E-Update for the Week of June 7, 2021

Highlights:

• On June 2, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) announced that it has withdrawn its recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), citing ACICS’s failures to comply with certain federal regulations.
• On June 2, House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC) sent a letter to USED Secretary Cardona requesting an update on the Department’s plan to transition student loan borrowers from the COVID-19 related repayment freeze.
• On June 2, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Child Care (OCC) issued guidance clarifying that state, territory, and Tribal child care agencies may use supplemental Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) discretionary funds to help parents and child care providers access the COVID-19 vaccine.

Coronavirus Updates (as related to education):

Administration:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):

ACF suggests that ARP CCDBG funds can be used to support vaccine access: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Child Care (OCC) issued guidance clarifying that state, territory, and Tribal child care agencies may use supplemental Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) discretionary funds appropriated in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act to help parents and child care providers access the COVID-19 vaccine. The guidance gives several examples of how the funds can be used, including providing bonuses or other financial incentives to child care providers who choose to stay open extra hours or to provide care on the weekends so parents can be vaccinated. The guidance also stipulates that lead agencies can provide stipends to child care providers to cover the cost of transportation to and from vaccine sites and paid time off to receive the vaccine and recover from any side effects. The guidance is here.
June 2, 2021

Non-Coronavirus Updates:

Administration:

U.S. Department of Education (USED):

USED withdraws ACICS recognition, decision likely appealed to Cardona: The U.S. Department of Education (USED) announced that it has withdrawn its recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), citing ACICS’s failures to comply with certain federal regulations. If the Department’s decision stands, colleges approved by ACICS would be forced to find a new accreditor or lose access to all federal student aid. In its decision, USED justified the termination by citing ACICS’s failures to comply with federal recognition criteria, including monitoring of compliance of institutions and inadequate administrative capability. “Accreditors are entrusted with assuring institutional quality and acting as gatekeepers to federal student aid,” the Department said in a statement. “This oversight helps ensure that institutions deliver on the promises made to students and safeguard federal resources.” ACICS has the opportunity to appeal the decision directly with USED Secretary Miguel Cardona, but the Secretary has previously stated that he stands by the determination of his staff. The statement is here.
June 2, 2021

FSA rescinds Trump guidance restricting state oversight of student loan servicers: USED’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced that it is rescinding a policy from the previous Administration that blocked state and federal regulators from accessing records that can be used to oversee and investigate student loan companies. Under a new policy outlined by FSA, the Department will create a “streamlined and expedited process” for any federal, state, or local authorities to request access to information they may need to oversee student loan companies. “It’s time for us to be a partner, not a roadblock,” Richard Cordray, the Chief Operating Officer of the FSA, wrote in a blog post announcing the change. The blog post is here, and a statement from House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) is here.
May 28, 2021

Congress:

Foxx, Burr call on Cardona to describe efforts to restart federal student loan payments: House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC) sent a letter to USED Secretary Cardona requesting an update on the Department’s plan to transition student loan borrowers from the repayment freeze in effect during the COVID-19 pandemic to an active repayment status. In the letter, the Members urge the Secretary to not extend the repayment freeze, highlighting that the freeze cost the Department $40 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2020 and is projected to cost at least an additional $36 billion in FY 2021. The Members write that an extension of the repayment freeze would be “unnecessary and actively work against the interests of students and taxpayers,” who “depend on the Department’s ability to reactivate the frozen loan portfolio.” The current student loan repayment freeze currently expires on September 30. A press release is here.
June 2, 2021

House:

House Ways and Means Committee advocates for stronger ‘care economy’: The House Ways and Means Committee released a video highlighting the Building an Economy for Families Act, the Committee Democrats’ proposal to strengthen the care economy and support working families. The video lays out the plan’s proposal for universal paid family and medical leave, guaranteed access to child care, and permanent extensions of the American Rescue Plan’s expansions of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC). A press release is here.
June 2, 2021

Upcoming Events (Congressional and Administration):

Administration:

• On June 7 through June 11, USED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will hold a virtual public hearing on improving enforcement of Title IX. At the hearing, members of the public may comment on steps USED can take to ensure that schools are providing students with educational environments free from discrimination in the form of sexual harassment. Individuals and organizations may also submit written comments as well, which will be accepted until June 11. More information and registration are here.
• On June 8 and 9, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) will hold a virtual conference titled, “IES Reading Summit.” The conference will focus on the issue of declining reading performance of America’s lowest-performing readers and the growing gap between low and high performing students. More information and registration are here.
• On June 21, 23 and 24, USED will hold virtual public hearings to receive stakeholder feedback on potential issues title IV-related higher education issues for future rulemaking sessions. At the hearing, members of the public may comment on how USED can address “gaps in postsecondary outcomes such as retention, completion, loan repayment, and student loan default by race, ethnicity, gender, and other key student characteristics” through title IV regulations. More information and registration are here.

