Fiscal Year 2016 Budget

Summary and Background Information

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

I. SUMMARY OF THE 2016 BUDGET ...................................................................................... 1

Department of Education Discretionary Appropriations ...........................................................3

Major Initiatives for Fiscal Year 2016.......................................................................................3

Increasing Equity and Opportunity for All Students.............................................................4

Expanding High-Quality Early Learning Programs .............................................................6

Increasing Support for Teachers and School Leaders........................................................7

Improving Access, Affordability, and Student Outcomes in Postsecondary Education........8

II. THE 2016 EDUCATION BUDGET BY PROGRAM AREA.....................................................11

A. HIGH-QUALITY EARLY LEARNING.................................................................................11

Overview ...............................................................................................................................11

Preschool for All...............................................................................................................11

Preschool Development Grants........................................................................................12

B. ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION............................................................13

Overview ...............................................................................................................................13

Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies ....................................................................14

School Improvement Grants.............................................................................................15

Investing in Innovation (i3) ...............................................................................................16

Teaching for Tomorrow ....................................................................................................16

Excellent Educators Grants..............................................................................................17

Teacher and Principal Pathways ......................................................................................17

Improving Teacher Quality State Grants ..........................................................................17

Educational Technology State Grants ..............................................................................18

Mathematics and Science Partnerships ...........................................................................18

Charter Schools Grants....................................................................................................18

Next Generation High Schools .........................................................................................19

Promise Neighborhoods...................................................................................................19

State Assessments ..........................................................................................................20

Ready-To-Learn Television..............................................................................................20

Striving Readers ..............................................................................................................20

Arts in Education..............................................................................................................21

21st Century Community Learning Centers.......................................................................21

Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Activities...................................21

Elementary and Secondary School Counseling................................................................21

Physical Education...........................................................................................................22

Advanced Placement .......................................................................................................22

Magnet Schools Assistance .............................................................................................23

Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE)...................................................................23

Leveraging What Works...................................................................................................23

English Language Acquisition ..........................................................................................24

Title I State Agency Programs..........................................................................................24

i
Migrant Education.......................................................................................................24

Neglected and Delinquent Education..........................................................................24

Education for Homeless Children and Youths ..................................................................25

Rural Education ...............................................................................................................25

Indian Education ..............................................................................................................25

Education for Native Hawaiians........................................................................................26

Alaska Native Education Equity........................................................................................26

Comprehensive Centers...................................................................................................26

Impact Aid........................................................................................................................27

Training and Advisory Services (Title IV of the Civil Rights Act) .......................................28

Supplemental Education Grants (Compact of Free Association Amendments Act) ..........28

C. SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES............................................29

Overview ...............................................................................................................................29

Special Education..................................................................................................................31

Grants to States ...............................................................................................................31

Preschool Grants .............................................................................................................31

Grants for Infants and Families ........................................................................................32

State Personnel Development..........................................................................................32

Technical Assistance and Dissemination .........................................................................32

Personnel Preparation .....................................................................................................33

Parent Information Centers ..............................................................................................33

Educational Technology, Media, and Materials ................................................................33

Special Olympics Education Programs.............................................................................34

Rehabilitation Services..........................................................................................................34

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) State Grants.....................................................................34

Supported Employment State Grants...............................................................................35

Client Assistance State Grants.........................................................................................35

Training............................................................................................................................35

Demonstration and Training .............................................................................................35

Independent Living Services for Older Blind Individuals ...................................................36

Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights (PAIR) .......................................................36

Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults........................................36

Special Institutions for Persons with Disabilities ...............................................................37

American Printing House for the Blind (APH)..............................................................37

National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)..........................................................37

Gallaudet University ...................................................................................................37

D. CAREER, TECHNICAL, AND ADULT EDUCATION.........................................................38

Overview ...............................................................................................................................38

Career and Technical Education ......................................................................................38

Adult Education................................................................................................................39

E. STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE..............................................................................40

Overview ...............................................................................................................................40

Student Aid Summary Tables...........................................................................................43

Federal Pell Grant Program .............................................................................................45

Campus-Based Programs................................................................................................46

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants ...........................................................46

Work-Study.................................................................................................................47

ii
Perkins Loans.............................................................................................................47

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants................................................................................48

TEACH Grants .................................................................................................................48

Federal Family Education Loans and Direct Loans ..........................................................49

F. HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS.................................................................................52

Overview ...............................................................................................................................52

Title III: Aid for Institutional Development ........................................................................53

Aid for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)......................................................................55

International Education and Foreign Language Studies (IEFLS) ......................................56

Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)......................................56

Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions ...............................57

Special Programs for Migrant Students............................................................................57

Federal TRIO Programs...................................................................................................57

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) .......58

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN)...............................................58

Model Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID)..................58

Child Care Access Means Parents in School ...................................................................59

GPRA Data/HEA Program Evaluation..............................................................................59

America’s College Promise ..............................................................................................59

College Opportunity and Graduation Bonus .....................................................................60

Howard University............................................................................................................61

Academic Facilities ..........................................................................................................61

G. INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES ........................................................................62

Overview ...............................................................................................................................62

Research, Development, and Dissemination....................................................................62

Statistics ..........................................................................................................................63

Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs).......................................................................63

Assessment .....................................................................................................................63

Research in Special Education ........................................................................................64

Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems ..............................................................................64

Special Education Studies and Evaluations .....................................................................64

III. PROGRAMS PROPOSED FOR CONSOLIDATION OR ELIMINATION, OR FOR 

TRANSFER ..............................................................................................................................65

A. Proposed Discretionary Program Consolidations or Elimination........................................65

B. Programs Being Transferred to HHS in 2015 ....................................................................67

IV. DEPARTMENTAL MANAGEMENT .....................................................................................68

History and Background ........................................................................................................68

Salaries and Expenses Overview..........................................................................................70

Department Employment..................................................................................................71

Program Administration....................................................................................................72

Student Aid Administration...............................................................................................73

Office for Civil Rights........................................................................................................73

Office of Inspector General ..............................................................................................74

iii
APPENDICES...........................................................................................................................75

Summary of Discretionary Funds

Mandatory Funding in the Department of Education

Summary of Mandatory Funds

Advance Appropriations for Department of Education

Total Expenditures for Elementary and Secondary Education in the United States

Detailed Budget Table by Program

For further information on the Department and its activities,

visit us at www.ed.gov, or call 1-800-USA-LEARN

iv
For the sake of our national identity and the health of our economy, every single young person 

should be able to look forward to a future that holds promise. And when so many States and 

districts have put in place the building blocks to sustain educational progress, when so many 

educators are working so hard to raise the bar for their students and support them in getting 

there, reversing course would be a terrible mistake.

Secretary Arne Duncan

I. SUMMARY OF THE 2016 BUDGET

The 2016 Department of Education budget request would continue to strengthen the building 

blocks of educational success in our States, school districts, and schools. States and school 

districts have made considerable progress in putting in place college- and career-ready 

standards and aligned assessments, turning around low-performing schools, and developing 

and implementing educator preparation, support, and evaluation systems. The signs of progress 

are clear: the high school graduation rate is the highest on record and students are making 

academic gains. But, many challenges remain. 

The Budget places particular emphasis on four areas: increasing equity and opportunity for all 

students; expanding high-quality early learning programs; supporting teachers and school 

leaders; and improving access, affordability and student outcomes in postsecondary education. 

In addition, it makes a cross-cutting commitment to using and developing evidence in order to 

maximize results for taxpayers and students.

The outcomes of our education system continue to reflect unacceptable inequities in the 

distribution of resources, including funding, high-quality teaching, and challenging coursework. 

Schools with many poor students are more likely to be under-resourced schools. In addition, 

students of color have less access to rigorous coursework. Only 57 percent of Black students 

and two-thirds of Hispanic students attend a high school where the full range of college 

preparatory math and science courses are offered. For this reason, the Budget includes a 

strong commitment to equity in education, including: a $1 billion increase for Title I, the leading 

program for children in poverty; closing the “comparability loophole” in Title I over time; and 

adding education resources for at-risk children across the Budget. The Budget also makes an 

investment in Next Generation High Schools that will help launch high schools that will be 

laboratories for cutting-edge teaching and learning and include a strong emphasis on expanding 

the participation of underrepresented student groups in science, technology and mathematics 

subjects and fields.

Unequal access to education starts early and too many children, especially those from lowincome families, continue to lack access to the high-quality preschool needed to ensure that 

they arrive in kindergarten ready to learn. The United States has fallen behind many countries 

in providing access to preschool education, and currently ranks just 25th in the world in its 

enrollment of 4-year-olds. The President’s 2016 request continues to propose transformational 

new investments in preschool: $75 billion in mandatory funding over 10 years for Preschool for 

All to reach all low- and moderate-income students; system-building through a $500 million 

expansion of Preschool Development Grants; and increased support for early education for 

children with disabilities. These increases are complemented by significant new investments in 

the Department of Health and Human Service’s Budget for child care, Early Head Start, Head 

Start, and evidence-based home visiting.

Teaching is one of the most important and challenging careers, and of all the school-related 

factors that impact student academic performance, great teachers matter most. Yet teachers 
2

today do not have the support, the opportunities, or the autonomy they need to succeed. This is 

why the 2016 Budget invests heavily in educators, including an expansion and overhaul of 

Federal support for teacher preparation; promoting State and local initiatives to strengthen 

systems for recruiting, developing, and retaining effective teachers and school leaders; and a 

large-scale new mandatory investment in broad-based reform in the teaching profession based 

on proven models, from the District of Columbia to Finland and Singapore.

Today, more than ever, Americans need more knowledge and skills to meet the demands of a 

growing global economy, and should be able to secure a quality education without accumulating 

crippling student loan debt. While the total aid available to postsecondary students has grown 

dramatically over the past 6 years, helping to ensure that more students are graduating college 

than ever before, a significant opportunity gap remains. America’s College Promise would make 

2 years of community college free for responsible students, letting them earn the first half of a 

bachelor’s degree and earn skills needed in the workforce at no cost. Coupled with a 

continuation of historic investments in Pell Grants, including indexing the maximum award to 

inflation beyond 2017; simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); and 

reforming and streamlining income-based repayment for student borrowers, the Budget is 

designed to take bold steps to make college affordable and to advance needed reforms to 

modernize and improve the Federal student aid programs.

Increased resources cannot improve outcomes for students unless the resources are spent well. 

The Obama Administration has long been committed to building and using evidence of what 

works to inform policy and resource allocation and to better support efforts at our Nation’s 

schools, colleges, and universities to provide a world-class education to all Americans. This 

Budget continues that commitment by increasing funding for programs that provide additional 

resources for interventions that either are based on evidence of success or help build evidence 

of what works in education, notably Investing in Innovation (i3) for K-12 and First in the World 

for higher education. The request also expands incentives for the use of evidence in existing 

programs, ranging from the Leveraging What Works initiative for K-12 formula programs to 

targeted increases in the School Improvement Grants and the postsecondary TRIO programs. 

Finally, the Budget strongly funds the infrastructure for evaluation in the Institute of Education 

Sciences.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Nation’s cornerstone education law, the Elementary 

and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), the Department still operates under the outdated 

and obsolete No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The 2016 President’s Budget continues 

the Administration’s longstanding commitment to provide States and school districts with 

resources and tools to continue and expand the hard work of implementing their Statedeveloped accountability systems that hold all students to high expectations, including raising 

standards, supporting teachers and school leaders, and improving low-performing schools. 

While ESEA flexibility has facilitated this work by enabling more than 40 States to partner with 

the Federal Government to move beyond the constraints of NCLB, the 2016 President’s Budget 

includes proposed changes in key areas of the law designed to accelerate State and local 

reforms—particularly in the way we recruit, train, support, and reward our educators—with or 

without ESEA reauthorization.
3

The Administration requests $70.7 billion in discretionary appropriations for the 

Department of Education in 2016, an increase of $3.6 billion, or 5.4 percent, over the 2015 

level.

The 3-year table below displays the Department’s request without Pell Grants, the discretionary 

request for the Pell Grant program, and the total discretionary request.

Department of Education Discretionary Appropriations

(in billions of dollars)

2014 2015

2016

Request

Change

from 2015

Discretionary

(without Pell Grants) $44.5 $44.7 $48.3 +$3.6

Pell Grants

(discretionary portion) $22.8 $22.5 $22.5 0.0

Total $67.3 $67.11 $70.71 +$3.6

1 The totals may not add due to rounding

The Department’s budget also includes mandatory funds. Mandatory funding does not require 

annual appropriations because authorizing legislation establishes a fixed funding level or a

method for calculating automatic appropriations without further congressional action. The 

largest mandatory programs in the Department's Budget are federally subsidized loans for 

postsecondary students, the costs of which are estimated based on assumptions about the cost 

of Federal borrowing, origination fees, repayments, and defaults. In total, discretionary and 

mandatory funding would make available almost $200 billion in aid to education in fiscal year 

2016, of which $148.2 billion is new grants, loans, and work-study assistance—an increase of 

$50.5 billion, or 52 percent, over the amount available in 2008—to help an estimated 

13.2 million students and their families pay for postsecondary education and training.

From fiscal years 2010–2015, the Department successfully streamlined and consolidated 

programs to save taxpayer dollars, improve efficiency, reduce administrative burdens, and 

better serve States, schools, students, and families. Congress eliminated or consolidated 

approximately 50 ineffective, outdated, or duplicative programs for a total annual savings of 

more than $1.2 billion, in many instances following the Administration’s recommendations. 

Legislation enacted in 2010 also ended the guaranteed student loan program, replacing it with 

the more efficient direct loan program. The resulting savings were invested in the Pell Grant 

program to support an increase in the maximum award, which has risen from $4,731 in award 

year 2008–2009 to $5,775 in award year 2015–2016; the 2010 legislation also established 

mandatory funding to increase the Pell Grant maximum award based on the change in the 

Consumer Price Index through 2017.

Major Initiatives for Fiscal Year 2016

This 2016 Budget request focuses on four major priorities: (1) equity and opportunity for all 

students; (2) high-quality early learning programs; (3) support for educators; and (4) improving 

access, affordability, and student outcomes in postsecondary education. The Budget continues 

to make a cross-cutting commitment to using and developing evidence in order to maximize 

results for taxpayers and students.
4

Increasing Equity and Opportunity for All Students

Equality of opportunity is a core American value that helps form our national identity, solidify our 

democracy, and strengthen our economy. Far too many students, especially in disadvantaged 

groups and communities, lack access to a high-quality education, including: strong teaching, 

rigorous coursework, high standards, engaging enrichment activities, safe environments, highquality preschool, and affordable higher education. All young people in this country must have 

the chance to learn and achieve. To close this resource and opportunity gap, the 2016 request 

provides a $2.7 billion or almost 12 percent increase for ESEA programs, including a $1 billion 

increase for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs)—the cornerstone of the 

Federal effort to ensure that all students—including poor and minority students, students with 

disabilities, and English Learners—graduate from high school prepared for college and careers. 

Key investments include:

• $15.4 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, a $1 billion increase, that 

provides much needed support to school districts and schools that have been serving a 

greater number of students from low-income families in recent years and also working to 

implement new college- and career-ready (CCR) standards and aligned assessments, close 

achievement gaps, turn around their lowest-performing schools, and use new educator 

evaluation systems to improve instruction and provide better support to teachers. The 

request also would help build State capacity to carry out these critical reforms by increasing 

the State-level set-aside of Title I funds from 1 percent to 3 percent.

• A new Equity and Outcomes Pilot for up to 10 participating Title I LEAs would promote more 

equitable and effective uses of Federal formula grant funds. Applicants would demonstrate 

a commitment to equitably distributing State, local, and Federal dollars—based on actual 

expenditures—to their highest poverty schools. In exchange, they would be allowed to use 

Title I and other Federal formula funds more flexibly at the district level to support 

comprehensive, evidence-based plans to improve achievement and outcomes for their 

lowest-achieving students in their high-poverty schools. 

• $11.7 billion for the IDEA Grants to States program, a $175 million increase, to make 

formula grants that help States pay the additional costs of providing special education and 

related services to children with disabilities aged 3 through 21 years, under the Individuals 

with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The request would provide a per-child average of 

$1,768 for an estimated 6.6 million children with disabilities, which would maintain the 

Federal contribution at approximately 16 percent of the national average per-pupil 

expenditure.

• $131 million for the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), an increase of $30.7 million, for an 

additional 200 full-time employees to help ensure that the Department’s Office for Civil 

Rights has the resources to respond to complaints of discrimination and to ensure that 

Federal grantees follow civil rights laws. These cases include complaints of sexual assault, 

discriminatory disciplinary practices, and inequitable access to educational resources 

including effective educators, rigorous coursework, and safe and healthy facilities. This 

work is crucial to the larger equity agenda of the Department.
5

• $773 million for English Language Acquisition grants, an increase of $36 million, to provide 

increased support to States as they help the significant growing number of English Learners 

in U.S. schools attain English language proficiency and become college- and career-ready.

• $555.8 million for School Improvement Grants (SIG), a $50 million increase that would be 

targeted to States that demonstrate a strong commitment to using SIG funds for evidencebased interventions, with new funds being used only for subgrants to LEAs that propose to 

implement proven interventions or school closures. 

• $375 million for Charter Schools, an additional $122 million to significantly increase the 

expansion and replication of high-quality charter schools in high-need communities. The 

request also proposes new authority for State educational agency (SEA) grantees to make 

subgrants to charter management organizations and other nonprofit organizations to 

replicate and expand charter schools with demonstrated records of success in improving 

student achievement.

