Announcements

The Department of Education is asking the public for help to spread the word to students, parents, and educators about the importance of completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Federal Student Aid Financial Aid Toolkit contains sample Facebook posts, tweets, blogs, videos, photos, and infographics that can be used to deliver the message through social media channels. Learn more.

Date: September 25, 2014, 1:00 p.m. EST
The Small Business Administration and GobiernoUSA.gov will host a Google Hangout in Spanish to offer business tips for young entrepreneurs. The live Hangout will help budding young entrepreneurs who are looking for tips on how to start a new business. Participants will get insight from young entrepreneur who will answer questions about getting started. Hangout participants can submit questions by email to learning@sba.gov or tweet questions using hashtag #jovenesempresarios. No registration is needed to participate. Learn more. Aprender más.

Two new resources from IES can help to improve support to students who are struggling in school:
• “Practitioner Data Use in Schools: Workshop Toolkit” (PDF, 53 pages) is designed to help teachers and administrators use education data more systematically and accurately.
• ”A Practitioner’s Guide to Implementing Early Warning Systems” (PDF, 26 pages) describes and provides examples of early warning system implementation strategies in use across the country.

NBHAAD: Reducing HIV Among African American Communities is an annual opportunity to honor the memory of those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS and to increase awareness of the disproportionate number of African American men, women, and youth affected by HIV. This year’s theme, “I Am My Brother’s/Sister’s Keeper: Fight HIV/AIDS,” had a special focus on HIV disparities among men who have sex with men. Learn more.

Using data from 133 countries, the “Global Status Report on Violence Prevention 2014” provides an overview of violence prevention efforts across the globe that aim to address interpersonal violence (specifically child maltreatment), youth violence, intimate partner and sexual violence, and elder abuse. This report was jointly published by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Learn more.

The National Behavioral Health Barometer provides national and state level data on key behavioral health care issues — including serious mental illness, suicidal thoughts, substance use, and underage drinking — and on the rates at which Americans seek treatment for these challenges. Learn more.

This blog post links to multiple resources that can help youth-serving programs understand how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affects youth, including homeless and runaway youth. The post also provides some of the highlights from a recent webinar that discussed what youth and youth workers need to know about the ACA. Learn more.

Each year, states nominate schools or districts that have shown to be effective at reducing environmental impact, improving health and wellness, and/or teaching environmental education. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will recognize the 2015 Green Ribbon Schools honorees on his YouTube channel on April 22, 2015 at 2 p.m. EST. Learn more.

In this blog post, Cyekeia Lee, director of higher education initiatives at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, shares strategies for youth-serving professionals who are helping homeless students navigate the scholarship application process. Homeless students can face many obstacles when seeking scholarship funding (e.g., having a GED instead of a high school diploma, getting parental permission, lacking a GPA, and having incomplete transcripts). Learn more.

After completing 10 months of intensive service to disaster survivors, including those from Hurricane Sandy and the Oklahoma tornados, 141 FEMA Corps members based at the Sacramento AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps campus were honored at graduation ceremonies. A partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and AmeriCorps, FEMA Corps engages young people ages 18–24 in disaster response and recovery projects, thereby enhancing our nation’s response to disasters while expanding career opportunities for these young adults. Learn more.

ED is accepting applications for summer 2015 internships. Interns will have opportunities to explore such fields as education policy, education law, business and finance, research and analysis, intergovernmental relations and public affairs, and traditional and digital communications — all while learning about the role that federal government plays in education. Learn more.

The Federal Registry for Educational Excellence compiles digital teaching and learning resources created and maintained by the federal government and public and private organizations. Learn more.

NIDA has released new step-by-step guides both for those seeking help to overcome drug addiction and their loved ones. The guides are presented in a simple Q&A format with accompanying videos and are customized into four categories: (1) teens seeking help, (2) adults seeking help, (3) parents/guardians seeking help for their teen/young adult child, and (4) those trying to help an adult loved one. Learn more.

Sol Flores (founding executive director of La Casa Norte in Chicago) and Margaret Mitchell (president and CEO of YWCA Greater Cleveland) share tips for how runaway and homeless youth programs can adopt a “housing-first” approach that emphasizes stable, permanent housing as a primary strategy for ending homelessness. Learn more.

This fact sheet illustrates the steps that the Obama administration and its federal partners are taking to support foster youth. These efforts include ensuring access to healthy meals, protecting the welfare of Native youth, building financial security, keeping young people out of the justice system, creating paths to employment, supporting educational success, and developing public service and private investment opportunities. Learn more.

ED encourages all college students to fill out the FAFSA. This blog post outlines the reasons why and provides links to resources that can help students understand their financial aid options. Learn more.

This blog post outlines the issues discussed at a recent meeting that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan held with Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander education stakeholders. At the meeting, attendees requested a clear statement that Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) are indeed in the same class of institutions as Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving institutions under the Higher Education Act (HEA). In response to these concerns, the Department updated its website, recommending listing AANAPISIs along with the other classes of schools delineated under HEA. Learn more.  

Liz Marks shares how her accident from texting while driving changed her life. Learn more.

This blog entry outlines the four things recent graduates should do as they prepare to make their first student loan payment: get organized, contact the loan servicer, estimate monthly payments, and select a repayment plan. Learn more.

To gather public feedback about the Administration’s plan to address rising college costs, the Department of Education hosted three public forums across the country and will hold the final forum at Louisiana State University on November 21. Learn more about the forums and President Obama’s agenda to address the cost of higher education.