Here’s a quick look at the news from last week (April 2-6) in Washington.

ADMINISTRATION
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education held what was supposed to be the third and final meeting of Negotiated Rulemaking dealing with teacher preparation programs under Title II, and the TEACH Grant program. On the last day, Department and non-federal negotiators were not able to come to an agreement on whether to combine the federal reporting and accountability system for teacher preparation under Title II with the TEACH Grant program.  However, there will be a conference call this week, during which the Department will determine if sufficient progress can be made to warrant a fourth negotiating session.

It is possible in the coming weeks that the U.S. Department of Education announces another negotiated rulemaking process focused on fraud in student financial aid.  This negotiated rulemaking session is likely to be focused on the Inspector General Report issued last October.

The U.S. Department of Education released a new report on Arts Education in U.S. Public Schools. The report presents findings from a congressionally mandated study on arts education, and includes comparison to similar data from 1999-2000.

HOUSE
The House and Senate were in recess last week, and will return to session on April 16.

The House Education and the Workforce Committee may have a hearing in the coming weeks on H.R. 4297, the recently introduced WIA reauthorization bill by Subcommittee Chair Virginia Foxx.

Rep. Miller continues to speak out against the rise in subsidized student loan interest rates on July 1. He gave a short speech on the House floor last Friday on the topic, and also issued a press release with new data on the effect the rate hike will have on students.