• $300 million for Investing in Innovation (i3), an increase of $180 million that recognizes the 

importance of evidence-based grantmaking to develop, validate, and scale up effective 

education practices and strategies. In particular, this increase would support greater 

numbers of the larger Scale-Up awards for activities with a strong evidence base, building 

on the results of Development and Validation grants made in previous years and 

significantly expanding the benefits of proven interventions to more schools and students. 

Grantees would be permitted to use State and local funds to meet the program’s matching 

requirements.

• $125 million for a new Next Generation High Schools program to promote the whole school 

transformation of high school education to provide students with challenging and relevant 

academic and career-related learning experiences that prepare them to transition to 

postsecondary education and careers. Funds would support competitive grants to LEAs in 

partnership with institutions of higher education and other entities, such as nonprofit and 

community-based organizations, businesses, and other industry-related organizations that 

can help high schools prepare students to apply academic concepts to real world 

challenges.

• $150 million for Promise Neighborhoods, a $93 million increase, to support new awards to 

local partnerships to develop and implement comprehensive, neighborhood-based plans for 

meeting the cradle-to-career educational, health, and social service needs of children and 

families in high-poverty communities. 

• $100 million for a Leveraging What Works competition to create an incentive for LEAs to 

rethink their use of Federal formula grant funds, in combination with State and local 

resources, to support the innovative use of comprehensive, evidence-based strategies to 

improve student outcomes while continuing to focus Federal resources on serving high-need 

students.

• $53 million for Native Youth Community Projects, a $50 million increase to support 

community-driven strategies to improve the college- and career-readiness of Native youth by 

focusing on the unique educational needs of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) 
6

children. This program is a centerpiece among Administration investments across multiple 

Agencies designed to support a new and integrated approach to addressing barriers to 

success for Native youth.

Expanding High-Quality Early Learning Programs

The 2016 Budget renews President Obama’s historic call for universal preschool through the 

mandatory Preschool for All proposal, which would create a Federal-State cost-sharing 

partnership that would guarantee access to high-quality preschool for every 4-year-old from lowand moderate-income families while also creating incentives for States to serve children from 

middle class families. The President’s 2016 Budget request also includes complementary 

discretionary proposals designed to lay the groundwork for Preschool for All by building and 

enhancing preschool systems and expanding access to high-quality preschool models. 

• $75 billion over 10 years in mandatory funding for Preschool for All to support the 

implementation of universal high-quality preschool programs that are aligned with 

elementary and secondary education systems and help ensure that all children arrive in 

kindergarten ready to learn. The proposal would help States serve all children from lowand moderate-income families, create an incentive for States to expand access to highquality preschool for additional middle-class families, and promote access to full-day 

kindergarten.

• $750 million for the Preschool Development Grants program, a $500 million increase to 

build on the successful launch of this program in 2014 with awards to 18 States. This 

additional funding would support new awards to nearly every State that submits a highquality application, helping to build State and local capacity to implement and expand highquality preschool programs in an estimated total of 40 States.

• $504 million for the IDEA Grants for Infants and Families program, a $65 million increase, to 

assist States in providing high-quality early intervention services to approximately 

340,000 infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The Administration is 

proposing to reserve $15 million of this increase for Pay for Success pilots to expand early 

screening and early intervention services to infants and toddlers who would not otherwise 

qualify for services under Part C of the IDEA in their State. 

• $403 million for IDEA Preschool Grants, a $50 million increase, to provide special education 

and related services to children ages 3 through 5. Under the current statute, LEAs may 

reserve up to 15 percent of the funds they receive under Part B of the IDEA to provide 

coordinated early intervening services (CEIS) to children in grades kindergarten through 12. 

The Administration is requesting additional flexibility to allow LEAs to provide CEIS to 

children ages 3 through 5. The Administration is also requesting authority to waive CEIS 

reporting requirements for children ages three through five in order to reduce burden on 

LEAs that opt to exercise this flexibility. 

These programs and policies are part of a comprehensive approach to early learning that 

includes an expansion of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Head Start program, 

increased investments in Early Head Start to provide high-quality infant and toddler care, 

support for evidence-based voluntary home visiting programs, and an historic investment in 

ensuring that all low- and moderate-income families with young children have access to quality 

child care.
7

Increasing Support for Teachers and School Leaders

The 2016 request provides significant support for teachers and leaders who are doing the hard, 

daily work of implementing new CCR standards and aligned assessments, turning around our 

lowest-performing schools, and using new evaluation and support systems to improve their 

practice. The 2016 request includes:

• $2.3 billion for Improving Teacher Quality State Grants, that would support ongoing State 

and local efforts to improve teacher and principal effectiveness and help ensure that all 

students have equitable access to effective and highly effective teachers and principals, 

particularly in high-need LEAs, schools, fields, and subjects. The request would also 

expand the current 2.3 percent reservation for the Supporting Effective Educator 

Development (SEED) program to 5 percent of the total appropriation for Improving Teacher 

Quality State Grants.

• $1 billion in 2016, and a total of $5 billion over 5 years, for a new, mandatory Teaching for 

Tomorrow (TFT) program that would provide funds to States or districts willing to make 

meaningful transformations in their approaches to recruiting, training, supporting, retaining, 

and advancing highly effective teachers throughout their careers. States and school districts 

would submit high-quality plans including strategies that are based on or build evidence of 

effectiveness.

• $350 million for Excellent Educators Grants, an expansion of existing efforts to support 

comprehensive human capital systems that effectively use teacher and principal evaluation, 

with multiple measures including student learning, to develop, support, reward, and advance 

effective teachers and principals. States and school districts would use the requested funds 

to develop and implement innovative approaches to professional development and support,

career advancement, and compensation based on analyses of local needs. This program 

would build on and replace the Teacher Incentive Fund; the request is an increase of 

$120 million over the 2015 level for the antecedent program.

• $138.8 million for a proposed Teacher and Principal Pathways consolidation that would

support the creation or expansion of high-quality pathways into the teaching and school 

leadership professions. The grants would support institutions of higher education and 

nonprofit organizations that commit to working closely with school districts to carry out the 

important work of teacher and principal preparation. This proposal would consolidate and 

replace the School Leadership, Teacher Quality Partnership, and Transition to Teaching 

programs.

• $200 million for an improved Educational Technology State Grants program to help highneed districts take advantage of basic technology infrastructure, much of which is provided 

through President Obama’s ConnectED initiative funded by the Federal Communications 

Commission’s E-rate program, to implement exemplary models for using technology to help 

teachers and school leaders improve instruction and personalize learning. A portion of the 

request also would be used to build State capacity to provide technical assistance to help 

school districts use technology to improve instruction and to build evidence and replicate

effective local practices.
8

Improving Access, Affordability, and Student Outcomes in Postsecondary Education

In today’s economy, a postsecondary credential is the key to entering the middle class. By 

2020, an estimated two-thirds of new job openings will require some college. However, fewer 

than 1 in 10 students from low-income families complete college. To keep America’s economy 

strong and strengthen the middle class, the 2016 request would help make college affordable 

and help more Americans attain a college degree or certificate. The 2016 request funds a 

signature initiative, America’s College Promise, to make 2 years of community college free for 

responsible students, letting students earn the first half of a bachelor’s degree and earn skills 

needed in the workforce at no cost. Each of the proposals below is intended to support the 

President’s goal that America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates 

in the world.

• $1.36 billion in 2016 for America's College Promise, a $60.3 billion investment over 

10 years, which creates a new partnership with States to help them eliminate tuition and 

fees in high-quality programs for responsible students, while promoting key reforms to help 

more students complete at least 2 years of college.

• Fully funding and indexing the Pell Grant maximum award to inflation beyond 2017 to 

protect and sustain its value for students and families.

• Simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by removing data elements 

pertaining to assets and additional types of income and by relying primarily on information 

readily available in Federal tax returns, making it more understandable and easier for 

applicants to complete.

• Reforming and streamlining income-driven repayment by creating a single, simple, and 

better targeted plan that reduces complexity and simplifies borrowers’ experience, while 

helping them manage their debt.

• Reforming and expanding the Perkins Loan program to provide $8.5 billion in new loan 

volume annually, eight and a half times Perkins volume in recent years, allocating lending 

authority among institutions on the basis of the extent which institutions enroll and graduate 

higher numbers of Pell-eligible students and offer affordable and quality education such that 

graduates can repay their educational debt. The Perkins program expires at the end of fiscal 

year 2015, though some students can continue to receive loans through a narrow 

grandfathering provision. The new Perkins Loan program would address the scheduled 

expiration of the existing program and provide more students with increased access to 

affordable loan funds that carry important protections and benefits. Savings from the new 

program would be reinvested in student aid spending, specifically in extending Consumer 

Price Indexing of the maximum Pell Grant award beyond 2017.

