Senator Warren Blocks James Kvaal Confirmation Vote

HEADLINES

Warren Holding Up Kvaal Confirmation in Senate (Inside Higher Ed, June 23, 2021) “Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, is the senator preventing a full vote to confirm James Kvaal as under secretary at the Department of Education, according to a source familiar with the situation. But the hold isn't because the senator is pressing the Biden administration for widespread student loan cancellation, as reported by Bloomberg Government – it's about the administration of the student loan program.”

Board of Regents May Raise Community College-to-University Credit Transfer Cap (Kansas Reflector, June 23, 2021) “The Kansas Board of Regents may raise to 75 the number of credit hours that could be transferred from a community college to a state university following success of a two-year pilot involving Johnson County Community College and the nearby Edwards campus of the University of Kansas. Such a change will touch issues as diverse as student advising, program accreditation and tuition revenue.”

The Complicated, Divisive Work of Grading Teacher-Preparation Programs (Education Week, June 22, 2021) “One of the more under-the-radar areas of teacher education is also one of the most divisive: accreditation. And as the field continues to evolve, the debate over how best to determine the success and quality of the programs tasked with producing classroom-ready teachers remains far from settled.”

Civil Grand Jury Blasts Bay Area Community College District Board (EdSource, June 22, 2021) “The grand jury civil report’s findings mirror long-standing issues identified by former Peralta chancellors, trustees, Oakland’s NAACP chapter, and the Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team, a state-funded agency that provides financial oversight of K-12 and community colleges. In the last two years, three chancellors have left the embattled district. Those groups and individuals have been calling for state intervention to fix financial mismanagement, academic probation and low morale amid a battle to maintain the colleges’ accreditation. All four campuses were placed on probation last year by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.”