---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics <ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 9, 2014 at 6:22 AM
Subject: #NuestraIniciativa - June 2014
To: iammejtm@gmail.com

Three months ago, President Obama launched the "My Brother's Keeper" (MBK) initiative, aimed at expanding opportunities for the nation's boys and young men of color and ensuring all young people can reach their full potential. As part of the launch, the President established a task force to develop "a coordinated federal effort to improve significantly the expected life outcomes for boys and young men of color…and their contributions to American prosperity." On May 30, he met with the task force and received a report on the progress made in the first 90 days of this initiative, as well as an initial set of recommendations.

Learn more on the Initiative's MBK Web Page, including the President's National Mentoring Campaign.

DACA Approvals Begin to Expire in September

The first Deferred Action to Childhood Arrival (DACA) approvals will begin to expire in September 2014. To avoid a lapse in the period of deferral and employment authorization, individuals must file renewal requests before the expiration of their current period of DACA. USCIS encourages requestors to submit their renewal request approximately 120 days (four months) before their current period of deferred action expires.

Access the press release announcing the renewal for the Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Access the frequently asked questions and answers.

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 provides local educational agencies and schools in low-income areas with an alternative approach for operating school meal programs. This provision reduces the administrative burden for eligible schools and allows them to offer free meals to all of their children.

Find out what School Districts and Schools are Eligible for the School Meals Eligibility Provision.

Equal Access to Education

ED recently issued updates to guidance helping schools understand their responsibilities under the Supreme Court's decision in Plyler v. Doe and federal civil rights laws to provide all children with equal access to an education regardless of their or their parents' immigration status. Updated guidance documents include:

A letter to states and school districts
Fact sheet and
Question & Answer document.

Foster Care Youth

ED has released resources to emphasize and support the needs of foster care students. In addition to new guidance, ED has launched a dedicated web page, Students in Foster Care, and issued a joint letter with the U.S. Department of Health Human Services to education authorities about increasing educational stability for children and youth in foster care.

For Parents

The Helping Your Child publication series aims to provide parents with the tools and information necessary to help their children succeed in school and life. These booklets feature practical lessons and activities to help their school aged and preschool children master reading, understand the value of homework and develop the skills and values necessary to achieve and grow. (Also available in Spanish.)

ED Accepting Internship Applications

ED is the place where you can explore your interests while learning about the role Federal Government plays in education. Learn how you can apply for an ED internship here.

Research Findings

"Although Latinas complete college at almost twice the rate as their male counterparts, they trail all other women by significant percentages."

The UCLA Civil Rights Project conducted a study in 2013 to examine the existing knowledge base about promoting Latina educational success, defined as completing high school and then going on to secure a college degree. Read Making Education Work for Latinas in the U.S. by Dr. Patricia Gándara.

"In the United States, the school-aged population has grown a modest 10 percent in the last three decades, while the number of children speaking a language other than English at home has soared by 140 percent."

A partnership between the Graduate School of Education and San Francisco Unified School District examines four ways of teaching English Learners. Read Two-language instruction for English-language learners, Stanford research suggests by By Andrew Myers.

#AskFAFSA

#AskFAFSA on Twitter, a live Q&A session on Twitter provides the opportunity for questions to be answered by the experts. Each month a different topic is featured related to federal student aid. Use the hashtag #AskFAFSA to submit questions and join the conversation.

The next #AskFAFSA Office Hours will be held June 25 at 5 PM EST. Learn more.

FOLLOW US!

Meet us on Twitter @HispanicED and the other White House Initiatives:

Educate to Innovate

Young female standing in front of experiment.

The President welcomed 100 young researchers from over 30 states to participate in a day-long showcase of innovative projects, patent-worthy interventions, and potentially lifesaving discoveries during the White House Science Fair. During the science fair, he announced a number of new steps to advance his Educate to Innovate campaign -- an all-hands-on-deck effort to get more boys and girls inspired to excel and to provide the support they need to succeed in the STEM subjects (fact sheet):

A $35 million Department competition to support the President's goal to train 100,000 excellent STEM teachers (Teacher Quality Partnership grants);
A major expansion of STEM AmeriCorps to provide STEM learning opportunities for 18,000 low-income students this summer;
A national STEM mentoring effort kicking-off in seven cities; and
New endeavors by leading technology and media companies, non-profit organizations, and others to connect more students to STEM.

Did you know the U.S. Dept of Education has a great newsletter for teachers (written by teachers)? Access and sign up to receive them here!

Read about the progress and challenges during the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in the case of Oliver Brown et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Read, Progress and Challenges 60 Years After Brown v. Board.

Read 6 Things High School Grads Need to Do Before Leaving for College to gain tips for things to do this summer before you head off to college.

ED recently shadowed teachers in the greater D.C. area. Flora Lerenman, an English as a Second Language teacher, provides insight on her experience as. Read, Teacher Shadowing from a Teacher's Perspective.

**Read blogs from the Initiative here and from ED here.**

The Clean Power Plan will reduce pollutants that contribute to the soot and smog that make people sick by over 25 percent in 2030.

On June 2, 2014, the EPA proposed the Clean Power Plan that will maintain an affordable, reliable energy system, while cutting pollution and protecting our health and environment. Learn more. Here's how modernizing our power plans will make our communities healthier.

ED's Office of Civil Rights released a list of institutions of higher education under investigation for possible violations of federal law over the handling of sexual violence and harassment complaints.

The Education Facilities Clearinghouse (EFC) collects and disseminates resources on effective practices for safe, healthy, and high-performing elementary and secondary schools. In addition, free technical assistance for eligible schools and/or school divisions is available.

The Initiative is pleased to announce the addition of the Grants and Funding Opportunities web page which includes a number of grant competitions, updated on a monthly basis, with relevant opportunities as they are announced or become available. New grants include:

GEAR UP Competitions (BlogPost) - ED announced the availability of $75 million for two new Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs competitions. Applications are due on July 7, and grants will be awarded by the end of September.
First in the World (Blog Post)– Availability of $75 million, these grants will fund the development and testing of innovative approaches and strategies at colleges and universities that boost attainment and make higher education more affordable for students and families. Deadline for applications: June 30.
Preschool Development Grants (Blog Post) – $250 million Preschool Development Grants competition. Interested states should consider forming partnerships and drafting their proposals, which will be due in the early fall of 2014.
International and Foreign Language Education – Grant competitions that offer new opportunities to institutions of higher education that propose significant and sustained collaborative activities with one or more Minority Serving Institutions or community colleges.
FY14 Partnerships to Increase Coverage in Communities - Identify and assist minority populations, to educate them about the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Nuestra Iniciativa contains links to other websites and news articles. These links represent just a few examples of the numerous reference materials currently available to the public. The opinions expressed in any articles or web pages do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education or the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. The inclusion of resources should not be construed or interpreted as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education or the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics of any private organization or business listed herein.