Congress:

• On June 8 at 11:00 am, the Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing titled, “The President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Proposal.” The hearing will feature testimony from Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Shalanda Young. More information is here.
• On June 9 at 10:00 am, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, “The President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request for [HHS].” The hearing will feature testimony from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. More information is here.
• On June 9 at 11:00 am, the House Budget Committee will hold a full Committee hearing titled, “The President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget.” The hearing will feature testimony from OMB Acting Director Shalanda Young. More information is here.
• On June 9 at 11:30 am, the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, “A Humane Response: Prioritizing the Well-Being of Unaccompanied Children.” No witnesses have yet been announced. More information is here.
• On June 10 at 10:00 am, the Senate HELP Committee will hold a full Committee markup of 1927, the “CAPTA Reauthorization Act.” More information is here.
• On June 10 at 12:00 pm, the House Education and Labor Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, “Ending Child Hunger: Priorities for Child Nutrition Reauthorization.” No witnesses have yet been announced. More information is here.
• On June 10 at 2:00 pm, the House Homeland Security Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, “Unaccompanied Children at the Border: Federal Responses and the Way Forward.” The hearing will feature testimony from David Shahoulian, Assistant Secretary for Border Security and Immigration for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Benjamine Huffman, Executive Assistant Commissioner of Enterprise Services for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Katherine Dueholm, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs for the U.S. Department of State; and Patrick Lechleitner, Acting Executive Associate Director of Homeland Security Investigations for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. More information is here.

Upcoming Events (Outside Organizations):

• On June 8 through June 10, the Brookings Institution, the Christensen Institute, Ashoka, Teach for All, and the World Bank will hold a virtual conference titled, “Education is Poised for Transformation.” The event will feature “changemakers” from around the world to discuss how education innovations arise, succeed, and become vehicles for change. More information and registration are here.
• On June 8 at 12:00 pm, the Heritage Foundation will hold an event titled, “Biden’s Bureaucratic Plans for American Families: Child Care and Paid Leave.” The webinar will focus on the child care and paid family leave policies proposed in Biden’s American Families Plan. More information and registration are here.
• On June 10 at 12:00 pm, the Heritage Foundation will hold an event titled, “Biden’s Bureaucratic Plans for American Families: Education.” The webinar will focus on the Biden Administration’s education plans. More information and registration are here.
• On June 10 at 2:00 pm, the Heritage Foundation will hold an event titled, “Critical Race Theory: The Fault Lines of Social Justice.” The webinar will feature a conversation on “how to hold productive conversations, unify communities that misunderstand each other, and connect Americans with varying viewpoints.” More information and registration are here.
• On June 10 at 2:30 pm, the Bipartisan Policy Center will hold an event titled, “”A Strong Economy Needs Strong Families.” The webinar will feature a discussion on paid family leave and the Strong Families Act tax credit featuring Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Deb Fischer (R-NE). More information and registration are here.

Publications (Administration):

• On June 1, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) released a report titled, “Mapping State Proficiency Standards onto the NAEP Scales: Results From the 2019 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Assessments.” The study compares standards for proficient performances set by states in reading and mathematics for grades 4 and 8 using states’ performances in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Key findings include identifying that most state standards for proficient performance for both grades and subjects mapped at or above the NAEP Basic achievement level; and that state standards for proficiency have mapped at a higher NAEP achievement level over time. The full report is here.

Publications (Outside Organizations):

• On June 4, Advocates for Children of New York published a report titled, “Police Response to Children in Emotional Crisis: A Call For Comprehensive Mental Health and Social-Emotional Support in Police-Free Schools.” The report explores data on New York Police Department (NYPD) child in crisis interventions that occurred in New York City public schools between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2020. Key findings include identifying that during those four years, the number of child in crisis interventions has increased; that many City schools continue to lack the resources and appropriately trained staff to support their students’ emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs; and that a disproportionate share of the NYPD’s “child in crisis” interventions involved Black students, special education students and students from low-income communities of color. The full report is here.
• On June 3, the National Parents Union released findings from a survey measuring parents’ thoughts about remote learning and a return to in-person schooling for their children. Key findings from the survey include identifying that while 51 percent of parents want their children learning in-person full-time next year, 56 percent also reported wanting a choice between in-person and remote learning; that just 28 percent of parents said their schools had communicated plans for how they will use federal COVID-19 relief funding; and that 82 percent want schools to prioritize computers and high-speed internet access for students when spending relief funding. The full survey is here.
• On June 3, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center published a report titled, “Transfer, Mobility, and Progress: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s Update on Transfer Students.” The report examines student transfer patterns during the spring 2021 that are attributable to the effects of COVID-19. Key findings include identifying that transfer enrollment at U.S. colleges declined by nearly 10 percent this spring; that transfer enrollment at community colleges continues to be the hardest hit during the pandemic, while public four-year colleges have been least affected among all sectors; and that non-transfer enrollment also declined by 6.5 percent. The full report is here.
• On June 2, the Century Foundation published a report titled, “School Integration Is Popular. We Can Make It More So.” The report examined new polling data and opinion research to find broad public support for school integration. Key findings from the report include identifying that since 2019, positive ratings of public schools as a whole increased by 74 percent; that eight in ten respondents think racially diverse schools are important; and that eight in ten respondents think that economically diverse schools are important. The full report is here.
• On June 2, the Children’s Equity Project published a report titled, “Start with Equity: Advancing Equity in Early Care and Education Systems with the American Rescue Plan Act.” The report issues recommendations for how local officials can use the stimulus dollars to advance equity in early care and education systems. Key recommendations include to prioritize stabilization funding to providers operating in communities of color and under-resourced communities, and who serve children from other historically marginalized communities; to invest in the data infrastructure necessary to map holistic, strengths-based, authentic integration, including real-time child enrollment information and demographics; and to increase the value of child care subsidies and incentivize programs to use funds to increase compensation. The full report is here.

Legislation:

H.R.3661
A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to require silent alarms in elementary schools and secondary schools, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)

H.R.3663
A bill to support the establishment of an apprenticeship college consortium.
Sponsor: Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA)