House Returns to State Work Ahead of Midterms

Last week, members of the House returned to their states and districts after a limited session following their August recess, which included passage of the continuing resolution (CR) extending fiscal year (FY) 2026 federal funding through December 11. The House state work period is now scheduled to stretch through midterms, from this week through the beginning of November. 

ACTION ALERT: Ask your member of Congress to support Education and Workforce Funding in FY27.

The Senate is still scheduled to continue its session next week, but increasingly, Senate leadership has similarly indicated members’ interest in returning to their states sooner than previously scheduled. Last week into this week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will continue to consider nominations for executive positions that remain vacant. Senate attention this week has largely focused on a college sports measure. Advance CTE will continue to monitor congressional action ahead of the recess. 

Comment Period for EDGAR Rulemaking Closes

This week, the comment window for ED’s recently proposed changes to the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) closed on Wednesday. The proposal includes several changes similar to those proposed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) earlier this year related to the federal Uniform Grant Guidance (UGG) but is not similarly delayed by the CR. 

Ahead of the deadline, Advance CTE and the Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE) submitted joint comments opposing several proposed revisions to EDGAR, raising concerns about potential impacts on State and local Career Technical Education (CTE) grant recipients, including increased administrative burden and reduced stability for federal grant funding. Read the joint EDGAR comments here.

Workforce Pell Expansion Continues with Federal Support

The expansion of the Workforce Pell (WFP) continues as ED announced the approval of three short-term programs in Nebraska last week, six short-term programs in Texas earlier this week, and six more in North Carolina earlier today. The approved programs prepare learners for careers in healthcare, emergency services, information technology, advanced manufacturing, and pharmacy technology, among a few other fields. Nebraska, Texas, and North Carolina now join Iowa and Indiana among states with approved programs. Read more about the approved Nebraska programs here, Texas programs here, and North Carolina programs here. 

Elsewhere, to support more WFP program approvals, DOL awarded $65 million in grants to seven states this week to help community colleges develop and expand access to more WFP-eligible programs. This sixth round of the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants will support partnerships among community colleges, employers, and other workforce organizations to develop programs aligned with regional economic needs. Read more about the DOL grant announcement here. Relatedly, DOL has recently proposed new data transparency requirements for this program, which are currently open for public comment. 

In support of these wider efforts, the ED recently released a new online, self-paced WFP training through the Federal Student Aid Training Center. The course covers program eligibility, approval processes, requirements for maintaining eligibility and awarding WFP, with additional training focused on managing workforce programs and classifying eligible learners. Click here to see the WFP online training details. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Releases Employment Projections

Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its employment projections for 2025-2035, estimating that U.S. employment will grow by 5.9 million jobs over the decade. The projections identify several sectors with significant anticipated growth, including healthcare and social assistance, scientific and technical services, and utilities – which is projected to have the fastest growth among major industry sectors. This BLS data introduces new artificial intelligence (AI) exposure categories alongside employment projections that identify occupations that may be impacted by AI. Read the BLS employment projections release here. 

ED Moves Forward with IPEDS Admissions and Consumer Transparency Data Collection

Last week, ED published a notice on the Federal Register to finalize the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) for the 2025-26 through 2026-27 collection years. The new collection aims to provide more detailed information about postsecondary admissions, enrollment, financial aid, and learner outcomes. This collection will collect and disaggregate information on admissions outcomes, admissions test scores, high school performance, family income, financial aid, and graduation outcomes, to provide users with additional information about admissions practices.  Read the notice from IPEDS collection here.

Odds & Ends

• The ED Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) proposed changes to the Consolidated State Performance Report, including eliminating several reporting requirements and consolidating existing reporting components. Comments on the proposed information collection are due October 15. Read the proposal here. 
• At the end of the summer, ED awarded more than $186 million through the TRIO Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers programs to support college access and enrollment. Read more about the TRIO funds here.