House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans, led by Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN), today introduced the Improving Postsecondary Education Data for Students Act (H.R. 1949), legislation that would direct the Department of Education to explore opportunities to enhance higher education transparency. “To choose the right college, students and their families need clear information up front – but ... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: In recent years, the federal government has taken steps to improve data collection and transparency in the higher education system. Under Republican leadership, the 2008 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act included several provisions to provide students and families with the data needed to make informed decisions about their postsecondary opportunities. Despite these improvem... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: In 2007, the Democrat-led Congress approved legislation to temporarily phase down the interest rate on subsidized Stafford Loans made to undergraduate students from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent over four years. Once the law expired in 2012, the interest rates would jump back to 6.8 percent. Despite a one-year extension of the lower interest rate, students and families could see interes... Read more »
House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) today introduced legislation to tackle the upcoming student loan interest rate cliff by moving to a market-based solution. The Smarter Solutions for Students Act (H.R. 1911) would take politicians out of the business of calculating st... Read more »
Members of the House Education and the Workforce Committee today called upon students, parents, college leaders, and higher education stakeholders to share their views on policies and amendments that should be included in the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. “The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is no small undertaking,” Chairman John Kline (R-MN) said. “These polic... Read more »
Good morning, and welcome to today’s subcommittee hearing. I’d like to thank our panel of witnesses for joining this important discussion on higher education transparency. Receiving a college acceptance letter can be one of the most joyous moments in a student’s academic career. But for many families, that moment is often followed with the question: can we afford it? In January the New York Times ... Read more »
The Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), today held a hearing entitled, “Keeping College Within Reach: Enhancing Transparency for Students, Families and Taxpayers.” The hearing provided members an opportunity to discuss the tools currently available to help students and families obtain information about their postsecondary education options... Read more »
On Wednesday, April 24 at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), will hold a hearing entitled “Keeping College within Reach: Enhancing Transparency for Students, Families and Taxpayers.” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Under the leadership of House Republicans, the 2008 reauthoriz... Read more »
House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN), along with Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and Reps. Robert Andrews (D-NJ), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), and Alcee Hastings (D-FL), today sent a letter urging Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to drop the widely-panned ‘gainful employment’ and ‘state authorization’ regul... Read more »
Dear Secretary Duncan: Over the past four years, the Department of Education has embraced an active regulatory approach to define program quality. We urge you to abandon these efforts and instead let Congress address these issues as part of the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. In 2010 the Department of Education advanced several “program integrity” regulations. Over the last y... Read more »
