By: Jessica L. Henry My name is Jessica Louise Henry. I am a 39-year-old woman born and raised in Detroit. After foster care, juvenile detention centers, teen pregnancy, three rehabs, several therapists, eight jail terms, and two prison bids, my life had become scattered. I have a visual of cards spread haphazardly across the floor…
Category Archives: Blog
By: Neven Holland, Treadwell Elementary, Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS), Tennessee “It’s the difficulty that keeps me here. It’s the opportunity to give my students in an underserved neighborhood with limited resources the high-quality teachers they deserve,” says my teacher colleague Armani Alexander. Despite all the difficulties of pandemic teaching, there is still this culture to…
By: Damian Archer As one of the first recipients in Maine of a Pell Grant through the Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative, I cherish these opportunities to represent education’s potential for rehabilitating the imprisoned. My education while incarcerated and my release to the “real world” holds perspective which I offer gratefully to provide more…
A Call to Action featuring Education, Labor, and Commerce Secretaries June 1, 1:30 p.m. ET By: Amy Loyd, Senior Advisor This is our moment to truly reimagine education. This is our moment to lift our students, our education system, and our country to a level never before seen. As the great Congressman Lewis said, “If…
By: Michelle Asha Cooper, Ph.D., Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education The COVID-19 pandemic proved to all of us just how important access to childcare and early childhood education is not only for children, but for parents and caretakers. I know I felt that tension, personally, as I too juggled childcare responsibilities for my…
By: Richard Cordray, Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid Today, I’m pleased to announce that Federal Student Aid (FSA) posted the solicitation for what we’re calling the Unified Servicing and Data Solution (USDS). The USDS is the long-term loan servicing solution designed to provide federal student loan borrowers with…
By: Chris Soto, Senior Advisor, Office of the Secretary The Puerto Rico education system is at a pivotal moment with many influences converging to help accelerate positive change for the Puerto Rico Department of Education, and ultimately the students it serves. The combination of the influx of federal relief dollars, a strengthened relationship with the…
By: Ruth Ryder, Deputy Assistant Secretary Education leaders have no greater responsibility than ensuring student safety and well-being in school. Across the nation, these leaders have worked tirelessly over the past two years to maintain services that are vital for student wellness; to safely reopen schools; and to set conditions for a strong, equitable academic…
By: Julian Guerrero, Director, Office of Indian Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Haa Maruaweka (“Hello everyone,” in Comanche language) Advancing its commitment to maintaining, protecting, and revitalizing Native American languages – the U.S. Department of Education has announced approximately $1 million in grant funding available for Native American Language (NAL@ED) projects. Native American…
By: Misael Gonzalez, High School English Language Arts teacher, Miami, Florida In many ways, my definition of teacher leadership was shaped by dramatized Hollywood portrayals of real accounts: a heroic singular leader fighting the system to make a change, a school in a “rough part of town” with a high minority-student population, and a challenge…