E-Update for the Week of February 25, 2019

Highlights:

• On February 26 at 10:15 am, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a full Committee markup of H.R.865, the “Rebuild America’s Schools Act.” The bill, sponsored by Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), creates a $70 billion grant program and a $30 bill tax bond program intended to improve the physical and digital infrastructure at high-poverty schools.
• On February 21, U.S. Department of Education (USED) Secretary Betsy DeVos visited school districts in South Carolina to learn more about the efforts to improve some of the state’s lowest performing schools. The Secretary was accompanied by South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC), and Lt. Governor Pamela Evette.
• On February 19, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) sent a letter to USED Secretary DeVos requesting information on the since reversed decision to replace the acting Inspector General, Sandra Bruce, with Department Deputy General Counsel Philip Rosenfelt. The Department’s decision to replace Bruce was quickly reversed after the White House intervened.

Congress:

Murray, DeLauro urge DeVos respond to request for student loan complaint enforcement, adhere to FY2019 appropriations directive: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS) Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Education (USED) Secretary Betsy DeVos regarding the Department has failed to meet the directive included in the fiscal year (FY) 2019 Labor/HHS appropriations bill report that required the Department to publish and post a detailed explanation of how it is sharing student loan complaint information with state agencies and law enforcement. Specifically, the Congresswomen request the Department provide information on how many requests for information the Department has received from law enforcement agencies, how many of those requests the Department has denied, and how many requests the Department has fulfilled. The full letter is here.
February 19, 2019

Scott, Murray request more information on USED Inspector General replacement given new information on Zais letter: Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) sent a letter to USED Secretary DeVos requesting information on the since reversed decision to replace the acting Inspector General, Sandra Bruce, with Department Deputy General Counsel Philip Rosenfelt. The Department’s decision to replace Bruce was quickly reversed after the White House intervened. The Members of Congress, however, are requesting that the Secretary explain why Bruce was replaced in the first place and if that decision was related to her refusal to cease an investigation into the Department’s reinstatement of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) as a federally recognized accreditor. The Members of Congress cite a letter from Deputy Secretary Mitchell Zais to Bruce in which he expressed “displeasure that the Inspector General was responding to a congressional request to conduct an investigation,” states the letter from Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Murray. The Members of Congress have requested the Secretary respond to their request by March 5. The full letter is here. A press release is here.
February 19, 2019

Murray, Scott on child care, ‘This is an issue that will affect our economy for decades’: Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) published an article titled “Democrats’ Progressive Agenda Must Include Addressing the Nation’s Child Care Crisis” on the website momsrising.org. In the article, the Members of Congress argue for the need to improve child care services and access, especially for child care workers, and for business owners. “This is an issue that will affect our economy for decades to come. Generations of children are losing out on critical years of early learning and development, and this lost opportunity will hinder their ability to contribute to our communities in the future. Businesses are losing out on talented workers, undermining local economies,” the Members of Congress write. They use the article to describe the “Child Care for Working Families Act,” which is expected to be introduced in Congress this session. The full article is here.
February 15, 2019

House:

Scott, Foxx announce ‘bipartisan’ hearings on higher education reform: House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) announced the Committee will be holding five “bipartisan” hearings focused on higher education reform. According to the Committee leaders, the hearings will mark the “formal start of an effort [to] reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA) in the 116th Congress.” The five hearings include (1) The Cost of College: Student Centered Reform to Bring Higher Education Within Reach; (2) Strengthening Accountability in Higher Education to Better Serve Students and Taxpayers; (3) The Cost of Non-Completion: Improving Student Outcomes in Higher Education; (4) Engines of Economic Mobility: The Critical Role of Community Colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Minority-Serving Institutions in Preparing Students for Success; (5) Innovation to Improve Equity: Exploring High-Quality Pathways to a College Degree. No dates for the hearings have been announced. A press release is here.
February 21, 2019

Administration:

U.S. Department of Education (USED):

DeVos visits South Carolina schools, applauds improvement efforts: USED Secretary Betsy DeVos visited school districts in South Carolina to learn more about the efforts to improve some of the state’s lowest performing schools. The Secretary was accompanied by South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC), and Lt. Governor Pamela Evette. “The course correction that’s been made has been terrific,” stated the Secretary in reference to the turnaround many of the schools have accomplished. The Associated Press has more here.
February 21, 2019

USED finalizes contract for student loan platform redesign: The U.S. Department of Education (USED) announced it had finalized a contract with Accenture Federal Services to build a digital platform for student loan borrowers to manage their loan payments. The contract, awarded for $577 million, will last for five years and tasks Accenture with developing a single portal for student loan borrowers. Currently, borrowers have their payments and repayment plans managed by nine servicers hired by the Department. POLITICO has more information here.
February 21, 2019

Publications (Congressional and Administration):

• On February 20, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) published a report titled, “Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups 2018.” Key findings of the report include identifying that public schools are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse; that Black children under 18 were more likely to live in poverty (31 percent) compared to any other racial group; that 4.9 million students were identified as English language learners, which 77.7 percent of which were students identified as Hispanic; and that the high school completion rate for 18 to 24-year-olds increased to 89 percent for Hispanic students, 92 percent for Black students, and 94 percent for White students. The full report is here.

