Category: News

State Board of Higher Ed. Holds Inaugural Meeting, Aims to Increase Competitiveness, Accessibility, and Affordability (September 30, 2024)

On September 27, 2024, the newly-established State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) held its inaugural meeting. The Board was established by the 2024 Public PA School Code and is tasked with re-envisioning public higher education in the Commonwealth and increasing access and affordability for Pennsylvania’s postsecondary students. 

Established under revisions made to the PA Public School Code this year, SBHE will provide the capacity and the support that higher education leaders need to develop a statewide strategic plan for the sector and work together to achieve goals critical to the Commonwealth. To support these efforts, the Board will create a new postsecondary data system, provide guidance and capacity to institutions facing fiscal challenges, and create stronger and more affordable pathways to postsecondary credentials and degrees.   

Governor Josh Shapiro’s appointments to SBHE consist of leaders from higher education, the business community, labor, students, legislators, and members of the Shapiro Administration. 

The 2024-25 budget has invested heavily in higher ed. with an additional $60 million in community colleges and the Pennsylvania State System universities, and an additional $143 million to PHEAA to make college more affordable for PA students, including: a $54 million increase for student grants, a $5 million increase for disadvantaged students’ scholarships, a $36 million increase for the Ready to Succeed Scholarship and expanded criteria to increase the number of eligible students, and $25 million for the new Grow PA Scholarship Program.

See Board materials by clicking to access the Pennsylvania State Board of Higher Education website.     

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please click here to visit the PDE website.

Time Article Sees Effect of Anti-transgender Policies on Suicide Attempts (September 29, 2024)

According to  Time magazine article, anti-transgender policies have caused a rise in suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth, a per a new Trevor Project peer-reviewed  study published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, which found when states pass anti-transgender laws (i.e., bathroom bans that bar trans students from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity or challenges to gender marker updates that make it more difficult for trans people to have their accurate gender on state IDs) suicide attempts among trans and nonbinary youth ages 13 to 17 increased from 7% to 72%. 

Using data from 2018 to 2022 with a sample size of 61,000 people aged 12-24 years, Trevor Project researchers compared suicide-related outcomes for trans and nonbinary youth in states that had enacted one or more anti-transgender laws to states that did not enact such laws while accounting for outside factors that could affect suicide rates. They found that trans and nonbinary youth are placed at greater suicide risk because of the stigma and mistreatment experienced in society, including discriminatory laws and policies. It is the first study to establish what the researchers call a causal relationship between such policies and higher suicide attempt rates.

The research also shows that the adverse effects of anti-trans state policies on minors were seen earlier, or shortly after a law was passed, and were much more pronounced compared to the broader sample size that encompasses adults since  many state-level anti-transgender laws [are] targeting minors under the age of 18, and therefore really limiting the ability of young people to access gender-affirming-care or facilities to participate in school activities and sports that align with their gender. 

To read more from Time, click here.

Rand Study Raises Questions on Effectiveness of Active Shooter Drills, White House Issues Executive Order to Help (September 27, 2024)

According to a September 18, 2024 Rand Corporation report, despite growing concerns and an increasing number of incidents of gun violence on school grounds in recent years, practice drills to prepare for such an incident remain controversial. Researchers found that “even practice drills — which simulate lockdown situations in an attempt to increase staff and students’ preparedness to respond to actual emergencies — may be troubling for school communities.” In fact, while active shooter drills have been shown to have a negative impact on the school community, their effectiveness remains questionable and only 20% of teachers said drills make them feel safer while half of teachers perceive drills as having no impact on preparedness.

In addition, active shooter drills are linked to increased depression, stress, anxiety and physiological health problems among students of all ages, as well as parents and teachers, according to 2020 research from Everytown for Gun Safety and Georgia Tech University.

Although active shooter drills can be stressful and fear-inducing for students, just 16% of teachers in the Rand research indicated their schools have adults monitoring students for signs of trauma in real time, which the National Association of School Psychologists and National Association of School Resource Officers both recommend.

On September 27th, in response to the above concerns, the Biden administration issued an executive order to improve active shooter drills. The order calls for federal agencies to help schools more effectively prepare for active shooter drills while preventing or minimizing potential trauma and tells federal agencies to improve school-based active shooter drills. Research on active shooter drills shows them to be controversial. The drills have been linked to increased depression and other negative psychological symptoms in students and the White House confirmed the problems in its announcement saying, “Many parents, students, and educators have expressed concerns about the trauma caused by some approaches to these drills.” 

The order thus directs U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and other federal leaders to publish information on school-based active shooter drills within 110 days, including resources on how to create, communicate about, and conduct effective drills in schools.

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) called the order “a step in the right direction” and Michelle Kefford, principal of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, said the guidance will help schools conduct age-appropriate drills. For more from K-12 Dive, click here and here.

School Leaders Should be Special Ed. Ambassadors (September 26, 2024)

According to presenters at the recent National School Leadership[ Conference, School leaders are vital to setting a culture of inclusion for all students, especially those with disabilities. Thus, school leaders must emphasize to staff, students, and families that all children can learn in age-appropriate general education classrooms with needs-driven curriculum. In fact, inclusive learning benefits students with and without disabilities.

For more on this topic from K-12 Dive, click here.

GAO Blames USDE for Botched FAFSA Release; USDE Promises a Smoother 2025-26 Rollout (September 25, 2024)

On September 24, 2024, after a monthslong investigation, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a pair of scathing reports that found the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) failed to properly oversee vendors, follow its own procedures, and properly communicate with students and colleges as they rolled out the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

The report found, that 74% of the total calls received (approximately for million in all) at USDE call centers went unanswered from January to May, which were the first five months of the FAFSA application cycle. 

Responding to GAO officials expressing concern that the USDE could repeat a similar debacle for the  2025-26 academic year, a USDE spokesperson said the agency has already made improvements for the 2025-26 form which will be fully available by December 1, 2024. In fact, starting October 1st the USDE will test the new form with a limited number of students and institutions to help ensure complete functionality when the form fully launches on Dec. 1st.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.