E-Update for November 18, 2016

Highlights

• On November 17, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) announced that House and Senate leadership has agreed to begin working immediately on a Continuing Resolution (CR) at the current rate of funding to extend federal government operations through March 31, 2017.  The current CR expires on December 9.
• On November 18, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) released a report entitled, “Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education,” which includes data showing continuing educational opportunity gaps for students of color and low-income students in higher education.

U.S. Congress

House Takes Action Related to Regulatory Review: The House passed H.R. 5982, the “Midnight Rules Relief Act,” by a vote of 240 – 179. The bill would amend the Congressional Review Act to allow Congress to consider a joint resolution to disapprove multiple regulations at one time. Prior to passage, the House Republicans on the Education and the Workforce Committee issued a press release that specifically cited concerns with a Department of Labor overtime rule and Department of Education K-12 regulations that, “completely ignore the letter and intent of the law at the expense of students, schools, and taxpayers.” The bill is not expected to pass the Senate. The bill can be found here.

Earlier in the week, the House Majority Leader sent a letter to all secretaries, administrators, directors, and commissioners cautioning against finalizing pending regulations in the final days of the Obama Administration or risk review under the Congressional Review Act. The letter can be found here.
November 17, 2016

Rep. Virginia Foxx Shares Thoughts on Her Priorities for the Next Congress: Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), who is expected to be Chairwoman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee in the next Congress, conducted an interview this week with Inside Higher Education. The interview includes her thoughts on a range of issues, including college access and completion,  debt-free and tuition-free proposals on the federal level, the role of and oversight of the U.S. Department of Education, federal education regulations, and a student unit record data ban, among other issues.
November 17, 2016

Senator Patty Murray Will Continue to Serve as Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee: Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that she will continue to serve as the Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee in the next Congress. In her statement, she said, “I am ready to get to work with any Republican who is willing to work with us to build on that progress and move our country in the right direction. But I am also ready to fight back… if Republicans choose to… focus on dividing our country, taking away access to care for women and families, undermining communities’ rights and protections, hurting students and workers, or dragging us backwards.”
November 16, 2016

Administration

USED Releases Report on “Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education”: USED released a report entitled “Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education,” which includes data showing continuing educational opportunity gaps for students of color and low-income students in higher education. The report also highlights promising practices that some institutions are taking to help improve outcomes for all students. The full report can be found here.

In conjunction with the report, the White House is holding a summit on “Advancing Postsecondary Diversity and Inclusion,” during which USED Secretary King will offer remarks on the Administration’s accomplishments in advancing equity in higher education, as well as the future challenges. The live stream can be found here and the press release can be found here.
November 18, 2016

USED Secretary John King Reflects on the Upcoming Transition: USED Secretary John King spoke to reporters about the upcoming transition to the next Secretary of Education, during which he urged his successor to maintain a commitment to the Department’s civil rights mission and to the role of public education in our country’s future success.
November 17, 2016

USED Releases Data on Graduates of Career Training Programs: USED released data showing the typical earnings of graduates from colleges’ career training programs, which is intended to help students make informed decisions about enrollment in such programs. The data indicates that graduates from public institution career training programs generally have better outcomes than from comparable for-profit institution programs.
November 17, 2016

USED Secretary King Addresses Recent Cases of Racial Harassment on College Campuses: USED Secretary King urged university leaders to respond to cases of racial harassment in the wake of the presidential election results. Secretary King emphasized the importance of ensuring that campuses are safe for all students.
November 15, 2016

USED Releases the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Agency Final Report: In USED’s FY 2016 Agency Final Report, the Department estimates that it has improperly distributed $2.2 billion in Pell Grants and $3.8 billion in federal student loans during FY 2016. This represented a significant increase in the error rate from the previous fiscal year. However, USED is pushing back on this comparison, noting that a change in methodology between the two years makes comparing the error rates challenging.
November 14, 2016

USED’s Office of the Inspector General Releases Annual Report: USED’s Office of the Inspector General released its annual report outlining the areas that its investigators and analysts will focus on in the upcoming year. Target areas include USED’s oversight of state special education programs, USED’s management of financial aid pilot programs through its experimental sites authority, and USED’s response process for student loan borrower complaints.
November 14, 2016

USED Releases Fact Sheet to Support Completion and Success in Higher Education: USED released a fact sheet on new federal guidance and resources to support completion and success in higher education. The fact sheet includes state-by-state data on average 4-year graduation rates and default rates, and highlights how the guidance will help to expand college opportunity by supporting homeless youth and low income youth, and improving financial literacy.
November 15, 2016

USED Secretary King Speaks at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Annual Meeting: USED Secretary King offered remarks at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities annual meeting, in which he highlighted the Obama Administration’s commitment to expanding access and ensuring better outcomes among students pursuing a postsecondary degree, as well as federal actions to support vulnerable students.
November 15, 2016

USED Announces Funding to Support Minority Serving Institutions: USED announced the awarding of $104 million to support minority serving institutions in 13 states to improve their capacity to serve Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander and low-income students. The awards will help to provide support and resources via institutional aid to improve postsecondary attainment rates for minority and low-income students.
November 16, 2016

USED Releases Fact Sheet on Gainful Employment Earnings Data: USED released a fact sheet announcing the release of new program-level gainful employment earnings data. USED began collecting this data in 2014 and will begin publishing this data through the College Scorecard to equip students and parents with additional information about various postsecondary institutions. USED also plans to release debt-to-earning metrics to hold institutions accountable, in addition to releasing a new disclosure template for all gainful employment programs.
November 2016

Events

On November 17-19, USED’s National Assessment Governing Board (F.R. Page 75388) holds its quarterly board meeting. USED Secretary King will deliver remarks on November 18. A Federal Register Notice with the agenda and additional information can be found here.

Publications

USED Releases Report on Upward Bound: USED released the report “Upward Bound at 50: Reporting on Implementation Practices Today.” The evaluation report examines approaches that Upward Bound projects use to provide program services.
November 2016

IES Releases Report on Scaling Academic Planning in Community College: USED’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Regional Educational Laboratory Program (REL) released a report on scaling academic planning in community college. The randomized controlled trial tested the impact of guaranteed access to one of two alternative counseling sessions.
November 2016

NCES Releases Report on Postsecondary Institution Data: USED’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a report on the price of attendance for postsecondary institutions in 2015-16, degrees and other awards conferred in 2014-15, and 12-month enrollment data for 2014-15.
November 15, 2016

NCES Releases Report on Changes in Public School Facilities: USED’s NCES released a report on changes in public school facilities from 1998-99 to 2012-13. The brief summarizes changes in the average age of public schools, the cost to put school buildings in good condition, and short-range plans to improve school facilities.
November 15, 2016

Center for American Progress Releases Brief Outlining How Governors Can Support Early Learning: The Center for American Progress released an issue brief outlining 17 executive actions that governors can take to support early learning programs. The recommended executive actions include developing a statewide strategic plan and creating an office of early learning.
November 18, 2016

NCTQ Releases Report on State Admissions Standards in Teacher Prep: The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) released a report entitled, “Within Our Grasp: Achieving Higher Admissions Standards in Teacher Prep,” which focuses on teacher preparation program compliance with states’ admissions policies.
November 2016