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[From Patti Curtis, Robert Noyce/Ellen Lettvin STEM Education Fellow]
Hello, it’s me, again
I am back because there is so much to share. I am amazed by the number of federal efforts to advance STEM/CS/Cyber education. This week marks both National Cybersecurity Career Awareness and National Apprenticeship Week. I hope you find the following resources helpful today and in the future.
Patti
National Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week
The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) at the Department of Commerce leads the charge during this week. National Cybersecurity Career Awareness week is an opportunity for government, business, education, community-based organizations, students, and workers to inspire, educate, and engage citizens to pursue careers in cybersecurity. The week-long campaign provides an opportunity to learn about the contributions and innovations of cybersecurity practitioners, and the plethora of job opportunities that can be found when exploring cybersecurity as a career choice. You can help spread the word by using the hashtags #cybercareerweek and #mycyberjob.U.S. Department of Education
Nominations Open for Inaugural Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award –
Due January 31, 2020
The Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award will be presented to two educators, one elementary and one secondary, who instill in their students the skills, knowledge and passion for cybersecurity and related subjects. Recipients of this honor will receive acknowledgement by the President of the United States and Secretary DeVos, public recognition as a leader in the field of cybersecurity education, as well as professional development opportunities. Educators from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, all U.S. territories, Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools, and tribal areas are eligible. Anyone may nominate an educator for this honor; self-nominations are permitted as well. To learn more, visit the links to the press release, application process, and this Secretary DeVos video .Secretary DeVos addresses the Federal Cybersecurity Reskilling Academy Graduation
To help address the cybersecurity skills gap in the federal government, the Trump Administration launched the Federal Cybersecurity Reskilling Academy. See Secretary DeVos’ speech to the July 2019 graduates here.
Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance Center
Common cybersecurity threats that education agencies face include data breaches, cloud security, denial of service, malware/scareware, phishing/spoofing, unpatched or outdated software vulnerabilities, removable media, and unsecure personal devices. To protect personally identifiable information (PII) and networks, prevent and mitigate cybersecurity breaches, and prepare for the effective response and recovery if an attack occurs, education agencies and their emergency management planning teams can pre-plan for these cybersecurity threats using the six-step planning process outlined in The Role of Districts in Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans: A Companion to the School Guide, the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans, and the Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Institutions of Higher Education. Comprehensive emergency operations plans (EOPs) should contain a Cybersecurity Annex.
To support education agencies with the development of a cybersecurity annex, the REMS TA Center has created resources on this topic. We hosted Webinars that provide an overview of the landscape of cyber threats facing education agencies, as well as resources, programs, and tools to help education agencies maintain secure networks and prevent cyber attacks. Additionally, we have researched how cyber incidents affect education agencies and steps they can take to result, resulting in fact sheet sheets. These resources can be accessed below.
K-12 Schools and School Districts
Institutions of Higher Education
Fact Sheets
Cybersecurity Considerations for K-12 Schools and School Districts
Cyber Safety Considerations for K-12 Schools and School Districts Fact Sheet
Cybersecurity Considerations for Institutions of Higher Education
Webinars
Integrating Cybersecurity with Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) for K-12 Schools
The REMS TA Center’s EOP ASSIST software application (app) allows K-12 schools and school districts to develop a customized school EOP collaboratively with access to resources along the way and export the EOP as a Word document. Alternatively, the REMS TA Center’s EOP ASSIST Interactive Workbook is a low-tech version of a plan generator and may be used by K-12 schools and school districts to develop a customized EOP with access to resources along the way offline using a PDF viewer and Word. School districts can upload any districtwide goals, objectives, hazards, threats, or functions directly into the software app or add them to the instructions of the interactive workbook. SEAs and REAs can download and install this software app on the state’s server for all schools and school districts in the state/region and use it or the Interactive Workbook to distribute statewide hazards, threats, functions, goals, and/or objectives. More information on planning for cybersecurity, cyber safety, and other human-caused threats is available on the REMS TA Center’s topic-specific Web page: Addressing Adversarial- and Human-Caused Threats That May Impact Students, Staff, and Visitors.
