Higher Education Act Reauthorization Samantha Mrstik

The Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965 was initiated as a part of President Johnson’s social Policy called the “Great Society”. HEA was designed to make higher education more accessible to socio-economically disadvantaged students. HEA has been reauthorized nine times, most recently in Substantial changes affecting teacher preparation HEA History

Special educators have nearly twice the attrition rate of general educators 49 states report shortages in special educators 90% of all districts report difficulty in attracting well-prepared teachers State of Special and Gifted Education

People with disabilities remain the poorest, least employed, least educated minority in the U.S. People with disabilities made up 25% of the workforce in In 2014, they only made up 16%. State of Postsecondary Education

HEA in a Nutshell Title I- General Provisions Title II- Teacher Quality Enhancements

HEA in a Nutshell Title III- Institutional Aid Title IV- Student Assistance

Title V: Developing Institutions Title VI- International Education Programs HEA in a Nutshell

Title VII- Graduate and Postsecondary Improvement Programs HEA in a Nutshell

CEC’s Legislative Recommendations Require teacher preparation programs to train all future educators to address the needs of students with disabilities and gifts and talents Emphasize high-quality clinical experiences for teacher candidates Address the chronic shortages in special education through well- funded student loan forgiveness and scholarship programs (e.g., the TEACH Grant Program) Ensure that accountability measures for teacher preparation programs do not rely on value-added measures of teachers once in the classroom

CEC’s Legislative Recommendations Increase postsecondary education opportunities for students with disabilities to increase access, recruitment, existing retention, and completion rates for students with disabilities; identify and promote effective transition practices; and increase access to instructional materials and dissemination of best practices related to postsecondary students with disabilities.

Status of the Reauthorization HEA Bills Just Introduced in the House Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act (H.R. 5528)

Accessing Higher Education Opportunities Act (H.R. 5529) HBCU Capital Financing Improvement Act (H.R. 5530) Status of the Reauthorization

What’s the hold up? Pell Grants- Controversial and expensive Election campaigns and other bills No significant action in 2016 HEA reauthorization will be on the Congressional Agenda in 2017

Thank you!