FR Doc 06-2405
[Federal Register: March 14, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 49)]
[Notices]
[Page 13111-13112]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14mr06-57]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance: Hearing
AGENCY: Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Education.
ACTION:
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otice of upcoming hearing.
SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a
forthcoming hearing of the Advisory committee on Student Financial
Assistance. Individuals who will need accommodations for a disability
in order to attend the hearing (i.e., interpreting services, assistive
listening devices, and/or materials in alternative format) should
notify the Advisory Committee no later than Tuesday, March 28, 2006, by
contacting Ms. Hope Gray at (202) 219-2099 or via e-mail at
Hope.Gray@ed.gov. We will attempt to meet requests after this date, but
cannot guarantee availability of the requested accommodation. The
hearing site is accessible to individuals with disabilities. This
notice also describes the functions of the Advisory Committee. Notice
of this hearing is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act. This document is intended to notify the general
public.
Date and Time: Tuesday, April 4, 2006, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending
at approximately 5 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW.,
Executive Room, Lower Lobby Level, Washington DC 20001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Nicole A. Barry, Deputy Director,
Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Capitol Place, 80 F
Street, NW., Suite 413, Washington DC 20202-7582, (202) 219-2099.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Committee on Student Financial
Assistance is established under Section 491 of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 as amended by Public Law 100-50 (20 U.S.C. 1098). The Advisory
Committee serves as an independent source of advice and counsel to the
Congress and the Secretary of Education on student financial aid
policy. Since its inception, the congressional mandate requires the
Advisory Committee to conduct objective, nonpartisan, and independent
analyses on important aspects of the student assistance programs under
Title IV of the Higher Education Act, and to make recommendations that
will result in the maintenance of access to postsecondary education for
low- and middle income students. In addition, Congress expanded the
Advisory Committee's mission in the Higher Education Amendments of 1998
to include several important areas: Access, Title IV modernization,
distance education, and early information and needs assessment.
Specifically, the Advisory Committee is to review, monitor and evaluate
the Department of Education's progress in these areas and report
recommended improvements to Congress and the Secretary.
The Advisory Committee has scheduled the hearing on Tuesday, April
4 in Washington, DC to launch its new Study on Innovative Pathways to
Baccalaureate Degree Attainment (Innovative Pathways Study). This
three-year initiative, which was originally included in the Senate's
HEA reauthorization bill, will identify creative programs and
strategies designed to increase the likelihood that students from low-
and moderate-income families attain a baccalaureate degree. The
Advisory Committee will focus on ways to eliminate major academic,
institutional, and financial barriers facing students and families from
middle school through college. Over the course of the study, the
Committee will produce a series of reports that highlight promising
approaches to ensure that students who aspire to such a degree move
through the access and persistence pipeline in an efficient, effective,
and timely manner. These reports will be designed to encourage federal,
state, and institutional policymakers to embrace best practices that,
over time, will narrow income-related gaps in degree completion.
The proposed agenda includes expert testimony and discussions by
policymakers and representatives from state agencies, institutions, and
early intervention programs who will address: (a) Innovative pathways
in middle school and high school designed to increase low- and
moderate-income students' chances of attaining a baccalaureate degree,
(b) promising strategies for improving the transition from high school
to college, including credit-based transition and dual enrollment
programs, and (c) programs in higher education designed to increase the
number of low- and moderate-income students that attain a bachelor's
degree, including those programs to increase the rate of transfer and
articulation from two-year to four-year institutions. The Advisory
Committee will also conduct a roundtable discussion among Committee
members and panelists on the Innovative Pathways Study, followed by a
public comment session.
The Advisory Committee invites the public to submit written
comments on the Innovative Pathways Study to the following e-mail
address: ACSFA@ed.gov. Information
regarding the Innovative Pathways
Study will also be available on the Advisory Committee's Web site,
http://www.ed.gov/ACSFA. We must
receive your comments on or before
April 3, 2006 to be included in the hearing materials; additional
comments should be provided to the Committee no later than June 30,
2006.
Space for the hearing is limited and you are encourage to register
early if you plan to attend. You may register by sending an e-mail to
the following address: ACSFA@ed.gov
or Tracy.Deanna.Jones@ed.gov.
Please include your name, title, affiliation, complete address
(including internet and e-mail, if available), and telephone and fax
numbers. If your are unable to register electronically, you may fax
your registration information to the Advisory Committee staff office at
(202) 219-3032. You may also contact the Advisory Committee staff
directly at (202) 219-2099. The registration deadline is Wednesday,
March 29, 2006.
Records are kept for Advisory Committee proceedings, and are
[[Page 13112]]
available for inspection at the Office of the Advisory Committee on
Student Financial Assistance, Capitol Place, 80 F Street, NW.--Suite
413, Washington, DC from the hours of 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays. Information regarding the
Advisory Committee is available on the Committee's Web site,
http://www.ed.gov/ACSFA.
Dated: March 8, 2006.
Dr. William J. Goggin,
Executive Director, Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance.
[FR Doc. 06-2405 Filed 3-13-06; 8:45 am]
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