David P. Smole
Coordinator, Specialist in Education Policy
The 113th Congress may face an array of policy issues affecting postsecondary
education. Many of these postsecondary education issues may be considered
as part of efforts to reauthorize the Higher Education Act of 1965, as
amended (HEA). However, postsecondary education issues also may emerge as
part of other legislative efforts such as comprehensive immigration reform
(CIR), reform of the federal tax code, or the annual appropriations
process.
This report identifies and briefly examines several postsecondary education
policy issue areas that may be of general interest. For each of these
broader issue areas, the report provides a brief background summary and an
introduction to and discussion of various aspects of the issue. Varied policy
options are also identified for further consideration. The following
postsecondary education issue areas are examined in this report.
College costs and prices. What policy approaches are available that may
help address concerns about ongoing increases in postsecondary education
costs and the escalating prices colleges charge for tuition and fees?
The Federal Pell Grant program. What options might be considered to help
ensure sustained funding for the Pell Grant program at current or other
levels deemed to be adequate? Should changes be made to Pell Grant
eligibility or award criteria to contain costs or otherwise adjust the targeting
of aid?
Federal student loans. Are student loan terms and conditions and loan subsidy
rates well aligned with program aims? Should policy options be considered
that would affect the availability of loans, borrowing limits, interest
rates, repayment relief, or the role of institutions of higher education
in student borrowing?
Student loans and personal bankruptcy. Should all student loans continue to
be excepted from discharge in bankruptcy, except in cases of undue
hardship? What should constitute “undue hardship”?
Noncitizens and federal student aid. Should beneficiaries of comprehensive
immigration reform legislation be granted eligibility to participate in
HEA federal student aid programs?
Postsecondary education tax benefits. Are federal postsecondary education
tax benefits appropriately targeted and effective in achieving their
intended purposes? How do these benefits interact with traditional federal
student aid?
Institutional quality. Should new institutional or programmatic eligibility
requirements be considered to help ensure that recipients of federal
student aid are obtaining a quality education from the institutions they
attend? What would be appropriate standards for measuring or assessing
institutional accountability for educational or student outcomes?
College completion. Are students completing college at desirable rates?
Should new approaches be considered to further the aim of increasing
college completion?
Campus safety. How might efforts to promote safety on college campuses be
best supported while balancing the reporting and disclosure of campus
safety information with the protection of student privacy?
Date of Report: November 7, 2013
Number of Pages: 31
Order Number: R43302
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Kyrie E. Dragoo
Analyst in Education Policy
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is both a grants
statute and a civil rights statute. As a grants statute, IDEA provides
federal funding for the education of children with disabilities and
requires, as a condition for the receipt of such funds, the provision of a free appropriate
public education (FAPE) (i.e., specially designed instruction provided at no
cost to parents that meets the needs of a child with a disability). In
FY2013, $12 billion was appropriated for IDEA. In 2011, 6.5 million
children ages 3 through 21 received educational services under IDEA.
As a civil rights statute, IDEA contains procedural safeguards, which are
provisions intended to protect the rights of parents and children with
disabilities regarding the provision of FAPE. These procedures include
parental rights to resolve disputes through a mediation process, and present and
resolve complaints through a due process complaint procedure, and through state
complaint procedures. IDEA’s procedural safeguards also address
disciplinary issues. In general, a child with a disability is not immune
from discipline, but the procedures are not the same as for nondisabled children.
To be covered under IDEA, a child with a disability must meet the categorical
definition of disability in the act, and the child must require special
education and related services as a result of the disability in order to
benefit from public education. Once a child meets IDEA’s eligibility criteria,
FAPE is implemented through the Individualized Education Program (IEP), which
is the plan for providing special education and related services by the
local educational agency (LEA). The IEP is developed by an IEP team
composed of school personnel and parents. IDEA requires that children with
disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment. That is, to the maximum
extent appropriate they are to be educated with children who are not disabled.
In 2011, over 60% of all children with disabilities served by IDEA spent
80% or more of their time in a regular classroom.
To implement IDEA, states and other entities (i.e., the District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico, the Bureau of Indian Education, the outlying areas, and the
freely associated states) receive grants based on a statutory formula.
Most of the federal funds received by states are passed on to LEAs based
on a statutory formula. IDEA also contains state and local maintenance of
effort (MOE) requirements and supplement, not supplant (SNS) requirements
aimed at increasing overall educational spending, rather than substituting
federal funds for education spending at the state and local levels.
Originally enacted in 1975, IDEA has been the subject of numerous
reauthorizations to extend services and rights to children with
disabilities. The most recent reauthorization of IDEA was P.L. 108-446,
enacted in 2004. Funding for Part B, Assistance for Education of all Children
with Disabilities, the largest and most often discussed part of the act,
is permanently authorized. Funding for Part C, Infants and Toddlers with
Disabilities, and Part D, National Activities, was authorized through
FY2011. Funding for the programs continues to be authorized through annual appropriations.
Date of Report: October 31, 2013
Number of Pages: 35
Order Number: R41833
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T.J. Halstead
Legislative Attorney
This memorandum provides as overview of
statutory provisions governing the establishment and operation of Regional
Depository Libraries (RDLs) with a focus on the degree to which the Public
Printer of the Government Printing Office (GPO) may direct and control their
activities.
Date of Report: November 6, 2007
Number of Pages: 5
Order Number: M-110607
Price: $19.95
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