The information covered below is from May 24, 2024, through June 6, 2024.

Highlights:

• On May 30, U.S. Department of Education (USED) Secretary Miguel Cardona announced new actions to improve the Office for Federal Student Aid and address ongoing management and operational challenges.
• Throughout May and early June, the House Education and the Workforce Committee continued its investigation of antisemitic events on college campuses.
• On May 31, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Bill Cassidy and House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx sent a letter to USED Secretary Cardona urging compliance with the Government Accountability Office investigation of the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout.

Administration:

U.S. Department of Education (USED):

USED Secretary Cardona announces new actions to modernize Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA): On May 30, USED Secretary Miguel Cardona announced new actions to improve the FSA for students, families, borrowers, and schools, and specifically to address ongoing management and operational challenges. In a letter to USED staff, Secretary Cardona began by stating that the Department has already begun a search for a new Chief Operating Officer (COO) for FSA, as current COO Richard Cordray is stepping down at the end of June, and in the interim, Denise Carter has been named Principal Deputy Chief Operating Officer (PDCOO). Additionally, the Department will conduct “a full-scale review of FSA’s current and historical organization, management, staffing, workflow structures, business processes, and operations,” and bring in an outside consultant to make recommendations on ways to improve the design, structure, and processes within FSA.

USED Secretary Cardona visits Arizona to learn about mental health and multilingualism programs and visit FAFSA clinic: On May 31, USED Secretary Miguel Cardona traveled to Phoenix, Arizona where he participated in a roundtable at South Mountain Community College that highlighted programs that train and hire mental health professionals. The Secretary also visited the community college’s FAFSA clinic for high school seniors and their families. Finally, Secretary Cardona stopped at ALL in Education where he spoke with students who have received their seal of biliteracy and uplift the importance of a multilingual education.

Congress:

Congressional Joint Economic Committee holds hearing on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and economic growth: On June 4, the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) held a hearing titled, “Artificial Intelligence and its Potential to Fuel Economic Growth and Improve Governance.” Chairman Martin Heinrich (D-NM) who co-chaired the hearing with Vice Chairman David Schweikert (R-AZ), spoke in his opening remarks about the impact on AI on the labor market and workforce, noting that, “it is crucial that AI technologies are developed in a way that reflects our democratic values and supports American industry and the American workforce.” The co-chairs also spoke about the work of federal agencies in ensuring that federal contractors and employees comply with worker protection laws. The JEC heard from four witnesses, Brian Miller, Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; Adam Thierer, Fellow at the R Street Institute; Dr. Ayanna Howard, Dean of Engineering at the Ohio State University; and Dr. Jennifer Gaudioso, Director of the Center for Computing Research at the Sandia National Laboratory. Most of the hearing was focused on potential regulation and the need for additional federal investments in research. Dr. Howard, in her remarks, highlighted the need to develop a “diverse talent pool that is needed for addressing the future workforce needs involving these advanced technologies.”

Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Cassidy and House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Foxx write letter to USED Secretary Cardona urging compliance with Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation on FAFSA rollout: On May 31, Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) sent a letter to USED Secretary Miguel Cardona “demand[ing] that the Department immediately comply with all GAO record requests pertaining to the Biden Administration’s rollout of the simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).” USED has spent the past several years working to implement the changes required in the FAFSA Simplification Act,  but the Department has been months delayed in this year’s rollout and implementation of the 2024-2025 FAFSA form, causing confusion and consequential delays for students and institutions alike. As a result, Ranking Member Cassidy and additional Republican colleagues opened a GAO investigation into USED’s FAFSA rollout in February, and the letter claims that the “GAO still [has] not received many of the requested items” from the Department. Ranking Member Cassidy and Chairwoman Foxx requested that the USED respond to the GAO’s request for documents by June 7, 2024.

House:

House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee holds hearing on impact of Biden Administration’s border policies on K-12 education: On June 4, the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing titled, “The Consequences of Biden’s Border Chaos for K-12 Schools.” The subcommittee heard from four witnesses: Danyela Souza Egorov, Vice President of New York City’s Community Education Council District 2; Amalia Chamorro, Director of the Education Policy Project at UnidosUS; Sheena Rodriguez, President of the Alliance for a Safe Texas; and Mari Barke, Trustee of the Orange County Board of Education.

