Department of Education Set To Revisit State Authorization Of Distance Education

The Department of Education has released the list of participants in a negotiated rulemaking process set to begin on February 19.

In an earlier announcement (See November 26, 2013, Washington Update), the Department set out a broad range of possible topics for the negotiating sessions—including state authorization of distance education programs. The appointment of Russ Poulin and Marshall Hill to the committee signals that distance education rules will be on the table. Both are closely involved with the current State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) process. Mr. Poulin is with the WICHE Cooperative for Education Technologies, and Dr. Hill is Executive Director of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.

Active efforts are underway to obtain state participation in SARA, and it is unclear how new Department regulations would interact with this ongoing work. Additional information about the regulation of distance education and SARA may be found in a NAICU background paper.

For more information, please contact:
Tim Powers