Upcoming Events: April 8th, Kill the Cuts (Nationwide), Protest at ASU+GSV (San Diego). April 17th Fight for Higher Education (Nationwide). Send tips to Glen McGhee at gmcghee@aya.yale.edu.
Search This Blog
Showing posts with label Department of Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Department of Education. Show all posts
Today,
the U.S. Department of Education revoked waivers to California and
Oregon colleges and universities that are using federal funds to provide
services to illegal aliens under the Performance Partnership Pilots for
Disconnected Youth (P3). The mission of the P3 Program is to allow
states and localities to integrate program funding across federal
agencies to improve the systems serving disconnected youth, not provide
entitlements to illegal immigrants. Through P3 waivers approved during
the Biden Administration, colleges and universities diverted
taxpayer-funded TRIO program services meant for low-income students,
first generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to
illegal immigrants.
“American taxpayer dollars will no longer be used to subsidize illegal immigrants through Department of Education programs,” said Acting Under Secretary James Bergeron. “The
TRIO Program was designed to provide support and guidance to
disadvantaged Americans as they navigate the road to and through
postsecondary education. The Department will not allow the true purpose
of the program to be corrupted to advance an American-last agenda.”
The
U.S. Department of Education sent notices to the impacted colleges and
universities through the California Higher Education Collaborative and
Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission today.
Background:
The
Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2014 created the Performance
Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3), which authorizes states
to enter into pilots to use funding from across multiple federal
discretionary programs to support efforts to improve the systems serving
America’s youth and their outcomes.
Under the Biden
Administration, the Department approved a P3 waiver allowing illegal
immigrants to receive TRIO Program services. The TRIO Programs are
federal student aid programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher
Education Act designed to identify and provide additional academic and
career services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO
includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income
individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with
disabilities through the academic pipeline from middle school to
postbaccalaureate programs.
California’s waiver began in November 2022 and was set to expire in September 2026.
Oregon’s waiver began in October 2023 and was set to expire in in September 2027.
On April 8, 2025, US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon will give a fireside chat at ASU+GSV, an edtech conference held in San Diego, California.
President Trump has tasked McMahon with dismantling the federal agency that oversees federally funded K-12 and higher education programs. In less than two weeks she has done just that.
Half of ED's staff have already been fired or taken a payout, and the $1.7T student loan portfolio is likely to be transferred to the US Treasury.
There is no word yet on whether there will be demonstrators at the conference, but we expect some form of vocal nonviolent resistance. AFT President Randi Weingarten is also scheduled to appear.
U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Sends
Letters to 60 Universities Under Investigation for Antisemitic
Discrimination and Harassment
Letters warn of potential enforcement actions if institutions do not
fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to
protect Jewish students on campus.
March 10, 2025
WASHINGTON
– Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights
(OCR) sent letters to 60 institutions of higher education warning them
of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their
obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish
students on campus, including uninterrupted access to campus facilities
and educational opportunities. The letters are addressed to all U.S.
universities that are presently under investigation for Title VI
violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.
“The
Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on
elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the
relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus
life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “U.S.
colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments
funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is
contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”
The schools that received letters from the Office for Civil Rights include:
American University
Arizona State University
Boston University
Brown University
California State University, Sacramento
Chapman University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Drexel University
Eastern Washington University
Emerson College
George Mason University
Harvard University
Illinois Wesleyan University
Indiana University, Bloomington
Johns Hopkins University
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Middlebury College
Muhlenberg College
Northwestern University
Ohio State University
Pacific Lutheran University
Pomona College
Portland State University
Princeton University
Rutgers University
Rutgers University-Newark
Santa Monica College
Sarah Lawrence College
Stanford University
State University of New York Binghamton
State University of New York Rockland
State University of New York, Purchase
Swarthmore College
Temple University
The New School
Tufts University
Tulane University
Union College
University of California Davis
University of California San Diego
University of California Santa Barbara
University of California, Berkeley
University of Cincinnati
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of North Carolina
University of South Florida
University of Southern California
University of Tampa
University of Tennessee
University of Virginia
University of Washington-Seattle
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Wellesley College
Whitman College
Yale University
Background:
The
Department’s OCR sent these letters under its authority to enforce
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (1964), which prohibits any institution
that receives federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race,
color, and national origin. National origin includes shared (Jewish)
ancestry.
Pursuant to Title VI and in furtherance of President Trump’s Executive Order “Additional Measures to Combat Antisemitism,” the Department launched directed investigations
into five universities where widespread antisemitic harassment has been
reported. The 55 additional universities are under investigation or
monitoring in response to complaints filed with OCR. Last week, the
Department, alongside fellow members of the Joint Task Force to Combat
Antisemitism including the Department of Justice, the Department of
Health and Human Services, and the U.S. General Services Administration,
announced the immediate cancelation
of $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University
due to the school’s continued inaction to protect Jewish students from
discrimination. Last Friday, OCR directed its enforcement staff
to make resolving the backlog of complaints alleging antisemitic
violence and harassment, many which were allowed to languish unresolved
under the previous administration, an immediate priority.
According to our sources at the US Department of Education, the number of personnel in its Office of Inspector General (OIG) is down approximately 14 percent from January 1, 2025. The number of workers there could be further reduced as President Trump issues his austerity budget. The current loses at ED-OIG include retirements, those who have chosen to be part of the deferred resignation program, and those who left the organization for positions elsewhere. While this cutting may reduce personnel costs, what will happen with less OIG workers to oversee the proper use of federal funds? Will this embolden bad actors, including predatory schools and debt servicers? We're guessing it does.
This graphic is part of an email from a US Department of Education official who was recently fired without good cause. Our experiences with this dedicated public servant were always excellent, something we cannot say about others in the DC crowd. The graphic displays a number of important measures that have been enacted by ED-FSA (Federal Student Aid) over the last six years--and one giant failure, general debt relief for more than 30 million citizens. We wish the best for those Department of Education workers who remain, and who may see their jobs made more difficult, privatized, or moved to other agencies. The work cannot be easy for anyone--especially those who care about the folks they serve--the consumers and their families who are less likely to receive justice in the coming months and years.
What happens now with the US Department of Education now that Elon Musk claims that it no longer exists? It's hard to know yet, and even more difficult after removing career government workers that we have known for years.
We are saddened to hear of contacts we know who have been fired: hard working and capable people, in an agency that has been chronically understaffed and politicized.
We also worry for the hundreds of thousands of student loan debtors who have borrower defense to repayment claims against schools that systematically defrauded them--and have not yet received justice.
And what about all those FAFSA (financial aid) forms for students starting and continuing their schooling? How will they be processed in a timely manner?
Notable actions the Department of Education has already taken include:
Dissolution of the Department’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, effective immediately;
Background:The Diversity & Inclusion Council was established following Executive Order 13583 under then - President Obama.President Trump has rescinded the Executive Orders that guide the Council and issued a new Executive Order, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,”
that terminates groups like the Diversity & Inclusion Council. DEI
documents issued and related actions taken by the Council have been
withdrawn.
Dissolution of the Employee Engagement
Diversity Equity Inclusion Accessibility Council (EEDIAC) within the
Office for Civil Rights (OCR), effective immediately and pursuant to
President Trump’s Executive Order “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing”;
Cancellation of ongoing DEI training and service contracts which total over $2.6 million;
Withdrawal of the Department’s Equity Action Plan;
Placement
of career Department staff tasked with implementing the previous
administration’s DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave; and
Identification
for removal of over 200 web pages from the Department’s website that
housed DEI resources and encouraged schools and institutions of higher
education to promote or endorse harmful ideological programs.
Rachel
Oglesby most recently served as America First Policy Institute's Chief
State Action Officer & Director, Center for the American Worker. In
this role, she worked to advance policies that promote worker freedom,
create opportunities outside of a four-year college degree, and provide
workers with the necessary skills to succeed in the modern economy, as
well as leading all of AFPI’s state policy development and advocacy
work. She previously worked as Chief of Policy and Deputy Chief of Staff
for Governor Kristi Noem in South Dakota, overseeing the implementation
of the Governor’s pro-freedom agenda across all policy areas and state
government agencies. Oglesby holds a master’s degree in public policy
from George Mason University and earned her bachelor’s degree in
philosophy from Wake Forest University.
Jonathan Pidluzny – Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Programs
Jonathan
Pidluzny most recently served as Director of the Higher Education
Reform Initiative at the America First Policy Institute. Prior to that,
he was Vice President of Academic Affairs at the American Council of
Trustees and Alumni, where his work focused on academic freedom and
general education. Jonathan began his career in higher education
teaching political science at Morehead State University, where he was an
associate professor, program coordinator, and faculty regent from
2017-2019. He received his Ph.D from Boston College and holds a
bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Alberta.
