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.
September 23, 2011—Letter to Chief State School Officers offering the opportunity to request flexibility pursuant to authority in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 on behalf of their State, their LEAs, and their schools, in order to better focus on improving student learning and increasing the quality of instruction
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
November 20, 2008—Letter to financial aid professionals to announce a short-term loan purchase program to address potential risks to scheduled subsequent disbursements for the 2008-2009 school year.
November 10, 2008—Letter to the Chief Executive Officers of lenders participating in the Federal Family Education Loan Program regarding the extension of the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act
August 18, 2008—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the opportunity to participate in the Department's growth model pilot for the 2008-09 school year
August 1, 2008—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the "differentiated accountability" pilot project for states for the 2009-2010 school year to distinguish between schools in need of improvement and determine interventions required
June 18, 2008—Letter to Presidents of higher education institutions participating in the Department's Federal Family Education Loan Program providing an update on recent student lending activity and the actions that the Department has taken to ensure access to federal student loans for all eligible students and their parents
May 21, 2008—Letter to lenders participating in the Department's Federal Family Education Loan Program regarding recent volatility in credit markets and concerns about continued availability of student loans; discusses plan for continued and timely access to federal student loans for all eligible student and parent borrowers
May 14, 2008—Letter to Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Mike Enzi, and Representatives George Miller and Howard "Buck" McKeon regarding uncertainty in credit markets, the Department of Education's efforts to provide federal student loans to borrowers, and views on legislation as Congress works to reauthorize the Higher Education Act of 1965
April 3, 2008—Letter to Chief State School Officers encouraging states to explore initiatives to place the most effective teachers in high-need schools, and to work with school districts to identify available local, State, and Federal funding sources that can support these efforts; discusses districts where schools and teachers' unions are working together with regard to existing collective bargaining agreements, and asks Chiefs to share innovations with the Department
March 20, 2008—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the "differentiated accountability" pilot project for states to distinguish between schools in need of improvement and determine interventions required
February 27, 2008—Letter to presidents of institutions of higher education participating in the Department's Federal Family Education Loan Program regarding recent volatility in credit markets, concerns about continued availability of student loans, and the Department's efforts to monitor the situation
January 29, 2008—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding decrease in funding for the Reading First program for FY2008 and options for continuing to fund high-quality, research-based literacy instruction
January 18, 2008—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the decision (January 7, 2008) by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in School District of
the City of Pontiac, et al. v. Secretary of the United States Department of Education in relation to compliance with requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act
December 17, 2007—Letter to Chief State School Officers from the Deputy Secretary inviting them to undertake an independent and voluntary self-directed review of their State’s English language proficiency (ELP) standards and assessments using the Framework on High-Quality English Language Proficiency Standards and Assessments
December 7, 2007—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the opportunity to participate in the Department's growth model pilot for the 2007-08 school year
October 30, 2007—Letter to School Officials announcing availability of brochures about balancing student privacy and school safety
September 5, 2007—Letter to Honorable George Miller, Honorable Dale E. Kildee, Honorable Michael N. Castle, and Honorable Howard "Buck" McKeon to provide the Department of Education's general comments on the August 28, 2007, "Miller-McKeon discussion draft" of Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act, as posted on the Committee’s Web site
August 3, 2007—Letter to Congressional conferees expressing the views of the Department of Education on the House and Senate versions of H.R. 2669, the "College Cost Reduction Act of 2007" and the "Higher Education Access Act of 2007," respectively
July 23, 2007—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act’s provisions related to having all core academic subject classes taught by highly qualified teachers (HQT)
April 23, 2007—Letter to Chief State School Officers providing an update on implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act and discussing the reauthorization proposal, "Building on Results: A Blueprint for Strengthening the No Child Left Behind Act"
March 1, 2007—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the extension of Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZABs) through 2007 and to remind that the 2005 allocation expires at the end of 2007
February 28, 2007—Letter to Chief State School Officers from the Deputy Secretary regarding final regulations formalizing the Annual Mandatory Collection of Elementary and Secondary Education Data for EDFacts
February 7, 2007—Letter to Chief State School Officers providing an update on implementation of the assessment and accountability requirements of Title I
