U.S. Government News

Back to School: 2008-2009, Statistics & More

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:16:37 PST

Summertime winding down and summer vacations coming to an end signal that back-to-school time is near. It’s a time that many children eagerly anticipate — catching up with old friends, making new ones and settling into a new daily routine. Parents and children alike scan the newspapers and Web sites looking for sales to shop for a multitude of school supplies and the latest clothing fads and essentials. This edition of Facts for Features highlights the many statistics associated with the return to classrooms by our nation’s students and teachers.

Student Financial Assistance Program Webinar June 17

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:18:02 PST

This letter announces a live Internet briefing, to be conducted by Department of Education student aid policy staff, on recent changes made to the Title IV federal student financial assistance programs

CSU still faces critical challenges to meet 2008-09 needs

Thu, 15 May 2008 09:43:02 PST

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger 's May revision of the State budget restored $97.6 million to the California State University, reducing the $386 million gap in state funding initially anticipated for the 2008-09 CSU budget.

Computer Game To Teach Conflict Resolution Skills To Grades K-2 : Free for Teachers

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:44:31 PST

A computer game designed to teach non-violence and conflict resolution skills to young children has found a home with Curriki, a nonprofit open-source educational Web site which will make it freely available for downloading by classrooms and families across the United States and around the world.

ASHRAE Publishes Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:20:30 PST

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) has published a new energy design guide that can cut annual energy use in new K-12 school buildings by 30% or more.

Fake GED Testing Services: ACE Issues Warning About Fake GED Testing Services

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:24:07 PST

GEDTS is deeply concerned with a recent increase in the number of web sites purporting to offer GED testing online or through the mail,” said Sylvia E. Robinson, ACE assistant vice president and executive director of the GED Testing Service. “We would like everyone to know — and share with others— that the GED Tests are not currently offered online and can only be taken in person at an official GED Testing Center.

One-Third of Young Women Have Bachelor's Degrees

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:47:29 PST

About 33 percent of young women 25 to 29 had a bachelor’s degree or more education in 2007, compared with 26 percent of their male counterparts, according to tabulations released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

New Laws Affecting Education in 2008

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:21:48 PST

Some of the new laws will help us progress toward closing the achievement gap, add more rigor to the curriculum, provide more assistance to students to pass the exit exam, or protect special education and related services to students with exceptional needs," said O’Connell. “Other new measures serve to streamline existing laws to provide students with safe transportation to school, credential teachers in a timely basis, and help school facilities go green

Online Courses: New Guide for Schools Officials on Advanced Courses Online Webcast

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:06:42 PST

Morgan Brown will join a panel of national education leaders and experts on Wednesday, December 12, at 3 p.m. ET at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to launch Connecting Students to Advanced Courses Online, a guide for district and school administrators who are working to provide students with greater access to online advanced coursework.

New Law to Reduce Student Loan Costs

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:30:59 PST

One provision of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act would gradually cut in half the interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans during the next five years.

Free Resources for Teachers

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 09:20:46 PST

Free For Teachers , the FCIC’s newest web page, provides a variety of resources for middle and high school teachers to help open the door to savvy everyday life skills and a wealth of government information for 6^th-to-12^th graders.

Reducing School Violence Topic of Tuesday TV Show

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:46:10 PST

Amid the backdrop of tragic school shootings this year, the U.S. Department of Education's monthly TV show, Education News Parents Can Use, will devote its coverage to the topic of "Reducing School Violence: Keeping Children Safe and Ready to Learn

Announcing College Navigator

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:38:37 PST

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), releases an upgrade and redesign of the college search engine formerly known as College Opportunities Online (COOL).

Student Loans: New Direct Loan Entrance Counseling Video

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 21:54:25 PST

Federal Student Aid is pleased to announce that the new Direct Loan Entrance Counseling video is now available on the Web and will soon be mailed to all schools participating in the Direct Loan Program.

Student Loan Defaults Remain Low

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:27:31 PST

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced that the FY2005 national student loan cohort default rate fell to 4.6 percent from last year's rate of 5.1 percent—remaining historically low.

MDOT presents free engineering curriculum to U.P. schools

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:59:06 PST

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is offering a new program designed to interest middle and high school students in transportation and civil engineering careers. Upper Peninsula (U.P.) school officials and teachers will have a chance to review and ask questions about the free Transportation and Civil Engineering (TRAC) program at an open house on Sept. 17.

Compare California Colleges: Pick up to 4 institutions and compare their data.

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 17:26:19 PST

The State of California currently has 497 degree-granting colleges and universities. They comprise 144 public institutions, 130 WASC-accredited non-public, and 223 state-approved or exempt private postsecondary and vocational institutions.

Human Trafficking of Children in the United States

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:49:50 PST

Human trafficking is a serious federal crime with penalties of up to imprisonment for life. Federal law defines "severe forms of trafficking in persons" as: "(A) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age ; or (B) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude , peonage, debt bondage, or slavery." [U.S.C. §7102(8)] In short, human trafficking is modern-day slavery.

Technology-Based Learning Forum in San Francisco, Feds Host Event

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:25:04 PST

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will host a Technology-Based Learning Forum on September 12 in San Francisco.

Go Back To School with The New Kids.Gov

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:07:29 PST

Want to help your children ace school this year? Then check out Uncle Sam’s family-friendly site, Kids.gov. With a new design and links to over 1,200 web pages from government agencies, schools, and educational organizations, Kids.gov makes it easy for your kids or grandkids to learn, explore, and have fun.