Department of Education News 
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- Senators push Tangherlini for assurances GSA is improving
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- Senator: IRS to pay $70M in employee bonuses
- Furlough song: Laugh or you'll cry
- Navy strikes enterprise licensing deal with Oracle
- 8 contract executives guilty of 8(a) contracting fraud
- Whistleblower suit leads to $12M false claims settlement by SAIC
- 29-year-old NASA engineer going where no one has gone before
- USPS reaches energy reduction goal ahead of schedule
- NOAA meteorologist helps save lives one storm at a time
- NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women
- House passes sweeping $638 billion defense bill
- NIH tops list of best companies for baby boomers
- Latest postal reform proposal OKs 5-day delivery
Online courses re-shaping higher education
On this week's Capital Impact show, Bloomberg Government analysts will examine how online college courses are afffecting higher education in the U.S.
April 25, 2013
HUD CIO Jerry Williams takes new job at Education
Jerry Williams will become the new chief information officer at the Education Department's Office of Federal Student Aid. Patsy Garnett, HUD's acting deputy CIO for IT and business modernization, also is heading to a new agency.
$4 billion up for grabs and $1.6 billion potential cuts
On this week's Capital Impact show, Bloomberg Government analysts examine how the ongoing budget battle is affecting contracting.
March 14, 2013
AP source: Duncan to stay at education department
An Education Department official says Secretary Arne Duncan will remain in President Barack Obama's Cabinet into a second term. The official disclosed the decision Monday on the condition of anonymity because a public announcement has not been made.
OMB ratchets up accountability on high-priority goals
The administration updated Performance.gov with a variety of data to highlight progress against each agency's goals and the cross-agency goals. OMB's Shelley Metzenbaum said the depth of information now on the site puts pressure on agencies to meet or surpass their goals. Interior and Education provide examples of how the discipline that the high-priority goals demanded has positively impacted their agency.
Timing, technology converge to better attack improper payments
Over the last three years, agencies understood the problem better, improved how they tracked the information and used advanced data analysis tools to lower the governmentwide rate to 4.69 percent from 5.42 percent in 2009. While the amount of money improperly paid out hit a high of $125 billion in 2010, Danny Werfel, the Office of Management and Budget's controller, expects it to drop for a second consecutive year, below the $115 billion mark in 2011.
Order calls for interagency cooperation on veterans' mental health
Executive order calls for vets in emotional distress to be seen by a professional within 24 hours. It also enlists HHS, Education, DoD and VA in interagency partnerships to find treatments for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress.
Government opens competition for new school grants
Following four months of public comment on a draft proposal, the Education Department unveiled its final criteria for the district-level competition, which will award 15 to 25 grants to districts that have at least 2,000 students and 40 percent or more who qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches _ a key poverty indicator.
Sequestration could spur furloughs at Education
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the furloughs would address tighter budgets caused by sequestration. He also discussed other possible effects, including reductions in contracting. Wednesday's hearing represented the first time members of Congress have closely examined the effects across-the-board spending cuts could have on civilian agencies.
Education secretary urges balanced budget cuts
Services would have to be slashed for more than 1.8 million disadvantaged students and thousands of teachers and aides would lose their jobs when automatic budget cuts kick in, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Wednesday.
Feds improve customer service through data analysis
While government IT resources are shrinking, a dire need for improvements with customer interaction will be key to agencies survival.
Senate leaders say they have student loan deal
The Senate's top Democrat and Republican said Tuesday that they've reached a deal that would prevent interest rates on college loans from doubling beginning this weekend for millions of students. But House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has yet to decide whether the pact will be acceptable to his Republican-run chamber.
DoD, VA, Education toughen rules against predatory colleges
Agencies are working toward implementing an executive order designed to crack down on "fly- by-night" colleges that target military members' education benefits
Agencies sitting on $70B in unspent funds, report finds
A congressional report released today outlines $70 billion of unspent federal dollars that could have helped disaster victims, spurred highway construction and fund education programs.
Former victim now leads government's bullying prevention program
Deborah Temkin leads the governmentwide campaign against bullying, working with the White House and federal agencies to educate school districts and governments at all levels on what they can do to protect young people. She is a Service to America Medal finalist in the Call to Service category.
Awards recognize top STEM students
Tuesday night in Washington, 40 of the smartest, STEM-oriented American kids in in the whole country were honored.
Agencies need to 'quit whining' about SES
A new study is leading to calls to shake up the Senior Executive Service by encouraging members to change jobs once in a while. That was the original intent, but only half of its members have done it. Now, with a third of senior execs eligible to retire, federal human resources leaders say agencies need to focus on improving the corps.
Discretionary Budget Authority 2008-2013
A look at the discretionary budget authority for Cabinet-level agencies from 2008-2013.
Contest would focus on teacher quality
Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Wednesday spelled out details of a proposed new $5 billion Race to the Top-style competition focused on improving teacher quality.
VA, Education reap benefits of hiring reforms
Improvements to training and employee retention are increasing department workforces and saving money, agency chief human capital officers for the Education and Veterans Affairs departments said at an event Tuesday.
