidance to Ensure All Students Have Equal Access to Educational Resources
Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - 10:04
The Native American and Alaska Native Children in Schools (NAM) Program’s Next Grant Cycle Opening Soon
Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - 10:02
The next grant cycle for the NAM program, administered by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), will be in 2015 for the 2016-2017 school year. Watch NCELA Nexus for an announcement of application information and deadlines.
October Marks the 24th Anniversary of the Native American Languages Act
Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - 10:01
The Native American Languages Act (NALA) of 1990 (PUBLIC LAW 101-477)—currently being considered for reauthorization—was enacted by Congress on October 30, 1990, and served as a historic repudiation of past policies. Its intent was to "preserve, protect and promote the rights and freedoms of Native Americans to use practice and develop Native American Languages" and "fully recognize the right of Indian Tribes and other Native American governing bodies, States, territories, and possessions of the United States to take action on, and give official status to their Native American languages for the purpose of conducting their own... Read More
U.S. Department of Education Launches First-Ever School Environment Listening Tour for Native American Students
Monday, October 13, 2014 - 10:03
The White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education (WHIAIANE) and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights are launching their first-ever school environment listening tour to hear from schools and communities on ways to better meet the unique educational and culturally-related academic needs of Native American students. The listening sessions will focus on school environment—bullying, student discipline, and offensive imagery and symbolism. WHIAIANE will compile the feedback from the tour into a... Read More
OELA Director Libia S. Gil Speaks at Conference on 40th Anniversary of Lau v. Nichols Decision
Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - 10:00
Libia S. Gil, assistant deputy secretary and director of the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), U.S. Department of Education, spoke on September 12, 2014, at the National Conference on the Rights of Linguistic Minorities, in San Francisco, CA. The conference commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Lau v. Nichols 1974 Supreme Court decision, which expanded the rights of students nationwide with limited English proficiency. Lau v. Nichols was a class action suit brought by parents of non-English-proficient Chinese students against the San Francisco Unified School District. In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled that identical education does not constitute equal education. The basis of the decision was Title VI... Read More
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) Welcomes Three New Staff Members
Friday, September 12, 2014 - 10:00
OELA is pleased to introduce three new members of its staff: Marianna Vinson joins OELA as deputy director, having served most recently as assistant superintendent of educational services for the San Jacinto Unified School District in southern California. A former bilingual kindergarten teacher, as assistant superintendent she led the transition to the Common Core State Standards and next generation assessments, and oversaw all instructional programs from preschool through high school, including special education. KimOanh Nguyen-Lam joins OELA as program director. Most recently, she directed the Advanced Training and Research Division of International and Foreign Language Education, in the Department’s Office of Postsecondary Education. Prior to that... Read More
The U.S. Department of Education Releases More Information on Enrolling New Immigrant Students
Friday, September 12, 2014 - 10:00
This new resource, Fact Sheet II: Additional Questions & Answers Enrolling New Immigrant Students, reviews procedures for districts enrolling Title III immigrant students. It is a supplement to the previously released Fact Sheet: Educational Services for Immigrant Students and Those Recently Arrived to the United States, published in August to help institutions address the needs of unaccompanied and other new immigrant youth. Read more about the context for these two fact sheets, and the fact sheets themselves, at the Department website page... Read More
U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan Offers Guidance on Testing and Evaluation
Friday, September 12, 2014 - 10:00
Education Secretary Arne Duncan addresses key education issues, including teacher evaluations and test preparation, in this post on SmartBlog on Education. "Growth is what matters," he writes. "No teacher or school should be judged on any one test, or tests alone—always on a mix of measures—which could range from classroom observations to family engagement indicators.”
Educational Services for Immigrant Children and Those Recently Arrived to the United States
Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 10:00
According to the most recent data, there were more than 840,000 immigrant students in the United States, and more than 4.6 million are English learners. The U.S. Department of Education has begun to receive inquiries regarding educational services for immigrant children from Central America who have recently crossed the U.S. - Mexico border. In response, the Department developed fact sheets to help education leaders understand the States’ and local educational agencies’ responsibilities for immigrant students, and to answer questions about enrolling new immigrant students. Also included are existing resources available to help educate all immigrant students – including children who recently arrived in the United States.... Read More
President Obama Announces Expansion of "My Brother's Keeper" (MBK) Initiative, and Welcomes New Task Force for Native American Boys and Men
Monday, August 4, 2014 - 10:00
On Monday, July 21, President Obama announced a number of new commitments for his "My Brother's Keeper" initiative aimed at helping boys and young men of color. These commitments include sixty of the country's largest school districts joining the initiative, and pledges of over $90 million from the private and philanthropic sectors (which come on top of over $200 million previously committed from these sectors). Among the generous commitments made: The NBA will recruit 25,000 new mentors, and partner with schools it affiliate cities. AT&T will donate $18 million in this year alone for mentoring programs. The Emerson Collective and its partners in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, will contribute $50 million, and collaborate with districts and educators to launch a competition to find... Read More