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Generating an Unnecessary Inequity. “The federal student aid formula disproportionately benefits upper-middle-class white families,” according to a new paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The authors of the paper found that “racial disparities creep into the [federal student aid] system because the federal formula for estimating how much a family can affo...
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Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act. U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Frederica Wilson (D-FL) introduced the Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act “to lower the cost of college for current and future student borrowers and their families.” This proposed legislation would double the Pell Grant, improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and mak...
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Vaccine Mandate Injunction. A federal judge issued an injunction stopping President Joe Biden’s executive order mandating Covid-19 vaccines for employees of federal contractors, including higher education institutions that receive federal contracts. A case filed against the Biden administration and led by Georgia had asked for an injunction stating that “the President exceede...
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Hearings/Markups of Interest. The House Education and Labor’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education will hold a hearing Charting the Path to Educational Equity Post-COVID-19 on Thursday, March 25 at 1 p.m. via Zoom.
CDC Releases Updated School Safety Guidelines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidelines for phys...
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House Moving Forward on Relief Package. Democratic leaders are working to pass the American Rescue Plan Act through the budget reconciliation process. House committees have been working on their areas of jurisdiction, with the full House potentially considering the legislation next week. The House Budget and Rules Committee plans to meet this week to put the pieces together. ...
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House Holds Hearing on Reopening Schools. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a hearing on the safety concerns of reopening K-12 school systems. Witnesses, including former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, called for Congress to provide $200 billion for school districts. Democrats pushed back on Republican proposals to maximize in-person teaching, the ...
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ICE Releases Rule on International Students. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released guidance which would not allow international students to remain on visas if they are taking their classes online. The changes apply to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program for non-immigrant students on F-1 and M-1 visas for academic and vocational coursework. The State Department ...
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Hearings/Markups of Interest. The House Education and Labor Committee's Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee scheduled a hearing on Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on the Future of Higher Education for Tuesday, July 7 at 12 p.m. The House Appropriations Committee's Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee scheduled the Marku...
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New England Council Calls on Senators to Provide COVID-19 Relief to Colleges. The New England Council sent a letter calling on Congress to provide relief to colleges and universities in light of the COVID-19 public health crisis that has forced them to close their campuses to students. In a letter sent to each New England senator, as well as Senate leadership, on March 20, the Co...
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Senators Write to Education Department Over Racial Disparities in Student Borrowing. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) wrote to the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) asking how the office plans to address racial disparities in federal student loans. The letter cites studies that have shown black students are 20% mo...