HELP Committee examines NCLB waivers. On Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and State Flexibility Waivers. Education Secretary Arne Duncan testified. Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) sharply criticized the administration for granting NCLB waivers to states that shift towards policies that the administration...
Higher education reauthorization. On Tuesday, Jan. 29, as lawmakers began to form proposals for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, the New America Foundation released a report with 30 recommendations for policy changes. The report "calls for specific changes to grants, loans, tax benefits, college outreach programs and federal regulations to provide more direct aid to the lowes...
In-state tuition for veterans. On Tuesday, House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair Jeff Miller (R-FL) and Ranking Member Michael Michaud (D-ME) introduced the GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act (H.R. 357) in the House of Representatives. The bill would require public universities to charge in-state tuition to veterans in order to qualify to receive veterans' education benefits. The law would go int...
The Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) in January issued a white paper, Making Sense of the System: Financial Aid for the 21st-Century Student, recommending more than a dozen federal policies to help students access postscecondary education and ultimately earn valuable degrees and credentials.
Based on surveys and focus groups with leaders in business, higher educ...
Veterans' education. On Wednesday, the Senate passed the Improving Transparency of Education Opportunities for Veterans Act (H.R. 4057), as amended, by unanimous consent. The current bill comes from negotiations in both the House and the Senate committees related to veterans' affairs and veterans' education. The legislation would attempt to reduce waste of GI Bill funds by requiring the Veterans A...
STEM visa bill doesn't move in Senate. While STEM Visa legislation passed the House of Representatives last Friday, the STEM Jobs Act was not considered by the Senate due to the objection of Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY). The bill passed the House by a near party-line vote of 245-139, and consideration by the Senate was proposed by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). The bill would offer visas for skilled immi...
Sequestration on education. Sequestration remains the greatest concern for education funding in the immediate future. State school board leaders went on the offensive last week to highlight the threat to education. Education funding has not been the focus of fiscal cliff discussions and is largely swept into the larger picture when discussing sequestration. The administration estimates an 8% to 9%...
NEBHE held its University Unbound conference in Boston last month, bringing together more than 400 educators and opinion leaders to discuss how MOOCs and other innovations are disrupting higher education's hold on knowledge, instruction and credentialing. Here is some of what Mozilla's Erin Knight said about her "Open Badges" work—an alternative credentialing system allowing learners to cont...
MassINC will examine the outcomes of the national and statewide elections and the implications for politics and policy on Thursday, Nov. 8, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.. at Emerson College's Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston. "Behind the Curtain: What Just Happened? What's Next?" will feature panel discussions moderated by former ABC news anchor Carole Simpson and award-winning host of WBUR’s On...
University of Rhode Island oceanography professor Robert Ballard, known for the discovery of the wreck of the RMS Titanic, will be among luminaries recognized by the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) in March 2013 at the regional organization's 11th annual New England Higher Education Excellence Awards.
Each year, NEBHE presents Regional Excellence Awards to individuals and organizatio...
HELP Committee examines NCLB waivers. On Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and State Flexibility Waivers. Education Secretary Arne Duncan testified. Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) sharply criticized the administration for granting NCLB waivers to states that shift towards policies that the administration... 
MassINC will examine the outcomes of the national and statewide elections and the implications for politics and policy on Thursday, Nov. 8, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.. at Emerson College's Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston. "Behind the Curtain: What Just Happened? What's Next?" will feature panel discussions moderated by former ABC news anchor Carole Simpson and award-winning host of WBUR’s On...