Weekly Update 1/23/23

President and Administration

On Thursday, 1/19, the U.S. hit its $31.4 trillion debt limit, forcing the Treasury Department to use “extraordinary measures” to avoid a potentially catastrophic default on the nation’s financial obligations…

On Friday, 1/20, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced 38 awards totaling more than $30 million to colleges and universities from five competitive grant programs of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), which aims to improve higher education opportunities and outcomes for students from underrepresented communities…

According to Gabe Klein, the Executive Director of the new Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, the Department of Transportation plans to issue minimum standards and a “Buy America” waiver for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI) in the “next couple of weeks”…

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) published an updated solicitation for the Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program with significantly increased funding awards for the program’s two tracks…

Education

Republican governors across the country are reportedly putting education savings accounts (ESAs) at the center of their legislative agendas…

Last week, the National School Choice Awareness Foundation released a new survey that found 68 percent of parents are happy with the schools their children attend, but 54 percent considered a new school within the last 12 months…

According to a new analysis by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Columbia University’s Teachers College, community college enrollments significantly declined overall. Data shows that community colleges enrolled 850,000 fewer students nationally in the fall of 2021 compared to the fall of 2019, including significant drops among students of color…

Schools are rethinking their approach to discipline and safety, as public administrators report problems with disruptive students despite tougher security plus classroom practices intended to reduce suspensions and expulsions…