[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 81 (Thursday, April 25, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31741-31744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08541]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket ID ED-2024-OUS-0014]


Request for Information (RFI) Regarding Developing a 
Postsecondary Student Success Award Program for Institutions of Higher 
Education

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Education (Department) is requesting 
information in the form of written comments that include information, 
suggestions, and proposals regarding an award system to recognize 
institutions of higher education (IHEs) that serve as engines of 
opportunity and economic mobility by supporting all students to 
complete affordable credentials of value that prepare them well to 
participate in the workforce, their communities, and our democracy.

DATES: We must receive your comments by May 28, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at www.regulations.gov. However, if you require an accommodation 
or cannot otherwise submit your comments via regulations.gov, please 
contact the program contact person listed below under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT. The Department will not accept comments by fax or 
by email, or comments submitted after the comment period closes. To 
ensure that the Department does not receive duplicate copies, please 
submit your comments only once. Additionally, please include the Docket 
ID at the top of your comments.
    The Department strongly encourages you to submit any comments or 
attachments in Microsoft Word format. If you must submit a comment in 
Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), the Department strongly 
encourages you to convert the PDF to ``print-to-PDF'' format, or to use 
some other commonly used searchable text format. Please do not submit 
the PDF in a scanned format. Using a print-to-PDF format allows the 
Department to electronically search and copy certain portions of your 
submissions to assist in the rulemaking process.
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Please go to www.regulations.gov to 
submit your comments electronically. Information on using 
regulations.gov, including instructions for finding a rule on the site 
and submitting comments, is available on the site under ``FAQ.''
    Privacy Note: The Department's policy is to generally make comments 
received from members of the public available for public viewing on the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. Therefore, 
commenters should include in their comments only information about 
themselves that they wish to make publicly available. Commenters should 
not include in their comments any information that identifies other 
individuals or that permits readers to identify other individuals. The 
Department will not make comments that contain personally identifiable 
information (PII) about someone other than the commenter publicly 
available on www.regulations.gov for privacy reasons. This may include 
comments where the commenter refers to a third-party individual without 
using their name if the Department determines that the comment provides 
enough detail that could allow one or more readers to link the 
information to the third party. If your comment refers to a third-party 
individual, to help ensure that your comment is posted, please consider 
submitting your comment anonymously to reduce the chance that 
information in your comment about a third party could be linked to the 
third party. The Department will also not make comments that contain 
threats of harm to another person or to oneself available on 
www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Engle, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, room 5C136, Washington, DC 20202. 
Telephone: (202) 987-0420. Email: [email protected].
    If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and 
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For purposes of this award, the Department 
considers postsecondary student success to include providing access to 
an affordable education including to underserved populations,\1\ 
supporting students through to completion of credentials of value, and 
helping students navigate to career pathways that improve their lives 
through economic opportunity and mobility.
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    \1\ The definition of ``underserved student,'' for the purposes 
of this award, aligns with the definition of this term in the 
Secretary's Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for 
Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on 
December 10, 2021 (86 FR 70612) (Supplemental Priorities). This may 
include: (a) a student who is living in poverty or is served by 
schools with high concentrations of students living in poverty; (b) 
a student of color; (c) a student who is a member of a federally 
recognized Indian Tribe; (d) an English learner; (e) a student with 
a disability; (f) a student experiencing homelessness or housing 
insecurity; (g) a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or 
questioning, or intersex (LGBTQI+) student; (h) a student without 
documentation of immigration status; (i) a pregnant, parenting, or 
caregiving student; (j) a student impacted by the justice system, 
including a formerly incarcerated student; (k) a student who is the 
first in their family to attend postsecondary education; (l) a 
student enrolling in or seeking to enroll in postsecondary education 
for the first time at the age of 20 or older; (m) a student who is 
working full-time while enrolled in postsecondary education; (n) a 
student who is enrolled in or is seeking to enroll in postsecondary 
education who is eligible for a Pell Grant; (o) an adult student in 
need of improving their basic skills or an adult student with 
limited English proficiency; and/or (p) a military- or veteran- 
connected student.
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I. Background

