Several issue of this newsletter over the months and years have provided information about an important piece of federal legislation known as reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). Typically, each new session of Congress begins with a pronouncement that the long-awaited reauthorization will occur in coming months. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on several occasions has established reauthorization as a top personal priority that he wanted to see achieved before retiring from Congress this year. Hearings are conducted annually and in October 2019, the House Education and Labor Committee was successful in producing a huge overhaul of higher education programs in the bill H.R. 4674, but it has not been enacted into law.
Had Congress been successful this year, the HEA would have been reauthorized for the first time since 2008. That previous reauthorization expired in 2013. Similar to pubic health pieces of legislation, such as health professions education, existing programs continue to be funded. Technically, they should expire if left unauthorized, but that step would be too disastrous to take. Even though the HEA as a whole was left unaddressed this year, last December 19th some constructive action did occur. P.L. 116-91, ‘‘Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act’’ or the ‘‘FUTURE Act,’’ provides $225 million in annual funding to historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions; the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process was simplified; and repayment for certain student loan borrowers was streamlined. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic helped play a decisive role in obstructing any progress in reauthorizing the HEA in 2020. Instead, whatever appropriations legislation or continuing resolutions are produced for FY 2021, which begins on October 1 of this year, it is expected that higher education programs will continue to be funded at existing levels,
Final Distance Education And Innovation Regulations
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) on September 2, 2020 published in the Federal Register its final Distance Education and Innovation regulations. These measures will become effective on July 1, 2021. The regulations were developed as a result of a 2019 USDE negotiated rulemaking in which the committee reached consensus on the proposed regulations after seeking comments on what was being proposed prior to issuing final regulations. On the topic of distance learning, it was noted that during the COVID–19 pandemic, some accrediting agencies and State licensing boards are beginning to recognize opportunities presented by distance learning and are permitting certain portions of programs to be provided through distance modalities. The Department will continue to rely on accrediting agencies and State licensing boards to determine if and when distance learning opportunities meet the education and training needs of students in particular fields. Other provisions that pertain to accreditation include:
Providing flexibility for distance education and competency-based education, relying on a demonstration of learning rather than “seat time.”
More clearly defining the requirements for “regular and substantive interaction” in distance education and the permissibility of engaging instructional teams in its delivery.
Providing flexibility to institutions to modify their curricula at the recommendations of industry advisory boards without relying on a traditional faculty-led decision-making process.
Clarifying that an institution may demonstrate a reasonable relationship between the length of a program and the entry-level requirements of the occupation for which that program prepares students.
Rescinding USDE Guidance Documents
The Department announced on August 31, 2020 that it is rescinding several guidance documents because they are outdated and superseded either by subsequent amendments or enactments. Examples are: Institutional Accreditation for Distance Learning Programs (issued September 28, 2006), State authorization under the Program Integrity Regulations (issued April 21, 2011), Implementing Program Integrity Regulations (issued July 20, 2011), and Clarifying flexibility for accrediting agencies (issued November 5, 2015).
More September 2020 TRENDS Articles
A QUASI-CATEGORICAL DEMURRAL
indicates that it is too soon to understand the full implications and overall impact of COVID-19. Read More
WHISTLING THE COLLEGE HORNPIPE
contains information about advantages the federal government possesses in developing financial responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
Points out how despite a decline in poverty rates, the ability to access health care remains difficult for some population subgroups while at the same time insufficient attention is paid by policymakers regarding the adequacy of the health workforce. Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Describes how once again reauthorization of the Higher Education Act failed to occur; the issuance of final regulations for distance education and innovation; and how the U.S. Department of Education is rescinding several guidance documents. Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
Delaying Or Avoiding Health Care During The Pandemic Because Of Concerns About COVID-19
Trends And Patterns In Menarche In The United States: 1995 Through 2013–2017
Machine Learning Maps Research Needs In Coronavirus Literature
Rapid Blood Test Could Detect Brain Injury In Minutes Read More
AVAILABLE RESOURCES ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONICALLY
Scorecard On State Health System Performance
Racial Disparities In Cancer
The State of Obesity 2020: Better Policies For A Healthier America Read More
COMPOSITION AND CAPACITY OF THE GENETICS WORKFORCE
discusses how the clinical genetics workforce likely will face greatly increased demand for its services. Read More
THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF SOCIAL DISTANCE
refers to the neurocognitive basis of social isolation and its deep consequences for mental and physical health, along with neurobiological mechanisms underlying social interplay and the impact that social deprivation has on them. Read More