Chase Forrester – Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations
Virginia
“Chase” Forrester most recently served as the Chief Events Officer at
America First Policy Institute, where she oversaw the planning and
execution of 80+ high-profile events annually for AFPI’s 22 policy
centers, featuring former Cabinet Officials and other distinguished
speakers. Chase previously served as Operations Manager on the
Trump-Pence 2020 presidential campaign, where she spearheaded all event
operations for the Vice President of the United States and the Second
Family. Chase worked for the National Republican Senatorial Committee
during the Senate run-off races in Georgia and as a fundraiser for
Members of Congress. Chase graduated from Clemson University with a
bachelor’s degree in political science and a double-minor in Spanish and
legal studies.
Steve Warzoha – White House Liaison
Steve
Warzoha joins the U.S. Department of Education after most recently
serving on the Trump-Vance Transition Team. A native of Greenwich, CT,
he is a former local legislator who served on the Education Committee
and as Vice Chairman of both the Budget Overview and Transportation
Committees. He is also an elected leader of the Greenwich Republican
Town Committee. Steve has run and served in senior positions on numerous
local, state, and federal campaigns. Steve comes from a family of
educators and public servants and is a proud product of Greenwich Public
Schools and an Eagle Scout.
Tom Wheeler – Principal Deputy General Counsel
Tom
Wheeler’s prior federal service includes as the Acting Assistant
Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, a
Senior Advisor to the White House Federal Commission on School Safety,
and as a Senior Advisor/Counsel to the Secretary of Education. He has
also been asked to serve on many Boards and Commissions, including as
Chair of the Hate Crimes Sub-Committee for the Federal Violent Crime
Reduction Task Force, a member of the Department of Justice’s Regulatory
Reform Task Force, and as an advisor to the White House Coronavirus
Task Force, where he worked with the CDC and HHS to develop guidelines
for the safe reopening of schools and guidelines for law enforcement and
jails/prisons. Prior to rejoining the U.S. Department of Education, Tom
was a partner at an AM-100 law firm, where he represented federal,
state, and local public entities including educational institutions and
law enforcement agencies in regulatory, administrative, trial, and
appellate matters in local, state and federal venues. He is a frequent
author and speaker in the areas of civil rights, free speech, and
Constitutional issues, improving law enforcement, and school safety.
Craig Trainor – Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Office for Civil Rights
Craig
Trainor most recently served as Senior Special Counsel with the U.S.
House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary under Chairman Jim
Jordan (R-OH), where Mr. Trainor investigated and conducted oversight of
the U.S. Department of Justice, including its Civil Rights Division,
the FBI, the Biden-Harris White House, and the Intelligence Community
for civil rights and liberties abuses. He also worked as primary counsel
on the House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited
Government’s investigation into the suppression of free speech and
antisemitic harassment on college and university campuses, resulting in
the House passing the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023. Previously, he
served as Senior Litigation Counsel with the America First Policy
Institute under former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Of Counsel
with the Fairness Center, and had his own civil rights and criminal
defense law practice in New York City for over a decade. Upon graduating
from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, he
clerked for Chief Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr., U.S. District Court
for the Northern District of New York. Mr. Trainor is admitted to
practice law in the state of New York, the U.S. District Court for the
Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Madi Biedermann – Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Communications and Outreach
Madi
Biedermann is an experienced education policy and communications
professional with experience spanning both federal and state government
and policy advocacy organizations. She most recently worked as the Chief
Operating Officer at P2 Public Affairs. Prior to that, she served as an
Assistant Secretary of Education for Governor Glenn Youngkin and worked
as a Special Assistant and Presidential Management Fellow at the Office
of Management and Budget in the first Trump Administration. Madi
received her bachelor’s degree and master of public administration from
the University of Southern California.
Candice Jackson – Deputy General Counsel
Candice
Jackson returns to the U.S. Department of Education to serve as Deputy
General Counsel. Candice served in the first Trump Administration as
Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, and Deputy General Counsel,
from 2017-2021. For the last few years, Candice has practiced law in
Washington State and California and consulted with groups and
individuals challenging the harmful effects of the concept of "gender
identity" in laws and policies in schools, employment, and public
accommodations. Candice is mom to girl-boy twins Madelyn and Zachary,
age 11.
Joshua Kleinfeld – Deputy General Counsel
Joshua
Kleinfeld is the Allison & Dorothy Rouse Professor of Law and
Director of the Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative
State at George Mason University’s Scalia School of Law. He writes and
teaches about constitutional law, criminal law, and statutory
interpretation, focusing in all fields on whether democratic ideals are
realized in governmental practice. As a scholar and public intellectual,
he has published work in the Harvard, Stanford, and University of
Chicago Law Reviews, among other venues. As a practicing lawyer, he has
clerked on the D.C. Circuit, Fourth Circuit, and Supreme Court of
Israel, represented major corporations accused of billion-dollar
wrongdoing, and, on a pro bono basis, represented children accused of
homicide. As an academic, he was a tenured full professor at
Northwestern Law School before lateraling to Scalia Law School. He holds
a J.D. in law from Yale Law School, a Ph.D. in philosophy from the
Goethe University of Frankfurt, and a B.A. in philosophy from Yale
College.
