OMB Seeks Public Comment on Strengthening and Improving Implementation of Paperwork Reduction Act
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is inviting comments from the public on how to strengthen and improve implementation of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). (Click here for announcement.)

Specifically, OMB seeks comments on

• reducing current paperwork burdens, especially on small entities;
• increasing the practical utility of information collected by the Federal Government;
• ensuring accurate burden estimates;
• and, preventing unintended adverse consequences.

To ensure consideration, responses must be written and received by December 28, 2009.

OMB plans to use the comments it receives in response to inform its preparation of the 2010 Information Collection Budget (ICB), which is a report that will be provided to Congress on the Federal Government's effectiveness in implementing the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. OMB will also use these comments to inform its practices for evaluating information collections submitted to OMB by agencies.

Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:

• Web site: www.regulations.gov
• E-mail: oira_submission@omb.eop.gov
• Fax: (202) 395-7245

OMB notes:

"Comments submitted in response to this notice may be made available to the public through relevant Web sites. For this reason, please do not include in your comments information of a confidential nature, such as sensitive personal information or proprietary information. If you send an e-mail comment, your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. Please note that responses to this public comment request containing any routine notice about the confidentiality of the communication will be treated as public comments that may be made available to the public notwithstanding the inclusion of the routine notice."

Trade Adjustment Assistance: Department Certifies Approximately 4,500 Workers in 17 States as Eligible to Apply
The Department of Labor has announced that approximately 4,500 workers from companies in 17 states - Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin - are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA).

Workers covered by these latest TAA certifications will be contacted by their respective states with instructions on how to apply for individual benefits and services. Those who apply may receive case management and re-employment services, training in new occupational skills and trade readjustment allowances that provide income support for workers enrolled in training. Some workers may also receive job search and relocation allowances, and the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC).

News Release / TAA Certifications by City and State

Trade Adjustment Assistance Webpage

OVAE Updates: Adult Education Reporting System, Data Quality Campaign and Interactive Funding 'Roadmap," and Launch of Great Cities Summit

The Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education publishes "Thursday Notes" for the benefit of the Adult Education and Literacy community.

Some recent highlights:

New NRS Software Now Available Online
OVAE has just implemented new online software for the National Reporting System (NRS) designed to make states' reporting of adult education data easier. State directors now can go to one place online to prepare statistical, financial, narrative and data quality reports for OVAE. They can also complete OVAE's data quality checklist more easily because they now can save and print their responses at any point if they need to work on text explanations or create a data improvement plan.

Federal Funding to Boost Data Quality Available Now
The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) has posted an interactive "roadmap" that identifies federal funding sources states can use for data-related activities. This roadmap contains links to relevant legislation, including the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act and related guidance; it also reflects and new funding under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act .You can browse the site for resources available in your state and view action steps states can take to improve data quality. The DQC is a national, collaborative effort to encourage and support state policymakers in improving the availability and use of high-quality education data to improve student achievement. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was DQC's founding funder, and additional support has been provided by the Casey Family Programs, the Lumina Foundation for Education and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

OVAE, NIFL Invest in Great Cities Summit
OVAE and National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) recently announced a joint two-year federal investment of $814,308 to conduct a 24-month Great Cities Summit initiative. Key education stakeholders from five large cities selected to participate in the summit will discuss best practices for providing adult education in large urban areas during several summit meetings. Participants will assess their cities' needs, create action plans to address them, learn about available federal resources to support implementation of these plans, form supportive partnerships and establish a network for collaborative peer learning. A major goal of the initiative is to help participants help teachers expand their knowledge of adult reading acquisition and strengthen their teaching skills. Applications for the Great Cities Summit will be available soon, with more information to follow from OVAE.

NGA Releases Achieving Graduation for All: A Governor's Guide to Dropout Prevention
A new report from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices addresses the alarming rate at which students in the United States drop out of high school.

Achieving Graduation for All: A Governor's Guide to Dropout Prevention and Recovery identifies the root causes of the high school dropout problem and offers a comprehensive action plan for states to curb dropouts, help youth succeed and strengthen state economies. Currently, one in five students drop out of high school, and dropouts cost the United States more than $300 billion each year in lost wages and increased public sector expenses.

