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ED Announces New Agency Partnerships to Transition Functions
On November 18, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced six new interagency agreements (IAAs) with the Departments of Labor (DOL), Interior, Health and Human Services (HHS), and State. This shift carries important implications for social workers, especially those supporting students, parents, adult learners, and individuals navigating workforce or post-secondary access programs. The IAAs aim to transition select programs offered by ED to agencies in order to “streamline federal education activities on the legally required programs, reduce administrative burdens, and refocus programs and activities to better serve students and grantees.”The announcement cites the IAA signed earlier this year between ED and DOL to support adult education and family literacy programs funded under Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and career and technical education (CTE) programs funded by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. Most notably for the social work community, the new IAAs include a partnership transferring management of ED’s Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program to HHS. CCAMPIS is a critical resource for low-income student parents, a population social workers frequently serve on campuses, in community organizations, and in family-support programs. The factsheet notes: “Should Congress choose to fund the program, HHS would be a better manager because of its expertise in administering federal child care programs.”
This shift could mean stronger connections between campus-based support and the childcare infrastructure that families already rely on, as well as improved continuity of services for student parents balancing school, work, and caregiving responsibilities.
Additionally, ED and DOL will have a postsecondary education partnership aimed to “create a better coordinated Federal approach to postsecondary education and workforce development to help more Americans achieve career success.”
Programs that DOL will now manage include, but are not limited to TRIO, Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, and Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities, among others. Many of these programs serve the same populations that social workers support: first-generation students, low-income individuals, graduate students in high-need fields, and students with disabilities. The factsheet for this partnership offers more information on implications.