** Overview
Throughout his Presidential campaign former President Trump made it clear that if he returned to the White House he would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education (Department). Upon winning a second term, in March of 2025 President Trump issued an Executive Order requiring the Secretary of Education to—

“to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”

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** Following the EO, Secretary of Education McMahon has taken multiple steps to fulfill the President’s directive.
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* Between March and October 2025, the agencies workforce was reduced by nearly 50% with 200) of the 4,100 agency employees departing through reductions in force and voluntary departures.
* In July 2025, the Department announced the first partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Labor designed to create an integrated federal education and workforce system, aiming to streamline programs, reduce duplicative efforts, and provide states with better resources. This initial partnership was described by Secretary of Education McMahon as a “proof of concept” which would be used to advance further interagency partnerships in the future.
* In November 2025, six new partnerships with four additional federal agencies were announced. The Administration stated that these actions were intended to break up the federal education bureaucracy, ensure efficient delivery of funded programs, activities, and move closer to fulfilling the President’s promise to return education to the states.
* On March 12^th of this year, the Administration announced the Federal Student Assistance Partnership to enhance the administration of Federal student aid programs, mitigate the continuing fallout and cost to taxpayers from the Biden Administration’s mismanagement of the Federal student loan portfolio, and facilitate the return of defaulted borrowers to repayment.
* On March 26^th, in a joint statement by the heads of the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, and the General Services Administration that beginning in the summer the Department of Education would be turning over the building where it is headquartered to the Department of Energy and moving to a much smaller building.

Each of these actions has sparked reactions from Capitol Hill on both sides of the isle. The overarching sentiment has been, and remains, that only Congress has the authority to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education established by law under the Department of Education Organization Act (P.L. 96-98). The Administration acknowledges the statute, but continues to systematically take actions which many suggest/assert our circumventing or usurping the statute.

In response Congress is asking a lot of questions…

A Focus On the Federal Student Assistance Partnership
Since March, and honestly long before then, various Congressional Committees have expressed concerns with the Administration’s actions. The House and Senate Budget Committee, the House and Seante Appropriations Committee, and the House and Senate Education Committees have each posed questions and offered various statements during hearings, markups and in press releases regarding the broader actions, and have most recently zeroed in on the major actions regarding the Title IV – Federal Student Loan programs.

To give you a sense of the focused attention on this issues. Here is a summary of the actions taken by Senate Democrats, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren. Her press release from yesterday noted,