The Achieving Graduation for All report will be put into practice through the NGA Center's State Strategies to Achieve Graduation for All initiative. States are eligible to apply for the yearlong initiative, which will provide grants and technical assistance to teams in up to six states to develop state policies and practices that lead to an increase in high school graduates.

Selected states will conduct an in-depth data analysis of the location and scope of the dropout problem in the state; use information from the data analysis to identify project activities that meet at least one of the Achieving Graduation for All recommendations; attend two policy academy meetings; and develop a state action plan to curb dropout and achieve graduation for all students.

News Release

Access to Guide

New Report Urges Business Community to Connect Education to Economic Development Through Career Pathways Programs
To highlight the growing importance of business engagement in education, the National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) and the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have recently released a joint publication titled Thriving in Challenging Times: Connecting Education to Economic Development Through Career Pathways.

The publication's title reflects an increasing awareness among American employers and business leaders of the critical role they must play in supporting successful education models in their local communities, particularly in challenging economic times.

Thriving in Challenging Time profiles 17 local and two statewide career pathways programs from across the U.S. by documenting the challenges, strategies, results, and business engagement each partnership has experienced. Featured industry sectors range from aerospace to healthcare to nuclear energy with business involvement ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations. Each program includes three essential elements for ensuring students are prepared for college and careers -- secondary, postsecondary, and business/industry engagement components.

More ...

Access to Report

Back To Top

Department of Education Seeks State and Public Input under "Race to the Top" with Emphasis on High-Quality Assessments; Announces FY 2010 Funding Opportunity under Student Support Services Program

Race to the Top

The Department of Education intends to announce competition for a program that would support one or more consortia of States that are working toward jointly developing and implementing common, high-quality assessments aligned with a consortium's common set of K-12 standards that are internationally benchmarked and that build toward college and career readiness by the time of high school completion. This announcement is expected by March 2010.

The Department today announced it is seeking input from States, technical experts, and members of the public through public meetings and written submissions to help inform the design of this program and the evelopment of a notice inviting applications that establishes the requirements for this competition.

The four topic areas to be addressed are general assessment, high school assessments, assessment of students with disabilities, and assessments of English Language learners.

The October 23, 2009 FEDERAL REGISTER provides full background, provides the dates and locations of the public meetings, and summarizes the other means by which comments can be submitted.

Student Support Services Program

The Department has also announced a FY 2010 funding opportunity under the Student Support Services (SSS) program.

The purpose of the SSS Program is to increase the number of disadvantaged low-income college students, first generation college students, and college students with disabilities in the United States who successfully complete a program of study at the postsecondary level. The support services provided should increase the retention and graduation rates for these students and facilitate their transfer from two-year to four-year colleges and universities. The support services provided should also foster an institutional climate supportive of the success of students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are in foster care or are aging out of the foster care system, and other disconnected students. Student Support Services should also improve the financial and economic literacy of students.

The Administration has requested $848,089,000 to fund the Federal TRIO Programs, of which, $268,905,822 has been allocated for new awards for the SSS Program for FY 2010. The actual level of funding, if any, depends on final Congressional action. The Department, however, is inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for the Federal TRIO Programs.

• Estimated Number of New Awards: 871
• Estimated Range of Awards: $220,000-$360,000
• Estimated Average Size of Awards: $308,732

Applications are due by December 7, 2009

Click here for full background, application requirements, and funding criteria.

CAAL Releases "The Power of Technology to Transform Adult Learning: Expanding Access to Adult Education and Workforce Skills through Distance Learning"
The National Commission on Adult Literacy (CAAL) has released a new volume -- The Power of Technology to Transform Adult Learning: Expanding Access to Adult Education and Workforce Skills through Distance Learning.

The report fleshes out the general technology recommendations made in Reach Higher, America, the final report of the National Commission on Adult Literacy. Federal and state government is the primary audience but CAAL also aims to inform private sector engagement and program and curriculum development activities.

Report

Workforce Strategy Center Releases New Volume -- Employers, Low-Income Young Adults, and Postsecondary Credentials
The Workforce Strategy Center has released a new volume -- Employers, Low-Income Young Adults, and Postsecondary Credentials.

The report highlights programs in 14 communities that are successfully addressing the challenge of providing disadvantaged young adults with the technical and postsecondary education that may qualify them for skilled positions. The volume presents these profiles while addressing "common characteristics," "challenges and solutions, and ?lessons learned."