• Rewarding colleges for results through the College Opportunity and Graduation Bonus

program, which would provide $7.0 billion in mandatory budget authority over 10 years to 

support colleges that successfully enroll and graduate a significant number of low- and 

moderate-income students on time and encourage all institutions to improve their 

performance.
9

• $1.6 billion to administer student aid programs, an increase of $185 million over the 

2015 level. Ninety-four percent of the increase is based on current loan servicing 

projections that reflects expected increases in loan volume, the aging of the student loan 

portfolio as more borrowers move into repayment, and renegotiated servicing contracts with 

pricing and incentives to improve customer service and keep borrowers current and in a 

payment plan that makes their debt manageable. Funds are necessary to maintain 

operations for student aid application processing, origination, disbursement functions, and 

student aid IT system hosting; manage the acquisition strategy for Federal Student Aid’s

(FSA) core contracts for application processing and system hosting; and improve reporting 

and dissemination of data to the public.

• $860 million for the Federal TRIO programs, a $20 million increase, to enable the 

Department to maintain funding for approximately 2,800 TRIO projects serving middle 

school, high school, and college students and adults, while also supporting a new TRIO 

Demonstration initiative designed to give existing grantees the opportunity to compete for 

increased funding to implement and evaluate additional, evidence-based, college access 

and success strategies and support dissemination of strategies that prove to be effective at 

scale to all TRIO grantees.

• $200 million for the First in the World program, under the Fund for the Improvement of 

Postsecondary Education, a $140 million increase, for competitive awards to support scaling 

up of innovative, promising, and evidence-based strategies to improve postsecondary 

completion rates and rigorous evaluation to test the effectiveness of these strategies when 

implemented in varied settings and when delivered to a wide range of students. The 

Administration plans to set aside up to 30 percent of the funds available (approximately 

$60 million at the requested level) for the competition to support the implementation of 

projects at Minority Serving Institutions.

• $200 million for a proposed American Technical Training Fund, to expand innovative, highquality technical training programs that use evidence-based practices, have strong employer 

partnerships, include work-based learning opportunities, provide accelerated training, and 

are scheduled to accommodate part-time work. Programs would be designed to help highpotential, low-wage workers gain the skills for employment in growing fields with significant 

numbers of middle-class jobs that local employers are trying to fill such as energy, 

information technology, and advanced manufacturing. This initiative would be jointly 

administered by the Departments of Education and Labor to help ensure that the projects 

are well integrated into the workforce system.

• $589 million for Adult Education to assist adults without a high school diploma, or the 

equivalent, to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for 

postsecondary education, employment, and economic self-sufficiency. The Adult Education 

and Family Literacy Act, authorized as Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

Act, promotes better alignment of the Adult Education program with Federal job training 

programs and the postsecondary education system.

• $30 million for Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Data/Higher Education 

Act (HEA) Program Evaluation to support the collection and analysis of performance data 

and the evaluation of Higher Education Act programs that either lack funding set-asides to 

conduct these activities or where such set-asides are not sufficient to cover the costs of the 
10

activities. The Department would use $29 million to conduct research, evaluations, and 

demonstrations to test approaches for promoting postsecondary access, program 

completion, and high-quality, affordable education programs and $1 million for activities to 

improve Higher Education program data quality and performance measurement.
11

II. THE 2016 EDUCATION BUDGET BY PROGRAM AREA

A. HIGH-QUALITY EARLY LEARNING

Overview

The Administration’s 2016 Budget renews President Obama’s call for universal preschool, 

supported by a 10-year, $75 billion proposal to expand access to high-quality preschool through 

a Federal-State cost-sharing partnership that would guarantee universal access to every 4-yearold from low- and moderate-income families and create incentives for States to serve additional 

children from middle class families.

The Federal role in education has long been dedicated to closing the achievement gaps often 

experienced by students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English Learners, 

and racial and ethnic minorities. While we have seen some progress in recent years, these 

gaps remain unacceptably wide, diminishing the life prospects for far too many of our fellow 

citizens, often denying them their full share of the American dream, and, at the same time,

slowing the growth and progress of our Nation.

It is well-established that these achievement gaps begin well before most children start school. 

For example, studies show that children from low-income families start kindergarten, on 

average, 12 to 14 months behind their peers in language development and pre-reading skills. 

We also know that children who attend high-quality preschool are better prepared for school, 

less likely to experience grade retention, score higher on reading and math assessments in the 

elementary grades, and more likely to graduate from high school than children who do not 

attend such programs. Moreover, these benefits are particularly strong for children from lowincome families.

And it’s not just children who benefit from the educational gains of high-quality preschool; 

multiple long-term studies show that for every $1 invested in high-quality preschool, taxpayers 

saved from $7 to $10 in future costs due to reduced remedial education costs, increased labor 

productivity, and reduced crime. 

In response to such data, many States and communities have launched their own efforts to 

expand the availability of preschool programs. Nevertheless, roughly one-third of 4-year-olds 

from low-income families are not enrolled in any preschool program, and the quality of existing 

programs varies widely. Fewer than 3 out of 10 4-year-olds are enrolled in high-quality 

programs.

The President’s 2016 Budget request includes two proposals designed to improve access to 

high-quality preschool for all children from low- and moderate-income families.

Preschool for All

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ — — $1,300.0

The 2016 request includes $1.3 billion to launch a 10-year, $75 billion mandatory investment in 

Preschool for All, a new Federal-State partnership that would support State efforts to provide 

access to high-quality preschool for all 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families. 
12

This proposal recognizes that high-quality preschool can provide the foundation for children’s 

success in school and help eliminate the school readiness gap between children from low- and 

higher-income families. The Preschool for All program would award Federal funds as an 

incentive for States to provide universal access to high-quality preschool, which includes the 

following elements: (1) high staff qualifications, including a bachelor of arts degree for teachers; 

(2) professional development for teachers and staff; (3) low staff-child ratios and small class 

sizes; (4) a full-day program; (5) developmentally appropriate, evidence-based curricula and 

learning environments that are aligned with State early learning and development standards; 

(6) individual accommodations and supports for children; (7) instructional staff salaries that are 

comparable to those for K-12 instructional staff; (8) ongoing program evaluation to ensure 

continuous improvement; (9) onsite comprehensive services for children; and (10) evidencebased health and safety standards.

Allocations to States would be based on States’ relative share of 4-year-olds from families at or 

below 200 percent of the Federal poverty level. States that already provide universal highquality preschool for such children would be able to use program funds to provide high-quality, 

full-day kindergarten for children from low- and moderate-income families or, if this is already 

provided, to provide high-quality preschool programs for 3-year-olds from families at or below 

200 percent of the Federal poverty level. The Federal Government would assume a significant 

share of the program costs in the first years of the program with States gradually assuming 

more responsibility over time.

Preschool Development Grants

program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $250.01 $250.01 $750.0

1 Appropriated under Race to the Top in fiscal year 2014 and under the Fund for the Improvement of 

Education in fiscal year 2015

The request includes $750 million in discretionary funding for Preschool Development Grants, a 

significant expansion of the program—launched successfully in fiscal year 2014 with awards to 

18 States—that would allow the Department to make competitive awards to nearly every State 

that submits a high-quality application. This program, which is jointly administered with the 

Department of Health and Human Services, paves the way for the successful implementation of 

Preschool for All by creating or expanding high-quality preschool programs that serve 4-yearolds from low- and moderate-income families. The grants support States seeking to: (1) build 

or expand high-quality preschool systems, including investments in workforce development and 

quality infrastructure components such as program standards, monitoring, and evaluation; and 

(2) scale up high-quality programs in targeted high-need communities that could serve as 

models for the Preschool for All initiative. The request also would expand the national activities 

reservation to 5 percent, in part to support proposed Pilots in Integrated Programming for Early 

Results (PIPER) in five to six communities that would test innovative approaches to 

strengthening the effectiveness of early learning interventions and improving the transitions of 

children from preschool into kindergarten through third grade. 
13

B. ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Overview

The 2016 request for elementary and secondary education includes $26 billion for programs 

authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), an increase of 

$2.7 billion, or 11.8 percent, over the 2015 level. The foundation of this new investment is a 

$1 billion increase for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), the cornerstone of 

Federal efforts to ensure that all students, including poor and minority students, students with 

disabilities, and English Learners, graduate from high school prepared for college and careers. 

Additional increases to support these goals include $438 million for programs aimed at 

supporting teachers in the classroom while improving professional practice in science, 

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); a $180 million increase for Investing in 

Innovation (i3) to dramatically expand the use of evidence to close achievement gaps and 

improve other student outcomes; and nearly $122 million in additional funding to expand the 

number of high-quality charter schools serving students in high-need communities.

The $15.4 billion request for Title I Grants to LEAs reflects the increased numbers of students 

from low-income families that school districts and schools have been serving in recent years

while, at the same time, they have been working to implement new college- and career-ready 

(CCR) standards and aligned assessments, close achievement gaps and turn around their 

lowest-performing schools, and use new educator evaluation systems to provide better support 

to teachers and improve instruction. The request also includes $556 million for School 

Improvement Grants, a $50 million increase that would expand support for States giving priority 

to evidence-based interventions to turn around persistently low-performing schools.