In his opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Aaron Bean (R-FL) stated that “K-12 schools are often the first to feel the impact of our open border” and shared specific examples of actions in particular cities and states. Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) stated that the hearing was being held to further Republican efforts to “undermine” the 1982 Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe, which affirmed a student’s right to a free, public education regardless of immigration status. Throughout the hearing, questions from Republican members echoed Chairman Bean’s sentiments around the impacts to classrooms, and Democrats emphasized Ranking Member Bonamici’s remarks on the importance of providing education to all students.

House continues investigation of antisemitic activities on college campuses: Throughout May and early June, the House Education and the Workforce Committee continued its investigation of antisemitic events on college campuses. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) sent letters to Yale University President Peter Salovey and University of Michigan President Santa Ono with information on upcoming transcribed interviews regarding each of the universities responses to antisemitism on their campuses. Additionally, Chairwoman Foxx was joined by five House Committee Chairs in letters to the leaders of Barnard, Columbia, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Penn, Rutgers, and Cornell regarding their investigations of those campuses. On June 3, Chairwoman Foxx spoke at an event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) where she highlighted the work of the oversight investigations and discussed the roots of campus antisemitism.

Upcoming Events (Congress & Administration):

• On June 11 and 12 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) will hold a virtual meeting. On June 11, 2024, NACIE will conduct the following business: (1) discuss and approve the 2023-2024 Annual Report to Congress; (2) discuss fiscal year 2024 planning activities; (3) discuss and coordinate with the White House Initiative to fulfill Executive Order 14049; and (4) discuss subcommittee activities. On June 12, 2024, NACIE will conduct the following business: (5) discuss and hear updates from federal representatives regarding technical assistance, best practices, and development of regulatory or non-regulatory actions; and (6) hear comments from members of the public. Members of the public interested in submitting written comments may do so via email to Julian Guerrero at Julian.Guerrero@ed.gov no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on June 10, 2024. Members of the public may also make oral comments during the open meeting on June 12, 2024. The public may access the NACIE meeting via Zoom here, and more information is here.
• On June 12 at 10:00 a.m., the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a hearing titled, “The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: Supporting Efforts to Meet the Needs of Youth, Workers, and Employers.” More information is forthcoming. The hearing will be held in Senate Dirksen Office Building 562 and livestreamed here.
• On June 18, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is expected to release an updated Budget and Economic Outlook for 2024-2034.
• On June 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities will host a virtual meeting. The meeting will include an update from the Board Chairperson; an update from USED staff; an update from the Executive Director of the Initiative; a status report from each of the Board’s subcommittees (Preservation and Growth, Infrastructure, and Career Pathways and Financial Support and Research); and a discussion regarding the status of the Board’s report to the President. Written comments must be submitted to the whirsvps@ed.gov mailbox no later than two business days before the meeting. The public may access the meeting via Zoom here, and more information is here.
• On June 27, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies will hold a markup of Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations. The location and additional details are forthcoming, and more information is here.

Upcoming Events (Outside Organizations):

