http://chronicle.com/article/What-Duncan-Wishes-Hed-Done/233828

What Duncan Wishes He’d Done Differently — and What’s Next for the
Education Dept.
By Kelly Field OCTOBER 19, 2015

WASHINGTON

If the departing secretary of education, Arne Duncan, has any regrets about
his supervision of higher education, it’s not cracking down on "bad actors"
in the for-profit-college sector sooner.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mr. Duncan, who has served as secretary
<http://chronicle.com/article/Tough-on-Colleges-Arne-Duncan/233627> since
the start of the Obama administration and who announced this month
that he planned
to step down
<http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/education-secretary-arne-duncan-will-step-down-in-december/105475>
in
December, twice said he wished he’d issued the "gainful employment" rule
<http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2012/gainfulemployment.html>
earlier
than in 2009.

The rule, which took effect
<http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/gainful-employment-rule-survives-for-profit-groups-court-challenge/101079>
in
July after years of delays and lawsuits, cuts off federal aid to programs
whose graduates struggle to repay their student-loan debts.

"I wish we’d done that earlier," he said, in response to a question about
his legacy.

Later, when talking about his failures as secretary, he mentioned gainful
employment first.

"Getting to gainful earlier would have been the right thing to do," he said.

Asked about those remarks after the event, the under secretary of
education, Ted Mitchell, said earlier action on the rule would have
compelled colleges in the for-profit sector to improve their programs — or
close poorly performing ones — sooner than they ultimately did. "It would
have moved up the timeline," he explained.

'We all learned something from Corinthian.'
With a little over a year remaining in President Obama’s second term, the
administration is setting its sights on accreditation, with plans to issue
a package of proposed reforms this month, officials said. Among the options
being considered are executive action, new rules, and recommendations for
Congress.

"We all learned something from Corinthian," the for-profit-college company
that imploded over the last year,
<http://chronicle.com/article/US-Has-Forgiven-Loans-of/232855> Mr. Duncan
said.

Mr. Mitchell added that it was "really indicative that Corinthian was still
accredited the day they called us" to announce that the company was
bankrupt.

"It’s clear that accreditors need to be more focused on outcomes," he said.

Another lesson from Corinthian’s collapse: The Education Department needs
"to communicate more directly" with states and accreditors, and with other
federal agencies as well, Mr. Mitchell said. He said a new interagency task
force <http://chronicle.com/article/As-Scrutiny-Intensifies/230215> on
for-profit colleges is "a step toward sharing information early enough."

*Kelly Field is a senior reporter covering federal higher-education policy.
Contact her [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Or
follow her on Twitter @kfieldCHE. <https://twitter.com/kfieldCHE>*
Teri

Teri Morse, Advisor  (2015-16 President, MEEOA)
Maine Educational Opportunity Center
Mid Coast Territory
207.551.3331 CELL
207.581.2532 FAX