Dear Colleague,
As we wind down 2017, we reflect on the dynamic year it’s been for changes in higher education policy, even in just the past few weeks. In the final Higher Learning Advocates update of the year, we’d like to share with you some recent products and resources. We also take a look ahead to some noteworthy events happening next year.
Thank you for your continued support for reforming our nation’s system of higher learning to better support today’s students. We look forward to continued partnership in 2018.
Best wishes for the holidays and happy New Year!
Julie Peller, Executive Director
Higher Education Act Renewal: Key Discussions Begin on Quality, Accountability and New Providers
“The Higher Education Act hasn’t had a major update in nearly a decade – and it shows,” wrote Julie Peller and Emily Bouck in a U.S. News & World Report op-ed calling for an overhaul of the Higher Education Act that modernizes outdated approaches and focuses on quality and today’s students.
Days later, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairwoman Virginia Foxx introduced the PROSPER Act, a piece of legislation reauthorizing the country’s signature higher education law.
While the bill starts a long-overdue dialogue around modernizing the Higher Education Act to keep up with the needs of today’s students, there is still work to be done to make sure that the next renewal includes the quality protections and accountability today’s students need. For an in-depth analysis, read Policy & Advocacy Director Emily Bouck’s blog post detailing what’s in the PROSPER Act with suggestions for how it can improve its approach to higher education accountability and quality assurance.
Stuck with questions on how the PROSPER Act would affect accountability, new providers and accreditation? Check out our resources below for a quick primer.
- How would the PROSPER Act change accreditation?
- How would the bill change accountability?
- Would PROSPER Act expand access to federal funding for new providers?
From Accreditation to Data and Today’s Students: Growing Series of “101” Resources
As part of our ongoing effort to provide clear explanations of key issues to policymakers and advocates, Higher Learning Advocates has added to the ranks of our “101” resources designed to help provide brief and visually-engaging isuse dives on the policies that count in higher education policy.
Check out these resources for top-level explainers on the complex issues that impact quality, outcomes and today’s students.
Are there other issues you think need a “101”? Send us a note at ebouck@higherlearningadvocates.org.
ICYMI: Our Policy Framework
In case you missed it, earlier this year, Higher Learning Advocates released our Policy Framework, filled with ideas for how to improve outcomes for today’s students and ensure federal policy keeps up with the changing higher education landscape.
On Deck: New and Noteworthy Events in 2018
Below are some upcoming events we are watching in the new year.
- Jan. 29-Feb 1: CHEA 2018 Annual Conference & CIQG 2018 in Washington, D.C.
- Feb 5-7: NCHER Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.
- Feb. 20-23: ATD Dream 2018 in Nashville, Tenn.
- April 3-5: The University Innovation Alliance’s National Summit for Student Success Innovation and Campus Transformation in Atlanta, Ga.
- March 10-13: American Council on Education 100th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
- March 14-16: UPCEA Annual Conference in Baltimore, Md.
- May 16-18: Education Writers Association National Seminar 2018 in Los Angeles, Calif.
- Sept. 24-26: 2018 NCAN National Conference, Building Bridges to Success in Pittsburgh, Pa.