• On June 12 at 9:30 a.m., the Brookings Institution will host a webinar titled, “Screens and children’s well-being: The latest evidence of technology’s impact on mental health and education.” Speakers will consider how parents and educators can play a strong role in creating ecosystems of tech use for children that are structured and purposeful. Two panel discussions will discuss challenges to and solutions for managing technology in and out of school to support children’s learning and development. Panelists include: Michael Rich Director and Founder of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital; Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Senior Fellow for Global Economy and Development at the Center for Universal Education; and Kaya Henderson, CEO of Reconstruction, among others. More information and registration are here.
• On June 12 at 4:00 p.m., the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) will host a webinar titled, “The Future of University Accreditation.” The event will explore how existing accreditors are planning to adjust to the Biden Administration’s changes to institutional accreditation, and how institutions and other stakeholders are adapting to new opportunities for innovation and competition in the accreditation field. Speakers include: Michael Brickman, Adjunct Fellow at AEI; Anthony S. Bieda, Executive Director at the National Association for Academic Excellence; Stig Leschly, President of the Postsecondary Commission; and Robert Manzer, President of the American Academy for Liberal Education. More information and registration are here.
• On June 13 at 9:00 a.m., the Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI) will host a Congressional briefing titled, “Education R&D: Innovating Solutions for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Opportunities.” The briefing will highlight the significant social, economic, and competitive benefits of sustained federal funding in education research and development (R&D). Federal, state and non-profit leaders will discuss how education R&D can be used to address current educational challenges and pave the way for future educational improvements. The briefing will be held in Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room B48. Registration is here.
• On June 18 at 2:00 p.m., the National Association for State Boards of Education (NASBE) will host a webinar titled, “Opportunities and Challenges for State Preschool Expansion.” National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) researcher Steven Barnett, in discussion with state leaders from Maryland and Vermont, will explore how developments in state preschool policy and opportunities for state boards of education to lead. Georgia State Board Member Kenneth Mason will moderate the discussion, and speakers include: Dr. Steven Barnett, Co-Director of NIEER; Wendy Scott, M.Ed., Universal Prekindergarten Coordinator at the Vermont Education Agency; and Dr. Shayna Cook, Assistant State Superintendent for the Division of Early Childhood at the Maryland State Department of Education. More information and registration are here.
• On June 18 at 2:30 p.m., the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) will host a webinar titled, “Fostering Integration in Early Childhood Settings: Implications for Policy.” Co-sponsored by the Century Foundation, New America, and Southern Education Foundation, the webinar will consider the important, but often overlooked, problem of segregation in early childhood settings and identify strategies that policymakers and administrators can use to foster integration. Speakers include: Bernadine Futrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Equity and Discretionary Grants and Support Services at the USED Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Miriam Calderón, Chief Policy Officer at Zero to Three; Martha Lee, Senior Director of Early Childhood at the Educational Alliance at the Manny Cantor Center; Shantel Meek, Founding Executive Director and Professor of Practice of the Children’s Equity Project; Sara Plasencia, Policy Advisor at the Learning Policy Institute; and Casey Stockstill, Assistant Professor at Dartmouth College. More information and registration are here.
• On June 25 at 3:00 p.m., the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading will host a webinar titled, “Early Childhood Workforce: Where and How Can AI Support?” The webinar will explore how AI technology can meaningfully and safely empower and aid the early childhood workforce, and speakers will discuss the potential and challenges of using artificial intelligence in early childhood education. Presenters include: Isabelle Hau, Stanford Accelerator for Learning; Michelle Kang, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC); and Celia Stokes, Teaching Strategies. Registration is here.

Publications (Congress & Administration):

• On May 30, the Administration for Children and Family’s Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation published a blog post titled, “Recruiting and Retaining the Head Start Workforce: Insights from the 2022 Cohort of Secondary Analyses of Head Start and Early Head Start Grant Recipients.” The post outlines several projects conducted by the 2022 cohort of “Secondary Analyses of Head Start Data” grant recipients. Among the findings from the highlighted projects, the analysis showed that low compensation contributed most to Head Start staff departures. The projects also found that turnover increased over the course of the pandemic, peaking in the second year, and that there was considerable variation across states in Head Start and Early Head Start teacher salaries.
• On May 29, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a new report titled, “Education Could Improve Information on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities.” The report analyzed trends and characteristics of college students with disabilities, challenges these students face in accessing education, and the extent to which USED helps mitigate those challenges. The GAO found that the percentage of college students with disabilities has increased from 11% in 2004 to 21% in 2020. The report found that students with disabilities experienced several challenges when transitioning into and attending college, such as difficulty with self-advocacy. To combat these challenges, USED has issued guidance materials on self-advocacy, but the GAO recommended that USED should encourage state and local educational agencies to disseminate it to students and provide notifications to college staff when new guidance is issued.
• On June 6, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center published a 2024 update to their report series titled, “Some College, No Credential Student Outcomes.” The report aims to provide accurate data on progress and outcomes for the undergraduate population who enroll in college but leave before earning a degree or credential, referred to as the Some College, No Credential (SCNC) Population. The report showed, among other findings, that the SCNC population increased 2.9% between 2021 and 2022, and the population continues to be less White and more male than the overall undergraduate population. Additionally, women and White and Asian re-enrollees are more likely to complete a credential in the first year or persevere into a second year of enrollment.
• In May, the National Center for Education Statistics, released in annual report titled, “Report on the Condition of Education 2024.” The report summarizes data from 2021 to 2024 spanning from early childhood to postsecondary and beyond, and covers topics such as enrollment, student achievement, teacher turnover, education finances, and international comparisons. Data showed that in 2022, overall school enrollment of early childhood, elementary, and secondary school students increased from the prior year but remained lower than before the coronavirus pandemic. In regard to private school, the report found that private K-12 enrollment was 4.7 million students in both 2019 and 2021, 20% of 3–5-year-olds received private education, and 96% of private school 12th-graders graduated in 2020-2021. The report also highlights Career and Technical Education (CTE) findings, including that in 2020-2021, 31% of public schools hiring for CTE teachers had difficulty filling positions.

