Monthly Archives: September 2013

Update on Obama Administration’s College Rating System

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More and more details are emerging from D.C. about the college rating system that the Obama Administration has made a primary focus of their higher education policy agenda.

In August President Obama issued an agenda focused on affordability and access to higher education. The President’s plan included paying for performance, promoting innovation and competition, and ensuring that student debt remains limited. The President directed the U.S. Department of Education to develop a rating system as part of his agenda to better inform students and encourage higher education institutions to improve.

The intention of the system is to compare colleges with similar missions and identify those that do the most to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those improving their performance. The goal being that the rating system would direct where future federal funds would go.

As part of the development of the system the Department is asking for the best ideas and creative thinking around three primary themes:

  • College access, such as the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants;
  • College affordability, such as average tuition, scholarships, and loan debt; and
  • Outcomes, such as students’ graduation and transfer rates, graduate earnings, and advanced degrees of college graduates

To facilitate feedback in mid-September the Department began a series of nationwide public discussions with student advocates and leaders. It is the intention of the Department in the coming months to travel across the country to host open forums, roundtable discussions, and town halls to gather suggestions. The public is encouraged to send suggestions as well via collegefeedback@ed.gov

 

 

 

 

The Impact to Higher Education if the Government Shuts Down

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Those in the other Washington and higher education experts believe that if the federal government shuts down the impact to higher education will be modest.  That is in the short-term.

The federal government may shutdown on October 1 if Congress does not agree to a stopgap spending measure to keep the government going. It is unclear on October 1 what federal programs related to higher education would be impacted. Last week the White House directed federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Education to update their plans for operation during a government shutdown. The documents have yet to be released.

Looking back at the last close call in 2011, the Education Department estimated that it would furlough almost all of its staff and would rely on a limited number of people on a limited basis if the shutdown was prolonged longer than a week. At this time the Department said that the administration of federal student aid programs would largely be unaffected at least for the first week. A shutdown beyond a week would have a more severe impact on financial aid.

Beyond the potential shutdown next week, higher education is looking ahead to the multiple federal fiscal fights likely this fall. Even if the shutdown does not occur Congress is expected to pass a stopgap measure. This will be a temporary fix and will leave in place the sequester cuts to campus-based financial aid programs and scientific research.  Making the problem further complex are the looming negotiations over the debt ceiling – October 17. If the federal government were to run out of money higher education is concerned about the impact on federal student aid and research funding.

Movement in Washington D.C. on Higher Education

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Last week marked some movement for higher education in Washington D.C.

Higher Education Act

The U.S. Senate committee on education formally began the process to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. The Higher Education Act is the primary federal legislation which governs federal student aid and higher education.

Senator Harkin – Chairman of the Committee – identified his plan for reauthorization. The Committee will hold a total of twelve hearings – eleven more to come – focused on fact-finding over the next several months with the intention of producing draft legislation by early 2014.

On Thursday of last week the Committee held the first of the twelve hearings. The hearing focused on the complex system oversight for higher education in the United States which consists of regulations from the U.S. Department of Education, state regulators, and accrediting bodies.

The plan to produce draft legislation by early 2014 is optimistic given that it took five years longer to complete the last reauthorization in 2008. In addition Senator Alexander – the senior Republican on the Committee – has asked staff to consider drafting a new Act from the beginning potentially complicating the proposed timeline.

U.S. Department of Education Begins Process for Additional Accountability for Institutions

Last week the Department announced it had begun the process for gathering feedback and input on how to develop metrics for the institutional rating system announced by the Obama Administration earlier this year.

The Department is expected to produce a draft rating system by mid-2014 with a final version out by December of the same year. The long-term goal is to develop a rating system by the 2015 academic year and persuade Congress to link that system to federal student aid dollars by 2018.

The head of the Department – Arne Duncan- provided a small preview into what the rating system may look like.  Duncan promised that the system would take a holistic approach to judging institutions on areas of access, affordability and student performance. With the broad goal being to determine “how many students at an institution graduate, at a reasonable cost, without a lot of debt, and get a job that enables them to support themselves and their families.”

Potential metrics that may be considered include the percentage of students receiving Pell grants, the average amount of tuition, scholarships and loan debt; graduation and transfer rates; the salaries of graduates; and the extent to which graduates pursue advanced degrees.

Duncan also shared that the Department will begin with metrics that have data that already exists.

The Department has already begun the feedback process meeting with student advocacy groups last week which kick-off what the Department refers to as a series of discussions with higher education stakeholders in the coming year.

New Leader at the U.S. Department of Education

Late last week the U.S. Department of Education announced that Jamienne Studley will join the Department as a deputy under secretary of education.

Studley will oversee the Department’s second-term higher education agenda.  She is expected to focus on a range of issues including accreditation and college pricing and play a key role in the Obama Administration’s proposed rating system.

Studley is the former president of Skidmore College and a one-time Education Department general counsel. She comes to the Department from Public Advocates Inc a consumer law and advocacy group. She has served since 2010 on the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity which advises the education secretary on accreditation issues.

House Higher Education Committee Tours Eastside

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Last week the House Higher Education Committee spent three days touring institutions and hearing from educators, students, and stakeholders about a range of issues facing higher education including alignment with K-12 and the workforce and serving underrepresented students in higher education.

