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.

ADMINISTRATION

ED released the text of its final Borrower Defense rule as well as its final Teacher Preparation rule. Both rules are expected to be published in the Federal Register early this week with the vast majority of provisions taking effect in July 2017. As part of the Borrower Defense rule, ED has announced that it intends to implement automatic discharge provisions for students who attended a school that closed prior to November 2013 on an expedited basis.

ED announced that it would restore Pell Grant eligibility to students who were unable to complete their programs due to the closure of the school. This announcement reverses ED’s previous statement that it did not have the legal authority to do this absent Congressional Action.

ED announced that the awarding of a contract for servicing under the student loan programs would be delayed until February 2017. The contract was originally expected to be awarded in December of this year. In addition, ED released specific requirements that the new contractor must fulfill when developing the Federal loan servicing system.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted rules that require Internet Service Providers (ISP) to notify customers about what information the ISP collects and how the ISP uses and shares that data. For some information, the ISP would be required to gain consumer consent prior to sharing.

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

Wide praise for restoration of Pell Grant eligibility for students at closed colleges [Article 7 – Inside Higher Ed]

Obama administration gives students the right to sue colleges for fraud [Article 4 – The Hill]

Education Dept. releases final version of defense to repayment loan rules [Article 5 – Inside Higher Ed]

Rule links teacher incentive program to performance [Article 6 – The Hill]

The problem with how higher education treats diversity [Article 8 – The Atlantic]

Bidens Host Event on Free Community College [Article 8 – Inside Higher Ed]

College price increases moderate as borrowing dips, College Board report shows [Article 3 – Inside Higher Ed]
Two College Board Reports: “Trends in College Pricing 2016” and “Trends in Student Aid 2016”

Working paper explores effect of online education growth on higher ed market [Article 8 – Inside Higher Ed]

The white-black gap in student debt grows massively after graduation [Article 9 – The Atlantic]

3 Easy Ways to Embrace High-Impact Learning [Article 10 – The Chronicle of Higher Education]
 

U.S. Department of Labor

• Blog: From Campus to Career, #InclusionWorks

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices

ED Comment Request: Student Assistance General Provisions—Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. Comments due December 27, 2016.

NSF Meeting: Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education. Meeting will be held November 16, 2016; 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at the National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230.

ED Comment Request: Lender’s Request for Payment of Interest and Special Allowance—LaRS. Comments due December 27, 2016.

ED Comment Request: 2012/17 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study: (BPS:12/17). Comments due November 25, 2016.

ED Comment Request: Cash Management Contract URL Collection. Comments due November 25, 2016.

ED Request for Information: National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Interagency Working Group on Language and Communication (IWGLC) on Research and Development Activities. Comments due December 30, 2016.