U.S. Department of Education
Does a charter need a new contract to expand? Alabama commission plans to ask feds
The Alabama Public School Charter Commission Monday looked at ways to allow state charter schools to grow following a request from a Birmingham school. i3 Academy, a Birmingham-based charter school, has said they need another building with all of the benefits of a “cost center,” including state allocation, to house ninth grade and later grades […]
Alabama higher education committee discusses impact of new federal regulations
The Alabama State Reciprocity Committee Wednesday discussed the potential impact of changes to federal regulations on distance learning. The committee, which focuses on higher education issues, works to address State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) in Alabama. SARA was established in 2013 to streamline regulations from the U.S. Department of Education around distance learning opportunities. The […]
Jacksonville State, Troy University to receive grants for child care
The White House has awarded nearly $900,000 to Alabama universities to support or create child care for student parents. “I am a big believer in campus child care programs because I’ve seen how they break down barriers to upskilling and attaining postsecondary education for parents with young children—bringing the American Dream within reach for families […]
White House provides another $9 billion in student debt relief as pandemic pause ends
WASHINGTON — As federal student loan repayments restart, the Biden administration Wednesday announced an additional $9 billion in student loan forgiveness for 125,000 borrowers. “For years, millions of eligible borrowers were unable to access the student debt relief they qualified for, but that’s all changed thanks to President Biden and this Administration’s relentless efforts to […]
States urged by Biden administration to rectify underfunding of land-grant HBCUs
States engaged in decades of underfunding of land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities, leading to a more than $12 billion disparity with comparable white institutions, leaders of the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday. “Unacceptable funding inequities have forced many of our nation’s distinguished Historically Black Colleges and Universities […]
Gun law raises funding concerns for school hunting programs
WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers are concerned that the Biden administration is interpreting last year’s bipartisan gun safety law to cut funding for school archery and hunting programs, though programs themselves say they haven’t been affected. A provision in the law – a bipartisan effort to curb gun violence that established new criminal offenses, and expanded background […]
Couch, car or curb: Defining which young person is ‘homeless’ affects aid state by state
The spectrum of youth homelessness is vast. It includes young children sleeping with their mothers in crowded shelters and families living in tent encampments in public parks. There are teenage runaways who have fled abusive homes to live on the streets and kids who spend their nights hidden in cars or abandoned buildings. But youth […]
Biden administration provides guidance on diversity in college admissions
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice and Department of Education jointly released guidance on Monday to colleges and universities about how to consider race in admissions decisions, following the Supreme Court’s summer decision that struck down affirmative action in higher education. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, on a call with reporters, said higher education institutions can […]
Over 12,000 Alabamians eligible for student debt relief, says U.S. Department of Education
Over 12,000 Alabamians have had their student loan debt forgiven, the U.S. Department of Education said last week. The borrowers had $550 million in debt relieved. Most of those savings come from fixes to the income-driven repayment plan. Many long-time borrowers who were eligible for forgiveness did not have their debt forgiven, including those who […]
More than 800,000 student loan borrowers to have debt forgiven, White House announces
WASHINGTON — The Department of Education and the White House announced Friday that more than 800,000 federal student loan borrowers will have their remaining debt wiped out. The $39 billion in debt relief will come through fixes to mismanagement of the agency’s income-driven repayment plans. Many long-time borrowers, including those who had been making payments […]
US Supreme Court rules against Biden administration student loan debt relief plan
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the Biden administration does not have the legal authority to enact a one-time student debt relief program, dealing a blow to the 40 million Americans who would have qualified. Last year, the Biden Administration rolled out a debt forgiveness plan for borrowers with federal student […]
U.S. House GOP questions education secretary on transgender athletes, student loans
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Tuesday grilled the secretary of education about student debt cancellation and protections for transgender student athletes during a lengthy hearing on the president’s proposed budget request for the Department of Education. While the subject of the five-hour House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing was the fiscal 2024 budget […]