    A college education can serve as a ladder to socioeconomic mobility 
and lifelong success. Postsecondary education is associated with lower 
rates of unemployment, higher levels of earnings, better health, and 
greater community engagement.\2\ Higher education--particularly at 
certain broad access colleges and universities that enroll a 
significant share of students from low-income backgrounds and serve 
them well--can dramatically increase students' socioeconomic mobility, 
launching students from the lowest-income households into lives with 
economic security,\3\ helping to build a strong middle class that 
contributes to local communities and the broader economy.
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    \2\ See, for example, Ma, J., & Matea, P. (2023). Education Pays 
2023. New York: College Board. Retrieved from: 
research.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/education-pays-2023.pdf.
    \3\ Chetty, R., Friedman, J. N., Saez, E., Turner, N., & Yagan, 
D. (2017). Mobility report cards: The role of colleges in 
intergenerational mobility (No. w23618. National Bureau of Economic 
Research. Retrieved from: www.equality-of-opportunity.org/papers/coll_mrc_paper.pdf.
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    However, at too many IHEs, a credential remains out of reach for 
many of their students. Just one in three first-time students at two-
year colleges, and only two in three first-time students at four-year 
colleges, graduate from the first institution they attend within three 
and six years respectively.\4\ Further,

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despite 80 percent of community college students (aspiring to transfer 
to a four-year institution to earn bachelor's degrees, only about a 
third of community college students transfer to four-year institutions. 
Fewer than half of those students complete bachelor's degrees within 
six years.\5\ Students from low-income backgrounds, first-generation 
students, students of color, English language learners, adult students, 
students with disabilities, and other students who have been 
historically underserved in postsecondary education often fare worse, 
resulting in double-digit gaps in graduation rates for some students of 
color (e.g., 43 and 46 percent of Native American and Black students 
respectively graduate within six years compared to 68 percent of white 
students in four-year institutions) and some students from low-income 
backgrounds (e.g., 49 percent of first-time, full-time Pell Grant 
recipients in public institutions graduate within eight years compared 
to 66 percent of non-Pell students)in comparison to their peers.\6\
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    \4\ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education 
Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), 
Spring 2004 through Spring 2013 and Winter 2013-14 through Winter 
2021-22, Graduation Rates component. (This table was prepared 
January 2023.) Retrieved from: nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_326.20.asp and U.S. Department of Education, National 
Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education 
Data System (IPEDS), Graduation Rates component, Spring 2002 through 
Spring 2014 and Winter 2014-15 through Winter 2021-22 (final data) 
and Winter 2022-23 (provisional data); and Admissions component, 
IPEDS Winter 2015 (final data). (This table was prepared January 
2024.) Retrieved from: nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_326.10.asp.
    \5\ Shapiro, D., Dundar, A., Huie, F., Wakhungu, P. K., Yuan, 
X., Nathan, A., & Hwang, Y. (2017/2022 update). Tracking transfer: 
Measures of effectiveness in helping community college students to 
complete bachelor's degrees. National Student Clearinghouse Research 
Center. Retrieved from: nscresearchcenter.org/tracking-transfer/.
    \6\ See, for example, U.S. Department of Education, National 
Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education 
Data System (IPEDS), Winter 2016-17 and Winter 2021-22, Graduation 
Rates component; IPEDS Fall 2010 and Fall 2015, Institutional 
Characteristics component; and IPEDS Winter 2015-16, Admissions 
component. (This table was prepared February 2023.) Retrieved from: 
nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_326.15.asp and U.S. 
Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 
IPEDS, Winter 2022-23, Outcome Measures component (provisional 
data). Retrieved from: nces.ed.gov/ipeds/Search?query=&query2=&resultType=all&page=1&sortBy=date_desc&surveyComponents=Outcome%20Measures%20(OM)&collectionYears=2021-
22&sources=Tables%20Library&overlayTableId=36029.
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    Many students who leave college unable to earn a credential also 
hold debt from financing their postsecondary education. The 
consequences of stopping or dropping out can be significant, 
particularly for these borrowers. Students who leave college with 
educational debt, but no credential, are far more likely to default on 
their student loans, even when their balances are relatively low.\7\ 
Recent Department data show that 68 percent of students in default on 
their Federal student loans did not complete their program.\8\ Without 
affordable credentials and degrees that lead to good jobs, former 
students may not recoup the time and money they have invested in their 
schooling, not to mention the public investment in financing their 
education. Student debt can also negatively impact the economy by 
reducing consumption in homeownership and everyday goods and 
services.\9\
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    \7\ Miller, B. (2017). Who are student loan defaulters? 
Washington, DC: Center for American Progress. Retrieved from: 
www.americanprogress.org/article/student-loan-defaulters/.
    \8\ Note: Among borrowers in default whose completion status is 
known. U.S. Department of Education. (2023). Data about Federal 
student loan borrowers in default. Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher 
Education 2023-2024. Retrieved from: www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2023/data-on-borrowers-in-default.pdf.
    \9\ Mezza, A., Ringo, D., Sommer, K. (January 2019). Can Student 
Loan Debt Explain Low Homeownership Rates for Young Adults? Consumer 
and Community Context (volume 1, number 1). Washington, DC: The 
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. Retrieved from: https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/consumer-community-context-201901.pdf.
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II. Postsecondary Education Success Efforts