“Senator Warren has led the fight to make our higher education system more affordable, cancel student loan debt, and hold student loan servicers accountable for incompetence and malfeasance. She launched the Save Our Schools (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=b8fd3e5ccf&e=05bce952ad) campaign in a coordinated effort to fight back against President Trump’s attempts to abolish the Department of Education.
* On April 28, 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pressed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new Student Loan Ombudsman (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=6c88220d5f&e=05bce952ad) , Geoffrey Gradler, on his plan to protect student loan borrowers, especially given his past censorship of a key student loan report at the CFPB and his background as a lobbyist for lenders. The senators also asked him to recuse himself from past clients’ matters that might come before his office at the CFPB.
* On April 2, 2026, Senators Warren, Sanders, Wyden, Murray, and Baldwin—all top Democrats on influential education committees—pressed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=a3f7eb297c&e=05bce952ad) and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to rescind their plans to move the administration of federal student loans to the Treasury Department, the latest move in the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
* On February 23, 2026, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, along with Representative Ayanna Pressley, released a response (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=a8af6aacae&e=05bce952ad) from the Department of Education to their November letter regarding a potential sale of the federal student debt portfolio. In the response, ED confirms for the first time publicly that they are weighing a sale of the federal student loan portfolio.
* On February 19, 2026, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) pushed (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=5b7d36e633&e=05bce952ad) Education Secretary Linda McMahon on concerns that the U.S. Department of Education is apparently obstructing Congressional efforts to hold federal student loan servicers accountable for underperformance.
* On February 2, 2026, Senator Warren released a new report (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=9f44def5ac&e=05bce952ad) revealing the findings of their investigation into how private student loan lenders will reap the benefits from cuts to federal student loan access enacted in Republicans’ Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBBA). The report is the first Congressional analysis of the impacts of the OBBBA’s student loan restrictions on the private lending market.
* On January 22, 2026, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) led their Senate colleagues in demanding answers (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=014ab4a191&e=05bce952ad) from Trump Education Secretary Linda McMahon about the Trump Administration’s proposal to eliminate affordable student loan repayment options for millions of Americans.
* On December 8, 2025, Senator Warren led her colleagues in writing to the federal student loan servicers (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=fd0e9253e1&e=05bce952ad) to ensure they are providing borrowers with the customer service they deserve in the wake of the Trump administration’s student loan policy whiplash. The senators sent letters to MOHELA, Nelnet, EdFinancial, Maximus, and CRI.
* On December 1, 2025, Senator Warren published an op-ed (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=164dbd207d&e=05bce952ad) in USA Today (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=279327c12c&e=05bce952ad) calling for Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to resign following the recent news that President Trump and Secretary McMahon plan to further dismantle the Department of Education (ED).
* On November 17, 2025, Senator Warren led over 40 of her colleagues in a letter (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=e199c871ec&e=05bce952ad) urging Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to immediately end any plans to sell or transfer the federal student loan portfolio to the private market.
* On November 10, 2025, Senator Warren led her colleagues in a letter urging (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=b3a0156df2&e=05bce952ad) the Trump administration to use the IRS’s existing legal authorities to stop the looming “tax bomb” facing borrowers who obtain income-driven repayment (IDR) discharges of their student loan debt.
* On October 15, 2025, Senator Warren and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) led 70 members of Congress (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=0ebdcb348e&e=05bce952ad) in a letter calling on the Trump administration to address the ongoing and unprecedented wave of student loan delinquencies and defaults, which threatens the financial stability of millions of people and could have disastrous effects on the American economy.
* On September 19, 2025, following a push by Senator Warren and nine other senators, the Acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education agreed to open an investigation (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=121f4daa19&e=05bce952ad) into DOGE’s infiltration of internal systems, including the scope of its access to sensitive student loan borrower information and its impact on borrowers’ rights and privacy.
* On August 26, 2025, Senator Warren led colleagues (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=d4f6f4ac5d&e=05bce952ad) in sending a follow-up letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon condemning the Department of Education for deliberately hiding the “Submit a Complaint” button on the Office of Federal Student Aid’s website, firing employees responsible for providing customer service to borrowers and families and misleading Congress about the scope of these firings.
* On August 4, 2025, Senator Warren led (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=cf67897fc2&e=05bce952ad) eight Senators in pressing major private student loan lenders on their plans to serve the incoming surge of borrowers who will be pushed to the industry because of Republicans’ recently passed “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
* On July 17, 2025, Senator Warren released a new 23-page report (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=914ac7afbb&e=05bce952ad) , “Education At Risk: Frontline Impacts of Trump’s War on Students,” highlighting warnings from 11 major national education and civil rights organizations on the impact of the Trump Administration’s dismantling of the Department of Education (ED), slashing support to millions of American students, primary and secondary school teachers, administrators, parents, and student loan borrowers.
* On July 15, 2025, Senators Warren and Sanders, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=c5bf329f3f&e=05bce952ad) to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, urging her to reverse the interest hike on student loan borrowers in the SAVE forbearance.”

**
What’s Next
In addition to updates on all of the key regulatory negotiations, CSPEN will share more details on this important issue – including summary of the Administration’s agenda and plan, the challenges that are already being discussed openly with phase one of the plan address student loans in default, and the reactions and actions being taken by various groups.

The post The Future of Federal Student Loans Remains A HOT Topic appeared first on Career Schools Private Education Network.

Overview
Today, at 10:15 AM ET, the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development will host a hearing entitled “Speech or Silence? The Future of the First Amendment in Higher Education.”

As the title portends the focus of the hearing will be on the application of at least one of the fundamental freedoms contained in the First Amendment of the Constitution – specifically freedom of speech.

Witness slated to testify this morning include:
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* Mr. Tyson Langhofer, Senior Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom
* Mr. Jud Horras, President and CEO, North American Interfraternity Conference
* Mr. Emerson Sykes, Senior Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union
* Dr. Steven McGuire, Paul & Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom, American Council of Trustees and Alumni

**
What’s Next
CSPEN will be monitoring the Subcommittee’s hearing and provide a summary of Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens’ and Ranking Member Alma Adams’ opening remarks, the panelists testimony and the Q&A between Members of the House Subcommittee and the witnesses and provide a summary of hearing on tomorrow’s CSPEN Federal Legislative & Regulatory Update webinar.

If you are interested in viewing the hearing, you can watch it live on the House Education and Workforce Committee’s YouTube channel here (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=4cf0e1ff8a&e=05bce952ad) .

The post House Subcommittee Hearing Today To Focus on The Constitutional Right to Free Speech In Higher Education appeared first on Career Schools Private Education Network.

Overview
If you haven’t noticed both the White House and the U.S. Department of Education (Department) have made it a priority to expose and eliminate “widespread fraud in federally funded programs.’ The Administration frames fraud prevention as a “national security and fiscal imperative, linking it to taxpayer protection, program integrity, and political accountability.”

Over the past fifteen-to-sixteen months the Administration has made quite a few high-profile announcements, developed and implemented new policies, and established new oversight entities responsible for fraud prevention.

And not to be out done, Congress is considering its fare share of fraud prevention legislation as well.

Here is a brief update that we hope you will find helpful.

Addressing Fraud In Higher Education
Think back to last June (2025) when the Department published Electronic Announcement (APP-25-16) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=de74a7ffac&e=05bce952ad) entitled Significant Actions to Prevent Fraud through Identity Verification. In this initial directive related to identity theft and fraud prevention in higher education the Department announced their intent to “launch of a nationwide effort to eliminate identity theft and fraud in the federal student aid programs for the fall 2025 semester to protect taxpayers while significantly reducing the administrative burden on colleges and universities.”

The Department called upon institutions to enhance its verification process while the FSA Identity Confirmation process was brought on line. Less than two months later, in August, the Department posted Electronic Announcement (General-25-36) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=588804422e&e=05bce952ad) Verification of Identity Reporting Availability in FAFSA Partner Portal providing additional information on the verification of identity reporting. This information was updated several time and forms the basis for further institutional review of elevated identity verification flags.

In December the Department announced (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=afa07bf52c&e=05bce952ad) that these efforts had prevented more than $1 Billion in FSA fraud and that additional actions would take place in 2026 to crackdown even more on various forms of fraud.

This brings us up to present day and the Department’s recent Electronic Announcement (APP-26-03) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=4aec04233a&e=05bce952ad) FAFSA Real-Time Fraud Detection and details regarding real-time identity fraud detection capability within the FAFSA form which went into effect yesterday.

This Thursday, on CSPEN’s regularly scheduled Federal Legislative & Regulatory Update webinar we will review the details of these key announcements and other fraud related initiatives and actions.

Congress To Markup New Fraud-Focused Legislation
On Wednesday, April 29^th, the House Oversight Committee will be marking up a series of fraud-related legislative proposals. Included in the group of bills to be considered is legislation (H.R. 8312 – The Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act) which seeks to establish a permanent Inspector General for Fraud, Accountability, and Recovery (IGFAR) within the U.S. Treasury and other bills.

CSPEN will monitor the markup and provide more details on the legislation this Thursday too.

What’s Next
We know that the higher education community is spread pretty thin right now, but we hope to help provide you with the information and resources that you need to stay on top of things. In addition to these topics, CSPEN will once again provide new details on the Earnings Accountability NPRM, the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization Committee’s communications as proposals start to circulate in advance of the second session, and more.