On Friday the Committee ended its three day tour in Yakima. The focus of the early morning meeting was to hear from institutions and the Washington Student Achievement Council about serving underrepresented student populations in higher education in Washington.

This included a presentation on diversity from the Council and Washington’s two research institutions  as well as specific institutional initiatives such as the Press for Completion Grant at Yakima Valley Community College and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP).

Those sharing their experience and ideas with the Committee emphasized the need for the Legislature to be more aware of the changing and increasing minority population among college-ready students.

The Council also unveiled results of a survey sent to the baccalaureate institutions and community colleges. The survey asked the institutions to describe the funding, capacity and challenges for their diversity programs. According to the survey, the primary challenge to getting minority groups over barriers to success is scarce financial resources, followed by insufficient staff to help students.

The House Higher Education Committee is not expected to meet again until late November when the Legislature convenes for Assembly Days.

September Revenue Forecast Up

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This morning the Washington Economic and Revenue Forecast Council met to hear the latest revenue projections for the state.

According to State Economist Steve Lerch the combined effect of a recovering economy and tax changes approved by the Legislature this past session are expected to generate $368 million in additional revenue for the biennium. Approximately $123 million is due to actions taken by the Legislature with regard to tax breaks and tax reforms.

In addition the forecast predicts an additional $342 million in new revenue for 2015-17, the majority of which ($249 million) is due to legislative and other non-economic factors.

Lerch stated “There has been little dramatic change in the economy since our last forecast and we continue to expect a slowly improving economy…While we still anticipate an expanding housing market, higher mortgage rates and home prices will slow activity relative to our June forecast.”

Joint Higher Education Committee Meets

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Yesterday the Washington State Joint Higher Education Committee met for the first time since its creation in Olympia.

The Committee members – including four members from each Chamber – opened the meeting by reviewing the Committee’s legislative charge and electing Co-Chairs.  Following the completion of committee business the members were presented with an overview of the Washington Student Achievement Council’s (WASAC) Ten-Year Road Map process and draft.

The Council and the Committee engaged in an interactive conversation about the Road Map and  higher education policy issues on the horizon as the supplemental session nears. In addition, the Council heard from students about their plans for the 2014 session.

Established in 2012  the purpose of the Committee is to annually review the work of WASAC; engage with the Council and higher education stakeholders to create greater communication, coordination and alignment; and provide recommendations for higher education policy.

The Committee is expected to meet again in late November.

Governor Inslee Launches New Statewide Performance Framework

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Yesterday Governor Inslee announced a new statewide,  state-agency centered performance initiative that identifies key goals of his administration and measures the progress towards these goals.

According to the Governor’s Office, Results Washington aims to make state government more effective, efficient, accountable and transparent. Governor Inslee’s goals for Results Washington reflect what the Inslee Administration believes matters most to Washingtonians.  As stated by the Administration, by routinely measuring and monitoring each goal and implementing improvement plans, the state will drive towards producing results in five goal areas:

  • World-Class Education
  • Prosperous Economy
  • Sustainable Energy & a Clean Environment
  • Healthy & Safe Communities
  • Efficient, Effective & Accountable Government

Higher Education

Results Washington identifies the goal of a World-class education through outcome measures that increase access to education to provide students with 21st century skills to succeed from early learning to higher education.

To achieve this goal the framework identifies two outcome measures for higher education that identify the results the Inslee Administration wants to achieve.

  • Increase the percentage of population enrolled in certificate, credential, apprenticeship, and degree programs.
  • Increase the attainment of certificates, credentials, apprenticeships, and degrees.

The progress on each of these outcome measures will be determined by a set of specific, detailed, quantifiable indicators. For higher education these include to date:

  • Increase the number of students enrolled in STEM and identified high-demand employment programs
  • Increase the percentage of students entering public higher education who access and complete high-quality online learning
  • Increase the percentage of eligible students who sign-up for the College Bound program
  • Increase the percentage of eligible students who receive the State Need Grant
  • Increase the number of families saving for postsecondary education training expenses using the GET from 152,000 in 2012 to 182,000 in 2017.
  • Increase project-based, career workplace, community learning opportunities that provide STEM and 21st century skills
  • Increase number of STEM graduates in 4-year colleges
  • Increase the number of STEM graduates in community and technical colleges
  • Increase the percentage of adult basic education and English-as-a-second language students who transition to precollege or college level within one-year from 10% to 13% by 2017.

Specific percentage increases and by what date for the majority of these indicators have yet to be determined. Data is expected to be included within the next six months as the Governor’s Office and higher education stakeholders continue discussions.

Next Steps

In the coming weeks the Inslee Administration will continue outreach efforts to collect feedback. For example, two events are scheduled in the near future.

  • On September 12 at 10:00 a.m. Governor Inslee  will host a Town Hall providing a Q&A session on Twitter.
  • Between September 17 and October 1 the Governor’s Office will host an interactive, moderated website where users can share, comment and vote on feedback and ideas submitted by other users.

The next iteration of this work, scheduled to be released in mid to late October, will reflect the feedback provided from stakeholders, state employees and the public.