"A limited number of short-term job training programs may be able to access the Pell Grant starting July 1, 2026 if they pass the regulatory guardrails established under proposed regulations signed off on Friday by the Department of Education and its advisory rule-making committee. The department will next post the draft regulations on the Federal Register and take public comment. After that, officials will have to review and respond to the public comments before finalizing the rule. Once that happens, governors can start the process and approve certain in-demand certification programs for Workforce Pell."
"When Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent took to the podium to deliver his closing remarks, he spent some time applauding the committee's work on the Pell Grant expansion. Then, he turned his attention to the next order of business-establishing accountability metrics for programs of all lengths. "For over a decade, certain programs and institutions have been singled out for accountability with nondegree programs and proprietary institutions facing the brunt of that scrutiny. Meanwhile, degree programs at nonprofit and public institutions have often been given a free pass," Kent said. "That ends now." The committee's discussion in the first week of January will center on revisiting an existing and highly contested earnings metric, known as the gainful-employment rule, while also standing up a new one called the Do No Harm standard. Knowing the complex nature of both programs and Kent's goal of "parity" across all programs, outside policy experts and committee members expect the second week of negotiations will likely be more contentious than this past week. In an apparent nod to that prediction, Kent asked that when negotiators "come to next month's session, [they] continue to keep students, not entrenched systems, at the forefront of [their] work.""
A limited number of short-term job training programs may access Pell Grants beginning July 1, 2026 if they pass proposed regulatory guardrails approved by the Department of Education advisory committee. The department will publish the draft regulations in the Federal Register, solicit public comments, and review responses before finalizing the rule. After finalization, governors can approve eligible in-demand certification programs for Workforce Pell. Education officials are shifting focus to accountability metrics for programs of all lengths, revisiting the gainful-employment earnings metric and introducing a Do No Harm standard, with negotiators urged to prioritize students over entrenched systems.
#workforce-pell #pell-grant-expansion #regulatory-rulemaking #accountability-metrics #gainful-employment
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