Department of Education April 19, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) has set a goal for the United States to lead the world in completion of postsecondary education by 2020. The Department recognizes that the most significant in-school-factor in a student's education is his or her teacher, and wants to encourage a large and diverse group of high-performing individuals to pursue a career in teaching. As one strategy to reach this goal, the Department launched the TEACH Campaigna national teacher recruiting effort with the goal of contributing to a high-performing and more diverse teaching force by linking prospective teachers to opportunities for preparation, licensure, and employment. Through a contract, the Department launched the TEACH Campaign using traditional media, digital media, social networking, and direct outreach and follow-up activities with potential and current teachers, and supported it with a Web-based portal (https://www.teach.gov, and associated social networking accounts with YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, collectively referred to as the ``Web Portal'') that is available for use by potential and currently employed teachers for free. The TEACH Campaign (i) targets individuals between the ages of 18 and 25, especially those who are potential high- performers and are among populations under-represented in the teaching profession or are individuals interested in teaching English learners, students with disabilities, or in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in underserved communities (the targeted populations), (ii) strives to enhance public perception of teachers, and (iii) develops support for new and already-practicing teachers. The TEACH Campaign, which is supported through the Web Portal, is based on a comprehensive strategic communications plan, which includes a clear and identifiable ``brand,'' celebrity and teacher public service announcements that are disseminated through multiple formats (e.g., traditional media, digital media, and social networks), and direct outreach and follow-up activities with potential teachers. The Web Portal is designed to improve the recruitment, training, mentoring, retention, and placement of teachers. The Department plans to transfer ownership and operation of the TEACH Campaign, including the recruiting effort and the Web Portal, to an entity or to a group of entities that enter into an agreement to collaborate, form a consortium, or establish a partnership (entity) that works outside of the Federal Government and that would, with its own resources, execute and continuously improve an excellent and effective teacher recruiting effort, continuously improve a highly visible and useful Web Portal, and continue to make the Web Portal available at all times to potential and currently employed teachers for free. Through this notice, we are inviting proposals from entities interested in owning and operating the TEACH Campaign, including the recruiting effort and the Web Portal.

The Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education announces priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria under the Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grant program, also called the Enhanced Assessment Grants (EAG) program. The Assistant Secretary may use one or more of these priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2011 and later years. We take these actions to focus Federal financial assistance on the pressing need to improve the assessment instruments and systems used by States to accurately measure student academic achievement and growth under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA).

The Department of Education (Department) gives notice that on December 15, 2010 an arbitration panel rendered a decision in the matter of Richard Thelen v. Michigan Commission for the Blind, Case no. R-S/08-7. This panel was convened by the Department under 20 U.S.C. 107d-1(a), after the Department received a complaint filed by the petitioner, Richard Thelen.

On April 13, 2011, the Department of Education published a 30- day comment period notice in the Federal Register (Page 20635, Column 3) seeking public comment for an information collection entitled, ``Study of the Distribution of Teacher Effectiveness.'' The title is hereby corrected to ``Teacher Quality Distribution Study.'' The Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Information Management and Privacy Services, Office of Management, hereby issues a correction notice as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.