The post Washington Continues To Focus On Efforts To Eliminate Fraud In the Federal Government appeared first on Career Schools Private Education Network.

Overview
Yesterday the House Committee on Education & Workforce took just a little over four hours to complete its latest efforts to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. However, unlike previous deliberations and bipartisan support, yesterday’s markup of H.R. 8210 – A Stronger Workforce for America Act was decidedly partisan, with all votes being split 19-14 in favor of the Republican majority’s position. Tomorrow CSPEN will provide details on the five Democratic proposals offered and rejected and the Republican’s bill. A brief summary of the bill based upon Chairman Tim Walberg’s press release is provided below.

Also, below is more detailed information on the introduction of legislation introduced by Senator Jim Banks to repeal the 90/10 Rule.

Chairman Walberg’s Comments and Summary of H.R. 8210
“The American workforce is at a turning point,” said Chairman Walberg. “Our current workforce system isn’t keeping up—and workers are paying the price. This bill brings job training into the 21st century, helping more Americans gain real-world skills, find good jobs, and power our economy. I thank my Republican colleagues for supporting this effort to deliver results for workers and job creators.”

What the bill does:
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* Connects education and jobs more effectively. Aligns adult education programs with job training and employer needs, making it easier for workers to move directly into careers.
* Expands access to job training opportunities. Invests in proven approaches like on-the-job training and employer-led programs to help more Americans build skills and advance in their careers.
* Improves accountability and results. Strengthens oversight to ensure workforce programs are delivering real outcomes for workers and job seekers.

S. 4348 – The Promoting Access and Revenue Integrity Through Institutional Transparency Act
As previously shared by CSPEN, a bill introduced by Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) to “to repeal the 90/10 rule as it pertains to proprietary schools under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965” has officially been introduced and received a bill number. The legislation, includes just five lines under the Section heading “Regulatory Relief” which read as follows:

Section 487 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 USC 1094) is amended—
1. in subsection (a), by repealing paragraph (24); and
2. by repealing subsection (b).

**
What’s Next
Join us tomorrow for CSPEN’s regular Legislative & Regulatory Update webinar for more information on these important legislative topics AND a summary of the Earnings Accountability NPRM.

The post Congress Had A Busy Day Yesterday appeared first on Career Schools Private Education Network.

**
Overview
As forecast last Friday, today’s Federal Register included the official publication of the Accountability in Higher Education and Access Through Demand-Driven Workforce Pell: Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=2be8328868&e=05bce952ad) proposed rule (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=ff73d5af8e&e=05bce952ad) . (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=bd8055f6dc&e=05bce952ad)

CSPEN spent the weekend completing our initial review of the 500+ page unofficial pdf and is currently in the process of developing a section-by-section summary of the proposed regulations which seek to “overhaul the accountability framework for the title IV, HEA programs by replacing the former debt-to-earnings (‘‘D/E’’) metric with a revised earnings premium measure, expanding transparency, and strengthening institutional compliance standards.”

In conjunction with the development of the document, we will also share commentary and details of the highly anticipated proposals on this week’s CSPEN Federal Legislative & Regulatory Update webinar. During the webinar we will discuss considerable portions of the Preamble in which the Department/Administration offer their rationale and authorization for arriving at several key policy positions and justification for the exclusion of other key policy positions that were explored throughout the negotiations.

The Department/Administration does make it clear that they are still willing to accept proposals as part of the public comment period, not only requesting responses to a series of “directed questions,” but also “alternative suggestions” supported by facts, research, and evidence. Deadline for the submission of comments is May 20, 2026.

What’s Next
Tomorrow the House Committee on Education & Workforce has announced its intention to hold a full committee markup of H.R. 8210 – A Stronger Workforce for America Act – legislation seeking to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

As noted in previous CSPEN emails and webinars, the legislation introduced in April is an attempt to complete the development of a bipartisan proposal similar to the legislation which made it through both House and Senate Committees and conference between the two chambers back in 2024, but was ultimately not enacted as part of the final reconciliation bill passed before the conclusion of the 118th Congress.