The $300 million request for Investing in Innovation (i3), an increase of $180 million, recognizes 

the essential, proven role of this pioneering program in developing, validating, and scaling up 

effective education practices and strategies. In particular, this increase would support greater 

numbers of the larger Scale-up awards that the Department anticipates making as applicants 

seek to build on the results of Development and Validation grants made in previous years, 

significantly expanding the benefits of proven interventions to more schools and students.

The 2016 request provides additional support for increasing the access of students in high-need 

districts and schools to highly effective teachers, ensuring teachers have the support necessary 

to be successful in the classroom, building the pipeline of effective teachers and principals, and 

helping teachers take full advantage of educational technology to implement effectively the new 

CCR standards and aligned assessments. The $1 billion mandatory request for Teaching for 

Tomorrow (TFT) grants would fund competitive grants to assist States in dramatically improving 

teacher recruitment, selection, and early career supports, and support States and districts in 

increasing the retention of excellent teachers and implementing innovative, evidence-based 

models for induction, mentoring, evaluation, and support to improve teacher performance and 

increase access to effective teachers for all students. Building on lessons learned from the 

Teacher Incentive Fund, the $350 million request for Excellent Educators Grants would support 

evidence-based initiatives to strengthen State and local systems for recruiting, developing, and 

retaining effective teachers and principals in high-need districts and schools. The new 

$138.8 million Teacher and Principal Pathways proposal would support evidence-based 

investments in IHEs and nonprofit organizations, working closely with school districts, to carry 

out the important work of teacher and principal preparation. The $200 million Educational 

Technology State Grants request would create exemplary models of support for teachers and 
14

principals to ensure educators have the skills and tools to use technology effectively to improve

instruction and personalize learning, while also building State capacity to identify and scale 

effective local practices to other districts.

The 2016 request also includes significant investments in effective and innovative schools, 

including a $122 million increase for the Charter Schools Program and $125 million for a STEMfocused Next Generation High School proposal designed to transform the high school 

experience for the 21st century, in part through closer links to postsecondary, research, and 

business partners in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. The Administration also would 

create an incentive, through a $100 million Leveraging What Works competition, for LEAs to 

rethink their use of Federal formula grant funds, in combination with State and local resources, 

to support the innovative use of comprehensive, evidence-based strategies to improve student 

outcomes. Finally, the request reflects the Administration’s commitment to building ladders of 

opportunity for all children in every one of our communities, nearly tripling support (to 

$150 million) for the Promise Neighborhoods program and dramatically expanding the Native 

Youth Community Projects initiative launched in fiscal year 2015, providing an additional 

$50 million to support community-based solutions to educational and other challenges 

confronting youth in Native American communities.

Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $14,384.8 $14,409.8 $15,409.8

Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies provide supplemental education funding, especially 

in high-poverty areas, for local programs that provide extra academic support to help raise the 

achievement of students at risk of educational failure or, in the case of schoolwide programs, to 

help all students in high-poverty schools meet challenging State academic standards. The 

program serves nearly 24 million students in 84 percent of school districts and more than half of 

all public schools, including 68 percent of the Nation’s elementary schools. Title I Grants to 

LEAs also provide the foundation for the ESEA’s accountability system, which emphasizes 

State and local responsibilities in the areas of standards and assessments, measuring student 

academic progress, supporting school improvement, and improving teacher quality.

The increase proposed for 2016 recognizes the challenges that States, school districts, and 

schools have faced in recent years in ensuring that an increasing number of students served 

under the program meet challenging new college- and career-ready standards (CCR). The 

request also would build State capacity, through an increase in the State-level set-aside of 

Title I funds from 1 percent to 3 percent, to support critical reforms, primarily under the ESEA 

flexibility requests that more than 40 States are implementing in the areas of CCR standards 

and aligned assessments, rigorous systems of differentiated accountability, support for lowperforming schools, and educator evaluation systems. 

Title I gives local districts and schools considerable flexibility in using Federal funds to support 

instructional strategies and methods that best meet local needs, including the “targeted 

assistance” model that supplements the regular education program for individual children 

deemed most in need of special assistance, or the “schoolwide” model that allows schools to 

use Title I funds in combination with other Federal, State, and local funds to improve the overall 

instructional program for all children in a school. Schools in which poor children account for at 

least 40 percent of enrollment are eligible to operate schoolwide programs, and in the
15

2012–2013 school year approximately 40,632 schools, or 74 percent of all Title I schools, 

operated these programs, which accounted for approximately 94 percent of participating 

students.

The ESEA encourages the use of Title I funds for effective educational practices grounded in 

scientifically based research. Schools must further ensure that services provided with Title I 

funds supplement the regular instruction that students would receive in the absence of Title I 

funds, such as by extending the school day, week, or year. The request includes strengthened 

comparability requirements that would help ensure that these supplemental Title I funds are 

added to an equitable base of State and local resources in the high-poverty schools that Title I 

serves. Schools also must provide ongoing professional development for staff working with 

disadvantaged students and carry out activities designed to increase parental involvement. 

Additionally, Title I funds may be used to support high-quality preschool programs for eligible 

children and joint professional development for school staff and other early childhood educators.

The Administration also is proposing an Equity and Outcomes Pilot for up to 10 participating 

Title I LEAs that would promote a more equitable and efficient use of funds. Grantees would 

commit to demonstrating that they are equitably distributing State, local, and Federal dollars—

based on actual expenditures—to their highest poverty schools. In exchange, they would be 

allowed to use Title I and other Federal formula funds more flexibly at the district level to support 

comprehensive, evidence-based plans to improve achievement and outcomes for their lowestachieving students in their high-poverty schools. Grantees also would report on student 

outcomes linked to expenditures at the school level to ensure that investments serve the lowestachieving students effectively.

Finally, the request includes a modification of the appropriations language authority allowing the 

Department to reserve up to 0.5 percent of funds appropriated for all ESEA programs to support 

the comprehensive evaluation of the implementation, outcomes, impact, and cost-effectiveness 

of any individual ESEA programs. The Department would seek appropriations language 

allowing it to reserve funds from Titles I and III, which currently are excluded from this “pooled 

evaluation” authority, except that any reservation of Title I Grants to LEAs funds would be 

limited to 0.1 percent of the appropriation. 

School Improvement Grants

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $505.8 $505.8 $555.8

School Improvement Grants (SIG) continue to play a critical role in efforts to implement rigorous 

interventions in the Nation’s lowest-performing schools. Formula funds would be used by SEAs 

primarily to continue subgrants made with prior-year funds under new program requirements

that reflect 2014 and 2015 appropriations language and lessons learned from 4 years of SIG 

implementation. These requirements, among other things, allow LEAs to implement additional 

intervention models, including an evidence-based, whole-school reform model; an alternative 

State-determined model; and a model that includes a focus on supporting early learning as an 

improvement strategy in the early elementary grades.

The requested increase would provide additional support to States that demonstrate a strong 

commitment to using SIG funds for evidence-based interventions, with new funds being used 

only for subgrants to LEAs that propose to implement proven interventions or school closures. 
16

The Department would give priority to SEAs that commit to serving high schools with 

persistently low graduation rates. The Department also would continue to use up to 5 percent of 

funds for a range of capacity-building national activities, which may include rapid-cycle 

evaluation of the effectiveness of promising interventions.

Investing in Innovation (i3)

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions.................................................. $141.6 $120.0 $300.0

This program supports innovative and proven approaches that address persistent education 

challenges while also building knowledge of what works in education. The i3 program uses a 

tiered-evidence framework to direct larger awards to projects with the strongest evidence base 

and supports promising projects that are willing to undergo rigorous evaluation. Grantees use 

funds to: (1) scale up strategies for which there is strong evidence (Scale-Up grants); 

(2) validate and expand efforts for which there is moderate evidence (Validation grants); or 

(3) develop and test promising approaches for which there is evidence of promise or a strong 

theory, but for which efficacy has not been systematically studied (Development grants). All i3 

grantees are required to obtain matching funds from the private sector (matching requirements 

also correspond to funding tiers) to grow support for their efforts and increase their project’s 

potential for sustainability.

The request would significantly expand support for a program that has demonstrated 

considerable success in identifying, validating, and scaling up evidence-based interventions and 

practices with great promise for helping to meet the toughest challenges in the American 

education system. In particular, the increase would support the greater numbers of Scale-Up 

grants that the Department expects to make based on the successful outcomes of Development 

and Validation grants made in previous years, bringing the benefits of proven interventions to 

more students and schools and addressing the growing demand from States, districts, and 

school leaders for effective tools and strategies that can help close achievement gaps and 

improve student outcomes.

