The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The program helps students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.
To locate other afterschool or summer programs in your area, please contact your local school district or visit youth.gov.
In general, policies for handling bullying are developed at the local and state level, as are policies on discipline, school safety and most other issues. For information on these policies and what assistance may be available to you, please contact your child's school district or the state department of education. To determine if student bullying violates any anti-discrimination laws, which protects students against harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age, or to file a complaint of discrimination, contact our Office for Civil Rights. For more information you may visit stopbullying.gov.
Generally, certificates of completion are used for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) who have not met state graduation requirements but still want to participate in graduation ceremonies with their class. Below are some important facts about certificates of completion:
A certificate of completion, or its equivalent, is not an academic credential, but certifies attendance in high school.
They cannot be used as a prerequisite for admission to a postsecondary institution, or any other program that requires a high school degree.
Recipients of certificates are not prevented from returning to receive a full diploma or high school equivalency degree.
Information about state graduation requirements and certificate policies can be found by contacting your state department of education.
Charter schools are nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The "charter" establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. Charter schools are accountable to their sponsor— usually a state or local school board— to produce positive academic results and adhere to the charter contract. The basic concept of charter schools is that they exercise increased autonomy in return for this accountability. For the legal definition of a charter school in a particular state, consult your state's charter school contact. The U.S. Department of Education offers grant opportunities, resources and information for charter schools.
You should address complaints to local or state officials. First address your public school complaint to the local school district and if necessary, to the state department of education.
Under legislation passed by Congress, all education institutions receiving Federal funding are required to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution, on September 17 of each year. If September 17 falls on a holiday or weekend, Constitution Day is to be commemorated the preceding or following week. To assist students and educators in their studies, the National Archives and Records Administration offers key resources, such as "The Constitution at Work," a matching game connecting primary resources to constitutional articles, and "Exploring the U.S. Constitution," an eBook that explores the roots of the three branches of government. Likewise, free online resources are available from the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the U.S. Senate.
Policies on school discipline are decided mainly by your local school, school district, and state. Your first step is to contact your school district or state department of education.
The following resources provide information on school safety, order and related topics:
The Office of Safe and Supportive Schools (OSSS) addresses; the health and well-being of students as well as school safety, security, and emergency management and preparedness. OSSS administers, coordinates, and recommends policy as well as administers grant programs and technical assistance centers addressing the overall safety and health of the school community.
The Readiness and Emergency Management (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center supports schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education (IHEs), by providing a hub of information, resources, training, and services in the field of school and higher education emergency operations planning.
The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) offers information and technical assistance to states, districts, schools, institutions of higher learning, and communities focused on improving school climate and conditions for learning.
Some national professional or educational policy organizations have suggested standards and curricula, but there are no federal national standards for any academic area. Education is mainly a state and local responsibility in the United States. When the U.S. Department of Education was created, Congress made clear that the secretary of education and other Department officials be prohibited from imposing "any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution, school, or school system." (20 USC 3403). It is left to the states to create standards while states and local agencies develop curricula. To determine specific standards or curricula in your state, please contact your state department of education.
Enrollment requirements and procedures are set by your state or your school district. For information on how to enroll your child in school, please contact your school district. Your local school district will also be able to give you information on the documents needed to complete the enrollment process, the school your child will attend, and the academic calendar. If you are having problems enrolling your child in school and your local school district cannot assist you, please contact your state department of education.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Nation's education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students. ESSA builds on key areas of progress in recent years, made possible by the efforts of educators, communities, parents, and students across the country.
You can view or download the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) or request a paper copy from the U.S. Government Publishing Office.
Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is intended to ensure that homeless children have equal access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The McKinney-Vento program is designed to address the problems that homeless children and youth face in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school. Under this program, state educational agencies (SEAs) must ensure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to FAPE, including a public preschool education, as other children, and youth. To support the program, the Department provides formula grants to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico based on each state's share of Title I funds. Additional information is available on the Assistance for Homeless Children and Youth website and ED's National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) Technical Assistance Center website.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes provisions and resources geared towards helping States support all student populations, including English Learners. The Department's Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) provides leadership to help ensure that English Learners and immigrant students attain English proficiency and achieve academic success. The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) collects, analyzes, synthesizes, and disseminates information about language instruction education programs for English Language Learners and related programs. Additionally, laws enforced by the Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) requires public schools to take steps to ensure that limited English proficient (LEP) students or English Language Learners (ELLs), can meaningfully participate in educational programs and services, and to communicate information to LEP parents in a language they can understand. OCR offers ELL Resources for students, parents, and education officials.
The Common Core of Data (CCD) is the Department of Education's primary database on public elementary and secondary education in the United States. CCD is a comprehensive, annual, national database of all public elementary and secondary schools and school districts. You may access their database to locate a public school and a local school district.
The mission of the Office of Migrant Education (OME) is to provide excellent leadership, technical assistance, and financial support to improve the educational opportunities and academic success of migrant children, youth, agricultural workers, fishers, and their families. The OME administers grant programs that provide academic and supportive services to the children of families who migrate to find work in the agricultural and fishing industries. The OME has identified the need for special initiatives in three programmatic areas of the Migrant Education Program (MEP) to help attain the goal of assisting migrant children to achieve challenging academic standards and graduate from high school.
The relationship between religion and government in the United States is governed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, which both prevents the government from establishing religion and protects privately initiated religious expression and activities from government interference and discrimination. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the First Amendment requires public school officials to be neutral in their treatment of religion, showing neither favoritism toward nor hostility against religious expression such as prayer. Accordingly, the First Amendment forbids religious activity that is sponsored by the government but protects religious activity that is initiated by private individuals. The Department has issued Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer and Religious Expression in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools for clarification.
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. The program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. Any child at a participating school may purchase a meal through the NSLP.
Education is primarily a state and local responsibility in the U.S. In creating the Department of Education, Congress made clear its intention that the secretary of education and other Department officials be prohibited from exercising "any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution, school, or school system."
For this reason, with a few exceptions related to federal legislation, most questions or concerns about a school policy should be directed to the school district or state department of education. Questions about a teacher, a class, a grade, disciplinary action, or curriculum should all be addressed by the school, school district, or state.