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How California could benefit if Trump actually dissolved the Education Department

Cal Matters 

Lance Christensen
January 16, 2025
A lot of Democrats are upset about the increasing chatter from President-elect Donald Trump and the incoming administration about eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.
For example, California’s state superintendent of schools, Tony Thurmond, responded by saying, “To tear down and abolish an organization that provides protections for our students is a threat to the well-being of our students and our families and of Americans.”
Much of the progressive attachment to the department is misplaced.
Rather than engage the proposal, Thurmond’s response seems like a projection of how he uses his own state-level Department of Education as leverage against districts he detests. It also ignores the fact that most education spending comes from local and state resources, and a significant chunk of federal funds don’t get to the classroom — or students themselves — because of the number of middlemen who take their cut first, particularly from grants.

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New Guidance Released for Colleges and Third-Party Servicers

Inside Higher Ed

Katherine Knott
January 16, 2025
Colleges are responsible for any “false, misleading, or inaccurate information” that their contractors provide to students, the Education Department said Wednesday.
The department has sought for nearly two years to increase its oversight of the outside contractors that colleges and universities use to help run online programs and to bring more transparency to the sector. Of particular concern to the department and consumer protection advocates is that the companies, known as online program managers, run online classes on behalf of a university. Critics say that setup misleads students into thinking they are taking a class with the college as opposed to an outside company.
The guidance document known as a Dear Colleague letter outlines three statements that would violate federal rules that prohibit a college from misrepresenting to students the nature of its education programs, the cost or the employability of graduates. The cited examples include identifying an employee of the OPM as a university employee and presenting an OPM recruiter as an academic adviser.

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Laken Riley Act Could Have Implications for Higher Ed

Inside Higher Ed

Jessica Blake
January 14, 2025
The bill would force harsher detention policies and could impact visas for lawful, documented individuals applying to work or study in the States.
Approval of U.S. visas—which has historically been up to federal officials in Washington—could soon be put in the hands of state attorneys general, creating immense uncertainty for colleges, universities and the international students and scholars they serve.
It all depends on whether the Senate passes the Laken Riley Act, an immigration measure that Republicans have championed as one of their first actions of the new 119th Congress.
Named after an Augusta University nursing student who was murdered in Athens, Ga., early last year by an undocumented migrant with a criminal record, the bill’s primary aim is to introduce harsher detention policies. But another section of the legislation that has largely flown under the radar could impact visas for lawful, documented individuals applying to work or study in the States.

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ED Finalizes Biden-Era Regulations, Withdraws Proposals Amid Transition

ACE

January 13, 2025
In preparation for the transition to the Trump administration, the Department of Education (ED) has finalized key regulations, withdrawn several proposals, and reinforced upcoming compliance deadlines. These actions mark the conclusion of the department’s regulatory agenda, addressing issues such as distance education, Title IX, and campus safety.Here’s what campuses need to know as ED’s focus shifts under new leadership.
Distance education, Return of Title IV, and TRIO programs: On Jan. 3, ED released final rules on distance education and Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4), concluding the 2023-24 negotiated rulemaking process. While the rules missed the Nov. 1 deadline for a July 2025 effective date, ED opted for early implementation of some provisions, with the remainder taking effect on July 1, 2026.
On distance education, ED did not move forward with several problematic provisions that ACE and the higher education community opposed. These included creating a new “virtual location” for reporting online enrollment and limiting asynchronous coursework for clock-hour programs. Instead, the final rule requires institutions to report enrollment in distance education courses through the National Student Loan Data System, starting July 1, 2027. The rule also includes a revised definition of a “distance education course,” reflecting ED’s focus on online learning quality. You can read more in this summary.

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