When #negreg happens during a government shutdown, none of the Department's regulatory proposals are public because the staff that posts them online is furloughed. New America's got you covered with all of the documents for next weeks RISE negotiated rulemaking www.newamerica.org/education-po...
Under Secretary Nicholas Kent previously defended one of the worst accrediting agencies that rubberstamped fraud. At the time, he called the move to fire that agency "an unfair process plagued by political influence" www.careereducationreview.net/2018/11/seni...
My latest for @educationwork.newamerica.org: My investigation with @antoinetteflores.bsky.social into how NACCAS, a beauty school accreditor, allows colleges with violations to keep accessing federal aid. Many fail to disclose sanctions to students.
🔗 www.newamerica.org/education-po...
NEW from @PEERResearch.bsky.social: We estimated how #highered programs measure up against the accountability standard in the reconciliation law. Overall, few programs fall short, but low-earning programs are concentrated in some schools, fields. www.american.edu/spa/peer/one...
Trump's ED Department has punished Harvard with heightened cash monitoring, an oversight tool for financially shaky colleges.
But as ED squeezes Harvard, it’s letting unstable colleges slide off HCM—leaving students & taxpayers unprotected:
My latest: www.newamerica.org/education-po...
"Budgets are being balanced on the backs of students—often in the forms of debt."
Replay today's Congressional hearing on #college costs to hear from our #HigherEd expert @amylaitinen.bsky.social on how that big "beautiful" (🙄) bill will have a big negative impact on student affordability.
“An attack that undermines accreditation is an attack on independence in higher education.” A new #Academe article by Antoinette Flores examines both the history of accreditation in higher ed and political interference in the accreditation system today.
@antoinetteflores.bsky.social
@newamerica.org
"accreditation is a reflection of shared academic values and professional norms—not a faceless, all-powerful regulator. An attack that undermines accreditation is an attack on independence in higher education."
Read @antoinetteflores.bsky.social: www.aaup.org/secret-weapo...
1/ I wrote for @theatlantic.com about what happened when Trump and Linda McMahon fired half the U.S. Department of Education: Everyone responsible for preventing higher education fraud is now gone. It's open season on students and taxpayers.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
It means colleges can continue bilking students and the government, making the rate ineffective. Changing the rules (by questionable means) is a handout to colleges getting rich on the federal governments dime and the backs of veterans. public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-12554.pdf
Today, without going through rulemaking, the Department nullified the consensus agreement and claims the language closing other loopholes is not valid. The 16 colleges that failed the new measure and the 34 that are on the verge of failure can recalculate their rates and will likely no longer fail
Regulations in 2022 closed the loophole by measuring all federal aid. It closed other loopholes too so that colleges couldn't create random programs without guardrails as a means of boosting other revenue. The regs resulted in consensus based on agreement between veterans and for-profit negotiators
The 90/10 rule is a market test requiring for-profit colleges to demonstrate they are able to attract students paying their own funds and not entirely subsidized by federal aid. But because it only measured student grants and loans, it led to heavy recruiting of veteran students using GI bill funds
This week, ED released 90/10 calculations, the first time since new regulations closed the loophole that allowed colleges to prey on veterans. It now includes all federal aid. 16 colleges failed compared to 5 using the previous measure. The problem? Today ED announced it was changing the rules
University of Austin co-founder Joe Lonsdale no longer just asking questions about race
Now that both House and Senate versions of higher ed reconciliation proposals are out @educationwork.newamerica.org has a number of recommendations on how policymakers can strengthen the accountability and loan repayment provisions to protect students and taxpayers www.newamerica.org/education-po...
Lawmakers are poised to extend Pell to short-term credentials. With few guardrails in place, it will incentivize an explosion in unaccredited for-profit providers, and rack up the cost of Pell. Taking note of anyone saying this is a good idea with no concerns www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
Two big takeaways from my new piece today.
One, the Trump administration is trying to strong-arm an accreditor into doing its political bidding. Two, Columbia’s accredition isn’t in real jeopardy if the proper processes are followed. www.newamerica.org/education-po...
Apropos of nothing, but here's my story from October on accreditation.
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
How could the One Big Beautiful Bill affect how we pay for college?
In the latest episode of @NewAmerica.org's #DemocracyDeciphered, @shannonlynchdc.bsky.social chats with @antoinetteflores.bsky.social of @educationwork.newamerica.org to break it all down.
🎧 go.newamerica.org/dem-decipher...
NEW via @srcellini.bsky.social @peerresearch.bsky.social: Congress might offer Pell Grants to #highered programs as short as 8 weeks -- including at unaccredited schools. Research shows that's likely to be both expensive to taxpayers and enormously risky for students www.american.edu/spa/peer/wor...
Sec. McMahon describes ED as “an agency that is responsibly winding down.” Meanwhile, House Republicans are seeking to pass legislation that would require it to dramatically ramp up to implement one of the most complicated set of changes in decades, setting off an implementation nightmare.
Today the Senate HELP advanced Nicholas Kent, nominee for ED's top higher education policy role, without a hearing. Kent's experience includes lobbying for for-profit colleges and against regulations that protect students. Here's what the Senate should have asked and the public deserved answers to
While Congressional Republicans are looking to strike the concept of gainful employment from the HEA, the Trump Administration is offering a strong defense of GE regulations in court, saying the need is acute given high levels of unpaid debt
Grand Canyon University misled students about the costs of its doctoral programs. Now it's off the hook.
open.substack.com/pub/friendly...
The U.S. Department of Education has canceled all 2025 Fulbright-Hays fellowships, leaving many doctoral students and faculty without key study abroad opportunities. A major setback for international education and global expertise. #FulbrightHays #HigherEd
www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...
A few new accreditors want federal recognition.
Their leaders are tied to predatory for-profit colleges, some of which defrauded students. My latest: www.newamerica.org/education-po...
Harvard redid its whole homepage to push back against the administration’s demands. I mean, this is just a website but I think it’s kind of a great PR move: www.harvard.edu
As of this morning, we've tracked over 600 student visa revocations at more than 100 colleges.
That's double yesterday morning's count. Send updates to me or @amowreader.com and follow @insidehighered.com interactive visa map here: www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...
Rather than removing corrupting political ideology by selectively limiting the federal influence in education, the Trump administration has inserted it — paving the way to re-establish a system rife with unjust discrimination.
