Continuing the College Access Conversation

Continuing the College Access Conversation

From dotEDU by American Council on Education

April 22, 2026 · 1h 0m · Season 7 · Episode 154

About this episode

The episode discusses the changes in federal TRIO programs and their impact on college access.

The landscape for federal TRIO programs has shifted dramatically since we talked about it in January. The Department of Education (ED) has issued new grant proposals that would cut the number of programs by more than half and fundamentally redirect TRIO away from its mission of college access. We welcomed back Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education, to walk us through what's at stake for these programs and the students they serve. The hosts also give the latest updates on ED's negotiated rulemaking. Links: U.S. Department of Education Issues Proposed Rule to Hold Colleges and Universities Accountable for Low Earning Outcomes https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-issues-proposed-rule-hold-colleges-and-universities-accountable-low-earning-outcomes ED Pushes Ahead on Accreditation Overhaul Despite Negotiator Pushback https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/ED-Pushes-Ahead-on-Accreditation-Overhaul.aspx Accreditation discussion draft https://www.ed.gov/media/document/2026-negotiated-rulemaking-aim-aim-draft-regulations-version-11-updated-04172026-113722.pdf Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request…

People in this episode

Host: American Council on Education

Guest: Kimberly Jones

Topics covered

  • college access
  • TRIO programs
  • federal education policy
  • grant proposals
  • negotiated rulemaking

Keywords

  • TRIO programs
  • college access
  • Department of Education
  • grant proposals
  • negotiated rulemaking

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Council for Opportunity in Education, Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education, American Council on Education

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