Publications (Outside Organizations):

• On February 20, Chiefs for Change published a report titled, “Honoring Origins and Helping Students Succeed: The Case for Cultural Relevant in High-Quality Instructional Materials.” The report provides a series case examples of districts which have implemented culturally relevant instructional materials, such as Baltimore City Public Schools, Philadelphia Public Schools, and Palm Beach County Public Schools. The report recommends that districts partner with experts to assess the status quo in every subject and transition to high-quality curriculum and instructional materials’ that districts ensure teachers and school leaders receive appropriate training and development; and that districts partner with institutions of higher education and other teacher-preparation programs. The full report is here.
• On February 20, the Alliance for Excellent Education published a report titled, “Building a Fast Track to College.” The report examines data to determine the opportunity for dual enrollment programs between high schools and colleges. Key findings of the report include finding that by the end of 11^th grade, 25 percent of high school students are academically prepared to start college-level course work; that over 850,000 students in 12^th grade are enrolled in courses that fall below their academic abilities; and that 43 percent of all college credits are lost when a student transfers between high school and college. The full report is here.

Upcoming Events (Congressional and Administration):

• On February 26 at 10:15 am, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a full Committee markup of H.R.865, the “Rebuild America’s Schools Act.” The bill, sponsored by Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), creates a $70 billion grant program and a $30 bill tax bond program intended to improve the physical and digital infrastructure at high-poverty schools. The markup announcement is here. The bill is here.
• On February 27 at 10:00 am, the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies will hold a subcommittee hearing titled, “Reviewing the Administration’s Unaccompanied Children Program.” The hearing will feature witness testimony by Michelle Brane of the Women’s Refugee Commission, Jennifer Podkul of Kids in Need of Defense, and Dr. Altha Stewart of the American Psychiatric Association. More information and a live webcast of the hearing are here.
• On February 27 at 10:15 am, the House Education and Labor Committee Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education is hosting a subcommittee hearing titled, “Classrooms in Crisis: Examining the Inappropriate Use of Seclusion and Restraint Practices.” More information is here.

Upcoming Events (Outside Organizations):

• On February 26 at 1:00 pm, Higher Learning Advocates is hosting an event titled, “The Talent Pipeline: Aligning Higher Education & Employer Needs for Students.” The event will discuss how federal higher education policy can impact the need to modernize career and college pathways for students and the evolving workforce needs. More information and registration are here.
• On February 27, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the National Governors Association (NGA) are co-hosting an event titled, “What are the States’ Higher Education Policy Priorities from 2019.” The webinar will analyze how the midterm elections impacted state legislatures and governors’ mansions across the country. Specifically, the webinar will examine how states will address higher education issues such as college affordability, governance, and student safety. More information and registration are here.
• On February 27 at 8:00 pm, the National PTA, Data Quality Campaign, and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) are co-hosting a webinar titled, “The State of ESSA Report Cards.” The webinar will provide parents and advocates with information about the current report card landscape as well as how state education agencies are making report cards accessible to parents. More information and registration are here.
• On February 28 at 8:15 am, the Learning Policy Institute is hosting an event titled, “Bridging the Divide: School Integration Designs.” The forum will feature experts who will share lessons learned since Brown v. Board of Education and will analyze approaches being taken to ensure that school system design helps to prepare students to be effective participants in our diverse democracy. Some featured experts include Linda Darling-Hammond, John King, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA). More information and registration are here.
• On February 28 at 2:30 pm, the Center for American Progress is hosting an event titled, “An Equity and Opportunity Agenda for Higher Education.” The event will feature Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) who will share her vision and principles for reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA). More information and registration are here.
• On March 5 at 8:30 am, EducationCounsel is holding an event titled, “Transforming the Education Sector into a Learning System: Harnessing the Power of Continuous Improvement, Research & Development, and Data to Improve Outcomes for Each and Every Child.” The event will feature the release of a new white paper with the same title and a panel discussion including Jim Shelton, LaVerne Srinisvasan, Lynn Olson, Scott Palmer, and Dan Gordon. In Transforming the Education Sector Into a Learning System, we argue that for our education system to achieve equity and excellence for each and every student, we must shift it toward being a learning system at all levels—from the school and classroom to the district, state, and even federal levels. The paper draws on research, experiences from other sectors, and leading efforts underway in education to provide a framework for action regarding why, what, and how to make these shifts. More information and registration are here.
• Between now and March 8, iNACOL is accepting Requests for Presentation Proposals to present at the iNACOL Symposium, to be held at the Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, California October 28-31, 2019. This year’s theme is: Shining a Light on the Future of Learning. iNACOL’s annual conference is the premier learning conference for those driving the transformation of education systems and accelerating the advancement of breakthrough policies and practices to ensure high-quality learning for all. Each year more than 3,000 experts, practitioners, educators, policymakers, researchers and innovators gather and work to transform education. The deadline for submitting presentation proposals is Friday, March 8, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. ET. More information and proposal submissions are here.