    Many IHEs, non-profit organizations, systems of higher education, 
and States have invested in postsecondary education success efforts and 
have improved transfer and graduation rates for all students, while 
enrolling students reflective of the communities they serve--whether 
locally, statewide, or nationally--including underserved populations. 
These efforts pay dividends for the students earning credentials of 
value--affordable certificates and degrees that lead to economic 
opportunity--as well as for their regional economies and communities.
    For instance, studies show the importance of early support from 
institutions like help completing the Free Application for Federal 
Student Aid (FAFSA[supreg]) and well-designed financial aid programs, 
including high-quality free community college programs, in promoting 
student success.\10\ Other studies show that the adoption of co-
requisite (as opposed to pre-requisite) remediation programs and 
reforming placement policies can help ensure students successfully 
complete college-level coursework needed for graduation while 
simultaneously addressing opportunity gaps in access to courses, 
programs, and other supports that strengthen students' English or math 
skills,\11\ which may result from disparities in their secondary school 
experiences or delays in college-going to pursue employment. Similarly, 
research indicates that comprehensive, integrated academic advising--
including wraparound support services such as transportation and child 
care as well as accessibility services--can be critically important to 
ensuring students complete academic coursework and graduate at higher 
rates.\12\ Research also shows that students with disabilities who 
access universally-available or disability-related supports are more 
likely to persist in their college program.\13\ Colleges and 
universities that have improved student outcomes often go beyond 
implementing specific interventions by instituting more comprehensive, 
data-driven transformation efforts.\14\ Research consistently shows 
that implementing these kinds of evidence-based practices can improve 
postsecondary success rates, which is why the Department

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wants to shine a spotlight on the institutions and their partners that 
are already doing exceptional work to ensure successful outcomes for 
all of their students.
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    \10\ See, for example, Bettinger, E., Long, B., Oreopoulos, P., 
& Sanbonmatsu, L. (2012). The role of application assistance and 
information in college decisions: Results from the H&R Block FAFSA 
experiment. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 127(3), 1205-1242. 
Retrieved from: ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Study/78087; David, D., & 
Dynarski, S. (2009). Into college, out of poverty? Policies to 
increase the postsecondary attainment of the poor. NBER Working 
Paper, 15387. Retrieved from: www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w15387/w15387.pdf; Harris, D. N., & Mills, J. (2021). 
Optimal college financial aid: Theory and evidence on free college, 
early commitment, and merit aid from an eight-year randomized trial 
(EdWorkingPaper: 21-393). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at 
Brown University: doi.org/10.26300/wz1m-v526.
    \11\ See, for example, Institute of Education Sciences (2021). 
What Works Clearinghouse Summary of Evidence: Dana Center 
Mathematics Pathways. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. 
Retrieved from: ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Intervention/1602; Miller, T., 
Daugherty, L., Martorell, P., & Gerber, R. (2022). Assessing the 
effect of corequisite English instruction using a randomized 
controlled trial. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 
v15 n1 p78-102. Retrieved from eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1327668.
    \12\ See, for example, Karp, M., Ackerson, S., Cheng, I., 
Cocatre-Zilgien, E., Costelloe, S., Freeman, B., Lemire, S., 
Linderman, D., McFarlane, B., Moulton, S., O'Shea, J., Porowski, A., 
& Richburg-Hayes, L. (2021). Effective advising for postsecondary 
students: A practice guide for educators (WWC 2022003). Washington, 
DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance 
(NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of 
Education. Retrieved from: ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/28.
    \13\ Newman, L. A., Madaus, J. W., Lalor, A. R., & Javitz, H. S. 
(2020). Effect of accessing supports on higher education persistence 
of students with disabilities. Journal of Diversity in Higher 
Education. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED605478.pdf.
    \14\ See, for example, Gumbel, A. (2020). Won't lose this dream: 
How an upstart urban university rewrote the rules of a broken 
system. New York City: The New Press.
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III. Solicitation of Comments: Developing a Postsecondary Student 
Success Award Program for Institutions of Higher Education

