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…

Weekly Update 1/17/23

California

President Biden approved California’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to support the state’s emergency response to ongoing storm impacts including flooding, mudslides and landslides in communities across the state…

According to antismoking experts, R.J. Reynolds, the maker of Camel and Newport brands, is attempting to evade California’s ban on flavored tobacco by advertising to smokers with its new non-menthol versions, offering “a taste that satisfies the senses” and “a new fresh twist”…

State Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) introduced a bill in December 2022 that would allow a select group of cannabis retailers to operate while waiting for annual permits to be approved…

According to United Way Bay Area’s first public online database, nearly half of the almost 52,000 people who called 211 — the nationwide social services hotline — in six Bay Area counties last year needed housing help, a place to shelter for the night and assistance paying their rent to avoid eviction…

On Tuesday, 1/10, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) launched her 2024 campaign for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) seat…

President and Administration

According to data, Puerto Rico’s population is aging more rapidly than most places in the world…

According to a study published by Princeton University researchers, a rise in suicide, alcohol abuse, and drug overdoses are more likely to be experienced by those without a bachelor’s degree than those who finished college in the decade leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic…

The Biden administration has been facing backlash due to its stance on the $440 million Charter Schools Program, which is a federal grant that more than half of charter schools rely on…

Beginning on January 17, veterans in acute suicidal crisis will be able to go to any VA or non-VA health care facility for emergency health care at no cost – including inpatient or crisis residential care for up to 30 days and outpatient care for up to 90 days…

According to the American Cancer Society, death rates from cancer in the U.S. have fallen by 32 percent from 1991 to 2019…

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Friday, 1/13, formally invited President Biden to deliver the State of the Union — and Biden has said yes…

Congress

House Republicans reportedly plan on cutting federal spending by at least $130 billion without cutting defense, which is unlikely to be accepted through the Democratic Senate and White House…

Education

On Tuesday, 1/10, the Department of Education proposed regulations to reduce the cost of federal student loan payments…

The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights logged a record number of discrimination complaints in the past year…

According to the latest release of the School Pulse Panel, an ongoing data collection effort led by the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. school leaders are feeling limited in addressing student misbehavior…

According to a study published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management late last year, arts education in K-12 can improve students’ writing skills and build empathy…

California approved a ballot initiative that will provide nearly $1 billion annually to increase access to arts and music programs in schools…

A Rand study analyzing six grow-your-own teacher prep programs designed to increase and diversify the educator workforce found that local “grow your own” alternative teacher preparation programs can help strengthen the diversity of the teaching workforce, as well as enable districts to address broader staffing challenges…

According to a new report by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice at Temple University, only 18 percent of students who reported experiencing food or housing insecurity were enrolled in SNAP…

According to a new survey released by Populace, a Massachusetts-based think tank focused on public engagement, respondents ranked preparation for college or university nearly at the bottom of their priorities for schools: 47th out of 57 overall…

Weekly Update 1/9/23

California

Research published in December 2022 revealed that the pace of groundwater depletion in California’s Central Valley has accelerated dramatically, which has plagued the Central Valley for decades…

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2022 national and state population estimates, 18 states experienced a population decline, compared to 15 and D.C. the prior year…

After a series of storms have slammed California, causing many outages and dangerous floods, Governor Gavin Newsom will ask President Biden to declare a state of emergency…

Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) now show the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on learning…

Coronavirus

According to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey, nearly half of Americans think COVID-19 vaccines may be to blame for many unexplained deaths, and more than a quarter say someone they know could be among the victims…

According to a new study by Stanford economist Eric A. Hanushek, learning loss could drop $70,000 off the lifetime earnings of children who were in school during the pandemic…

President and Administration

Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on February 28th involving two cases challenging the legality of the Biden administration’s student loan cancellation program, lawyers representing the Education and the Justice Departments and President Biden filed a legal brief arguing that the administration was acting within its executive authority and did not need new congressional authorization for the student loan cancellation program…

On Thursday, 1/5 , President Biden announced new enforcement measures to increase security at the border and reduce the number of individuals crossing unlawfully between ports of entry…

In mid-December, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness released the Biden-Harris Administration’s Federal Strategic Plan to reduce homelessness by 25 percent by January 2025…

According to an analysis from the National Poison Data System, the number of children in the U.S. exposed to cannabis after accidentally eating an edible rose to 1,375 percent in only five years…

According to a Healthy Minds Monthly Poll by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and fielded by Morning Consult between December 7-8, 2022 among 2,212 adults, nearly two out of five (37 percent) Americans rated their mental health as only fair or poor, up from 31 percent a year ago…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) recently released its 2021 National Survey of Drug Use and Health…

Congress

On Saturday, 1/7, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) obtained a majority on the 15th ballot and officially became the Speaker of the House after four days of voting…

