CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en-US"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8" /> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width" /> <title>From Sec. Cardona: A Letter to Parents & Students - ED.gov Blog</title> <link rel="profile" href="http://gmpg.org/xfn/11" /> <link rel="pingback" href="https://blog.ed.gov/xmlrpc.php" /> <meta name='robots' content='index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1' />  <link rel="canonical" href="https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/letter-to-parents-students/" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:title" content="From Sec. Cardona: A Letter to Parents & Students - ED.gov Blog" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Click here for a copy of this letter in Spanish To our Nation’s Parents and Students: I write first, as your new Secretary of Education, to acknowledge the extraordinarily challenging year you’ve endured. Between the health crisis, economic hardship, staunch national division, and the struggle to make progress in learning while apart from teachers andContinue Reading" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/letter-to-parents-students/" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="ED.gov Blog" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2021-03-02T15:07:42+00:00" /> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2021-03-03T15:06:49+00:00" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://blog.ed.gov/files/2021/03/Cardona-Letter_Teal-1024x576.png" /> <meta name="author" content="Miguel Cardona" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" /> <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Written by" /> <meta name="twitter:data1" content="Miguel Cardona" /> <meta name="twitter:label2" content="Est. reading time" /> <meta name="twitter:data2" content="3 minutes" /> <script type="application/ld+json" class="yoast-schema-graph">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/letter-to-parents-students/","url":"https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/letter-to-parents-students/","name":"From Sec. Cardona: A Letter to Parents & Students - ED.gov Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://blog.ed.gov/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/letter-to-parents-students/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/letter-to-parents-students/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://blog.ed.gov/files/2021/03/Cardona-Letter_Teal-1024x576.png","datePublished":"2021-03-02T15:07:42+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-03T15:06:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https://blog.ed.gov/#/schema/person/9fb36707c1e49b1bb8e36ea2378ac0ba"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/letter-to-parents-students/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/letter-to-parents-students/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/letter-to-parents-students/#primaryimage","url":"https://blog.ed.gov/files/2021/03/Cardona-Letter_Teal.png","contentUrl":"https://blog.ed.gov/files/2021/03/Cardona-Letter_Teal.png","width":1920,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/letter-to-parents-students/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://blog.ed.gov/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"From Sec. Cardona: A Letter to Parents & Students"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://blog.ed.gov/#website","url":"https://blog.ed.gov/","name":"ED.gov Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://blog.ed.gov/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://blog.ed.gov/#/schema/person/9fb36707c1e49b1bb8e36ea2378ac0ba","name":"Miguel Cardona","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://blog.ed.gov/#/schema/person/image/","url":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39b26e2bdd2ccdad577cd199140a9280?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39b26e2bdd2ccdad577cd199140a9280?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Miguel Cardona"},"url":"https://blog.ed.gov/author/mcardona/"}]}</script>  <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//fonts.googleapis.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s.w.org' /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="ED.gov Blog » Feed" href="https://blog.ed.gov/feed/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="ED.gov Blog » Comments Feed" href="https://blog.ed.gov/comments/feed/" /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-block-library-css' href='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/css/dist/block-library/style.min.css?ver=5.7.12' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='contact-form-7-css' href='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7/includes/css/styles.css?ver=5.5.6.1' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='crp-style-rounded-thumbs-css' href='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/plugins/contextual-related-posts/css/rounded-thumbs.min.css?ver=1.0.1' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='crp-style-rounded-thumbs-inline-css' type='text/css'> .crp_related a { width: 150px; height: 150px; text-decoration: none; } .crp_related img { max-width: 150px; margin: auto; } .crp_related .crp_title { width: 