This week, NYSED submitted New York’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund plan to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE).

The ARP ESSER State Plan was developed with public and stakeholder input, and it details NYSED’s intentions for the use of federal ARP ESSER funds, as required by USDE. Additional information on ARP ESSER, the State Plan, and public engagement may be found on the NYSED website.

NYSED recently identified priority areas to make progress toward digital equity across New York State. A new report, “Achieving Digital Equity in New York: An Outline for Collaborative Change,” compiles priorities identified during Digital Equity Summits held earlier this year. The Board of Regents and NYSED convened two Digital Equity Summits to establish a shared understanding of digital inequity and create a joint vision toward achieving digital equity in New York State. A third Summit is scheduled for June 15 and will focus on digital equity issues in P-12 education.

At its June meeting this week, the Board of Regents recognized the outstanding New York State students receiving Chancellor Joseph McGovern and Regent Margaret Snow Vander Veer Scholarships.

The New York State Board of Regents and State Education Department published the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining (CR-S) Education Framework in 2018 and have now published a guide for implementation: the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Implementation Roadmap (K-12). The CRS Framework and Roadmap are committed to encouraging equity and inclusion for all the students and families in our state. The Roadmap, developed by a Strategy Committee that included classroom teachers, educators, community partners, and higher education representatives from across New York State, includes action steps and links to free resources for school districts and community groups as they strive to do this important work. As more resources are developed, the Department will continue to expand the resources section of the Roadmap and the CR-S website.

In addition, the Department has posted a set of six CR-S Framework Briefs. The purpose of the briefs is to highlight the important concepts of the CR-S Framework as an introduction for educators, administrators, parents/caregivers, community members, and students. These briefs can be used as a professional development resource that encourages the reading of the CR-S Framework in its entirety.

Questions regarding the CR-S materials can be directed to the Office of Curriculum and Instruction at emscurric@nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum’s program, “The Lives of Enslaved People through the Objects They Left Behind,” is now available online with additional resources for educators.