The authors note:

The models are led by five distinct types of organizations: community-based organizations, community and technical colleges, employers, industry, and social enterprise organizations. Our typology further characterizes the models according to the following dimensions: population served, industry targeted, partnerships/partners, employer role, location (urban/rural), governance, funding profile, scale, and results. Each of our models works in partnership with employers to help disadvantaged populations gain employment through the attainment of a postsecondary credential. Each addresses local labor market needs; with the majority focused on health care, information technology, and/or advanced manufacturing.

Community-based Organizations


Open Meadow Alternative Schools

Project ARRIBA

Workforce Development, Inc., Pre-Employment Academies

Community and Technical Colleges


Arkansas Delta Training and Education Consortium

Gateway Technical College Boot Camp

Employers


Cisco Networking Academy

Clarian Health Workforce Prosperity Program

Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati

Metropolitan College

The Apprentice School

Industry


Energy Providers Coalition for Education

Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association

Social Enterprise Organizations


i.c.stars

Year Up

National Institute for Literacy Seeks Proposals for Ownership and Operation of America's Literacy Directory
The National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) today has invited proposals for ownership and operation of America's Literacy Directory.

This Directory provides information about adult literacy, preparation for General Educational Development (GED) tests and other testing, and English language learning programs for individuals in need of those services through an easy-to-use, extensive nationwide database. On the website, adults and young adults can find assistance with reading or writing, study for the GED or other high school equivalency program(s), find an official GED test center, learn English, and get help with mathematics. Adults can enter their zip code or city and State and find programs within a selected geographic range. Through the site, and a toll-free telephone number, providers of adult literacy services may add program information to the ALD database.

The National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) developed and created ALD and has been operating it since 2004. NIFL now plans to turn over ownership and operation of ALD to one or more entities outside of the Federal Government that would, with its or their own resources, continue the maintenance and upkeep of ALD, make improvements to it, and continue to make it readily available at no cost to the public.

NIFL believes that the effectiveness of the Directory will be enhanced by being owned by a non-Federal entity or entities, which would take responsibility for its continued operation.

ALD is currently supported in part through both an interagency agreement and a contract for data verification and technical support, respectively. To the extent possible, consistent with the terms of those agreements, NIFL plans to provide the entity or entities ultimately selected through the selection process with non-proprietary information on the design, use, and maintenance of ALD in order to help the selected entity or entities maintain, operate, and enhance ALD.

NIFL anticipates that the duties of the ALD owner will include:

• maintaining and enhancing the ALD database of approximately 5,000 literacy programs as appropriate; providing technical assistance via email, phone, and online training sessions to States to assist them in integrating State and local program data into ALD (5-10 questions or equests for inclusion on the site per month are anticipated)
• providing technical assistance in implementing the ALD administration features for the national, regional, and State end users through e-mail and telephone (3-5 such questions or requests are anticipated per month)
• providing technical assistance and training support to literacy programs on maintaining, updating, and adding records or additional fields through email or online forms;
• providing technical assistance for special features of the ALD infrastructure, such as the capability for State and national organizations to share data and to customize ALD to aggregate data; making ALD available to the public at no cost
• solving any implementation problems
• maintaining and enhancing the quality of the operation of ALD and the content made available through ALD
• making improvements, as appropriate, to make ALD more effective

USDA Invites Applications under Rural Economic Development Loans and Grants Program
The primary objective of the Rural Economic Development Loans and Grants (REDLG) program is to promote rural economic development and job creation projects. Assistance provided to rural areas, as defined, under this program may include business startup costs, business expansion, business incubators, technical assistance feasibility studies, advanced telecommunications services and computer networks for medical, educational, and job training services and community facilities projects for economic development.

The Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service today announced it is inviting applications for FY 2010 funding, noting:

This Notice is being issued prior to passage of a FY 2010 Appropriations Act, which may or may not provide an appropriation for these programs, to allow applicants sufficient time to leverage financing, submit applications, and give the Agency time to process applications within the 2010 fiscal year. A subsequent notice identifying the amount received in the appropriations will be published, if any.

The deadline for receipt of applications in the USDA Rural Development State Office: