A congressional staff member explains why Congress has difficulty controlling the federal role in higher education and suggests ways the higher education community can help make the federal government a more effective and responsive partner, e.g. assessment of the impact of federal programs by a coalition of nongovernment organizations. (JT)

Last May, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce and its 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee, which are responsible for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, introduced H.R. 4283, the College Access and Opportunity Act (superseded in 2005 by H.R. 609). None of the debates over this proposed…

The debate over the nature of the relationship between politics and education is continued by a United States senator and the president of the University of Massachusetts. (LBH)

Reviews activity in Congress, federal agencies, and higher education associations as legislation to extend and improve the 1972 Higher Education Amendments is being fashioned. Issues include a public vs. private debate regarding use of the Basic Opportunity Grant program (BOG) to foster access as opposed to choice among institutions. (JT)

Every six years or so, reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 provides the opportunity for Congress--and the nation--to examine the current conditions and consider the future needs of higher education. While reauthorization tends to focus on funding and on "fixing" postsecondary education's most visible problems, the…