February 2007—Letter to Chief State School Officers, local educational agencies, Governors, institutions of higher education, associations, and others regarding availability of a guidance document, Interim Pre-pandemic Planning Guidance: Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation in the United States
October 2006—Letter to Chief State School Officers, Local Educational Agencies, private schools and others regarding emergency preparedness planning for pandemic influenza and forwarding "A Planning Guide for Educators"
October 18, 2006—Letter to Chief State School Officers and others regarding the Conference on School Safety convened by the White House in October 2006
October 11, 2006—Letter to Chief State School Officers reminding of the opportunity to participate in the Department's growth model pilot for the 2006-07 school year
September 5, 2006—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding efforts to ensure that all core academic subjects are taught by highly qualified and effective teachers, and encouraging states to eliminate use of High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) procedures
July 27, 2006—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the LEP Partnership to design instruction better and improve academic performance for the Nation's more than 5 million limited English proficient (LEP) students
May 15, 2006—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding more effective implementation of provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) authorizing public school choice and supplemental educational services (SES)
May 2, 2006—Letter to Chief State School Officers and State Higher Education Agencies describing how the Department intends to implement the Academic Competitiveness Grant and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant
April 2006—Letter to institutions of higher education regarding emergency preparedness planning for pandemic influenza
March 2006—Letters regarding student loan forgiveness available for certain full-time secondary school teachers:
version sent to Local Educational Agencies regarding teachers employed in public schools
version sent to Private School Associations regarding teachers employed in nonprofit private schools
March 2006—Letter to Local Educational Agencies regarding emergency preparedness planning for pandemic influenza (information also sent to Chief State School Officers)
February 21, 2006—Letter to Chief State School Officers on the assessment requirements of NCLB and the growth model pilot project
January 17, 2006—Letter to heads of Federal Departments and Agencies asking for support of a new federal government-wide effort to assist the nation's charter schools
December 30, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the Hurricane Education Recovery Act authorizing three new grant programs to assist school districts and schools following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
December 14, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers announcing technical assistance materials and notice of proposed rulemaking regarding the policy that allows states to develop modified achievement standards and assessments for students with disabilities who can make progress toward, but may not reach, grade-level achievement standards in the same time frame as other students
December 14, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers extending to states for a second year the flexibility to develop modified achievement standards and assessments
November 21, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding a pilot project on growth models for measuring school accountability
October 21, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the "highly qualified teacher" provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and elements the Department will use in determining if states are in compliance
September 29, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers in response to questions regarding whether the Department will waive the accountability provisions in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) regarding assessments and adequate yearly progress (AYP) for areas impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
September 14, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the Department's willingness to consider requests for statutory and regulatory waivers of various requirements under the Charter Schools Program to assist in serving students displaced by Hurricane Katrina
September 7, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding Hurricane Katrina and discussing some of the major areas in which flexibility and resources are available
August 9, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the newly released non-regulatory guidance regarding alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities
July 6, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding the extension of Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZABs) through 2005 and to remind that the 2003 allocation expires at the end of 2005
June 7, 2005—Letter to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives transmitting the proposal for the Higher Education Act Reform Amendments of 2005 to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to implement changes proposed in the President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Budget.
May 10, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding additional flexibility for making adequate yearly progress determinations for the students with disabilities subgroup.
March 9, 2005—Letters to Honorable Michael Enzi and Honorable John Boehner expressing opposition to S. 250 and H.R. 366 which would reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998.
January 28, 2005—Letter to Chief State School Officers regarding requests for extensions for making liquidations in state-administered programs.
January 25, 2005—Letter to Ms. Pat Mitchell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), regarding the Department of Education's concerns about a Ready-To-Learn television episode developed under a cooperative agreement between the Department and PBS.
Archives of Key Policy Letters Signed by the Education Secretary or Deputy Secretary From Previous Administrations
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