CSPEN will be monitoring tomorrow’s markup and provide a summary on the webinar as well. IF you are interested in watching the markup it will be livestreamed on the Committee’s YouTube website (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=0286f97cd9&e=05bce952ad) .

The post Earnings Accountability Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Officially Published appeared first on Career Schools Private Education Network.

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** Overview
In our earlier email this morning CSPEN shared with the community the decision made by the Administration to cancel requested and scheduled E.O. 12866 Meetings which were intended to provide interested parties with an opportunity to comment on the pending publication of the pending STATS and Earnings Accountability Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). We noted that the cancellation of the meetings set the stage for potential publication as early as today, and well…it happened.

CSPEN will now try to monitor the final day of the first session of the AIM Committee’s negotiations, while also beginning to analyze and summarize the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-Driven Workforce Pell: Student Tuition and Transparency System and Earnings Accountability NPRM.

Those of you interested in reviewing the Federal Register announcement can do so here (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=d653735a31&e=05bce952ad) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=26dddd1d82&e=05bce952ad)

You can also download the unpublished version now here (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=d985756a9a&e=05bce952ad) .

CSPEN will provide a review of the 394-page document as soon as we have time to go through all of the details.

Happy Reading!

The post CSPEN BREAKING NEWS: Unofficial Publication of Earning Accountability NPRM Posted appeared first on Career Schools Private Education Network.

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** Overview
While the higher education community and many other interested parties understandably focused on monitoring the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) Committee’s review and deliberations regarding the Department’s proposed regulations to overhaul the accreditation system, several other key events also took place this week that we wanted to ensure the community was aware of.

Below CSPEN provides–
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1. A summary of the first week of the accreditation negotiations heading into today’s final day of session one deliberations:
2. Highlights a new Senate bill focused on the 90/10 Rule;
3. Shares breaking news regarding a report developed by Diane Auer Jones entitled “Robbing from the Poor to Give to the Rich: The Flawed Logic and Failed Methodology Behind the Do No Harm Earnings Test” offering commentary on the metric’s design, data sources, anticipated outcomes, and alternative recommendations; and
4. Abrupt cancellation of scheduled and requested E.O. 12866 Meetings with the White House and Department to discuss the pending Earnings Accountability proposals prior to publication of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)

**
Session One – AIM Committee Federal Negotiated Rulemaking
On Monday morning, the Department of Education made it abundantly clear that it intends to deconstruct and reconstitute the accreditation system as detailed in the one-hundred-and-fifty-one-page discussion draft provided to the Non-Federal negotiators in advance of the first session. Under Secretary Nicholas Kent provided remarks making it clear that the Administration intends to take aim at specific concern regarding both the accreditation system itself to the standards and practices of the accrediting agencies as well. Taking the comments a step further, as the Department’s negotiator provided his opening remarks he stated that while he and the Department were interested in sharing ideas, the discussion draft was the Administration’s intended outcome. He added that with or without revisions and/or consensus, a Final Rule on accreditation will be promulgated before the end of the year.

As CSPEN noted during last week’s Federal Legislative & Regulatory Update webinar, the Department’s extensive list of proposals includes both benign and highly volatile items. Beginning Monday afternoon, the AIM Committee addressed all items by reviewing each page and discussing every proposal individually. Monday afternoon one of the lengthier discussions centered on the Administration’s frustration that more institutions had not voluntarily changed accreditors following the 2020 regulatory revisions that eliminated the regional accreditation system. The Department asserted that market forces were prohibiting institutions from changing, while for the most part institutions and others shared different perspectives. Throughout the entire week some of these differences of perspective have been on display. At other times the discussions have been more focused and heated, for example the discussion on transfer of credit and efforts by the Department to force the accreditors oversight in
this area were openly opposed. Similarly, negotiations have gotten more tense when issues like academic pedagogy, intellectual diversity, and outcomes.

