On Monday, CEC submitted a letter to House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) in response to the introduction and consideration of H.R. 4674, the College Affordability Act, a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA).
In the letter, CEC:
- Commended the Committee for taking a comprehensive approach to HEA, which was last reauthorized in 2008
- Lifted up provisions of the bill that address the special educator shortage crisis, including improvements to the Teacher Quality Partnership program, which supports teacher preparation, and initiatives that make college more affordable by strengthening grant and loan programs aimed at teachers
- Thanked the Committee for making improvements to accessibility on college campuses and a strong reauthorization of the Transition to Postsecondary Education for Students with Intellectual Disabilities program
- Urged the Committee to clarify and ensure that all preparation programs receiving federal funds, whether traditional, alternative, or “grow your own,” meet the same rigorous standards to ensure quality
- Questioned changes to data collection that could be burdensome to institutions of higher education with preparation programs.
On Tuesday, the House Education and Labor Committee began marking up H.R. 4674. That markup, which is expected to last for days, will likely not result in substantive changes to CEC’s priorities. CEC will provide an analysis of the proceedings in next week’s Policy Insider.
Read CEC’s letter to Chair Scott and Ranking Member Foxx here.
View the markup of the College Affordability Act and related information here.
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