E-Update for March 25, 2016
Highlights
- The U.S. Department of Education (USED) convened a Negotiated Rulemaking Committee this week to develop regulations for provisions on assessment and supplement not supplant in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
- EducationCounsel Managing Partner Art Coleman and Senior Legal and Policy Advisor Terri Taylor wrote “Bridging the Research to Practice Gap: Achieving Mission-Driven Diversity and Inclusion Goals” along with Dr. Jeffrey F. Milem. The paper, prepared on behalf of the College Board’s Access & Diversity Collaborative, aims to help institutions of higher education learn from and leverage existing research to enhance their ability to meet mission-driven diversity and inclusion goals through well-supported policies and practices.
- Next week the House and Senate will be in recess and we will not publish an E-Update.
U.S. Congress
CBO Releases Pell Grant Baseline Projection: The Congressional Budget Office released its latest Pell Grant baseline projection. This baseline projection is important as it will be used to determine compliance with the Pell Grant scoring rule for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. This baseline projection shows a surplus of $7.754 billion being carried over into FY2017. Assuming that the discretionary portion of the maximum Pell Grant award is maintained at $4,860 and that the discretionary appropriation is maintained at $22.475 billion going forward, a projected shortfall in the Pell Grant program would not occur until FY2025. However, any changes to the Pell Grant program or funding level could impact the timeline for projected shortfalls in the program.
March 24, 2016
House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee Holds Hearing in USED FY2017 Budget Request: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) held a hearing to examine the USED budget request for FY2017. Members inquired about USED’s funding requests for various programs, such as GEAR UP, TRIO, adult education, and the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.
March 22, 2016
House Education and the Workforce Committee Holds Hearing on Education Research and Privacy: The House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing entitled, “Strengthening Education Research and Privacy Protections to Better Serve Students.” Witnesses addressed Committee members’ questions and comments about how to strike the appropriate balance between advancing innovation in education and protecting student privacy; proposed changes to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA); and the role that stakeholders such as researchers, educational service vendors, and state education agencies (SEAs) should play in protecting student data.
March 22, 2016
Administration
USED Convenes Negotiated Rulemaking Committee to Develop Regulations on Assessment and Supplement Not Supplant: USED convened a Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for three days to work on drafting regulations for two areas under ESSA: assessments under Title I, Part A, and the requirement that Title I, Part A funds be used to supplement, and not supplant, non-federal funds. Negotiators discussed topics such as the inclusion of English learners in assessments and in English language proficiency tests, and whether to define the term “students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.”
March 21, 2016
USED Announces Path for Debt Relief for Students at 91 Additional Corinthian Campuses: USED announced that students who were defrauded at 91 former Corinthian College campuses can apply for debt relief through a form. This path to loan forgiveness for former Corinthian students was uncovered in the Department’s efforts working with multiple state attorneys general.
March 25, 2016
USED Releases Report on Increasing Postsecondary Access and Support for Low-Income Students: USED released a report and held a forum focused on the efforts of the Administration and several colleges and universities to increase postsecondary access and supports for low-income students. The report highlights postsecondary institutions that successfully support Pell-eligible students through to college completion and urges others to work to reduce gaps in completion rates.
March 24, 2016
USED Releases Factsheet on Simplifying Repayment for Students: USED released a fact sheet entitled, “Increasing College Access by Making Loans Easier to Pay.” The fact sheet detailed some of the opportunities provided in programs such as Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLFP) that borrowers can take advantage of to alleviate the burden of student loans.
March 18, 2015
Events
On March 30, Results for America and the William T. Grant Foundation are hosting a discussion entitled, “Building State and Local Capacity for Evidence-Based Policymaking: How Can the Federal Government Help?” The discussion will focus on what needs to happen in the next five years for evidence-based policymaking in the social sector to succeed at the state and local levels. Register here.
New Legislation
H.R.4845 : To amend the student loan forgiveness program in the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include a greater number of disabled veterans and to facilitate the automatic transfer to the Secretary of Education of information regarding veterans eligible for student loan forgiveness, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Maloney, Sean Patrick [NY-18] (introduced 3/23/2016) Cosponsors (1)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce
H.R.4857 : To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a program to make grants to promote innovations at historically Black colleges and universities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Adams, Alma S. [NC-12] (introduced 3/23/2016) Cosponsors (16)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce
Latest Major Action: 3/23/2016 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
H.R.4872 : To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reform the American opportunity tax credit to support college savings.
Sponsor: Rep Lujan, Ben Ray [NM-3] (introduced 3/23/2016) Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Ways and Means; House Education and the Workforce
H.R.4873 : To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education to describe how it spends tuition and fees.
Sponsor: Rep Meehan, Patrick [PA-7] (introduced 3/23/2016) Cosponsors (2)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce
H.RES.663 : Supporting the goals and ideals of “National Middle Level Education Month”.
Sponsor: Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-3] (introduced 3/23/2016) Cosponsors (3)
Committees: House Education and the Workforce
Publications
Bridging the Research to Practice Gap: Achieving Mission-Driven Diversity and Inclusion Goals: Prepared on behalf of the College Board’s Access and Diversity Collaborative, this paper aims to help institutions of higher education learn from and leverage existing research to enhance their ability to meet mission-driven diversity and inclusion goals through well-supported policies and practices. The paper is based on a review of more than 1,200 research studies and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders over three years. The paper examines the existing research base in five areas: institutional goals related to the educational benefits of diversity; defining and measuring success in achieving institutional goals; enrollment strategies; strategies in and outside the classroom; and alignment across policies and programs.
March 21, 2016
English Learner Student Characteristics and Time to Reclassification: An Example from Washington State: This study examined how long it typically takes English learner students to become proficient in English and how this time differs by student characteristics, such as gender, home language, or initial proficiency in English. The authors analyzed state data for 16,957 English learner students who entered kindergarten between 2005/06 and 2011/12 in seven cohorts. The findings show that students who entered kindergarten as English learners took a median of 3.8 years to be reclassified by Washington state as former English learners.
March 23, 2016
Educator Evaluation: A Case Study of Massachusetts’ Approach: This report from the Center for American Progress (CAP) examines Massachusetts’ teacher evaluation model. The report finds that the Massachusetts model supports continuous improvement of educators by embedding the evaluation system within a broader system of feedback and professional development and by empowering educators to develop their own growth plans if they are high performing.
March 16, 2016