HOUSE AND SENATE

The Senate voted to cut off debate, or invoke cloture, on the nomination of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. With 51 senators voting to advance President Donald Trump’s nominee to a final vote expected over the weekend.

ADMINISTRATION

It has been reported that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will miss the November 1 deadline to publish its new borrower defense to repayment (BDR) rule and rescind the Obama-era gainful employment (GE) rule.

ED approved New Hampshire as the second State to participate in the Innovative Assessment pilot authorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Diane Jones, the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Education and acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, recommended to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos that ED reinstate the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) for one year.

ED officially launched the full version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) mobile app, entitled myStudentAid.

The College Scorecard has stopped publishing data that compare college and university level data, such as net price, graduation rate, student loan repayment rate and typical earnings post-graduation, to national averages.
 
ED’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that ED did not do enough to ensure that Arizona, California and Louisiana properly handled charter school closures from 2011 to 2013.

ED released a parent guide to certain flexibilities in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The guide was released at a roundtable with parents, students and educators in Mississippi as part of the Secretary’s “Rethink School” tour.

This week, Adam Kissel, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs, left his post at ED.

Kathleen Tighe, who has served as the ED’s Inspector General since 2010 announced that she will retire on November 30. Sandra Bruce, the current Deputy Inspector General, will serve as the Acting Inspector General until the Senate confirms a permanent replacement.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES 

Penn Hill Group provides a list of grant opportunities and summaries for select grants. Please visit our website for more information