This article traces the evolution of higher education accreditation and the impact of modern partisan critiques that challenge its traditional values. For example, the Trump-led Department of Education (ED) introduced new rules resulting in the end of regional boundaries related to accreditation. Moreover, questions have emerged related to…

An advisory group representing a broad range of education leaders and experts from across the Commonwealth participated in the Massachusetts Accountability System Review Advisory Committee between December 2023 and June 2024. This document describes the work of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to engage…

This century has been a dramatic era for the for-profit higher-education industry. Enrollment at for-profit schools more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2010, but the sector was bruised and battered during years of clashes with the Obama administration, which sought to rein in abuses such as inflating job-placement rates and using high-pressure…

To effectively promote and advocate for our dance programs, we need to educate administrators, fellow teachers, counselors, and school board members using strategies that will help them deepen their understanding of dance's impact on student learning. In this article, we discuss how dance educators can use common educational language, brain…

As the federal government's role in the student loan industry has expanded over time, the United States has contracted with student loan servicers to help it administer its growing student loan portfolio. These servicers perform a variety of functions, including (1) communicating with borrowers regarding repayment; (2) disclosing information about…

Over the last two decades, prices in higher education have grown more quickly than prices in almost any other sector of the economy. Tuition inflation has been extensively examined. The examinations, however, have focused on a narrow set of explanations, none of which has revealed obvious opportunities for policy interventions that would slow this…

States have always had the ability to regulate institutions conducting instruction or other postsecondary activities in their states. In Fall 2010, a Federal regulation was first released tying institutional and student eligibility for Title IV Federal Financial aid to an institution complying with State laws. Colleges and universities were to be…

For many in the United States, debt is the price of upward mobility. An increasing number of jobs require some college, and wages are higher for people with college degrees. As states cut funding for higher education, colleges have passed the costs on to students. Nationally, 44.2 million people -- one sixth of the population -- hold a total of…

This update of the legislation/regulations and case law specific to pre-K-12 gifted students since a cluster of publications in 2004-2005 primarily focuses on the "gifted alone" category, with only secondary attention to twice-exceptional and other students in the "gifted plus" category. For the gifted-alone category, the…

In recent years, competency-based education (CBE) has made considerable inroads in higher education. Various institutions have developed or begun developing a range of programs modeled on competency-based principles. CBE is viewed by many, and with good reason, as a potential means to deliver a more effective educational experience at a lower…

Employers may not know the best way to reach out or how to structure opportunities for young people to explore careers within their organization. In addition, employers may be uncertain about liability, privacy policies, and safety regulations for employees under the age of 18. State and federal laws and policies pertaining to youth employment can…

On October 29, 2010, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) released the following new regulation for higher education institutions as "Section 600.9(c) State authorization": "If an institution is offering postsecondary education through distance or correspondence education to students in a State in which it is not physically located or in which…

Academic institutions modified their financial conflict of interest policies (FCOI) in response to the Public Health Service's (PHS) 2011 revised regulations (42 CFR 50 Subpart F) on "Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research and Responsible Prospective Contractors" (45 CFR 94), which were to go into effect on…

State-level momentum in support of vouchers and tax credits that help students go to private schools highlights what has been a largely theoretical issue: private school capacity to support voucher-financed enrollment. Academics say the national supply of seats in secular and religious private schools is sufficient to meet short-term demand from…

This is the 11th paper in AGB's series summarizing federal and state public policy issues affecting higher education. We hope that governing boards, institutional and university-system leaders, and senior staffs will find it useful for board discussions and retreats and in formulating institutional responses to these issues. For the next two…