The request also proposes allowing Federal, State, or local public funds to be used as matching 

funds, rather than limiting matching funds to private sources, to create an incentive to leverage 

existing education funding, including Federal formula funding, in support of evidence-based 

practices. Finally, the request would allow the Department to reserve up to $50 million for a 

new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Education (ARPA-ED) to pursue development of 

breakthrough educational technology and tools that result in improvements for all students.

Teaching for Tomorrow

Programs 2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ — — $1,000.0
17

Excellent Educators Grants

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $288.8 $230.0 $350.0

The Administration’s request for Excellent Educators Grants (currently the Teacher Incentive 

Fund) would support evidence-based State and local initiatives to strengthen systems for 

recruiting, developing, and retaining effective teachers and school leaders in high-need districts 

and schools. States and school districts would use the requested funds to develop and 

implement innovative approaches to professional development and support, career 

advancement, and compensation based on analyses of local needs.

Teacher and Principal Pathways

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ — — $138.8

The proposed Teacher and Principal Pathways programs are designed to help institutions of 

higher education and nonprofit organizations, working closely with school districts, carry out the 

important work of teacher and principal preparation. These programs would build on and 

replace current Department efforts under the School Leadership, Teacher Quality Partnership, 

and Transition to Teaching programs. Key elements of the proposed consolidation include 

greater flexibility for applicants and a stronger emphasis on the use of evidence-based practices 

in teacher and principal preparation.

Improving Teacher Quality State Grants 

(BA in millions)

Programs 2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $2,349.8 $2,349.8 $2,349.8

The request would support ongoing State and local efforts to improve teacher and principal 

effectiveness and help ensure that all students have equitable access to effective and highly 

effective teachers and principals. States and their LEAs are strengthening how they recruit and 

prepare new teachers and school leaders, how they use evaluation to provide meaningful 

support to teachers and school leaders, and how they keep the best teachers and leaders in 

schools in order to elevate the overall quality of instruction and improve student achievement. 

Teachers and principals are working hard to implement rigorous new college- and career-ready 

standards and assessments that will help improve student knowledge and preparation for 

success in higher education and the workforce. The request would provide funds to address 

educator needs by fostering teacher and principal collaboration and the creation of excellent 

instructional teams through efforts to recruit, prepare, evaluate, support, and retain effective 

teachers, principals, and other school leaders, especially in high-need LEAs, schools, fields, 

and subjects. 

The request would also expand the current 2.3 percent reservation for the Supporting Effective 

Educator Development (SEED) program to 5 percent of the total appropriation for Improving 

Teacher Quality State Grants. Under the SEED program, the Department makes grants to 

national nonprofit organizations to support teacher and school leader enhancement projects 

with evidence of effectiveness and conducts related national leadership activities. 
18

Educational Technology State Grants

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ — — $200.0

The Administration’s request would help ensure teachers and leaders have the skills and tools 

to use technology effectively to improve instruction and personalize learning. States would 

make competitive subgrants to high-need districts that have basic technology infrastructure to 

support exemplary models for using technology, including practices that incorporate evidence 

on effective technology-based instruction to improve student outcomes and those that help build

the evidence base on such instruction. A portion of the request also would be used to build 

State capacity to help districts use technology to improve instruction, as well as to identify and 

scale effective local practices to other districts in the State.

Mathematics and Science Partnerships

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $149.7 $152.7 $202.7

The Administration proposes a strengthened Mathematics and Science Partnerships program 

that would promote reforms in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) 

education that are more cohesive than under current law and can better leverage local STEM 

assets, be more responsive to local STEM industry needs, and reach more students. Funds 

would be used for formula grants to States, which would be authorized to reserve a portion of 

their grants to support comprehensive State STEM education improvement plans in 

prekindergarten through grade 12. States would use remaining funds to make subgrants to 

eligible partnerships for an expanded range of allowable activities, including developing and 

increasing the use of evidence-based practices and providing students with opportunities for 

authentic STEM experiences in formal and informal settings.

The Department would be permitted to reserve up to $25 million to make competitive grants 

directly to eligible partnerships that leverage local and regional resources and assets to carry 

out the expanded activities above, which could also include rigorous programs of STEM study 

that involve inquiry-, project-, and work-based learning as well as advanced coursework, 

including dual enrollment and other options for high school students to earn credit toward a 

postsecondary certificate or degree. The Department would also reserve up to 5 percent of 

funds for national activities, including a STEM Virtual Learning Network to accelerate 

identification and adoption of effective STEM education practices.

Charter Schools Grants

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $248.2 $253.2 $375.0

Through grants to SEAs, charter school developers, charter management organizations

(CMOs), and other nonprofit organizations, the Charter Schools Grants program supports the 

start-up, replication, and expansion of effective charter schools in States with charter school 

laws. The request reflects the Administration’s strong desire to build on this program’s 

demonstrated success in supporting models of school reform that are effective in improving 

student outcomes. The request also includes new authority for SEA grantees to make 
19

subgrants to CMOs and other nonprofit organizations to replicate and expand charter schools 

with demonstrated records of success in improving student achievement and attainment. The 

Department would prioritize support for the expansion of effective options for students attending 

high schools with persistently low graduation rates. Funds would also be used for grants to 

States and nonprofit entities to improve charter schools’ access to facilities and for national 

activities.

Next Generation High Schools

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ — — $125.0

This proposal would promote the whole school transformation of the high school experience in 

order to provide students with challenging and relevant academic and career-related learning 

experiences that prepare them to transition to postsecondary education and careers. Key 

elements would include: (1) redesigned academic content and instructional practices to align 

with postsecondary education and careers; (2) personalized learning opportunities and 

academic and wrap-around support services; (3) high-quality career and college exploration and 

counseling services; (4) opportunities to earn postsecondary credit while still in high school; 

(5) career-related experiences; (6) project-based learning; (7) more strategic use of learning 

time, which could include effective application of technology, redesigning school calendars, and 

competency-based progression; and (8) evidence-based professional development for 

educators.

Funds would support competitive grants to LEAs in partnership with institutions of higher 

education and other entities, such as nonprofit and community-based organizations, 

businesses, and other industry-related organizations that can help high schools prepare 

students to apply academic concepts to real world challenges. The Department would place a 

strong focus on projects designed to improve readiness for college and careers in STEM fields, 

particularly for student groups historically underrepresented in those fields.

Promise Neighborhoods

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $56.8 $56.8 $150.0

The request provides an increase to support new awards to local partnerships to develop and 

implement comprehensive, neighborhood-based plans for meeting the cradle-to-career 

educational, health, and social service needs of children and families in high-poverty 

communities. The core belief behind Promise Neighborhoods is that providing both effective, 

achievement-oriented schools and strong systems of support to children and youth in poverty 

would offer them the best hope for overcoming poverty and building a better life. In coordination 

with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department would reserve 

a portion of 2016 funds for planning grants to communities that intend to apply for funding under 

both the Promise Neighborhoods and HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods programs.
20

State Assessments

(BA in millions)

Programs 2014 2015

2016

Request

State Grants ......................................................... $369.1 $369.1 $378.0

Enhanced Assessment Instruments .................... 8.9 8.9 25.0

Total ........................................................ 378.0 378.0 403.0

The request for State Assessments would provide additional resources to States to support the 

effective implementation of assessments that are aligned to CCR standards that will help ensure 

that all students graduate from high school with the knowledge and skills they need to be 

successful in college and the workplace. A State could also use these funds to strengthen the 

capacity of LEAs and schools to provide all students the opportunity to increase their 

educational achievement, including conducting reviews of local assessments in an effort to 

eliminate redundancy and to ensure that they are of high-quality, maximize instructional goals, 

and are designed to help students achieve State standards. The Department would set aside 

$25 million to support projects designed to help States address pressing needs they have 

identified for developing and implementing their assessments, which could include providing 

high-quality professional development for teachers using assessment data to improve 

instruction and meet student needs, helping parents understand how assessments provide 

information about their children’s academic achievement and needs; developing computerbased or other new assessments or assessment items; using technology to help administer or 

analyze assessments; developing tools to help analyze the quality, alignment, and uses of 

assessments; or conducting research to contribute to assessment knowledge and quality.

Ready-To-Learn Television

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $25.7 $25.7 $25.7

The Ready-To-Learn Television program would support the development and distribution of 

educational video programming for preschool and elementary school children and their parents, 

caregivers, and teachers to facilitate student academic achievement. Fiscal year 2016 funds 

would be used to pay continuation costs for new awards planned for fiscal year 2015.

Striving Readers

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $158.0 $160.0 $160.0

Funds would be used for new awards under a re-focused program of competitive grants to LEAs 

that would support evidence-based literacy programs and interventions in high-need schools. 

Grantees would have flexibility to target interventions based on local needs, but must serve at 

least two grades to increase the program’s impact within selected schools, and may propose 

school-wide interventions. Grantees also must propose interventions that: (1) meet the 

moderate evidence of effectiveness standard in the Education Department General 
21

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), and (2) are aligned with the State’s college- and careerready English language arts standards.

