Education and Community Collaboration: A Collective Effort for Student Education

In a series of recent initiatives, US Secretary Duncan has emphasized the importance of local community involvement in education. At the National League of Cities' meeting, the Secretary highlighted the need for an "all-hands-on-deck approach" to educate students. Meanwhile, a joint call with the NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous, and Richard Lapchick of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, focused on improving graduation rates among NCAA basketball teams. Furthermore, the Departments of Education and Treasury have allocated $11 billion for Qualified School Construction Bonds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Key Takeaways:

• The US Secretary of Education emphasizes the need for a collective effort from the local community to educate students, requiring an "all-hands-on-deck approach."
• The Departments of Education and Treasury have allocated $11 billion for Qualified School Construction Bonds to finance school facility construction, rehabilitation, or repair.
• The allocations include $6.6 billion of volume cap to the 50 states and $4.4 billion of volume cap to 103 large districts.
• Investors receive federal income tax credits at prescribed tax credit rates, allowing state and local governments to borrow interest-free.
• A joint call between Secretary Duncan, NAACP President Benjamin Jealous, and Richard Lapchick of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport focused on increasing college completion for teams with low graduation rates.
• The NCAA tournament graduation rates were discussed as a key area of concern.
• The NAACP, Secretary Duncan, and other stakeholders are working together to find solutions to improve education and graduation rates.

Statistics:

• $11 billion: The total allocation for Qualified School Construction Bonds under the ARRA.
• $6.6 billion: The volume cap allocated to the 50 states for school construction, rehabilitation, and repair.
• $4.4 billion: The volume cap allocated to 103 large districts for school construction, rehabilitation, and repair.
• $6.6 billion / $11 billion: The proportion of allocated funds for state-level projects (approximately 60%).
• 103 large districts: The number of districts with allocated volume cap for school construction, rehabilitation, and repair.

Sources:

• Department of Education
• Department of the Treasury
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
• National League of Cities' meeting
• University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport
• NCAA tournament graduation rates