Press Releases 
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August 5, 2021
Today, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced the approval of Hawaii’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plan and distributed remaining ARP ESSER funds to them. Hawaii’s plan details how the state is using and plans to use ARP ESSER funds to safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and equitably expand opportunity for students who need it most, particularly those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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August 3, 2021
Today, the U.S.
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August 3, 2021
The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Initiative) today announced its eighth cohort of HBCU Scholars. This program recognizes 86 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students for their accomplishments in academics, leadership, civic engagement and much more.
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August 2, 2021
Today, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) released the “Return to School Roadmap,” a resource to support students, schools, educators, and communities as they prepare to return to safe, healthy in-person learning this fall and emerge from the pandemic stronger than before.
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July 29, 2021
Today, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced it will expand the Second Chance Pell experiment for the 2022-2023 award year. The Second Chance Pell experiment has provided education opportunities for thousands of justice-involved individuals who have previously been unable to access federal need-based financial aid.
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July 29, 2021
The U.S. Department of Education announced today $3.2 billion in additional emergency grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). These funds will support students who attend over 1,800 institutions of higher education and provide resources to help these institutions recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
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July 28, 2021The U.S. Department of Education today released nearly $600 million in funding under the American Rescue Plan Act’s Homeless Children and Youth program to support students experiencing homelessness.
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July 27, 2021
"Students are provided the best opportunity to learn and thrive when learning in person. We know the best way to safely do this is to get as many people age 12 and older vaccinated. Given the recent trends in COVID spread due to premature relaxation of prevention strategies by unvaccinated individuals and lagging vaccination rates in some parts of our country, we support the recommendation for masking in K-12 schools.
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July 22, 2021
Today, the Department of Education released a resource to help schools, colleges, and universities improve their ventilation systems to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and provide healthy learning environments. The resource outlines how American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds can be used to improve indoor air quality and is part of the Department's broader efforts to support schools as they prepare to welcome students back to in-person learning this fall and build back better.
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July 22, 2021
Today, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, White House Office of Public Engagement Associate Director Emily Voorde, and Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Deputy Assistant Secretary Katy Neas met with public educators from the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. All assembled educators self-identified as Disabled.