Kudos to the Senate for Higher Ed Action

Now that ED's arm-twisting committee on accreditation has been busted, does that mean that outfits like NCATE will restore "social justice" to its glossary definition of dispositions? Yoo-hooooo! You can come out of hidey-hole now.

By a vote of 95 to 0, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved legislation to renew the Higher Education Act that would, among many other things, raise the ceiling for the maximum Pell Grant to $6,300, make it easier for students to apply for federal financial aid, sharply restrict the relationships between lenders and colleges, ramp up scrutiny of colleges that raise tuitions sharply, and scuttle the Education Department committee that recognizes accrediting agencies. The passage of the legislation means that within the space of five days, senators passed two mammoth bills — the other a budget reconciliation measure that would shift billions of dollars in federal funds from lenders to students — that could reshape federal higher education policy for years to come.

College groups and advocates for students offered bouquets of congratulation to senators for their work, praising the bipartisan nature of the measures and their overall thrust of trying to bolster access to higher education for students, particularly those from low-income families.