GRC and Affiliate GRC Chairs,
This morning, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education ACT or ESEA). The bill replaces No Child Left Behind, which technically expired in 2007 but has still been governing K-12 education. While NACAC is pleased that Congress finally reauthorized ESEA, we are concerned that the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP), AP/IB test waivers, and a few other programs have been blocked granted. This means that the Department of Education gives each state a pot of money with little or no strings attached. States and local school districts can use that funding for whatever they like. Supporters of the bill argue that states and districts can use the funding for school counseling or fee waivers but there are no guarantees. NACAC will continue to update you on how Every Child Succeeds Act will impact college and career counseling. For more information, see White House Fact Sheet, White House Q/A, Duncan Statement, Senate HELP Committee Chairman Alexander’s statement and HELP Committee Ranking Member Murray’s statement.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Fisher vs University of Texas – Austin. The case questions the legality of a race-conscious college admission plan. The Court is expected to issue a decision in June 2016. Here are a few items that might be useful: NACAC’s Admitted Blog post on yesterday’s hearing; NACAC’s Diversity in Admission page; news summary of the arguments (Wash Post, NYT, NPR); and editorials in support of UT (NYT, Wash Post, LA Times, Time).