Department of Education

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Open Recommendations (47 total)

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: Additional Steps Needed to Help States Collect Complete Enrollment Information

GAO-23-104830
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should work with the Secretary of Labor to determine how to better assist WIOA core programs in collecting complete information on co-enrollment, for example, by providing additional information or technical assistance to help states better share information on participants across programs. (Recommendation 2)
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 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
The Department of Education agreed with this recommendation. Education said that as part of its continued partnership to promote effective WIOA implementation, it will work with the Department of Labor to determine how to better assist states in ensuring the accuracy and completeness of co-enrollment data that states report to the Department. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.

K-12 Education: Education Should Assess Its Efforts to Address Teacher Shortages

GAO-23-105180
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should direct Federal Student Aid and the Offices of Elementary and Secondary Education and Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to collect resources that address the key challenges contributing to teacher shortages, and share those resources with states and school districts in an easily accessible manner to help them address specific recruitment and retention challenges. (Recommendation 2)
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 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
Education neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. We will monitor the agency's progress to address this recommendation.
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should build on the department's efforts to raise public awareness about the value of teachers by developing and including in its Elevating Teachers strategy time frames, milestones, and performance measures to gauge results. (Recommendation 1)
Open

 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
Education neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. We will monitor the agency's progress to address this recommendation.

K-12 Education: Department of Education Should Provide Information on Equity and Safety in School Dress Codes

GAO-23-105348
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should provide resources to help districts and schools design equitable dress codes to promote a supportive and inclusive learning environment. (Recommendation 1)
Open

 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
Education neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. The agency described efforts it plans to take to address this recommendation: we will monitor the agency's progress on these efforts.
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should collect information on the prevalence and effects of informal removals and non-exclusionary discipline and disseminate this information to states, school districts, and schools. (Recommendation 4)
Open

 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
Education neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. Education officials said that through a formal comment process, the agency is soliciting specific input from the public on questions related to informal removals, and that the responses will inform OCR's proposed information collection request for the CRDC's 2025-26 school year collection. However, it also said it does not have mechanisms for collecting information on the effects of these practices. Education also said that IES is authorized to evaluate federal education programs but that the department does not have a discrete, evaluable program that addresses informal removals or non-exclusionary discipline. Further, Education explained that while the agency does not have the authority to direct RELs to conduct research on informal removals and non-exclusionary discipline, the RELs could themselves conduct such research if a REL's stakeholders prioritize it. We appreciate Education's efforts and understand the challenges of determining the effects of informal removals and non-exclusionary discipline. We encourage Education to think creatively about ways to collect and share information, within its existing authorities, about the effects of informal removals and exclusionary discipline. For example, it could leverage discussions with stakeholders, working groups, or exploratory committees as a first step toward collecting and disseminating information on the effects of informal removals and non-exclusionary discipline.
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should include dress code information in existing resources on safe and supportive schools. This information could include examples of dress codes that safeguard students' privacy and body autonomy. (Recommendation 2)
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 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
Education neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. The agency described efforts it plans to take to address this recommendation: we will monitor the agency's progress on these efforts.
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should provide resources for states, school districts, and schools on the equitable enforcement of discipline, including dress code discipline. These resources should include information that helps states, school districts, and schools address potential disparities and disproportionality in dress code enforcement, as appropriate. (Recommendation 3)
Open

 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
Education neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. The agency described efforts it plans to take to address this recommendation: we will monitor the agency's progress on these efforts.

Critical Infrastructure Protection: Additional Federal Coordination Is Needed to Enhance K-12 Cybersecurity

GAO-23-105480
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3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should develop metrics for obtaining feedback to measure the effectiveness of Education's K-12 cybersecurity-related products and services that are available for school districts. (Recommendation 2)
Open

 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Education The Secretary of Education, in coordination with federal and nonfederal stakeholders, should determine how best to help school districts overcome the identified challenges and consider the identified opportunities for addressing cyber threats, as appropriate. (Recommendation 3)
Open

 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Education The Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other stakeholders involved in updating the Education Facilities Sector-Specific Plan, should establish a collaborative mechanism, such as an applicable government coordinating council, to coordinate cybersecurity efforts between agencies and with the K-12 community. (Recommendation 1)
Open

 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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