Policy Issues


DeVos Announces Federal Work-Study Experiment

A new federal work-study experiment proposed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will provide institutions with more flexibility to enable students to earn work-study benefits for apprenticeships, internships and work-based learning programs.

US capitol building

Legislation Around Capitol Hill: Congress Considers Bills Focused on STEM Equity, Privacy, Transfer Credits, Anti-Harassment, Cyber Workforce and School Security

Lawmakers considered six bills this week that could impact the lives of teachers and students in significant ways.

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Bill Aims to Boost Participation in STEM

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee is looking to invest in STEM education starting in high school and continuing into workforce development.

HigherEd Polling Dashboard

Dashboard for Higher Ed Surveys Debuts

New America has released an online repository for public opinion surveys through an interactive dashboard designed for researchers, journalists and policymakers.

Legislation Around Capitol Hill: Congress Intros Bills Focused on Student Debt Scams, Pell Grants and Loan Forgiveness

Lawmakers in Congress introduced five bills this week that could impact the lives of teachers and students in significant ways.

DeVos, House Democrats Clash Over Education Freedom Scholarships

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s $5 billion plan to provide students with more school choices was met with skepticism from House Democrats at a recent hearing.

House Committee Seeks Changes to Accreditation Procedures

The House Education and Labor Committee is looking to include changes to the accreditation process for colleges in the forthcoming Higher Education Act reauthorization.

White House Unveils Higher Education Act Reauthorization Principles

The Trump administration is weighing in on the upcoming HEA reauthorization with a set of proposed reforms.

Higher Ed Committee Offers Three Dozen Recommendations for Updating HEA

A new report from the "Higher Education Committee of 50" offered 36 recommendations for helping students overcome the obstacles preventing them from "enrolling in, paying for and graduating from college." Among them: allowing for the filing of multi-year FAFSAs; eliminating the ban on collecting student unit-record level data; and requiring the U.S. Department of Education to add a "dynamic, user-tested truth-in-lending calculator and annual debt letter to the advising process of prospective students and to StudentLoans.gov, the federal web portal for borrowers.

House Hearing Tackles College Affordability

Lawmakers in the House Education and Labor Committee are eager to address affordability in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.