Below is RAMC’s weekly Washington Wrap Up from Wednesday. Find out more about Wrap Up and other RAMC resources here.

June 5, 2024

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that it has processed more than 10 million 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms to date. ED said that it will continue its efforts to boost FAFSA completion rates through the Student Support Strategy, which has funded 65+ organizations to carry out FAFSA-related activities since May 6.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced a “full-scale review” of the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), a search effort for a new Chief Operating Officer of FSA and the hiring of an independent consulting firm to make recommendations to improve FSA. Cardona also announced that Denise Carter, presently an acting Assistant Secretary delegated to perform the functions and duties of the Chief Financial Officer, will be the interim head of FSA.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CPFB) filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), alleging it unlawfully pursued payments from borrowers of discharged private student loans and provided false information about consumers to credit reporting agencies.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) wrote a letter to Secretary Cardona urging ED to implement GAO’s open priority recommendations. These recommendations address the improvement of accessibility and affordability of higher education and program reporting and other requirements that impact the well-being and education of K-12 children.

GAO published a report titled, “Higher Education: Education Could Improve Information on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities.”

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released its annual condition of education report, which summarizes the latest data on education in the United States.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Penn Hill Group provides a list of grant opportunities and summaries for select grants. Please visit our website for more information.

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

National Science Foundation Expands Mentoring Requirements to Bolster STEM Pipeline [Inside Higher Ed]

Pew: Almost half of adults say the importance of a college degree has declined [Higher Ed Dive]

Columbia settles lawsuit with Jewish student in wake of protests [The Washington Post]

Harvard to no longer require diversity statements when hiring faculty [The Hill]

This Small College Warned of Imminent Closure. Here’s How It Kept the Lights On. [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Cardona denies Title IX athletics rule delays are due to election year [K-12 Dive]

Top Republicans accuse Biden admin of stalling FAFSA investigation [The Hill]

University of the Arts announces abrupt closure, citing unexpected cash shortfall and expenses [Higher Ed Dive]

College Alone Can’t Save Women [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Limited Data on Effectiveness of Online Mental Health Offerings for College Students [Inside Higher Ed]

Overwhelmed by student loans? A free new California program can help you [Los Angeles Times]

Education Department civil rights cases eclipse prior year’s record high [Higher Ed Dive]

Cardona: Ed Department ‘acutely aware’ of FAFSA obstacles [K-12 Dive]

Turning Students’ College Intentions Into Enrollments [Inside Higher Ed]

Cardona Pledges FAFSA is ‘Going to Get Better’ [Inside Higher Ed]

FAFSA, job market pose major challenges for colleges despite enrollment gains [The Hill]

AAUP calls out think tanks for ‘culture war against higher education’ [Higher Ed Dive]

Op-Ed: Against the Politicization of Sociology [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

The FAFSA completion gap is shrinking. Will it disappear entirely? [Higher Ed Dive]

2.2M Americans over 55 still have student loan debt: Report [The Hill]

Colleges Don’t Know Much About the Mental-Health Apps They’re Buying [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

In Massachusetts, a Push for Free Community College for All [Inside Higher Ed]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions

June 12: Full Committee Hearing on “The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: Supporting Efforts to Meet the Needs of Youth, Workers, and Employers”

Witnesses to be announced.

562 Dirksen and via Webcast.

10:00 a.m. ET

House Committee on Education and the Workforce

Press Release: Yale and Michigan Presidents Set to Participate in Transcribed Interviews

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

White House Press Release: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at Erie County Community College’s 2024 Commencement

ED Press Release: Secretary Cardona Outlines Steps to Modernizing the Office of Federal Student Aid

GAO Report: Higher Education: Education Could Improve Information on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

IES Press Release: What do teacher education pathways look like in different countries?

IES Press Release: IES Announces FY 2025 Education Research Grants Competition

IES Report:   Condition of Education 2024

Legislative Movement in Congress:

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

Sponsor: Watson Coleman, Bonnie [Rep.-D-NJ-12] (Introduced 06/03/2024) Cosponsors: (5)

Committees: House – Ways and Means; Education and the Workforce

Latest Action: House – 06/03/2024 Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Press Release: Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Ilhan Omar And Jamaal Bowman Introduce Fully Funded Federal Jobs Guarantee Program

H.R.8612 — 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: Leger Fernandez, Teresa [Rep.-D-NM-3] (Introduced 06/04/2024) Cosponsors: (0)

Committees: House – Education and the Workforce

Latest Action: House – 06/04/2024 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Press Release: Leger Fernández Introduces Bill to Help New Mexicans Build Financial Literacy Skills

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:

ED Comment Request: Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Application. Comments due on or before June 6, 2024.

DOL Notice: Registration and Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship Programs. Comments due on or before June 13, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Income Driven Repayment Plan Request for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loan Programs. Comments due on or before June 17, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2024-25 Through 2026-27. Comments are due on or before June 24, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Federal Perkins/NDSL Loan Assignment Form. Comments due on or before June 24, 2024.

ED Notice: Annual Notice of Interest Rates for Variable-Rate Federal Student Loans Made Under the Federal Family Education Loan Program Prior to July 1, 2010.

ED Comment Request: U.S. Department of Education Postsecondary Success Recognition Program. Comments are due on or before July 2, 2024.

ED Comment Request: National Center for College Students With Disabilities (NCCSD) Database of Disability Services and Activities in Higher Education. Comments due on or before July 29, 2024.

ED Comment Request: William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (Direct Loan Program) Promissory Notes and Related Forms. Comments due on or before July 29, 2024.

ED Notice: Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program. Applications due on August 5, 2024.

ED Notice: Annual Updates to the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan Formula for 2024-William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program

ED Comment Request: Pell Grant Reporting Under the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System

ED Rule Correction: Improving Income Driven Repayment for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program