Publications (Outside Organizations):

• In May, the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) released a report titled, “Breaking the Cycle of Racial Wealth Inequities and Higher Education Outcomes: How Data-Driven Insights Can Inform Policy Solutions that Address the Racial Wealth Gap.” The report suggests a framework for understanding the cyclical relationship between higher education and the racial wealth gap, evaluates the availability of data on wealth and postsecondary outcomes, makes suggestions for policymakers and other higher education stakeholder to address the racial wealth gap, and recommends data improvements to bolster research on the relationship between wealth and higher educations. IHEP recommends that more robust data on wealth and higher education be available through means such as the publication of summative wealth measures for NCES datasets and the collection of more granular data on student and parent wealth. The report also makes several recommendations for policymakers and researchers, such as centering racial equity policymaking and investing in historically underfunded higher education institutions.
• In May, FutureEd released a report titled, “None of the Above: A New Vision for State Standardized Testing.” The report highlights the tension between groups who believe state standardized testing should be used to assess student achievement and those who believe they should be used to hold schools accountable. Authors advocate for decoupling state testing from federal school accountability systems as a means to promote testing innovation to help inform teaching practices while also providing an understanding of student performance. 

Legislation:

Introduced in the House of Representatives:

H.R. 8584
A bill to amend the title 18, United States Code, to increase the penalties for theft or bribery concerning programs receiving Federal funds and to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require audits under the summer food service program.

Sponsor: Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX)

H.R. 8592
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the amount of educational assistance paid by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to an eligible individual during the first year of a full-time program of apprenticeship or other on-job training.

Sponsor: Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI)

H.R. 8593
A bill to award grants to local educational agencies to operate after school programs in certain areas with a high rate of juvenile crime.

Sponsor: Rep. John James (R-MI)

H.R. 8595
A bill to provide for supplemental appropriations to increase the number of AmeriCorps members and to increase the living allowances of such members, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)

H.R. 8602
A bill to require the Secretary of Labor to establish a program to provide grants for job guarantee programs.

Sponsor: Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)

H.R. 8606
A bill to reauthorize the Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to support Holocaust education programs, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA)

H.R. 8612
A bill to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a personal finance education portal on a centralized website of the Department of Education pertaining to Federal financial aid.

Sponsor: Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM)

H.R. 8627
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to modify certain requirements relating to the recovery by the Department of Veterans Affairs of overpayments made to eligible persons or veterans relating to educational assistance under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep. Don David (D-NC)

H.R. 8646
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements to the provision of on-campus educational and vocational counseling by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI)

H.J.Res. 165
A resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance".

Sponsor: Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL)

Introduced in the Senate:

S. 4450
A bill to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide education assistance to public safety officers, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)

S. 4470
A bill to amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to provide training services linked to employment demand through skills training grants, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)

S. 4481
A bill to strengthen requirements for contracts between the Department of Education and Federal student loan servicers, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)