College Affordability Act presents a mixed bag for afterschool supporters

On October 15, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, introduced the College Affordability Act (H.R. 4674) (CAA) on behalf of all the Committee Democrats. Working expeditiously, the Committee  then passed the bill on October 31 by a 28-22 partisan vote after more than 50 amendments were debated during the three-day mark up.

The act serves as a reauthorization bill for the Higher Education Act last passed in 2008 and technically expired in  2013. The CAA is based on the AIM Higher Act, a comprehensive reauthorization bill introduced by Committee Democrats in the last Congress.

While few dispute the need for updated policy related to the federal role in higher education—especially in areas related to  student financial aid, access, equity, quality, educator preparation, transparency and accountability—the more than 1,000-page bill remains a work in progress. And for the afterschool field, the CAA is a mixed bag.

Some highlights relevant to the afterschool field included in the College Affordability Act:

• The bill includes an increased focus on special populations including homeless individuals, veterans, and unaccompanied and foster care youth. In certain areas it expands student support services for low-income and first generation college students.
• Aptly named, college affordability is the bill’s major focus. Changes include a more comprehensive system of financial education and support along a student’s continuum from K-12 and through postsecondary education. The trend is seen in updates to programs like TRIO (which serves students in the middle grades) and GEAR UP which would include more focus on financial and economic literacy counseling, as well as college and career counseling including information on college scholarships, loans, grants and the costs of college. The bill would also allow for scholarships as students transition from the readiness phase into higher education.
• The bill’s most substantial emphasis is on altering loan programs, providing more information on the expected value of college, and ensuring stronger financial support to meet students’ individual needs. Beside the big ticket item of a federal-state partnership that would make community college free, this includes grant opportunities for students with emergency costs, including some of the costs of child care, health care, or transportation expenses, which, while often just a few hundred dollars, can be enough to deter students from completing their degrees.

What we like

Title II: The proposed legislation has a large focus on educator recruitment and training under Title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement. The section includes increased attention in all areas of teacher and educator development around community engagement, emphasizing how important such skills are in working with parents and the community. The section also provides additional language around social and emotional learning, youth development, trauma-informed care, and culturally-responsive teaching.

Specifically, Title II notes the benefits of afterschool partners in a number of areas, including:

• Knowledge sharing: “Facilitate the sharing of knowledge, insight, and best practices in the community served by the school … including with youth serving providers (such as before- and after-school and summer programs).”
• Development of well-rounded teachers: Teachers should have knowledge and experience in “collaborating with stakeholders such as special educators, related service providers, out-of-school-time providers and parents.”
• Recruitment of diverse staff and high-need positions, including through Grow Your Own Programs: “[R]ecruit individuals, including members of racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in the teaching profession and individuals from other occupations (including informal education and youth development fields) as profession-ready teachers and other educators, with an emphasis on areas of State identified teacher shortage”; and later in the section, “after school and summer program staff.”

Additionally, during the markup process, Rep. DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) successfully inserted an amendment to further help diversify the teaching force by encouraging more recruitment of candidates with cultural and community ties to the area in which they would become educators.

What we’re watching

Title IV: Student Financial Aid programs includes the section on Federal Work Study (FWS). Since its foundation, this section focuses on helping students access paid work while earning their degrees, specifically with work on campus or serving the public good. While the major focus of revision in this section is in the allocation formula, a remainder of the section is the area of greatest impact for the afterschool field.

The proposed legislation would take away a long standing provision that universities commit a minimum of 7 percent of their work study funds to community service activities. Not only does data show that this provision provides more than $180 million to the service sector through federal and campus investment, but it helps universities meet the purpose of the law, which “encourage[s] students receiving Federal student financial assistance to participate in community service activities that will benefit the Nation and engender in the students a sense of social responsibility and commitment to the community.” (Page 57 of this Department of Education Guidebook is a good way to learn more.)

The proposed CAA bill would replace the 7 percent community service set-aside with a set-aside for work-based learning. While work-based learning helps students on their pathway from education to career, there is no strong rationale, in our view, for removing the community service set-aside in order to emphasize work-based learning: in fact, many service placements are themselves work-based learning. A number of students in community service federal work study positions discover through their work experiences an interest into education, health, business, and technology fields, and develop the ability to take on increasing leadership roles, while providing benefits to their community through service.

Additionally, during the markup of the CAA , Rep. Foxx (R-N.C.) introduced a substitute  amendment,  the HOPE (High Quality Opportunities in Post-Secondary Education) Act (see pages 313-320), which  eliminates all mention of community services  out of the section completely. The amendment did not pass, but Republicans may introduce it as a standalone measure as a substitute to the CAA once the bill reaches the House floor for a final vote, which the Afterschool Alliance will be monitoring closely.

The focus on work-based learning simply does not have to come at the expense of service. Campus Compact, an organization of more than 1,000 member universities with the goal of educating students for civic and social responsibility, are among those who have raised their voice to sustain the community service set-aside.

What’s next?

While we have heard that the House may be eager to move on the CAA by the end of the calendar year, the timeline for the Senate is much less certain. There is some possibility that a more comprehensive bill will be available by February. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has introduced a scaled-back bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act called The Student Aid Improvement Act of 2019. Sen. Patty Murray, the Washington State Democrat and ranking member on the committee, has repeatedly said she’s not interested in passing legislation that falls short of a comprehensive reauthorization of the higher education law.

We know afterschool programs have great experiences working with work-study students, who provide young people with role models and near-peer mentors, helping young people begin to map out their own paths to career and higher education.

We hope as the conversation continues around Higher Education reauthorization, through the House and the Senate, advocates raise their voices in support of the essential service set-aside. We will be one of them.