100%; } </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-lightbox-2.min.css-css' href='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/plugins/wp-lightbox-2/styles/lightbox.min.css?ver=1.3.4' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='educated-bootstrap-style-css' href='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/bootstrap/css/bootstrap.min.css?ver=3.1.1' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='educated-flexslider2-style-css' href='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/flexslider/flexslider.css?ver=2.1' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='educated-style-css' href='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/style.css?ver=5.7.12' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='educated-google-fonts-css' href='//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Oswald%3A400%2C300%7COpen+Sans%3A400italic%2C600italic%2C400%2C600&ver=5.7.12' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='style_login_widget-css' href='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/plugins/miniorange-oauth-oidc-single-sign-on/resources/css/style_login_widget.css?ver=5.7.12' type='text/css' media='all' /> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.min.js?ver=3.5.1' id='jquery-core-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery-migrate.min.js?ver=3.3.2' id='jquery-migrate-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/js/jquery.unveil.min.js?ver=5.7.12' id='educated-unveil-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/flexslider/jquery.flexslider-min.js?ver=5.7.12' id='educated-flexslider2-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/bootstrap/js/bootstrap.min.js?ver=2.3.2' id='educated-bootstrap-js-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/js/superfish.js?ver=1.7.4' id='educated-superfish-js-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/js/script.js?ver=1.1.2' id='educated-script-js-js'></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-json/" /><link rel="alternate" type="application/json" href="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/29653" /><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://blog.ed.gov/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <link rel="wlwmanifest" type="application/wlwmanifest+xml" href="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/wlwmanifest.xml" /> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 5.7.12" /> <link rel='shortlink' href='https://blog.ed.gov/?p=29653' /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.ed.gov%2F2021%2F03%2Fletter-to-parents-students%2F" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.ed.gov%2F2021%2F03%2Fletter-to-parents-students%2F&format=xml" /> <script language="javascript" id="_fed_an_ua_tag" src="https://dap.digitalgov.gov/Universal-Federated-Analytics-Min.js?agency=ED"></script><script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"> var style = document.createElement("style"); style.type = "text/css"; style.id = "antiClickjack"; if ("cssText" in style){ style.cssText = "body{display:none !important;}"; }else{ style.innerHTML = "body{display:none !important;}"; } document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(style); if (top === self) { var antiClickjack = document.getElementById("antiClickjack"); antiClickjack.parentNode.removeChild(antiClickjack); } else { top.location = self.location; } </script><script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"> jQuery(window).load(function() { jQuery('.metaslider').flexslider({ controlNav: false, smoothHeight: true, nextText: '<span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-right"></span>', prevText: '<span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left"></span>' }); }); </script> <meta name="site-up" content="ED-sites-lbQy7EtkCI6A"> <style type="text/css" id="wp-custom-css"> .author-card:not(:first-child) .author:before { content: ", "; margin-left: -3px } .author-card:not(:first-child) small { display: none; } </style> <script type="text/javascript" src="//www2.ed.gov/style/foresee/foresee-trigger.js"></script>   <style>.highlightbox {background-color: #d3d3d3; box-shadow: 10px 10px 5px #888888; width:300px; float:right; margin:10px; min-height:20px; padding:19px; border: 1px solid #e3e3e3;} .meta-inline * { display: inline; font-size: 14px; font-weight: initial; float: none!important; width: auto; height: auto!important; text-align: initial; padding: initial; margin: 0 } .meta-inline .glyphicon, .meta-inline .clearfix:before, .meta-inline .clearfix:after { display: none; } .meta-inline .author-avatar { display: none; } .meta-inline .blue-box { background: none; } .meta-inline .blue-box a, .meta-inline .blue-box { color: #333!important; } .bordered-post{border-top: 1px solid #eee;margin-bottom: 1em;padding-top:1em;} .bordered-post:first-child{border-top: 0;padding-top:0;}</style>  <script> !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '193607724369178'); // Insert your pixel ID here. fbq('track', 'PageView'); </script> <noscript><img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=193607724369178&ev=PageView&noscript=1" /></noscript>  </head> <body class="post-template-default single single-post postid-29653 single-format-standard group-blog"> <div id="page" class="hfeed site"> <header id="masthead" class="site-header" role="banner"> <a href="#content" class="screen-reader-text skip-link" tabindex="0">Skip to content</a> <div class="container big-margin-bottom big-margin-top"> <div class="row"> <div class="site-branding col-sm-9 col-md-9"> <div class="site-logo"> <a href="https://blog.ed.gov/" title="Department of Education Homeroom Blog" rel="home"><img class=" hidden-xs" src="/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/blog-header-large.png" alt="Department of Education Homeroom Blog"><img class="mobile-logo visible-xs" src="/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/blog-header-mobile1.png" alt="Department of Education Homeroom Blog"></a> </div> </div> <div class="col-sm-3 col-md-3 hidden-sm text-align-center header-social"> <h2>Connect with us</h2> <ul class="list-inline"> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ed.gov"title="Department of Education Facebook"><img alt="Department of Education Facebook" src="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/img/social/facebook.png" data-src-retina="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/img/social/facebook@2x.png" height="32" width="32" /></a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/usedgov"title="Department of Education Twitter"><img alt="Department of Education Twitter" src="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/img/social/twitter.png" data-src-retina="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/img/social/twitter@2x.png" height="32" width="32" /></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="navigation-bar full-width clearfix blue-box"> <div class="container"> <nav id="site-navigation" class="main-navigation" role="navigation"> <button class="menu-toggle" aria-controls="primary-menu" aria-expanded="false">Menu <i class="glyphicon glyphicon-menu-hamburger" style="position:absolute;right:4px;opacity: 0.3;top: 6px;"></i></button> <div class="menu-main-menu-container"><ul id="primary-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-25159" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-25159"><a href="https://www.ed.gov/">ED.gov</a></li> <li id="menu-item-29842" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-29842"><a href="https://blog.ed.gov/author/mcardona/">From the Secretary</a></li> </ul></div> </nav> </div> </div> </header> <div id="main" class="site-main container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-8 col-md-8"> <div id="primary" class="content-area"> <div id="content" class="site-content" role="main"> <article id="post-29653" class="bordered-post post-29653 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-headlines"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title">From Sec. Cardona: A Letter to Parents & Students</h1> <div class="meta-inline clearfix"> <ul class="list-inline"> <li><div class="author-box clearfix blue-box"><div class="author-card"><div class="author-avatar"><img alt='' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/img/default-avatar.png?' class='avatar avatar-150 photo avatar-default' height='150' width='150' /></div><div class="author-name"><small>Posted by</small> <div class="author vcard"><strong><a class="url fn n" href="https://blog.ed.gov/author/mcardona/" title="View all posts by Miguel Cardona" rel="author">Miguel Cardona</a></strong></div><div class="author-bio"></div></div></div></div></li> <li><i class="glyphicon glyphicon-time icon-white"></i> <a href="https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/letter-to-parents-students/" title="10:07 am" rel="bookmark"><abbr class="entry-date timeago" title="2021-03-02T10:07:42-05:00">March 2, 2021</abbr></a></li><li><i class="glyphicon glyphicon-folder-open icon-white"></i> <a href="https://blog.ed.gov/topic/headlines/" rel="category tag">Headlines</a></li> </ul> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><a href="https://blog.ed.gov/files/2021/03/Cardona-Letter_Teal.png" rel="lightbox[29653]"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-29659" src="https://blog.ed.gov/files/2021/03/Cardona-Letter_Teal-1024x576.png" alt="" width="750" height="422" srcset="https://blog.ed.gov/files/2021/03/Cardona-Letter_Teal-1024x576.png 1024w, https://blog.ed.gov/files/2021/03/Cardona-Letter_Teal-300x169.png 300w, https://blog.ed.gov/files/2021/03/Cardona-Letter_Teal-768x432.png 768w, https://blog.ed.gov/files/2021/03/Cardona-Letter_Teal-1536x864.png 1536w, https://blog.ed.gov/files/2021/03/Cardona-Letter_Teal.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://www2.ed.gov/espanol/news/speeches/2021/03032021.html"><em>Click here for a copy of this letter in Spanish</em></a></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">To our Nation’s Parents and Students: </span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">I write first, as your new Secretary of Education, to acknowledge the extraordinarily challenging year you’ve endured. Between the health crisis, economic hardship, staunch national division, and the struggle to make progress in learning while apart from teachers and peers, the impact of the pandemic is still very real and will be felt for years to come. </span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p><span id="more-29653"></span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">And yet, you’ve kept going. As a parent of two who experienced these same concerns and uncertainties, and an educator who has been moved by the resilience of the students and families I’ve met, let me say: you deserve recognition and you have my deepest thanks. </span><span class="normaltextrun"> </span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">Brighter days are ahead. We<i> are </i>making progress. More schools across the country are reopening for in-person learning, and they’re doing so with the help of clear, science-based guidance from experts in the field. The Department has released part one of a COVID-19 Handbook to help schools implement guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and we’re working on the second volume. Together, these guides will provide more evidence-based strategies for schools to minimize disruptions caused by school closures, especially for our most vulnerable students and communities and address the impact of COVID-19 on educational opportunity across communities.</span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">The most pressing challenges we face aren’t new. Since I began teaching more than 20 years ago, opportunity gaps remain. There are still unacceptable disparities in high school graduation rates and higher education is still out of reach for too many students, including learners of color, those from low-income families, and those, as I was, who would be the first in their families to attend. </span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">These inequities aren’t just holding our children back from achieving their full potential – they’re holding our nation back, too. We <i>all </i>benefit when our children have high-quality opportunities to develop their skills and build their knowledge – and then, share their gifts and talents with the world. </span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">Our first priority is to return students to the classroom for in-person learning, but we know there’s more work to be done once we’ve achieved that goal. We’re also working toward building better career pathways, making college more affordable, ensuring all students have access to high quality schools with a balance of quality coursework that include the arts and sciences, supporting teacher quality and improving teacher diversity, ensure teachers receive the support and respect they need and deserve, expanding access to high-quality preschool, and supporting high-quality career and technical education. </span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">President Biden’s plans are bold, but they match the urgency that the challenges before us demand. And as Secretary, I will always keep students and their success at the heart of the Department’s work. </span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">We know that, given the right support, resources and opportunities, our potential is boundless. Despite our worries as parents, this year we’ve seen new proofs of our children’s ingenuity, optimism, and ability to overcome the toughest of circumstances. </span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">If we all commit to approaching the remainder of this school year – and the years to come – with this same mindset of possibility, dedication, and innovation, we can and will make good on our promise to America’s students. As an educator and as a parent, I commit to safeguarding and advancing the dreams of your children, as I commit to the dreams of my own son and daughter. </span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">Our nation’s students deserve – and they will get – our very best efforts, our most collaborative thinking, and our deepest belief in their abilities. Together, we can build a future of promise and opportunity that makes no exceptions. </span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">Sincerely, </span><span class="eop"> </span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun">Secretary Miguel Cardona </span></p> <div id="crp_related"> </div> </div> <div class="related-posts"> <h3>Posts you may also like</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://blog.ed.gov/2024/11/the-impact-of-k-12-stem-policy/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to The Impact of K-12 STEM Policy">The Impact of K-12 STEM Policy</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.ed.gov/2024/10/new-ai-toolkit-to-empower-educational-leaders-on-safe-ethical-and-equitable-ai-integration/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to New AI Toolkit to Empower Educational Leaders on Safe, Ethical, and Equitable AI Integration">New AI Toolkit to Empower Educational Leaders on Safe, Ethical, and Equitable AI Integration</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.ed.gov/2024/10/u-s-department-of-education-launches-1-million-cte-chips-challenge/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to U.S. Department of Education Launches $1 Million CTE CHIPS Challenge">U.S. Department of Education Launches $1 Million CTE CHIPS Challenge</a></li> </ul> </div> </article> <nav role="navigation" id="nav-below" class="navigation-post"> <h1 class="screen-reader-text">Post navigation</h1> <div class="nav-previous"><a href="https://blog.ed.gov/2021/02/finding-teachable-moments-field-classroom/" rel="prev"><span class="meta-nav">←</span> Finding Teachable Moments on the Field and in the Classroom</a></div> <div class="nav-next"><a href="https://blog.ed.gov/2021/03/lets-urge-high-school-seniors-complete-fafsa-form-today/" rel="next">Let’s Urge High School Seniors to Complete the FAFSA® Form Today <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a></div> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-sm-4 col-md-4"> <div id="secondary" class="widget-area" role="complementary"> <aside id="search-2" class="widget widget_search"><h2 class="widget-title">Search This Blog</h2> <form role="search" method="get" aria-label="Search for:" id="searchform" class="searchform" action="https://blog.ed.gov/"> <label for="s" class="screen-reader-text">Search for:</label> <div class="input-group"> <input type="search" class="form-control" name="s" value="" id="s" placeholder="Search …"> <span class="input-group-btn"> <button class="btn btn-primary" aria-label="Search" type="submit" id="searchsubmit" value="Search"><i class="glyphicon glyphicon-search icon-white"></i></button> </span> </div> </form> </aside><aside id="text-11" class="widget widget_text"> <div class="textwidget"><em>Blog articles provide insights on the activities of schools, programs, grantees, and other education stakeholders to promote continuing discussion of educational innovation and reform. Articles do not endorse any educational product, service, curriculum or pedagogy.</em></div> </aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="full-width footer-bar clearfix blue-box"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12 col-md-12"> <div class="menu-bottom-nav-container"><ul id="menu-bottom-nav" class="menu-footer list-inline"><li id="menu-item-20075" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-home menu-item-20075"><a href="https://blog.ed.gov/">Home</a></li> <li id="menu-item-20076" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-20076"><a href="https://blog.ed.gov/comments-policy/">Comments Policy</a></li> <li id="menu-item-20078" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-20078"><a href="http://www2.ed.gov/notices/privacy/index.html">Privacy Policy</a></li> </ul></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <footer id="colophon" class="site-footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12 col-md-12"> <div class="site-info"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </footer> </div> <script> function convert_to_url(obj) { return Object .keys(obj) .map(k => `${encodeURIComponent(k)}=${encodeURIComponent(obj[k])}`) .join('&'); } function pass_to_backend() { if(window.location.hash) { var hash = window.location.hash; var elements = {}; hash.split("#")[1].split("&").forEach(element => { var vars = element.split("="); elements[vars[0]] = vars[1]; }); if(("access_token" in elements) || ("id_token" in elements) || ("token" in elements)) { if(window.location.href.indexOf("?") !== -1) { window.location = (window.location.href.split("?")[0] + window.location.hash).split('#')[0] + "?" + convert_to_url(elements); } else { window.location = window.location.href.split('#')[0] + "?" + convert_to_url(elements); } } } } pass_to_backend(); </script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/js/dist/vendor/wp-polyfill.min.js?ver=7.4.4' id='wp-polyfill-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' id='wp-polyfill-js-after'> ( 'fetch' in window ) || document.write( '<script src="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/js/dist/vendor/wp-polyfill-fetch.min.js?ver=3.0.0"></scr' + 'ipt>' );( document.contains ) || document.write( '<script src="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/js/dist/vendor/wp-polyfill-node-contains.min.js?ver=3.42.0"></scr' + 'ipt>' );( window.DOMRect ) || document.write( '<script src="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/js/dist/vendor/wp-polyfill-dom-rect.min.js?ver=3.42.0"></scr' + 'ipt>' );( window.URL && window.URL.prototype && window.URLSearchParams ) || document.write( '<script src="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/js/dist/vendor/wp-polyfill-url.min.js?ver=3.6.4"></scr' + 'ipt>' );( window.FormData && window.FormData.prototype.keys ) || document.write( '<script src="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/js/dist/vendor/wp-polyfill-formdata.min.js?ver=3.0.12"></scr' + 'ipt>' );( Element.prototype.matches && Element.prototype.closest ) || document.write( '<script src="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/js/dist/vendor/wp-polyfill-element-closest.min.js?ver=2.0.2"></scr' + 'ipt>' );( 'objectFit' in document.documentElement.style ) || document.write( '<script src="https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/js/dist/vendor/wp-polyfill-object-fit.min.js?ver=2.3.4"></scr' + 'ipt>' ); </script> <script type='text/javascript' id='contact-form-7-js-extra'> /* <![CDATA[ */ var wpcf7 = {"api":{"root":"https:\/\/blog.ed.gov\/wp-json\/","namespace":"contact-form-7\/v1"}}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7/includes/js/index.js?ver=5.5.6.1' id='contact-form-7-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' id='wp-jquery-lightbox-js-extra'> /* <![CDATA[ */ var JQLBSettings = {"fitToScreen":"1","resizeSpeed":"300","displayDownloadLink":"1","navbarOnTop":"0","loopImages":"","resizeCenter":"","marginSize":"0","linkTarget":"_self","help":"","prevLinkTitle":"previous image","nextLinkTitle":"next image","prevLinkText":"\u00ab Previous","nextLinkText":"Next \u00bb","closeTitle":"close image gallery","image":"Image ","of":" of ","download":"Download","jqlb_overlay_opacity":"80","jqlb_overlay_color":"#000000","jqlb_overlay_close":"1","jqlb_border_width":"10","jqlb_border_color":"#ffffff","jqlb_border_radius":"0","jqlb_image_info_background_transparency":"100","jqlb_image_info_bg_color":"#ffffff","jqlb_image_info_text_color":"#000000","jqlb_image_info_text_fontsize":"10","jqlb_show_text_for_image":"1","jqlb_next_image_title":"next image","jqlb_previous_image_title":"previous image","jqlb_next_button_image":"https:\/\/blog.ed.gov\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-lightbox-2\/styles\/images\/next.gif","jqlb_previous_button_image":"https:\/\/blog.ed.gov\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-lightbox-2\/styles\/images\/prev.gif","jqlb_maximum_width":"","jqlb_maximum_height":"","jqlb_show_close_button":"1","jqlb_close_image_title":"close image gallery","jqlb_close_image_max_heght":"22","jqlb_image_for_close_lightbox":"https:\/\/blog.ed.gov\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-lightbox-2\/styles\/images\/closelabel.gif","jqlb_keyboard_navigation":"1","jqlb_popup_size_fix":"0"}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/plugins/wp-lightbox-2/js/dist/wp-lightbox-2.min.js?ver=1.3.4.1' id='wp-jquery-lightbox-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/js/navigation.js?ver=20120206' id='educated-navigation-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-content/themes/educated/js/skip-link-focus-fix.js?ver=20130115' id='educated-skip-link-focus-fix-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://blog.ed.gov/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js?ver=5.7.12' id='wp-embed-js'></script>     <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-10911895-1']); _gaq.push(['_setDomainName', 'ed.gov']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); </script>  </body> </html>