ED and Federal Trade Commission have jointly released a consumer guide to help students and their families navigate the maze of offers they may face when seeking new student loans or consolidating existing student loans to pay for higher education. Student Loans: Avoiding Deceptive Offers provides advice to help consumers detect deceptive marketing offers from private companies seeking their student loan business.

More than $74 million in grants have been awarded to 27 states as part of a joint effort by the U.S. departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice to support schools in creating safe learning environments that promote healthy childhood development and prevent youth violence and drug use.

ED announced the award of $4.37 million in grants to universities in 14 states to help train doctoral, post-doctoral and other graduate students to work with children with disabilities.

Secretary Spellings addressed the Education Commission of the States (ECS) National Forum on Education Policy and announced the approval of six states -- Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio -- to use the Differentiated Accountability Pilot aimed at helping states differentiate between underperforming schools in need of dramatic interventions and those that are closer to meeting the goals of No Child Left Behind.

Secretary Spellings announced the award of $41,573,649 for 24 new grants under the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) to help more than 69,000 disadvantaged middle school students receive assistance to prepare for and pursue a college education.

A new website provides guidance, letters, and other information regarding ED's authority to purchase federal student loans under the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008.

New data from states show improvement in nearly every grade and subgroup, including English language learners and students with disabilities.

Independence Day, U.S. history, poetry, letter writing, energy and rock cycles, polar regions, plant genomes, nearly 100 science videos and webcasts, and teaching English language learners to read are topics of new resources at FREE, the website that makes teaching resources from federal agencies easier to find.

offers tools for teachers to help girls achieve at the same level as boys in math and science. The site is based on five research-based recommendations: teach students that the brain grows when they practice and learn; provide prescriptive, informational feedback on strategies and effort; show female role models; spark initial curiosity and foster long-term interest in math and science; and teach spatial skills. (Department of Education)

Notices inviting applications have been issued recently under ED programs that include the following: Centers on Research and Capacity Building to Improve Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities from Traditionally Underserved Racial and Ethnic Populations, High-Quality Supplemental Educational Services and After-School Partnerships Demonstration, Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers for Individuals with Disabilities Living in Rural Areas, and Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers.

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