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HEA Reauthorization. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA). The hearing was titled "HEA Reauthorization: The Role of Consumer Information in College Choice." During the hearing, committee members asked the witnesses how, or if, the federal government can improve data systems to better inform ...
DC Shuttle ...Student Data Privacy Bill. Two bipartisan pairs of legislators are working on bills to protect student data after President Barack Obama called for a stronger plan in January. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN) released a bill last week, called the Student Digital Privacy and Parental Rights Act of 2015, according to the New York Times. An earlier draft of their bill...
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College Affordability Plan Introduced in U.S. Senate. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) introduced her College Affordability Plan, which comprises of four bills affecting Pell Grants. The first would restore the year-round Pell Grant, allowing students to use Pell funding for three academic semesters per year instead of the current two. Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Jack Reed (D-RI) are co...
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ESEA Reauthorization Passes Senate Committee. Legislation to replace No Child Left Behind (NCLB) passed unanimously out of committee with a vote of 22-0. About a week before the committee considered it, Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee had released their long-anticipated bipartis...
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Higher Education Act Reauthorization. The House Education and Workforce Committee's Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training held a hearing entitled, "Strengthening America's Higher Education System." Lawmakers held the hearing to gain more input from education experts as they move closer to a reauthorization attempt for the Higher Education Act (HEA). The Republica...
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President Obama Announces Student Aid Bill of Rights. President Barack Obama announced the "Student Aid Bill of Rights," a series of proposals which the administration says will help simplify and improve the college loan system. In a speech at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the president remarked that higher education is not only a good investment for students but also for th...
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Ed Department Budget Weighed. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan testified on the Department of Education's fiscal year 2016 budget request at a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee's Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee. The administration has requested $70.7 billion in discretionary appropriations this fiscal year, up 5.4% from the previous ye...
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Hearings Begin on HEA Reauthorization. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held its first hearing of the 114th Congress on reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA). The hearing marks the beginning of efforts by new Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) to reauthorize HEA. Tuesday's hearing focused on a report released last Friday by the Task Force on Fed...
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House Begins Work on Student Data Privacy Legislation. The Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education of the House Committee on Education and Workforce held a hearing entitled "How Emerging Technology Affects Student Privacy." During the hearing, the subcommittee discussed possible revisions to the Family Educational Right and Privacy Act (FERPA). Rep. Tod...
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Education Priorities in President Obama's Budget. President Obama released his fiscal year 2016 budget request. Among his requests were many provisions for education.
For higher education, the budget proposals include:
Proposals to change some benefits in the income-based repayment program (IBR) for student loans
Tuition free community college for responsible students whose fam...
DC Shuttle ...
HEA Reauthorization. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA). The hearing was titled "HEA Reauthorization: The Role of Consumer Information in College Choice." During the hearing, committee members asked the witnesses how, or if, the federal government can improve data systems to better inform ...