Higher education stakeholders met in Washington D.C. recently to discuss the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) and the issues that should be at the forefront of policymakers’ minds as they craft a final agreement.
The gathering, entitled The Higher Education Act at 50: A Time for Reflection and Revitalization, was hosted by the Lumina Foundation and featured four panels. The panel topics ranged from reflections on success and failures of past reauthorizations to the importance that the next reauthorization address the challenges faced by current students.
Several themes emerged within the panels that policymakers should address in the reauthorization process:
- Equity and accountability in higher education including completion and access, completion and quality, and consequences for “bad actors”
- Strong data on student outcomes and costs
- The increasingly polarization of the political climate and the impact on higher education
Council of Presidents 