    The Department is interested in developing an award system to 
recognize IHEs \15\ that are supporting success across all of their 
students by conferring affordable credentials of value that lead to 
economic success while enrolling student bodies reflective of their 
communities--including students from underserved populations. The 
Department requests comments on how to understand institutions' efforts 
to ensure success in postsecondary education in order to evaluate and 
select institutions to receive the award. We seek feedback on what 
information the Department should request or require of institutions 
that are invited to apply and what information we should use to 
determine which institutions should be selected to receive the award:
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    \15\ The term ``institution of higher education'' here has the 
same meaning ascribed the term in 20 U.S.C. 1001.
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    1. What metrics should the Department use and how should the 
Department measure performance on those metrics to determine both which 
institutions should be eligible to apply for and which should be 
selected to receive the award? The Department is particularly 
interested in--
     Which data and data sources to use related to access, 
transfer and completion, and post-college outcomes (e.g., preparing 
students for high-demand occupations that pay a livable wage or further 
training and education, providing economic value or affordability in 
relation to earnings);
     What benchmarks to use to measure performance and progress 
on these metrics and what methods to use to weigh performance across 
these metrics to assess eligibility and confer awards; and
     What contextual factors and operational structures (e.g., 
selectivity) should be considered alongside these metrics including 
whether and how to categorize institutions for purposes of award 
eligibility and receipt;
     Which categories to use to disaggregate student data 
especially for underserved students (e.g., economic status, first-
generation status, race/ethnicity, English learner status, disability 
status).
    2. How should applicant institutions demonstrate they are using 
data to drive success for all students while enrolling a student body 
reflective of the communities they serve, including underserved 
populations? The Department is particularly interested in understanding 
how the application for the award can show:
     Which data and research have been used to identify the 
institutional policies and practices needed to ensure success for all 
students and how data and research have been used to set goals and to 
implement and evaluate evidence-based solutions;
     Which data are used by institutional leaders, faculty, and 
staff to monitor progress toward success goals and what processes and 
structures are used to ensure data are well understood and used broadly 
and frequently across the campus community to ensure student success, 
especially for underserved populations;
     How institutions have assessed and addressed gaps in their 
data systems, tools, and capacity to support student success efforts 
and use these data to support systems of continuous improvement, 
including whether institutions are using more robust and real-time data 
than available from public data systems (e.g., IPEDS) such as leading 
indicators of student success based on course-level data (e.g., credit 
accumulation, gateway course completion); predictive analytics based on 
student engagement; unmet financial need; retention, transfer, and 
completion rates inclusive of all students; time and credits to 
credential or upward transfer; upward transfer rates and post-transfer 
success rates; pursuit of graduate education; and earnings, debt, and 
loan repayment by program and completion status; and
     How data are shared with other education institutions in 
the State or region, including those in the preK-12 system (including 
alternative preparation programs) and IHEs from which and to which 
students transfer, and with relevant State agencies, to inform 
coordinated student success efforts.
    3. How should applicant institutions demonstrate a commitment by 
senior leadership, including the governing board of the institution 
(where applicable), to support economic mobility through campus-wide 
student success efforts? The Department is particularly interested in 
understanding how the application can show:
     That the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the 
institutions reflect an actualized commitment to shared success for all 
students, including populations that may be underserved by 
postsecondary education;
     That the efforts and strategies undertaken by the 
institution create a shared value system and cross-campus culture 
supportive of an institutional commitment to student success;
     That the organization and staffing of the institution 
ensure a continued focus on maintaining or increasing success rates for 
all students, including through faculty and staff selection, 
onboarding, training, and development, and that faculty are well 
integrated into, and committed to, student success efforts;
     That the institution has established effective external 
partnerships by the institution to help support success efforts; and
     That the success efforts undertaken by the institution are 
sustainable, both through funding and through organizational design 
strategies.
    4. How should applicant institutions demonstrate the effectiveness 
of their strategies to ensure economic mobility through student success 
efforts? The Department is particularly interested in understanding how 
the application can show:
     The impact of effective implementation of interventions 
and strategies across all student groups leading to completion and 
post-college education and economic opportunity;
     The integration of such strategies with other 
institutional planning efforts, such as strategic plan development and 
renewal of accreditation processes, as well as continuous improvement 
efforts; and
     The rigorous evaluation of the strategies implemented by 
the institution and the dissemination of such evaluations to support 
knowledge-building in the field as well as transparency regarding 
student outcomes, such as through public dashboards.
    This is a request for information only. This RFI is not a request 
for proposals (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP or a notice inviting 
applications. This RFI does not commit the Department to contract for 
any supply or service whatsoever. Further, we are not seeking proposals 
and will not accept unsolicited proposals. The Department will not pay 
for any information or administrative costs that you may incur in 
responding to this RFI. The documents and information submitted in 
response to this RFI become the property of the U.S. Government and 
will not be returned.
    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities 
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will 
provide the

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requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich Text Format 
(RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, Braille, large 
print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible format.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this 
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published 
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To 
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
the site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 3402.

James Kvaal,
Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 2024-08541 Filed 4-24-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P