FY 2017 AGENCY FINANCIAL REPORT iii | U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY

Fiscal year (FY) 2017 was my first as U.S. Secretary of 

Education, and it has been nothing short of fulfilling. I 

would like to take a moment to reflect on what we have 

accomplished thus far and share the exciting efforts that 

we will pursue on behalf of America’s students, parents 

and educators.

Our mission is to promote student achievement and 

preparation for global competitiveness by fostering 

educational excellence and ensuring equal access. This 

mission drives me and all employees at the Department 

to work even harder than we had the day before. Our 

nation’s students deserve nothing less than 100 percent of 

our efforts.

Even though our administration began in the middle 

of the fiscal year, we have been able to build on efforts 

to identify new priorities and objectives to better help 

America’s students succeed. In FY 2017, we began work 

on four goals: first, to support state and local efforts to 

improve learning outcomes for all P–12 students in every 

community; second, to expand postsecondary education 

options and improve outcomes to foster economic 

opportunity and informed, thoughtful and productive 

citizens; third, to strengthen the quality, accessibility 

and use of education data through better management, 

increased privacy protections and transparency; and 

fourth, to reform the effectiveness, efficiency and 

accountability of the Department.

Achieving the first goal begins with acknowledging the 

fact that each and every child is unique, with different 

abilities, talents and needs. Far too many students do 

not have access to a learning environment that is able to 

maximize their abilities or meet their individual needs.

Every child deserves access to a safe and nurturing 

learning environment where they can grow and thrive. 

It is imperative they gain that access, regardless of where 

they live or how much money their family earns.

Our nation has taken concrete steps towards offering 

students that access through the implementation of the 

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law in 

2015 and currently in its first year of application.

No two states are the same—each has its own unique 

education challenges and opportunities. And, as in 

any other sector, the best solutions in education will 

come from the bottom up, not mandated from the top 

down. That is why the organizing principle of ESSA is 

to provide states with greater flexibility so they can best 

meet the needs of the students and families they serve. 

But a student’s education should not end upon graduating 

from high school. There are many pathways students 

can choose in their quest for lifelong learning and search 

for employment, and that is why we are committed to 

expanding the postsecondary education options available 

to them. Each year there are fewer “traditional” students 

seeking postsecondary degrees or credentials, thus our 

goal is to support the innovative and affordable options 

that meet their needs and help them succeed.

We started by making Pell Grants available year-round. 

This gives low-income students the flexibility to complete 

their education at a faster pace if they so choose, thereby 

potentially reducing their debt and allowing them to 

pursue the next chapter of their lives.

November 13, 2017
iv

MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY

FY 2017 AGENCY FINANCIAL REPORT | U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Access to federal student aid has allowed millions of 

students to further their education at an institution 

of higher learning, yet the customer experience for 

acquiring and paying off these loans has been subpar at 

best. Complex applications, confusing notifications and 

multiple platforms have all led to a lack of clarity and 

created an onerous process for borrowers. This reality has 

prompted us to begin transforming Federal Student Aid’s 

service delivery by implementing the Next Generation 

Processing and Servicing Environment. Our goal is to put 

in place a servicing system that will greatly enhance the 

user experience while protecting taxpayer dollars.

We are also committed to improving how Department 

staff access, use and share meaningful education data, 

while protecting the privacy of children and their 

families. These improvements will enable us to provide 

appropriate support to education stakeholders so they, 

too, have the information necessary to make informed 

decisions on behalf of their students, parents, educators, 

states and local districts.

Finally, it is important for the Department not only 

to look for avenues where we can help, but also to 

examine whether we are creating unnecessary burdens 

on educators, administrators and, most importantly, 

families. We want to foster a culture of innovation in 

education, and that begins by reviewing and removing 

those regulations that make it harder for educators to do 

what they do best: educate.

This year we paused the Borrower Defense to Repayment 

and Gainful Employment regulations, each wellintentioned but not implemented in the best way, so that 

we can revisit and rewrite them in a way that protects 

students, uses taxpayer dollars wisely and treats all 

institutions fairly. Throughout FY 2018, we will continue 

our review of all departmental regulations, rules and 

guidance to ensure that they are indeed furthering the 

Department’s mission.

When confronted with any decision at the Department, 

my first question is always the same: what will most 

benefit students? Improving education for every student 

is the entirety of the Department’s mission, and I remain 

laser-focused on keeping our orientation around what is 

best for them.

It is incumbent upon us to bring education up to speed 

to meet the ever-evolving demands of the 21st century. 

Thanks to the support of the President, and with the 

efforts of our entire staff, the Department of Education is 

poised to do just that.

Betsy DeVos