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The Higher Education Act is one of the most important pieces of federal legislation for higher education. The mammoth law, first enacted in 1965, authorizes most federal student-aid programs and contains numerous regulations that apply to colleges and universities. The law must be periodically reviewed, or reauthorized, and now is the time for one such Congressional review. This section contains articles and documents on the issues under debate as the reauthorization proceeds.
On election night last fall, many higher-education lobbyists were rooting for Sen. John Kerry to win the presidency and for his party to increase its numbers on Capitol Hill. But the next morning, when the lobbyists learned that Senator Kerry planned to concede the race, and that the Republicans had increased their majorities in Congress, they knew that they would have to adjust their strategies and tactics if they wanted to continue to play a meaningful role on issues vital to their members.
The college groups are divided on how to respond, and, unlike in the past, their coordinating group, the American Council on Education, is not playing its traditional role of referee.
One side -- particularly those representing state colleges -- will be effective only if they make peace with the Republicans. The other camp, made up mostly of private-college advocates, says that too much is at stake for them to let down their guard.
Discord is not unusual among the higher-education associations, especially between groups representing public and private colleges. In the past, however,...
College Lobbyists' Dilemma: Collaboration or Resistance? (4/2/2005)
College Groups' Chiefs Well Paid for 'Pretty Plum' Jobs (4/2/2005)
At the same time that the policy makers are weighing proposals to penalize or reward colleges based on their graduation rates, a new report from the U.S. Education Department contends that graduation rates are an unreliable measure of colleges' performance. Is the report correct? If not, why not? If so, are there better gauges of performance that could be used?
In a new report, Clifford Adelman, a U.S. Education Department researcher, analyzed the college transcripts of students who graduated from high school in 1992. The report found that a growing number of students are transferring from one institution to another during their college years. Under current policy, they are counted as dropouts from their first institution but not as graduates of the institution to which they transfer, even if they meet all curricular requirements and receive a degree.
Is the report accurate in the portrait it paints of students, their graduation rates, and colleges' performance? Is it correct in its conclusions? If not, why not? If so, should graduation rates be used as measures of college performance? Are there better gauges that should be used instead?
Graduation Rates Called a Poor Measure of Colleges (4/2/2004)
Should Congress step in to limit the growth of early-decision admissions policies, which critics say are unfair to needy and minority students?
A prominent Democrat in the U.S. Congress, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, is reportedly considering whether to propose legislation that would reduce federal support for colleges that employ early-decision policies, which require applicants to pledge to attend a college if accepted. For years, many high-school guidance counselors and some college officials have complained that early decision is unfair and that it puts pressure on students to pick a college before they are ready to do so. Some studies have found that it is statistically easier to gain admission to elite colleges under early decision than under regular admission. Yet many needy and minority students either are not aware of the strategic advantage of applying early or avoid early decision because they fear they will get less financial aid if they pledge to attend before they know how much aid a college will offer. But even some opponents of early decision say they do not want the federal government to dictate admissions policies. Should Congress act on this issue?
Counselors Group Fears Congress Will Limit Early-Decision Admissions Programs (10/17/2003)
The White House and the Higher Education Act
Many college leaders fear that President Bush plans to use higher education as a whipping boy during his 2004 re-election campaign, and will push for the enactment of strict standards for accountability and quality in the Higher Education Act, which is up for renewal next year. Are the leaders' fears well-placed or misplaced? What should they do about it? (7/ 11/2003)
Colloquy: Join an online discussion about the White House's plans for the renewal of the Higher Education Act and whether a potential stinging critique of colleges by President Bush is deserved.
Friends in high places
Growing numbers of children in the United States are educated at home, and more and more of them are enrolling in college. Some advocates for these students and their families believe that colleges discriminate against home-schooled applicants -- by asking them to take tests showing high-school-diploma equivalency, for example -- and that federal regulations should be changed to encourage better treatment of such applicants. Some college officials, however, argue that this push ignores the legitimate need for colleges to try to evaluate applicants who do not have typical transcripts or high-school experiences. The Bush administration appears to be sympathetic to the concerns of home-schooled students, leaving some educators worried. Should Congress change federal financial-aid regulations to make it easier for home-schooled students to enroll in college? (1/9/2003)
Loans and Groans
Banking groups are pushing Congress to put new limits on a federal program that allows borrowers of student loans to consolidate their loans and to lock in low interest rates. The bankers say that the program is too expensive to the federal government, and that funds should be shifted to other student-aid programs. But advocates for students say that the program is invaluable to graduates who leave college with mountains of debt. These advocates charge that the bankers are just out to maximize their own profits. Should Congress put new limits on the consolidation program? (1/2/2003)
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