August 2, 2016 

Last Week in Congress and the Administration

HOUSE and SENATE
The House and Senate will be in recess until after the September 5^th Labor Day Holiday.
ADMINISTRATION 
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) released proposed regulations on the state authorization of distance education programs and foreign campus locations under the Higher Education Act (HEA). Comments are due August 24^th.

Teacher preparation regulations pertaining to Title II of the HEA and the TEACH grant program were sent to the Office of Management and Budget by ED on July 28^th. ED projects that the final rule will be published in September.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]

Kaine, as governor, left a mark on higher education in Virginia [The Washington Post]

Op Ed: Clinton’s student loan moratorium will hurt everyone [The Hill]

U.S. Secretary of Education: Let’s Educate, Not Incarcerate [Education Week]

Study finds use of open educational resources on the rise in introductory courses [Inside Higher Ed]

Colleges collaborate to boost local graduation rate [Inside Higher Ed]

Op Ed: Democrats want ‘free’ college. It would be nice if they delivered Americans a decent high school education… [The Los Angeles Times]

Democratic platform spurs excitement for advocates of free community college [Inside Higher Ed]

Fafsa Changes May Prompt Colleges to Shift Admissions Cycles Earlier [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

IT think tank’s call for alternative forms of credentialing and measuring competency [Inside Higher Ed]
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Report: “Why It’s Time to Disrupt Higher Education by Separating Learning From Credentialing”
U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

Department of Labor

• Blog: Call to Action: Make Disability Visible in Everything We Do
• Blog: Get a STEM Job With Less Than a 4-Year Degree
• Blog: The Workforce Recruitment Program: A Future So Bright

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices

ED Comment Request: Student Support Services Annual Performance Report. Comments due September 27, 2016.