Office of Educational Technology
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology (OET) develops national educational technology policy. OET’s Building Technology Infrastructure for Learning contains information on cybersecurity that was developed in collaboration with the REMS TA Center.Student Privacy Policy Office
The Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is administered by the U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office to serve as a “one-stop” resource for education stakeholders to learn about data privacy, confidentiality, and security practices. They offer FREE training materials, best practice recommendations, and technical assistance to education agencies, including a Data Breach Response Training Kit and section of their Website dedicated to Security Best Practices.
Additional Federal Opportunities
Find more federal resources and activities to promote cybersecurity careers here.
Department of Homeland Security: Education for Cybersecurity Careers Resources
As cyber threats continue to evolve, the nation’s protection against them relies on a steady stream of qualified cybersecurity practitioners entering the workforce. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is committed to helping educate the nation’s students in cybersecurity to develop a more resilient and capable cyber nation. The following resources are supported by DHS.- Teachers: Learn more about professional development opportunities and information you can use to motivate and educate students of all ages to consider cyber careers. You can also access free lesson plans.
- Students: When it’s time to decide where to go college, view a list of more than 300 academic institutions that the National Security Agency and DHS have designated as Centers of Academic Excellence for cybersecurity-related degrees. You can also learn about scholarships and government employment opportunities through the CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program.
- Academic Institutions: Colleges and universities interested in further developing their cyber-related degree programs can become a National Center of Academic Excellence. Additionally, institutions can recruit the best and the brightest by offering scholarship and job placement assistance through participating in the CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program.
Department of Homeland Security: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s CISA is the Nation’s risk advisor. CISA provides extensive cybersecurity and infrastructure security knowledge and practices to its stakeholders, shares that knowledge to enable better risk management, and puts it into practice to protect the Nation’s essential resources.
And Don’t Forget National Apprenticeship Week
Celebrate with the U.S. Department of Labor and the broader federal government to celebrate the fifth annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2019. Established by the U.S. Department of Labor, NAW is a nationwide celebration that brings together business leaders, labor, educational institutions, and Americans interested in apprenticeships to showcase the impact apprenticeship programs have on closing the U.S. skills gap and preparing the American workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
During NAW 2019, events are hosted across the country to celebrate the work of apprentices with thousands of participants nationwide. With more than seven million job openings in the United States, apprenticeships are industry-driven, high-quality career pathways in which employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, and transferable credentials. NAW is an opportunity to recognize the role that apprenticeship has in helping to prepare America’s future workforce for careers in a variety of industries. To learn more information on NAW 2019 and explore the national listing of NAW events, as well as helpful resources, visit here.
The President signed the Executive Order Expanding Apprenticeships in America in June 2017. LIsten to Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) Assistant Secretary Scott Stump (@SStumpOCTAE) explain the value of #apprenticeships and why this administration is committed to expanding them by going here. You can help spread the word by using the hashtags # NAW2019 and #apprenticeships. You can also read more about the Department’s social media on apprenticeships here, here and here.
Department of Labor: Apprenticeship, CareerOneStop, O*NET OnLine, and other resources
- Learn about careers, find career information, and locate career resources and advice with CareerOneStop. A career profile is a great place to start your career research. Visit the Occupation Profile to see details for any one of more than 950 careers.
- Explore industries included in Industries at a Glance arranged in North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code.
- O*NET OnLine is another tool for career exploration and job analysis! The O*NET OnLine tool has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, researchers, and more! You can search by Keyword or O*NET-SOC Code. It also includes a list of technologies frequently included in employer job postings and a MyNextMove for veterans.
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Disclaimer: The contents of this STEM ED Fellow Update was developed for the benefit of the reader and contains various informational resources. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) does not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities in this Update. The contents of this Update may contain examples of, adaptations of, and links to resources created and maintained by another public or private organization. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. The content of this Update does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department, nor does it reflect its importance. This publication is not intended to represent or be an endorsement by any Federal agency or department, or the U.S. Government of any views expressed, or materials provided, or links to information contained therein.
Patti Curtis
Robert Noyce/Ellen Lettvin STEM Education Fellow
Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development
U.S. Department of Education
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