These letters are key policy letters signed by the Education Secretary or Deputy Secretary and are provided by the Executive Secretariat, Office of the Secretary.
January 18, 2013—Letter to school superintendents for the start of 2013
November 26, 2012—Letter to Chief State School Officers announcing the availability of preliminary State-by-State graduation rate data and a clarification of ESEA flexibility and graduation rates
November 6, 2012—Joint letter with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health and Human Services to Governors in several states affected by Hurricane Sandy regarding restoring access to early education services and child care
September 20, 2012—Letter to the education community encouraging more student participation in the School Breakfast Program
July 24, 2012—Letter to college presidents regarding college cost shopping sheet
July 20, 2012—Memo to Chief State School Officers clarifying the impact of sequestration on four accounts with advance funding
April 24, 2012—Letter to superintendents sharing information and asking for assistance in meeting the needs of military-connected school children
September 23, 2011—Letter to the education community encouraging more student participation in the School Breakfast Program
September 23, 2011—Letter to Governors and Chief State School Officers regarding the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund data collection and reporting requirements
August 12, 2011—Letter to governors regarding the obligation of remaining funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
June 24, 2011—Letter to chief state school officers regarding State assessment systems and the importance of ensuring integrity of data used to measure student achievement
June 24, 2011—Joint Letter with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health & Human Services to governors regarding the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge competitive grant program
June 14, 2011—Open letter releasing the Legal Guidelines Regarding the Equal Access Act and the Recognition of Student-Led Noncurricular Groups
March 22, 2011—Letter to governors regarding the College Completion Tool Kit and offering assistance in highlighting policies that can increase college completion rates
March 11, 2011—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the Qualified Zone Academy Bonds and the Qualified School Construction Bonds
March 7, 2011—Letter to chief state school officers introducing the new Implementation and Support Unit, which was created to provide better assistance to states as they implement comprehensive education reform
March 3, 2011—Letter to governors following up on the National Governors Association meeting and offering information on responsible use of resources during tight budget times; includes information on flexibility in using federal funds to meet local needs, ideas on increasing educational productivity, and information on labor-management collaboration to transform relationships
March 1, 2011—Letter to superintendents regarding attendance policies and practices for military-connected families
December 16, 2010—Letter to governors and Chief State School Officers regarding technical assistance on addressing bullying
September 7, 2010—Joint letter with Department of Education Inspector General Kathleen S. Tighe to Chief State School Officers about reporting fraud, waste, and abuse of funds
September 2, 2010—Letter to governors announcing the Race to the Top Assessment program grant awards
August 24, 2010 —Letter to governors announcing Race to the Top Phase 2 grantees
August 18, 2010—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the School Improvement Grant program
August 13, 2010—Letter to Chairman Harkin and Senator Enzi regarding accountability and oversight of proprietary institutions of higher education that participate in Federal student assistance programs
August 13, 2010—Letter to governors regarding the Education Jobs Fund, which provides $10 billion to enable schools to keep an estimated 160,000 or more education jobs during the 2010-2011 school year
June 11, 2010—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the Qualified School Construction Bonds and Qualified Zone Academy Bonds
May 13, 2010—Letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid regarding emergency support to preserve education and local police and firefighter jobs
April 5, 2010—Letter to governors regarding the fiscal challenges many states are facing relative to their education budgets
March 4, 2010—Letter announcing Race to the Top finalists (sent to Governors whose states applied for Phase I funding)
December 8, 2009—Letter to Chairman Christopher J. Dodd, Chairman George Miller, and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers regarding legislation to limit the use of physical restraint and seclusion in schools and other educational settings that receive Federal funds
December 3, 2009—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the final requirements and the State application package for the School Improvement Grants program
October 26, 2009—Letter to presidents of colleges participating in the Federal Family Education Loan Program regarding taking the necessary steps to ensure uninterrupted access to federal student loans by ensuring their institution is Direct Loan-ready for the 2010-2011 academic year
October 21, 2009—Letter to Chief State School Officers and State Directors of Special Education urging states to maintain high standards and not compromise the section 616 determination process under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
August 31, 2009—Open letter requesting reviewers for the Race to the Top Fund competitive grant program
August 26, 2009—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding fiscal year 2009 School Improvement Grants
August 2009—Letter to School and Education Community Leaders regarding the importance of the arts as a core academic subject and part of a complete education for all students
August 10, 2009—Joint Letter with Secretary Thomas Vilsack of the Department of Agriculture to schools and school districts regarding school meal service options for eligible children in the event of school dismissals due to the H1N1 virus
July 31, 2009—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the use of seclusion and restraint techniques in schools
June 11, 2009—Joint Letter with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health & Human Services to schools and school districts regarding H1N1 influenza preparations for the upcoming school year
May 29, 2009—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the authorization of Qualified School Construction Bonds and Build America Bonds, and the extension of Qualified Zone Academy Bonds
May 8, 2009—Letter to financial aid administrators regarding their ability to exercise professional judgment when determining the eligibility of a student for federal student aid. It also informs aid administrators about letters that will be provided to all recipients of unemployment insurance benefits by state unemployment agencies that can be used to document special circumstances of students
April 17, 2009—Letter to Vice President Joseph Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi regarding a legislative proposal to
limit the application of the requirement to delay the effective date of certain student aid regulations under Title IV of the Higher Education Act
April 1, 2009—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding Title I regulations issued in October 2008 and proposed changes
April 1, 2009—Letter to Members of Congress regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding and guidance
April 1, 2009—Letter to Governors regarding the administration of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund
Facebook
YouTube
Twitter
Email Updates
