Do You Have Questions for MDE?
Please check the MDE COVID-19 Information webpage before emailing your questions to MDE staff. We regularly add guidance, answers to new questions and links to our daily update email. Daily updates are posted in the Administrator News section of the EdUpdate.
AP Live Review Classes
Students can continue working toward college credit with free, live review lessons, delivered by AP teachers from across the country. These mobile-friendly classes will enable students to complete the few remaining topics of each AP classes and then focus on reviewing previous skills and concepts. The classes are available on demand after the original presentation so teachers and students can access them any time. Also in response to COVID-19, The College Board is developing AP Exams for this year that students can take from home. The 45-minute open-book exams will only include topics and skills most AP teachers and students have already covered in class by early March.
Foundation for Excellence in Education Opportunity
The Foundation for Excellence in Education is seeking secondary student participation for its new video series, Class in Session with Jeb Bush, to support the virtual classroom with inspirational insights and learnings from today’s leaders. The Foundation will launch the series of video conversations next week with visionaries of today. Created specifically for secondary school students and relevant for the classroom, these 20-minute virtual conversations — hosted by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush — will draw out personal and professional experiences and, especially important, elicit advice for America’s next generation from leaders across the nation.
Ahead of the interview, the foundation is soliciting questions from secondary school students to tap directly into what they want to know about preparing for productive and purposeful lives. Questions can be submitted to jeb@excelined.org or through a survey form.
Upcoming Sessions include:
- Lessons in Coding with Code.org Founder Hadi Partovi (Questions due April 20)
- Lessons in Civics with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Questions due April 22)
- Lessons in Media and the Arts with former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino (Questions due on April 27)
The virtual interviews will be recorded and shared through ExcelinEd’s digital media platforms, where they will be available to classrooms on demand. Should you have any questions or a point of contact with whom ExcelinEd can work with directly, please connect them with Jennifer Diaz, Vice President of Communications, at jennifer@excelined.org.
USDA Opens Second Application Window for Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program Funding
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened a second application window for funding under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program. This window includes an additional $25 million that Congress recently provided to the program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA is providing this additional window for those who were not able to complete applications prior to the first application deadline for the DLT program. Any money not awarded under the first application window will be made available in addition to the $25 million.
Electronic applications for the second application window may be submitted through grants.gov beginning today and are due no later than July 13, 2020. Paper applications will not be accepted. Additional information on how to apply is now available on grants.gov.
Applicants eligible for DLT grants include most state and local governmental entities, federally recognized tribes, nonprofits, and for-profit businesses.
USDA Rural Development has taken many immediate actions to help rural residents, businesses and communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. To learn more about Rural Development’s COVID-19 response, visit www.rd.usda.gov/coronavirus.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit the GovDelivery subscriber page.