It’s been a busy week in Washington! President Trump signed a memorandum on promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). In addition, the U.S. Department of Education has announced new hires and decisions about guidance on campus sexual misconduct. Read below to find out more about the memo, the U.S. Department of Education’s new staff and new guidance.
President Trump Signs Memo on Increasing Access to High-Quality STEM Education
On September 25, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of Education that establishes “promotion of high-quality STEM education, with a particular focus on Computer Science as a Department of Education priority.” In addition, it directs the Secretary of Education to devote “at least $200 million in grant funds per year to the promotion of high‑quality STEM education, including Computer Science in particular.”
New Senior Staff at the U.S. Department of Education
On September 26, Secretary DeVos announced that two new Senior Staff will be joining the U.S. Department of Education on October 2, 2017. Dr. Michael Wooten will be the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE). Dr. Leonard Haynes will be the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary. You can find additional information about both new hires in the U.S. Department of Education’s press release here.
U.S. Department of Education Withdraws Guidance, Releases Q&A on Campus Sexual Misconduct
On September 22, the U.S. Department of Education announced that the April 4, 2011 Dear Colleague Letter on Seuxal Violence and the April 29, 2014 Q&A on Title IX Sexual Violence would be withdrawn. In addition, a new interim Q&A on Campus Sexual Misconduct was released. The Department’s press release noted that “In the coming months, the Department intends to engage in rulemaking on Title IX responsibilities arising from complaints of sexual misconduct. The Department will solicit comments from stakeholders and the public during the rulemaking process, a legal procedure the prior administration ignored.”
Kathryn Zekus, Senior Associate for Federal Policy