HEA Reauthorization Bill Signed Into Law!
(August 14, 2008)
Dear TRIO Colleagues,
We are very gratified to report that today President Bush signed the Higher Education Opportunity Act into law. This legislation, which reauthorizes the Higher Education Act of 1965, ushers in a host of positive changes to benefit TRIO programs and students. (A list of those changes appears below.) We at the Council wish to congratulate the entire community on this momentous piece of legislation. Truly, we would not have been able to accomplish these legislative goals if not for the many congressional meetings, phone calls, emails, and letters of TRIO activists across the country. We applaud your commitment and effort.
As we have mentioned during recent Government Relations conference calls, the actual implementation of these changes will be a long process that will require collaborative efforts by the U.S. Department of Education, COE, and the entire TRIO community. Therefore, as we celebrate the victory of HEA, we prepare for the next challenge of seeing these major changes implemented. This will be particularly critical with the upcoming SSS grant competition. As always, we will keep the TRIO community informed of developments as they unfold.
Congratulations once again and thank you for all you have done on behalf of low-income, first-generation students everywhere!
Sincerely,
Dr. Arnold L. Mitchem
President
Council for Opportunity in Education
Changes to TRIO in the Higher Education Opportunity Act
Changes Affecting All TRIO Programs
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Moves prior experience from being regulatory (i.e., defined by ED) to legislative (i.e., defined by Congress).
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Extends all grant terms to five years.
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Increases minimum program grant to $200,000.
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Defines as the primary purpose of any TRIO evaluation “the identification of particular practices that further the achievement of the outcome criteria” included in the bill.
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Removes the “in exceptional circumstances” limitation on grant applications from secondary schools.
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Instructs ED to consider the “number, percentages, and needs of eligible participants in the area, institutions of higher education, or secondary school to be served” in granting applications.
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Creates an appeals process for TRIO applicants involving a re-reading by a second peer review panel.
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Instructs the Secretary to “rigorously evaluate the effectiveness” of TRIO programs (including Upward Bound), but mandates that in doing so the Secretary shall not (A) require programs to recruit more students than normal or (B) deny services to eligible students. Additionally, in designing an evaluation, the Secretary must consider (A) the burden placed on program participants and institutions and (B) whether the evaluation meets the standards of institutional review boards.
Talent Search
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Adds a student's “completion... of a rigorous secondary school program of study” to the prior experience criteria.
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Allows grantees to target “students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are in foster care or aging out of the foster care system, or other disconnected students.”
Upward Bound
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Allows grantees to target “students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are in foster care or aging out of the foster care system, or other disconnected students.”
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Kills the entire Absolute Priority, including the evaluation.
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Requires that one-third of participating students be low-income individuals, first generation college students, or students who are at a high risk for academic failure.
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Instructs the Secretary to implement an evaluation of Upward Bound by June 30, 2010. (See parameters of evaluation methodology above.)
Veterans Upward Bound
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Includes language to expand the scope of the Veterans Upward Bound program to include federal reservists who served on active duty for more than 30 days, those who were called to action on or after September 11, 2001, and allows older veterans to participate in the program.
Student Support Services
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Allows branch campuses that were previously excluded to apply for grants. (NOTE: This provision actually applies to all TRIO programs but particularly impacts the SSS program.)
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Allows grantees to target “students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are in foster care or aging out of the foster care system, or other disconnected students.”
McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement
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Changes a prior experience criterion to “continued enrollment in graduate study and the attainment of doctoral degrees by former program participants.” This will allow funded institutions to receive higher prior experience scores.
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Expands definition of eligible students (i.e., those “underrepresented in graduate education”) to include Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
Educational Opportunity Centers
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Allows grantees to target “students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are in foster care or aging out of the foster care system, or other disconnected students.”
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Congress Passes HEA Reauthorization!
(August 1, 2008)
Dear TRIO Colleagues,
On July 31, 2008, both chambers of Congress passed the Higher Education Opportunity Act by overwhelming majorities. Specifically, the bill passed by a vote of 380-49 in the House and a vote of 83-8 in the Senate. As the legislation heads to President Bush’s desk for signature, the recently released statement of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings gives COE strong hope that he will, in fact, sign the bill into law.
This legislation reauthorized the Higher Education Act of 1965 for the first time in 10 years and included numerous provisions that enhance TRIO programs. Specifically, this legislation:
- extends all TRIO grants from four to five years;
- increases the minimum TRIO grant to $200,000;
- allows branch campuses to apply for TRIO grants;
- creates an appeals process for unsuccessful TRIO grant applicants;
- kills the Upward Bound Absolute Priority, including the double-recruitment evaluation;
- ensures that any future evaluation of TRIO programs protects the integrity of students and institutions by:
- disallowing over-recruitment and denial of services for the purposes of an evaluation
- requiring consideration of institutional review boards and the burdens placed on TRIO program participants and grantees;
- allows TRIO grantees to target student populations with particular needs, including:
- students with limited English proficiency
- disabled students
- homeless and foster youth
- “disconnected youth” (i.e., teen parents and students who have been involved in the criminal justice system)
- expands eligibility for Veterans Upward Bound to include:
- older veterans who served before January 31, 1955
- federal reservists who served for more than 30 days
- federal reservists called to action on or after September 11, 2001
In addition to changes that benefit TRIO, the legislation also:
- creates a simplified, 2-page Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application form;
- allows students to receive Pell Grants year-round; expands eligibility for the Academic Competitiveness and National SMART grant programs;
- and creates greater educational access for servicemen and women and their families through deferred and interest-free loans.
These are only some of the enhancements created by this bill that will benefit American students in pursuit of higher education. Please be sure to thank your Member of Congress for their support for this important piece of legislation. For your convenience, we have drafted a sample thank you letter here  (.doc).
Thank you all for your tremendous efforts in achieving this great victory for all TRIO students!
Sincerely,
Heather Valentine
Vice President for Public Policy and Government Relations
Council for Opportunity in Education
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