Hannah Ruth Earl – Director, Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Hannah
Ruth Earl is the former executive director of America’s Future, where
she cultivated communities of freedom-minded young professionals and
local leaders. She previously co-produced award-winning feature films as
director of talent and creative development at the Moving Picture
Institute. A native of Tennessee, she holds a master of arts in religion
from Yale Divinity School.
Here are the key executive orders and actions President Trump has issued so far that may affect higher education:
1. Signed an executive order to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies, including in higher education[4]. This order aims to end what the administration calls "divisive preferential hierarchy" in favor of merit-based systems[4].
2. Issued an order to freeze hiring at federal agencies, including the Department of Education[3]. This could potentially lead to a reduction in staff and expertise at the department.
3. Directed federal employees, including those in education-related agencies, to return to full-time in-office work, potentially ending telework arrangements[3].
4. Signed an order making it easier to remove career staffers in policy-related positions by reclassifying them as political appointees[3]. [[BELOW for analysis]]
5. Required companies with federal contracts to certify they do not maintain DEI programs defined as "discriminatory practices" by the order[4].
6. Authorized immigration enforcement on school campuses, which could affect international students and undocumented students in higher education[9].
These executive orders have already faced criticism and potential legal challenges from civil rights organizations, business leaders, and education advocates[4][7][8]. The full impact of these orders on higher education remains to be seen, as some may be tied up in courts or face legislative challenges[7].
The key points of this executive order are: 1. It targets federal employees in "policy-influencing positions"[3]. 2. It reclassifies these employees, potentially stripping them of civil service protections[2]. 3. The order argues that this change is necessary to ensure accountability and loyalty to the President's policies[3].
Critics argue that this order: 1. Could lead to the politicization of the civil service[2]. 2. Might result in career officials being dismissed for political reasons[2]. 3. May affect tens of thousands of federal employees[7].
The legality of this executive order is being questioned, and federal worker unions are expected to challenge it in court[4][6]. The implementation of this order could significantly impact the structure and functioning of federal agencies, including the Department of Education[4].
NCES has released provisional data from the Winter 2023-24 collection. The Winter 2023-24 collection includes the following survey data: Graduation Rates for selected cohorts; Outcome Measures for cohort year 2015-16; Student Financial Aid, academic year 2022-23; and Admissions, Fall 2023. The data are currently available through the IPEDS Use the Data Page: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/use-the-data
2. Update on Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 Regarding Race/Ethnicity Collection and Reporting
An IPEDS Technical Review Panel meeting was recently held to discuss SPD 15, and the summary of that meeting will be available in the near future. Additionally, the Chief Statistician of the United States has shared more information about SPD 15 on this blog. Institutions are urged to begin or continue internal discussions to prepare for the forthcoming changes related to race/ethnicity data collection and reporting. These changes include the addition of a Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) race category and the introduction of a combined race/ethnicity question, which will replace the existing two-part question.
This is an opportunity for student loan debtors and their allies to voice their opinions about student loan debt relief. Tell them your stories and explain how this rule will help yourself and others. It can make a difference.
The Secretary of Education proposes to
amend the regulations related to the
Higher Education Act of 1965, as
amended (HEA), to provide for the
waiver of certain student loan debts.
The proposed regulations would specify
the Secretary’s authority to waive all or
part of any student loan debts owed to
the Department based on the Secretary’s
determination that a borrower has
experienced or is experiencing hardship
related to such a loan.
DATES: The Department of Education must receive your comments
on or before December 2, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Comments must be
submitted via the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at Regulations.gov.
The specific page to make your comment is at https://www.regulations.gov/document/ED-2023-OPE-0123-32489. Once you get to that page, hit the comment button and make your comment. We suggest writing your comment out, then cutting and pasting it into the comment section.
Information
on using Regulations.gov, including
instructions for finding a rule on the site
and submitting comments, is available
on the site under ‘‘FAQ.’’ If you require
an accommodation or cannot otherwise
submit your comments via
Regulations.gov, please contact
regulationshelpdesk@gsa.gov or by
phone at 1–866–498–2945.
After you submit your comment, you will receive a receipt like the one below.
The Independent first reported the contribution, disclosed in a Federal Election Commission filing that covers the period October 1 to 16.