Senator Jim Banks Introduces 90/10 Legislation
On Monday, Republican Senator Jim Banks of Indiana introduced new legislation entitled the “Promoting Access and Revenue Integrity Through Institutional Transparency Act.” The two-page bill proposes repealing Section 487(a)(24) of the law as well as subsection (d). The legislation does not have a bill number yet, but when it does, we will share those details with the community as well.

New Report Critical of “Do No Harm” Earnings Accountability Law and Proposed Regulations
Yesterday, former Principal Deputy Under Secretary Diane Auer Jones released a new report entitled “Robbing from the Poor to Give to the Rich: The Flawed Logic and Failed Methodology Behind the Do No Harm Earnings Test.” which is a MUST READ. The Abstract introducing the report states:

“This report critically examines the Do No Harm (DNH) earnings test, a highly flawed and scientifically unsound higher education accountability metric enacted by Congress as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Although Congress requires this metric to be applied to undergraduate degree programs, graduate degree programs and graduate certificate programs, the Department of Education (the Department) has proposed to use its regulatory authority to expand the test to include undergraduate certificate programs. The Department’s desire to hold all schools and programs to the same standards is commendable; however, the metric imposed upon them by Congress lacks validity and merit, rendering it an arbitrary and capricious regulatory test.

This report evaluates the DNH metric against accepted standards of experimental design, including those established by the Department 1 as the minimum required to demonstrate suitability for policy-making decisions, and finds that it fails in numerous and significant ways. The report demonstrates that the metric’s design systematically disadvantages low-income students and the institutions that serve them and in particular, has disparate impact at the certificate level on non-traditionally aged females and students of color. Importantly, the DNH metric ignores well understood employment trends, including that earnings grow significantly during the first 10 years of one’s career, that individuals from low-income families tend to take lower-paying jobs initially and experience slower wage growth than those from more advantaged families, and that women aged 24 to 35 are more likely than others to seek part-time rather than full-time work. Though this report points out the many reasons why
earnings tests are not a valid form of quality assessment or regulatory control, it includes recommendations that would at least align earnings-based accountability frameworks with accepted standards of scientific rigor and the access-oriented mission of Title IV programs.”

CSPEN has requested the authority to post the report on our website for community review. We will notify the higher education community on how to obtain the report very soon.

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Cancels Requested E.O. 12866 Meetings
On Wednesday, April 15th the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget abruptly concluded the process of enabling interested parties to share comments with Administration representatives. In making the determination, the Administration cancelled several requested and scheduled meetings. CSPEN anticipates that the Department of Education will likely move quickly to complete the final process of any modifications before submitting the final NPRM to the Federal Register for publication in the near future. CSPEN will be on the lookout for both the potential soft release of the NPRM by the Department as early as today and the official publication in the Federal Register which will establish the comment period and deadline.

The post CSPEN BREAKING NEWS: Department of Education Shares Documents For Accreditation Neg Reg appeared first on Career Schools Private Education Network.

Overview
CSPEN and the rest of the higher education community are having yet another busy week. On Monday, as we previously shared with the higher education community by CSPEN, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) released a series of documents to the Non-Federal Negotiators who have been selected and accepted the opportunity to serve on the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization Committee including the list of negotiators, the proposed protocols, a 151 page document providing a redlined version of the initial draft proposals the Department is seeking to promulgate, and a nine page summary of the initial set of proposals. CSPEN stated that they would immediately begin our review of the initial draft regulations for discussion and provide more information on Thursday during our regularly scheduled CSPEN Federal Legislative & Regulatory Update webinar.

Late Monday afternoon CSPEN received intelligence from the Administration and Capitol Hill that the House Education & Workforce Committee was announcing the introduction of legislation seeking to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The legislation, entitled “A Stronger Workforce for America Act” is an updated version of WIOA reauthorization legislation which came very close to being finalized prior to the conclusion of the 118^th Congress. That gave all of the higher education community focused on workforce education a nice little 506 page bill to review.