Arts in Education

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $25.0 $25.0 $25.0

The Arts in Education program supports model projects and programs to integrate arts 

education into the regular elementary school and secondary school curriculum, through grants 

to support model development and dissemination and professional development for arts 

educators. 

21st Century Community Learning Centers

program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $1,149.4 $1,151.7 $1,151.7

The request would support State and local efforts to implement in-school and out-of-school 

strategies for providing students (and, where appropriate, teachers and family members), 

particularly those in high-need schools, the additional time, support, and enrichment activities 

needed to improve student achievement. The Administration’s proposal would continue to allow 

funds to be used for before- and after-school programs, summer enrichment programs, and 

summer school programs, and would also permit States and eligible local entities to use funds 

to support expanded-learning-time programs during school hours.

Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Activities

Programs 2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $90.0 $70.0 $90.0

This program supports competitive grants and other discretionary activities to foster a safe, 

secure, and drug-free learning environment; facilitate emergency management and 

preparedness; and prevent drug use and violence by students. The requested increase would 

support new LEA School Climate Transformation Grant awards, along with related technical 

assistance, to help schools train their teachers and other school staff to implement evidencebased behavioral intervention strategies to improve school climate. Funds also would support 

continuation awards for activities launched in fiscal year 2014 under the President’s Now Is The 

Time initiative to make our schools safer and protect our children from gun violence, including 

$15 million for Project Prevent grants to LEAs to help schools in communities with pervasive 

violence break the cycle of violence.

Elementary and Secondary School Counseling

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $49.6 $49.6 $49.6
22

This program provides grants to LEAs to establish or expand elementary school and secondary 

school counseling programs, with the first $40 million in appropriated funds reserved for 

elementary school programs. The presence of counselors in schools provides benefits for both 

students and teachers by helping to create a safe school environment, improve teacher 

effectiveness and classroom management, increase academic achievement, and promote 

student well-being and healthy development. The 2016 request would allow approximately 

149 school districts to hire or train qualified school counselors, school psychologists, child and 

adolescent psychiatrists, and school social workers to provide students with beneficial 

counseling services, as well as to support the development of innovative strategies for providing 

school counseling services that show potential for replication and dissemination.

Physical Education

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $74.6 $47.0 $60.0

This program awards competitive grants to LEAs and community-based organizations to help 

cover the costs of initiating, expanding, and improving physical education programs (including 

after-school programs) for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, in order to make 

progress toward meeting State standards for physical education. Funds may be used to provide 

equipment and support to enable students to participate in physical education activities and for 

training and education for teachers and staff. The request would enable the program to 

continue 66 grants and make approximately 68 new awards, which would support 

implementation of community-wide strategies to increase child fitness, address the serious 

issue of childhood obesity, and help children develop more healthy lifestyles. 

Advanced Placement

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $28.5 $28.5 $28.5

The Advanced Placement programs support State and local efforts to increase access to 

Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and other approved advanced courses and 

tests for students from low-income families. Under the Test Fee program, the Department 

makes noncompetitive awards to States to cover all or part of the cost of advanced placement 

tests for these students. The Administration expects that the number of advanced placement 

tests taken by students from low-income families will continue to increase in 2016 and future 

years. To minimize the impact of limited Federal funding on students, the Department intends 

to issue regulations requiring States receiving Test Fee grants to provide matching funds. If 

implemented, these regulations would allow the Department to specify the minimum amount of 

matching funds a State must provide, based in part on available Federal resources, in the 

annual notice inviting applications for Test Fee grants.

In addition, the Department intends to set its maximum 2016 per-test contribution under the Test 

Fee program such that a portion of the request is available for new grants under the Incentive 

program. The Administration will also seek appropriations language allowing Incentive program 

funds to be used for activities expanding access to accelerated learning options beyond AP and 

IB programs and that allow students to take college-level courses (including courses in career 
23

and technical education) and earn college credit while in high school, including dual-enrollment 

programs and early college high schools.

Magnet Schools Assistance

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $91.6 $91.6 $91.6

Under this program, the Department makes competitive 3-year grants to support high-quality 

magnet schools in LEAs implementing a desegregation plan. The request would support a new 

competition, through which the Department would continue to prioritize projects that promote 

education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 

Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE)

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $42.4 $48.0 $41.9

This authority supports nationally significant activities to improve the quality of elementary and 

secondary education at the State and local levels and help all students meet challenging State 

academic achievement standards. The request includes $5 million to support interagency 

strategies to strengthen services to disconnected youth; $1.3 million to continue the Data 

Quality Initiative, which helps ensure that program management decisions are based on sound 

information; and $5 million for a Youth Data Pilot that supports communities in linking education 

and child welfare or other data systems to support early warning indicator systems. The request 

also includes $10 million for a Non-Cognitive Skills initiative that would provide competitive 

grants to district and researcher partnerships to develop and test interventions that improve 

students’ non-cognitive skills—such as collaborative problem solving and resilience—in the 

middle school grades, a time when many students lose interest in, engagement with, and 

motivation for academic work, increasing the likelihood of dropping out of high school.

Leveraging What Works

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ — — $100.0

This new program would make competitive awards that would create an incentive for LEAs to 

rethink their use of Federal formula grant funds, in combination with State and local resources, 

to support the innovative use of comprehensive, evidence-based strategies to improve student 

outcomes. The program would reward both the use of evidence-based practices as well as 

efforts to build our knowledge of “what works” in our classrooms and schools. To receive an 

award, LEAs would commit to use grant funds, in combination with existing Federal formula 

funds and State and local resources, for activities for which there is moderate or strong 

evidence of effectiveness, based on the standards in the EDGAR. Applicants also would agree 

to report annually on per-pupil expenditures and student outcomes in a manner that supports 

the calculation of return on investment for selected interventions.
24

English Language Acquisition

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $723.4 $737.4 $773.4

This program awards formula grants to States based on each State’s share of the Nation’s 

English Learners (ELs) and recent immigrant students. The proposed $36 million increase 

would help States and school districts meet the educational needs of the growing numbers of 

EL students enrolled in their schools, including meeting challenging State academic content and 

student academic achievement standards. Funds are distributed to States based on a formula 

that takes into account the number of immigrant and EL students in each State.

States must develop annual measurable achievement objectives for EL students that measure 

their success in achieving English language proficiency and meeting challenging State 

academic content and achievement standards. Schools use the funds to implement evidencebased language instruction educational programs designed to help LEP students achieve these 

standards.

Title I State Agency Programs 

(BA in millions))

Programs 2014 2015

2016

Request

Migrant Education ................................................ $374.8 $374.8 $374.8

Neglected and Delinquent

Education....................................................... 47.6 47.6 47.6

Total ........................................................ 422.4 422.4 422.4

Migrant Education

State Grants provide formula-based assistance in meeting the educational needs of more than 

200,000 children of migrant agricultural workers and fishers, including overcoming educational 

disruption and other challenges resulting from repeated moves, so that these students can meet 

the same academic standards expected of all children. The Department uses a portion of 

funding to improve inter- and intra-State coordination of migrant education activities, including 

State exchange of migrant student data records through the Migrant Student Information 

Exchange system.

Neglected and Delinquent Education

This Title I program provides formula grants to States in order to support education services for 

neglected and delinquent children and youth in local and State-run institutions, attending 

community day programs, and in correctional facilities. The request would help an estimated 

98,000 neglected and delinquent students return to and complete school and obtain 

employment after they are released from State institutions.
25

Education for Homeless Children and Youths

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $65.0 $65.0 $71.5

Education for Homeless Children and Youths provides formula grants to States, which subgrant 

most funds to local educational agencies for services and activities that help homeless children 

enroll in, attend, and succeed in school, such as preschool programs, enriched supplemental 

instruction, before- and after-school programs, transportation, and health care referrals. States 

may reserve funds for State-level activities, including implementing a comprehensive State plan 

for the education of these children. The $6.5 million increase proposed for 2016 reflects the fact 

that while program funding has remained flat since fiscal year 2010, the number of enrolled 

homeless students reported by States increased by a third between fiscal years 2010 and 2013 

(the most recent year for which data are available), from 939,903 students to 

1,258,182 students. The requested increase would help ensure that States and LEAs can 

provide the services needed to improve educational outcomes for homeless children and youth.

Rural Education

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $169.8 $169.8 $169.8

The Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) authorizes two programs to help rural 

school districts carry out activities to improve the quality of teaching and learning in their 

schools. The Small, Rural School Achievement program provides formula funds to rural school 

districts that serve small numbers of students, and the Rural and Low-Income School program 

provides funds to rural school districts that serve concentrations of poor students, regardless of 

the district’s size. Funds appropriated for REAP are divided equally between the two programs. 

The request would maintain support for rural, often geographically isolated, districts that face 

significant challenges in meeting ESEA requirements.