Education

According to a recent report from the Internet Safety Labs, 96 percent of apps used regularly in schools have data-sharing practices that “are not adequately safe for children”…

A new study found that 13 percent of white students and 16 percent of Asian students display advanced math skills by kindergarten while the percentage for both Black and Hispanic students lags behind at  four percent…

According to a survey of 1,200 students nationwide conducted by the virtual health services provider TimelyMD, 50 percent of college students cited their own mental health struggles as their top stressor going into 2023…

Since the CHIPS and Science Act was signed into law, experts are saying that community colleges can play a major role in fulfilling the vision of the legislation…

On Wednesday, 1/4, the Department of Education announced that it would hold a series of negotiated rulemaking sessions this spring to propose new rules regarding accreditation, distance education, student loan deferments and a range of other topics…

A team of neuroscientists at the University of South Carolina found that children who habitually checked their social media feeds at around age 12 showed a distinct trajectory, with their sensitivity to social rewards from peers heightening over time…

Weekly Update 1/3/23

California

Governor Gavin Newsom signed 997 new laws in 2022 and many of them took effect on January 1 while some go into effect later this year…

President and Administration

The House of Representatives adjourned this evening from the first day of the 118th session without electing a new Speaker of the House…

On December 29 President Biden signed the $1.7 trillion fiscal year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill…

According to the most recent data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 20.4 million people in the U.S. were diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD) in 2019, and only 10.3 percent of people with SUD received treatment…

Amid pressure from lawmakers and advocates, such as Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Biden administration is expected to expand the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) program given that the House is now controlled by Republicans who are not expected to advance much immigration legislation…

Education

According to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, female college freshmen enrollment declined by 3.2 percent in fall 2022 across all four-year universities and community colleges, while male college freshmen enrollment declined by 1.3 percent…

As part of the $1.7 trillion spending package for fiscal year 2023, Congress is sending more than $1.5 billion to colleges and universities…

Weekly Update 12/19/22

California

On Monday, 12/12, the Supreme Court rejected a request from tobacco companies, including R.J. Reynolds and Altria, to block California’s ban on flavored tobacco…

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the nation's largest water supplier, declared a drought emergency for all of Southern California on Thursday, 12/15…

Coronavirus

On Wednesday, 12/14, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a report that revealed more than 3,500 Americans have died due to what is known as “chronic COVID” or “long haul COVID”…

In an effort to prepare for another potential COVID-19 surge this winter, the Biden administration is reopening its partnership with the U.S. Postal Service for a limited time to mail free at-home COVID-19 tests…

President and Administration

The U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office awarded a team of researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), University of Puerto Rico, North Carolina State University and Fearless Fund more than $2 million to investigate how to convert seaweed and wood waste in Puerto and the Caribbean into sustainable aviation fuel and graphite…

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $45 million in competitive grants to help states and partnering organizations implement updated building energy codes and lower energy bills for American families and businesses…

On Tuesday, 12/13, President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act…

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk has blocked the Biden administration’s attempt to terminate the “Remain in Mexico” policy at least until Texas and Missouri resolve legal challenges against the federal government to keep the policy in place…

Congress

On Thursday, 12/14, the Senate passed a bill that would extend federal funding until December 23, 2022, averting a government shutdown…

A group of former ambassadors to Afghanistan sent a letter to congressional leaders requesting that the Afghan Adjustment Act be included in the omnibus spending bill…

On Thursday, 12/15, the House passed the Puerto Rico Status Act (H.R. 8393), which would enable island voters to decide whether the territory becomes a state in 2023…

According to Representative Garret Graves (R-LA), a Republican House Transportation Committee plans to pressure the Department of Transportation to provide an explanation on how they administer and prioritize grants…

Education

On Friday, 12/16, the Department of Education published an updated list of federal education assistance funds that proprietary institutions of higher education have to include as federal revenue…

Due to nearly three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, in combination with other stressors such as climate disaster and political incivility, faculty members of higher education continue to push for greater and improved student mental health services…

According to a new report by Complete College America (CCA), which draws on both publicly available data and data from the CCA Alliance, student completion rates at four-year universities and two-year colleges rose by six percent from 2016 to 2021…

In response to concerns from the American Council on Education and other higher education organizations, the Department of Veterans Affairs is delaying the rollout of a new enrollment management system that will be used to certify GI Bill benefits…

According to an investigation by ProPublica and The Seattle Times, Northwest School of Innovative Learning (SOIL), Washington state’s largest publicly funded private school for children with disabilities, collected more than $38 million in tax funding for special education services that families and former teachers say it did not provide…

According to data released by the California Department of Education, chronic absenteeism increased from 14.3 percent in 2020-21 to 30 percent last school year…

Democratic and Republican state lawmakers have introduced legislation to increase awareness about the presence of fentanyl on California’s K-12 campuses…