Overview of the Recovery Act

On March 20, 2009, the President issued a memo outlining requirements that executive department and agency employees must follow regarding communications with federally registered lobbyists about Recovery Act funds. The memo requires that such communications be documented [MSWord, 33K] and that the documents be posted on the department's Recovery Act website. The purpose of this page is to comply with those requirements. For additional information, please see Section 3 of the memo, "Ensuring Responsible Spending of Recovery Act Funds."

• May 18, 2010: The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council sent the Department a letter about the second Race to the Top grant application for Massachusetts. PDF (20K)

• March 5, 2010: The Department received an email from a representative from the Foundation Center recommending a change to the due date of RTT Phase 2 applications. MSWord (41K)

• February 3, 2010: META, Inc. sent the Department a letter about the Race to the Top grant application for Massachusetts. PDF (62K)

• January 12, 2010: Representative from the Boys and Girls Club spoke with the ED employees regarding the timeline and eligibility criteria for Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) and the final requirements for the School Improvement Grants (SIG), both part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. MSWord (47K)

• January 8, 2010: The Department received an e-mail message indicating that a State advised school districts not to use stimulus funds to build seclusion rooms. MSWord (37K)

• January 5, 2010: The Department received an e-mail message expressing concern that a school district planned to use stimulus funds to build a seclusion room. MSWord (29K)

• December 10, 2009: The Department held the second of two Technical Assistance Planning Workshops for States interested in applying for Race to the Top. MSWord (35K)

• October 5, 2009: ED is considering 3,698 comments from 1,161 commenters related to the Race to the Top Fund notice of proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria. Some of these comments may have been submitted by registered lobbyists. MSWord (33K)

• September 25, 2009: ED Staff met with with senior leadership of the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of Elementary School Principals regarding the Department's School Improvement Grants (SIG) criteria, as published in the August 27, 2009, Federal Register. MSWord (16K)

• September 17, 2009: ED staff met with a Good Shepherd Services' executive to discuss their work with New York City Schools on multiple pathways and dropout recovery. MSWord (16K)

• August 3, 2009: ED staff discussed know how many applications were submitted for the past TIF competitions and if continued funding was dependent on Congressional funding. MSWord (32K)

• July 30, 2009: ED staff discussed the work of the Our Piece of the Pie Organization and in general terms the School Improvement Grants. MSWord (16K)

• July 14, 2009: ED staff discussed the potential for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to apply for the Invest in What Works Innovations grants. MSWord (16K)

• July 7, 2009: ED staff discussed literacy and standards/assessments. MSWord (28K)

• June 23, 2009: ED staff discussed with the Billings, Montana Department of Education Board Jack Copps, the Secretary's priorities and uses of ARRA funds. MSWord (16K)

• June 23, 2009: ED staff discussed with the two Orange County Department of Education Board members, Liz Parker and Dr. Jack Bedell, the Secretary's priorities and uses of ARRA funds. MSWord (16K)

• June 21, 2009: ED staff discussed how to better meet the needs of dropouts and disconnected youth. MSWord (64K)

• June 8, 2009: ED staff briefed state and division leaders of the Children and Youth Action Network. MSWord (32K)

• June 3, 2009: ED staff discussed online learning programs and Race to the Top. MSWord (36K)

• May 21, 2009: ED staff discussed Maintenance of Effort policy with regard to the Recovery Act's impact on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. MSWord (24K)

• May 15, 2009: ED staff provided an overview of the Recovery Act in in relation to other ED programs, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. MSWord (32K)

• May 14, 2009: ED staff discussed expected employment outcomes for VR consumers as a result of ARRA funding for the Vocational Rehabilitation program. MSWord (32K)

• May 12, 2009: ED staff participated in a discussion on metrics for professional development for teachers. MSWord (28K)

• May 4, 2009: ED staff provided an overview of the Recovery Act in relation to special education programs. MSWord (32K)

• April 30, 2009: ED staff discussed the Maintenance of Effort policy. MSWord (32K)

• April 23, 2009: ED staff discussed the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund. MSWord (36K)

• March 27, 2009: The Secretary and ED staff met with representatives from the Campaign on High School Equity and provided an overview of the Recovery Act, Race to the Top, and metrics for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund. MSWord (32K)

• March 27, 2009: ED staff provided an overview of the Recovery Act in relation to special education programs. MSWord (36K)

• March 25, 2009: ED staff met with representative from 21st Century Skills Group and provided an overview of the Recovery Act and Race to the Top. MSWord (32K)