A quick look back at the news from last week. Compiled by Penn Hill Group.

HOUSE and SENATE

The House and Senate will be in recess until the week of November 14.

Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) released a statement highlighting support for his legislation to extend the timeline for implementation of the overtime rule.

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

Group Releases Draft Quality Competency-Based Standards [Article 6 – Inside Higher Ed]

When Colleges Forget the Calendar and Focus on Mastery Instead [Article 7 – The Atlantic]

Growing Racial Disparities in Student Debt [Article 9 – Inside Higher Ed]
Brookings Report: “Black-white disparity in student loan debt more than triples after graduation”

Could the Next Education Secretary Be From the Higher Education World? [Article 4 – Education Week]

Community colleges examining low and stagnant enrollments [Article 5 – Inside Higher Ed]

8 Questions About ‘Free’ Community College [Article 6 – The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Colleges turn to online, text messaging services to help with counseling demand [Article 9 – Inside Higher Ed]

University presidents join in statement calling for next U.S. president to embrace diversity and diplomacy [Article 5 – Inside Higher Ed]

Administration

Department of Labor

• Blog: Grant Helps Teach ‘Old Doug’ New Tricks

White House

• Press Release: Fact Sheet: Investing More Than $50 Million through ApprenticeshipUSA to Expand Proven Pathways into the Middle Class

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices

ED Comment Request: Federal Perkins Loan Program Regulations and General Provisions Regulations. Comments due November 17, 2016.

ED Comment Request: NCER-NPSAS Grants—Connecting Students 2017: Testing the Effectiveness of FAFSA Interventions on College Outcomes. Comments due December 19, 2016.

ED Grant Notice: Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program. Applications due December 20, 2016.

ED Meeting Announcement: National Board for Education Sciences.
The NBES meeting will be held on November 8, 2016, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time via telephone conference. Participants and members of the public should dial: (800) 779-9112 and enter code 8385849 when prompted. Members of the public will attend the meeting in listen-only mode. The meeting will also be hosted via webinar at:https://educate.webex.com/educate/j.php?MTID=mbb7da2a80e444fb357b3453eae1cc499. Members of the public wishing to attend the meeting should send an RSVP email to Kenann McKenzie-Thompson, NBES Executive Director, at Kenann.McKenzie-Thompson@ed.gov. RSVPs must be received no later than Tuesday, November 1, 2016. The conference line is limited to a first come, first served basis.