DeVos sent Trump a letter of resignation dated January 7, 2021, telling the then-president, “There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me. Impressionable children are watching all of this, and they are learning from us.”
DeVos told Trump her decision to resign was “in support of the oath I took to our Constitution, our people, and our freedoms.”
On January 6, after Trump encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol to fight the counting of electoral votes that would declare Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election, he sat and watched television as an armed mob violently attacked police officers and threatened the lives of Members of Congress and Trump’s own vice president, Mike Pence — who, like DeVos, has grounded his conservatism in a deep Christian faith. For hours, Trump repeatedly ignored the pleas of his staff to call off the rioters.
Now, while Pence has refused to support Trump’s 2024 election bid, DeVos has sent cash to help Trump become president again.
And it’s not as if Trump subsequently was revealed to be a Sunday school teacher.
Since leaving office, Trump has been impeached and indicted for encouraging the January 6 attack on our democracy and Constitution, for other efforts to cheat in the 2020 election, and for stealing classified documents from the White House. He was convicted in New York over the summer of 34 felonies for falsifying business records to hide his misconduct from voters in the 2016 election.
Trump’s central business enterprise, the Trump Organization, was in January 2023 fined $1.6 million by a New York state court after the company was convicted by a jury of 17 criminal felonies, including tax fraud and falsifying business records. Trump himself was found liable in February 2024 by a New York state judge for civil fraud and was ordered to pay a $355 million penalty.
And in May 2023, a New York federal jury in a civil case ordered Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll $5 million for battery and defamation after it found that Trump sexually abused Carroll in a department store dressing room in 1996.
But DeVos’s own version of morality makes her conversion back to Trumpism less than surprising.
As Trump’s Secretary of Education, DeVos hired as her top higher education advisors former executives of predatory for-profit colleges, and she trashed almost all the work done by the Obama administration to protect students against deceptive, over-priced schools. Instead of holding predatory colleges accountable, DeVos mocked broke students ripped off by these schools as people demanding “free money.”
In August, DeVos appeared to revisit her view of Donald Trump, telling The Detroit News she was willing to join a new Trump administration “if it was with the goal of phasing out the Department of Education….”
DeVos and her husband’s wealthy family, which made its fortune through the troubling multi-level marketing company Amway, have been major donors to Republican candidates and right wing causes for decades. Two of DeVos’s brothers-in-law, and their two wives, gave $250,000 each to the Musk PAC.
[Editor's note: This article originally appeared on Republic Report.]
The Higher Education Inquirer appreciates your comments on this 2023 video produced by the US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid titled "Financial Aid Bootcamp: How to Select the Best College Using the College Scorecard."
While the College Scorecard provides valuable information, it's
important for users to understand its limitations and consider multiple
sources when making decisions about higher education. The tool continues to evolve, with ongoing efforts to enhance its accuracy
and comprehensiveness.
If there are other videos that you think would help consumers make better college and career choices, please let us know.
The US Department of Education (ED) handles the student loans of about 40 million US citizens, holding on to about $1.6 Trillion in debt--which is considered an asset to the US government. And ED-FSA (Federal Student Aid) hires tens of thousands of workers, mostly contractors, to service the debt. But that could change in a few years. If Donald Trump is elected President.
Under President Trump, debtors might expect that their loans to be transferred over to large corporations--at some point--with the sale being used to reduce the federal deficit, and to cut labor at ED. This would aid in the effort to eliminate the US Department of Education, as Trump has promised on the campaign trail.
Selling off the student loan debt portfolio may or may not require approval from anyone outside of the President. At least one study, by McKinsey & Company, has already been conducted regarding this possibility.
In 2019, the Trump administration hired McKinsey to analyze the $1.5 trillion federal student loan portfolio. This analysis was part of a broader effort to explore options for managing the portfolio, including potentially selling off some of the debt. Results were never published. The analysis was conducted alongside a study by FI Consulting, which focused on the economic value of the portfolio, noting that the valuation could vary depending on future default rates, prepayment rates, and economic conditions.
The new owners of the sold off debt would most likely be big banks and other large companies, both domestic and foreign, that find value in the debt. There would be political and social resistance. And many questions would need to be answered, in detail.
Would large banks or other large corporations be better stewards of the debt?
Would the bidding be transparent?
Would consumers be able to challenge loan repayments or ask for forgiveness?
What would happen to the contracts of the existing debt servicers?
Will this expand the existing Student Loan Asset-Backed Securities market?
%20-%20dahneshaulis@gmail.com%20-%20Gmail.png)
