Category: Government Actions

USDE Continues Push to Invest in Highly Effective Educators and Address Teacher Shortage (April 7, 2022)

Grant Program Focuses on Equity, Diversity, and Increasing the Educator Pipeline

As per an April 7, 2022 press release, The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is continuing to take action to support and invest in the teaching profession and address the teacher shortage many schools and districts across the country face. The Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant program is now accepting applications for efforts that increase the pipeline of highly effective educators.

The SEED program will award $65 million to support the implementation of evidence-based practices that prepare, develop, or enhance the skills of educators. These grants also will enable recipients to develop, expand, and evaluate practices that can serve as models that can be sustained, replicated, and scaled. This program is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader commitment to supporting targeted efforts that will provide comprehensive, high-quality pathways into the profession, such as residency and Grow Your Own programs, and evidence-based professional development all focused on building and supporting a more diverse educator pipeline and combating the teacher shortage nationally.

As states, districts, and schools are working hard to address the impact of COVID-19 on students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs, many of them are facing significant challenges in attracting and retaining teachers. Preexisting teacher shortages in critical areas such as special education; multilingual education; science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); career and technical education; and early childhood education have only been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic—directly impeding student access to educational opportunity.

The SEED program fosters the use of rigorous evidence-based practices in selecting and implementing strategies and interventions that support educators’ development across the continuum of their careers. Support for educator preparation programs and high-quality professional development are vital to ensure that all students have access to well-prepared and qualified teachers, principals, and other school leaders. These programs invest in educators who are effective and likely to stay in the profession. Research shows that existing educator shortages disproportionately impact students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, students with disabilities, and, often, rural communities.

Coinciding with the announcement, the USDE hosted a webinar focused on “Strengthening Partnerships Between States, School Districts, and Higher Education to Increase the Number of Teacher Candidates Prepared to Enter the Classroom and Provide Immediate Support to Schools.”

As per Sec. Cardona’s March 28, 2022 call to action, he is urging states, institutions of higher education, and school districts to commit to using American Rescue Plan and other federal relief funds to help address teacher shortages.

The USDE states that it recognizes the value of supporting educators and is committed to providing resources and opportunities that uplift the educator workforce. 

To learn more about the SEED program, please visit: https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/supporting-effective-educator-development-grant-program/.

The FY 2022 SEED grant competition will close on June 3, 2022.

DHS Celebrates Month of the Young Child, Stresses Proposed Plan for Direct Funding for Child Care and Other Essential Needs (April 6, 2022)

PA Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Meg Snead , in recognition of the Month of the Young Child, is pointing to the Wolf Administration’s proposal to provide direct funding to Pennsylvanians for child care and other essential needs.

The Month of the Young Child recognizes what children need to have strong, healthy starts and how early childhood education programs can meet those needs and benefit children across their lives. Throughout the pandemic, child care centers and early childhood educators have worked and continue to work tirelessly through the difficulties to offer families of all backgrounds and means an opportunity for quality, equitable child care. The ability for center to remain well staffed and open are crucial to the economy’s health and to child development for the current generation of young children.

At present Governor Wolf is seeking to use American Rescue Plan Act (APA) funds to provide $2,000 grants to help individuals and families meet essential needs. These grants can help pay for child care, health care, housing, utilities, broadband, education and vocational training programs. As Pennsylvania and the nation continue economic recovery in a turbulent world, direct support to individuals and families will help Pennsylvanians maintain their individual wellbeing and contribute to their communities.

The Wolf Administration has taken significant steps to support the child care industry through the COVID-19 crisis and will continue to do so. In the fall, DHS announced its plan to distribute $655 million in funding from the APA to stabilize Pennsylvania’s child care industry. Licensed child care providers are invited to submit applications for one-time grant funding that represents an unprecedented investment in the child care industry and its dedicated workforce. This grant funding can be used to cover expenses, support staff, and provide support to this critical industry that continues to be challenged by the pandemic. 

Additionally, $352 million in Child Care Development Fund funding from the American Rescue Plan Act is being invested in Pennsylvania’s Child Care Works (CCW) subsidized child care program, targeting decreased costs to families, greater support for child care providers participating in the program, and setting incentives for providers who expand care availability beyond traditional hours.

To read more, click here.

PDE BSE Issues State Performance Plan Data Pennlink (April 3, 2022)

On April 1, 2022 , Carole L. Clancy, Director of the PDE Bureau of Special Education, issued a Pennlink titled State Performance Plan Data Requirements – Postsecondary School Survey – Cohort 1 (POSTS). According to the message, he Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) requires each state to determine, for the state as a whole, the extent to which students are achieving transition outcomes as stated in their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) (State Performance Plan – Indicator 14).

To meet this federal reporting requirement, once over a five-year period, each local educational agency (LEA) is required to survey all students with IEPs who graduate, dropout, or age out.  The Pennsylvania Post-School Outcome Surveys (PaPOS) will be used to gather this data.  The random sampling process used to assign each LEA to one of the five years in each cycle ensures that the LEAs selected each year are representative of the state as a whole with regard to LEA size, disability category, ethnicity, gender, and exiting status.

During the 2020-2021 school year, LEAs assigned to Target Sampling Year 1 completed the exit survey.  The LEAs assigned to PaPOS Target Year 1 need to be aware of the following points as they must fulfill the post-survey requirements during the 2021-2022 school year:

  • No earlier than one year after the student left school and no later than September 30, 2022, the LEA must administer the PaPOS post survey to former students who had an IEP and who graduated, dropped out, or aged out at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.  (These former students should have been administered the exit survey in Spring of 2021).  All this information will be entered by your LEA through the Leader Services online system.
  • Intermediate Unit and Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) transition consultants will monitor the LEA’s progress and assist as needed with the PaPOS procedure.
  •  The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education will provide LEAs with training on the implementation and electronic submission of the PaPOS Target Year 1 via a webinar on April 19, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.  Please register for this webinar at PaTTAN – Session-36729.