And if that were not enough to keep us all on our toes, today is the final day for all interested parties to provide comments in response to the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-Driven Workforce Pell: Pell Grant Exclusion Relating to Other Grant Aid; and Workforce Pell Grants Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

Here are a couple of very brief updates for you on these three important topics.

Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization Negotiated Rulemaking
Next week is the first of two one-week sessions of deliberations seeking to build upon the Trump Administration’s efforts to realign the Secretary’s criteria for recognition of accreditors to promote high-quality, high value, and affordable education for students that—
• Promotes such academic programs and activities at higher education institutions that are focused on student outcomes and are free from unlawful discrimination and other violations of Federal law;
• Reduces barriers that limit competition, innovations, and new education models that advance credential and degree completion;
• Holds institutions accountable for discrimination and other unlawful acts; and
• Advances academic freedom, intellectual inquiry, and student learning by ensuring that accreditation requires that institutions support and prioritize intellectual diversity among faculty.

The discussion document proposes major changes to the entire accreditation regime which CSPEN will attempt to summarize on tomorrow’s webinar.

A Stronger Workforce for America Act
In the House Committee on Education & Workforce’s press release is states that Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) introduced the legislation to make critical updates to WIOA (legislation enacted in 2014). Chairman Walberg is quoted as stating,

“The workforce is evolving rapidly, and legislation designed over a decade ago is no longer meeting today’s demands. This bill modernizes a struggling and underutilized workforce development system, delivering reforms that strengthen participant outcomes and ensure greater accountability for taxpayer dollars. This is a win for employers, job seekers, and taxpayers alike.”

His statement and the release explain—

Specifically, A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026:
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* Removes silos. This bill moves adult education to the Department of Labor—making it easier to connect adult education to apprenticeships, sector partnerships, and employer-led training especially as artificial intelligence reshapes skill demands.
* Upgrades the skills of more Americans. This bill dedicates funding toward upskilling workers through “individual training accounts” (ITAs), on-the-job learning, and other employer-led and industry relevant initiatives. It also helps a currently employed workforce gain new skills to avoid displacement and advance their careers.
* Delivers greater accountability and program quality. This legislation strengthens the law’s accountability system—holding states and local workforce boards responsible for delivering positive outcomes for workers and job seekers.

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Workforce Pell Grant NPRM
As of this morning 97 comments have been submitted and are available for review at regulations.gov (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=7944f7b85e&e=05bce952ad) . Institutions can review the comments here (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=12d3ca7c9f&e=05bce952ad) .

What’s Next
Tomorrow we will provide as much information on all three of these topics and more – including the current tracking of three E.O. 12866 Meetings that have been scheduled thus far, with more anticipated to be scheduled soon, including one for CSPEN. Register now for tomorrow’s effort to continue to provide you with timely, accurate and sourced information.

The post CSPEN BREAKING NEWS: Department of Education Shares Documents For Accreditation Neg Reg appeared first on Career Schools Private Education Network.

Overview
For the past three weeks institutions of higher education have been receiving new batches of BDR claims from the U.S. Department of Education for review and institutional comment prior to assessment and determinations by the Department.

CSPEN shared on last week’s webinar details that the Department has shared with us that the new BDR claims were from applications not part of the Sweet vs. McMahon settlement. As part of our update we noted that the anticipated announcement of more detailed information on the latest efforts to address the inventory of BDR claims.

Today’s electronic announcement provides this important information.

Please take the time to read and review the announcement which was just posted on the Department’s Knowledge Center website.

Here is a link directly to the announcement:

(GENERAL-26-22) School Notification Process Under the 1994 and 2016 Borrower Defense to Repayment Regulations (34 C.F.R. 685.206(c) and 34 C.F.R. 685.222) (centralstatesedu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=75e01bde202d593ed21c1c91c&id=76f4be2404&e=05bce952ad)

The post CSPEN BREAKING NEWS: Department Publishes New BDR Update appeared first on Career Schools Private Education Network.