Lynn Mahaffie Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Innovation (PPI) Office of Postsecondary Education U.S. Department of Education International Education Council Conference June 9, 2015
HIGHER EDUCATION INITIATIVES
President Obama s Higher Education Initiatives Paying for performance Promoting innovation and competition Ensuring that student debt remains affordable 3
College Ratings Principles Focus on access, value, affordability, and completion Broad ratings, not specific rankings Compare institutions with similar missions Link federal aid to institutions that do the most to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds Identify institutions that improve performance
Access College Ratings Available Data Under Consideration o Percent of students receiving Pell Grants Affordability o Net price, average tuition, scholarships, loan debt Outcomes o Graduation and transfer rates, graduates employment and earnings, alumni satisfaction, postgraduate education
First in the World Lead the world in proportion of citizens with postsecondary degrees and credentials as part of a national agenda Spur innovation to drive down costs and maintain quality Support projects that lead to proven results Support innovative and novel solutions to higher education challenges
REGULATORY UPDATE
Recent Regulatory Efforts Gainful Employment Violence Against Women Act Implementation Program Integrity and Improvement o Cash Management Teacher Preparation Pay As You Earn
Helps to: Gainful Employment o Create more rigorous accountability o Prevent students from being buried in debt o Provide transparency about student success rates o Improve student outcomes
Violence Against Women Act Requires institutions to: o Maintain statistics on dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking o Provide prevention and awareness campaigns o Provide a prompt, fair, and impartial disciplinary proceeding o Provide information and support services to victims
Program Integrity and Improvement Includes various issues, including Cash Management: o Protects students from unreasonable account fees o Provides transparency regarding accounts offered to students by requiring disclosure of agreements between institutions and financial account providers o Ensures students have choice regarding how they receive their federal aid o Prohibits personal information from being shared without student consent o Safeguards taxpayer dollars
Teacher Preparation Helps to: o Ensure teacher training programs are preparing educators who are ready to succeed in the classroom o Get us closer to the President s goal of having a great teacher in every classroom, especially in high-need schools o Build on the reforms and innovations already happening at the state and program level across the nation o Hold programs accountable for student preparation o Focus on program outcomes, including graduates performance and satisfaction
Teacher Preparation o Create transparency and much-needed feedback loop among aspiring teachers, preparation programs, principals, schools and states o Inform prospective educators to choose effective programs to train in high-demand teaching fields o Assist schools in identifying the most effective programs to recruit from o Recognize excellence to build on best practices
Pay As You Earn Expansion Caps payments for Federal Direct Student Loans at 10 percent of discretionary income for eligible borrowers Helps ensure that borrowers are able to manage their debt and avoid defaulting on their student loans Provides relief on loan payments, especially in a borrower s early years of repayment Complements other repayment plans that help borrowers manage their debt, including Income-Based Repayment
Pay As You Earn Expansion Completed Negotiated Rulemaking Committee reached consensus We expect to publish final regulations by November 1 st.
Foreign School Handbook Includes Information about requirements that are applicable only to foreign institutions eligible to participate in Title IV programs o General Eligibility and Participation Requirements o Auditing and Financial Standards o Foreign Graduate Medical Schools o Foreign Veterinary Schools and Foreign Nursing Schools Recent guidance on: o Title IV-ineligible programs from Dear Colleague Letter GEN-14-20, as well as additional guidance regarding the establishment of a separate Title IV-eligible version of a program o Title IV eligibility of programs containing internships and externships New version published March 2015
QUESTIONS