For questions about this process, please contact Elaine Neugebauer, Educational Consultant at the PaTTAN-Pittsburgh Office, at (800) 446-5607, ext. 6867 (inside PA) or [email protected].

LEA assistance in assuring compliance with this requirement is greatly appreciated and LEAs are urged to check their status for 2021-22 PaPOS Target Sampling Year 1.

PA House Ed Committee Moves HB 2169 Forward, Despite Coalition Concerns (April 2, 2022)

On March 29, 2022, the PA House Education Committee approved HB 2169, which has been termed as a tuition scholarship program that uses public funds  to provide private school alternatives for students enrolled in the state’s lowest-performing public school districts. The vote was 14-10, with all but one Republican opposing the bill along with all Democrats.

The bill, which is also in the Senate Education Committee as SB 1050, will now move forward for consideration before the full PA House. Known as the Lifeline Scholarship program, if passed the bill would allow an enrollee to be eligible to use their share of state funding for use at a private school. The proposed bill defines an eligible student as a child who has not yet received a high-school diploma, currently resides in the attendance areas of a low-achieving school (the bottom 15% of public schools as measured by performance on standardized testing); and one of the following: attending a public in PA in the preceding school year; received funds from the program in the preceding school year; will attend first grade for the first time in the next school year; a child in foster care; a child whose adoption decree is not more than one year prior to submission of an application, OR a child of full-time active duty military personnel.

Federal funding and school district tax monies would not be available for use.

On March 28, 2022,  PAPSA joined a state coalition effort to oppose HB 2169. According to the coalition, with an assumption of 10 percent of students using the voucher and calculating estimates for regular education students, special education students (all three tiers) and gifted students, it is estimated that the cost of the program to be $170 million to the 85 school districts identified.

New CDC Data Illuminate Youth MH threats During the COVID-19 Pandemic (April 2, 2022)

CDC’s first nationally representative survey of high school students during the pandemic can inform effective programs

New analyses from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published March 31, 2022, shines additional light on the mental health of U.S. high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a disproportionate level of threats that some students experienced.

According to the new data, in 2021, more than a third (37%) of high school students reported they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44% reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year. The new analyses also describe some of the severe challenges youth encountered during the pandemic:

  • More than half (55%) reported they experienced emotional abuse by a parent or other adult in the home, including swearing at, insulting, or putting down the student.
  • 11% experienced physical abuse by a parent or other adult in the home, including hitting, beating, kicking, or physically hurting the student.
  • More than a quarter (29%) reported a parent or other adult in their home lost a job.

Before the pandemic, mental health was getting worse among high school students, according to prior CDC data.

“These data echo a cry for help,” said CDC Acting Principal Deputy Director Debra Houry, M.D., M.P.H. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created traumatic stressors that have the potential to further erode students’ mental wellbeing. Our research shows that surrounding youth with the proper support can reverse these trends and help our youth now and in the future.”

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth and female youth reported greater levels of poor mental health; emotional abuse by a parent or caregiver; and having attempted suicide than their counterparts.

In addition, over a third (36%) of students said they experienced racism before or during the COVID-19 pandemic. The highest levels were reported among Asian students (64%) and Black students and students of multiple races (both 55%). The survey cannot determine the extent to which events during the pandemic contributed to reported racism. However, experiences of racism among youth have been linked to poor mental health, academic performance, and lifelong health risk behaviors.

School connectedness provided critical protection for students during COVID-19

Findings also highlight that a sense of being cared for, supported, and belonging at school — called “school connectedness” — had an important effect on students during a time of severe disruption. Youth who felt connected to adults and peers at school were significantly less likely than those who did not to report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness (35% vs. 53%); that they seriously considered attempting suicide (14% vs. 26%); or attempted suicide (6% vs. 12%). However, fewer than half (47%) of youth reported feeling close to people at school during the pandemic.

“School connectedness is a key to addressing youth adversities at all times – especially during times of severe disruptions,” said Kathleen A. Ethier, PhD, Director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health. “Students need our support now more than ever, whether by making sure that their schools are inclusive and safe or by providing opportunities to engage in their communities and be mentored by supportive adults.”

We all have a role to play to help youth recover from challenges during COVID-19

Youth with poor mental health may struggle with school and grades, decision making, and their health. Mental health problems in youth are also often associated with other health and behavioral risks such as increased risk of drug use, experiencing violence, and higher risk sexual behaviors.

Schools are crucial partners in supporting the health and wellbeing of students. In addition to education, they provide opportunities for academic, social, mental health, and physical health services that can help protect against negative outcomes. Schools are facing unprecedented disruptions during the pandemic, however, and cannot address these complex challenges alone.

“In the face of adversity, support from schools, families, and communities protects adolescents from potentially devastating consequences,” said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC’s lead Center for monitoring and addressing school-based health. “These data tell us what works. So, what will it take for our schools and communities to help youth withstand the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond?”

More Information

These data, released as an MMWR Surveillance Supplement, come from the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES), CDC’s first nationally representative survey of public- and private-school high school students to assess the well-being of U.S. youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, CDC fielded the survey during January – June 2021.

CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health on mental health among students: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/mental-health/index.htm.

To view the press release, click here.