Transgender Students, For-Profit Colleges And Changes To The SAT
Welcome to our second weekly roundup of notable national education news! (Missed us last week? Find it here.)
The biggest ed headline of the week, of course, had to do with:
Transgender students and Title IX
In technical terms, the departments of Justice and Education this week rescinded Obama-era guidance on the interpretation of Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in education.
In symbolic terms, the Trump administration backed away from endorsing transgender civil rights on the federal level, at least as they concern students. This includes access to sports teams and locker rooms as well as restrooms.
In practical terms, states and districts will continue to set policies regarding the estimated 150,000 transgender students in the U.S. And in the courts, attention now turns to the case of a high school student in Virginia, Gavin Grimm, that is set to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court next month.
DeVos speaks to conservatives
This week, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos joined President Trump and other members of his administration in speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) outside of Washington, D.C.
NPR's Domenico Montanaro reports that she took a "defiant tone" in her brief remarks to the crowd. On transgender rights, she said: "This issue was a very huge example of Obama administration overreach, one-size-fits-all approach to issues best solved at [a] personal and local level."
Not surprisingly, she also used her speech to champion her favorite subject. "We have a unique window of opportunity," she said, "to make school choice a reality for millions of families."
The New York Times reported that, since the election, the for-profit college industry is bullish on the prospects of "regulatory relief." "DeVry Education Group's stock has leapt more than 40 percent," the Times noted. "Strayer's jumped 35 percent and Grand Canyon Education's more than 28 percent."
One of the regulations the industry might wish away is the "gainful employment" rule. As drafted by the Obama administration, it requires colleges to demonstrate that a significant percentage of students earn enough to pay back their student loans. When questioned during her confirmation hearing by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as to whether she would The Latest On DeVos And Education: Our Weekly Roundup : NPR Ed : NPR:
