DeRionne Pollard wants to see community colleges claim the spotlight as engines of innovation. She’s determined to elevate their work on the national stage.
Washington Watch Weekly, July 3, 2026
Final accountability rules released The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday published the final regulations establishing a new accountability and transparency regime based on program completers’ earnings. As covered in Community College Daily, the regulations are the last set of final rules issued to implement the numerous higher education components of last year’s One Big […]
Focus Forward, June 24, 2026
June 24, 2026 The AACC Strategic Compass is being used in exciting ways: to inform new strategic plans or revamp existing ones; as a retreat tool with senior staff or in special workshops; in meetings with chambers of commerce, workforce development boards, or other external groups. As I travel to different colleges, I am learning […]
Community College Minute, June 30, 2026
Washington Watch Weekly, June 26, 2026
House marks up campus culture bills The House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Thursday held a markup of 11 bills dealing with issues related to higher education, labor and healthcare policy. Five of the bills addressed campus culture issues directly. Most of the higher education bills were approved by the committee on party-line […]
Accreditation Draft Regulations: Perspectives and Implications Webinar
Download the slides for this webinar (PDF). Watch the webinar. Join AACC for a webinar on draft federal accreditation regulations that received “consensus” in May by a negotiated rulemaking committee established by the U.S. Department of Education. The webinar will include perspectives on what the draft regulations contain, as well as how they might impact […]
Focus Forward, June 10, 2026
June 10, 2026 Even the arrival of summer has not slowed activity in Washington, DC. People are on the move and legislative wrangling continues. Dr. Casey Sacks will replace Nick Moore as acting assistant secretary of career, technical, and adult education at the Department of Education (ED). As a former West Virginia community college president […]
Community College Minute, June 22, 2026
Washington Watch Weekly, June 19, 2026
Trump administration moves civil rights enforcement to DOJ The Trump administration announced this week that it will move some responsibilities of the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Under the new Interagency Agreement (IAA), ED will retain statutory authority over civil rights enforcement of educational institutions, but […]
Reimagining Leadership for a New Era
A new report from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) outlines the redesign of its professional development offerings. “Reimagining Leadership for a New Era” is the first in what will be a series of reports showcasing the revised programming. Download the report (PDF).