Indian Education

(BA in millions)

Programs 2014 2015

2016

Request

Grants to Local Educational Agencies ................. $100.4 $100.4 $100.4

Special Programs for Indian Children .................. 18.0 18.0 68.0

National Activities................................................. 5.6 5.6 5.6

Total ........................................................ 123.9 123.9 173.9

Indian Student Education programs supplement the efforts of State and local educational 

agencies and Indian tribes to improve educational opportunities for Indian children. The 

programs link these efforts to broader educational reforms underway in States and localities in 

order to ensure that Indian students benefit from those reforms and achieve to the same 

challenging academic standards as other students.
26

Grants to Local Educational Agencies provide formula grants to LEAs and to schools operated 

and supported by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education for activities to 

improve the educational achievement of Indian students. The request for Special Programs for 

Indian Children includes: (1) $52.9 million for new and continuing Native Youth Community 

Project awards to ensure the college- and career-readiness of Indian students by supporting 

projects that implement culturally relevant and coordinated strategies that are informed by 

evidence and data and address the greatest in- and out-of-school barriers facing students, 

(2) $8.0 million for new and continuing grant awards to support projects in the areas of early 

childhood and secondary-to-postsecondary-education transition, and (3) $6.4 million to continue 

competitive grants for the American Indian Teacher Corps and the American Indian 

Administrator Corps to support training of Indians to become teachers and administrators in 

schools that serve concentrations of Indian children. The request also provides $5.6 million for 

National Activities, which funds State-Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) grants to tribal 

education agencies (TEAs), and research, evaluation, and data collection designed to fill gaps 

in our understanding of the educational status and needs of Indians and to identify educational 

practices that are effective with Indian students. 

Education for Native Hawaiians

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $32.4 $32.4 $33.4

This program supports the provision of supplemental education services to the Native Hawaiian 

population by awarding competitive grants to eligible applicants for a variety of authorized 

activities in such areas as teacher training, family-based education, gifted and talented 

education, special education, higher education, and community-based education learning 

centers. The program also supports the activities of the Native Hawaiian Education Council, 

which helps coordinate the educational and related services and programs available to Native 

Hawaiians.

Alaska Native Education Equity

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $31.5 $31.5 $32.5

This program awards competitive grants to eligible applicants to support a variety of authorized 

activities, including the development and implementation of curricula and educational programs, 

professional development activities for educators, the development and operation of home 

instruction programs that help ensure the active involvement of parents in their children’s 

education, family literacy services, student enrichment programs in science and mathematics, 

and dropout prevention programs.

Comprehensive Centers

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $48.4 $48.4 $55.4

The Comprehensive Centers provide intensive technical assistance to increase the capacity of 

State educational agencies to help districts and schools implement ESEA programs and 
27

requirements and meet State targets for student achievement. The current system includes 

15 regional Centers that work with SEAs within specified geographic regions to help them 

implement ESEA school improvement measures and objectives. In addition, seven Content 

Centers provide indepth, specialized support in key areas, with separate Centers focusing on: 

(1) standards and assessment, (2) great teachers and leaders, (3) school turnaround, 

(4) enhancing early learning outcomes, (5) college- and career-readiness and success, 

(6) building State capacity and productivity, and (7) innovations in learning. The request would 

provide additional resources to the Centers to better address State needs, partially restoring 

program funding to the 2009 level, to provide more intensive and coordinated assistance to 

SEAs as well as to the Bureau of Indian Education.

Impact Aid

(BA in millions)

Programs 2014 2015

2016

Request

Payment for Federally Connected Children:

Basic Support Payments ............................... $1,151.2 $1,151.2 $1,151.2

Payments for Children with Disabilities ......... 48.3 48.3 48.3

Facilities Maintenance.......................................... 4.8 4.8 71.6

Construction ......................................................... 17.4 17.4 17.4

Payments for Federal Property ............................ 66.8 66.8 0.0

Total ........................................................ 1,288.6 1,288.6 1,288.6

The Impact Aid program provides financial assistance to school districts affected by Federal 

activities. The presence of certain children living on Federal property across the country can 

place a financial burden on the LEAs that educate them because such property is exempt from 

local property taxes, denying LEAs access to the primary source of revenue used by most 

communities to finance education. Impact Aid helps replace the lost local revenue that would 

otherwise be available to LEAs to pay for the education of these children.

The $1.15 billion request for Basic Support Payments would provide formula grants for both 

regular Basic Support Payments and Basic Support Payments for Heavily Impacted LEAs.

The $48.3 million request for Payments for Children with Disabilities would provide formula 

grants to help eligible districts meet their obligations under the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act to provide a free appropriate public education for federally connected children 

with disabilities. The $71.6 million request for Facilities Maintenance would allow the 

Department to make nearly all repairs and upgrades to the 12 remaining schools for which it 

retains financial responsibility, thus clearing the way for transfer of these schools to the LEAs 

that operate them. The entire $17.4 million request for Construction would be used for 

competitive grants to the LEAs with the greatest need and would provide sufficient assistance to 

enable those LEAs to make major repairs and renovations. The Administration requests no 

funds for Payments for Federal Property because these payments compensate LEAs for lost 

property tax revenue due to the presence of Federal lands without regard to whether those 

districts educate any federally connected children.
28

Training and Advisory Services (Title IV of the Civil Rights Act)

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $6.6 $6.6 $6.6

This program supports 10 regional Equity Assistance Centers, selected competitively, that 

provide services to school districts on issues related to discrimination based on race, gender, 

and national origin. Typical activities include disseminating information on successful practices 

and legal requirements related to nondiscrimination, providing training to educators to develop 

their skills in specific areas, such as in the identification of bias in instructional materials, and 

technical assistance on selection of instructional materials. The request would support the first 

year of funding for a new cohort of Equity Assistance Center grantees, as well as the annual 

administration of a customer satisfaction survey and an analysis of its results.

Supplemental Education Grants (Compact of Free Association Amendments Act)

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $16.7 $16.7 $16.7

The request would maintain support for Supplemental Education Grants to the Federated States 

of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), as authorized by the 

Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-188). Under this program, the 

Department transfers funds and provides recommendations on the uses of those funds to the 

Department of the Interior, which makes grants to the FSM and the RMI for educational services 

that augment the general operations of the educational systems of the two entities.

P.L. 108-188 eliminated RMI and FSM participation in most domestic formula grant programs 

funded by the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor, and created 

this program to supplement separate education programs under the Compact. The request 

would allow the RMI and the FSM to support programs that focus on improving the educational 

achievement of students in the two Freely Associated States.
29

C. SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES

Overview

The Administration is committed to providing Americans with disabilities the opportunities and 

services they need to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in the community. The fiscal 

year 2016 Budget supports a wide range of programs that can improve educational, 

employment, and independent living outcomes for people with disabilities. 

The $12.8 billion request for Special Education programs focuses on improving educational and 

early intervention outcomes for children with disabilities. The Administration is committed to 

ensuring that all children, including children with disabilities, have an equal opportunity to 

participate in a high-quality education; are expected to perform to high levels; and to the 

maximum extent possible, are prepared to lead productive, independent lives. For the Grants to 

States program, the Administration is requesting $11.7 billion, an increase of $175 million from 

fiscal year 2015, to maintain the Federal contribution toward meeting the excess cost of special 

education at approximately 16 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure and provide 

an estimated average of $1,768 per student for about 6.6 million children ages 3 through 21. 

The $175 million increase would support special education and related services and provide 

additional resources to States and local educational agencies (LEAs) to focus on improving 

results for children with disabilities.

Funding for the Preschool Grants program would be increased by $50 million (for a total request 

of $403.2 million) to provide special education and related services to children ages 3 through 5. 

Under the current statute, LEAs may reserve up to 15 percent of the funds they receive under 

Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide coordinated early 

intervening services (CEIS) to children in grades kindergarten through 12. Early intervention 

can reduce the need for costlier services later in a child’s life, and this may be especially true for 

intervening services provided during early childhood. The Administration, therefore, is 

requesting additional flexibility to allow LEAs to provide CEIS to children ages 3 through 5. In 

addition, to encourage LEAs to expand the age range of students eligible for CEIS, the 

Administration is requesting a waiver of some reporting requirements in order to reduce burden 

on LEAs who opt to exercise this flexibility for children 3 through 5.

The request also includes a $65 million increase (for a total request of $503.6 million) for the 

Grants for Infants and Families (Part C) program to assist States in providing high-quality early 

intervention services to approximately 340,000 infants and toddlers with disabilities and their 

families. The Administration’s request would reserve $15 million of this increase for Pay for 

Success pilots to expand early screening and early intervention services to infants and toddlers 

who would not otherwise qualify for services under Part C of the IDEA in their State.

The $235.1 million request for Special Education National Activities would maintain support for 

technical assistance, dissemination, training, and other activities that assist States, LEAs, 

parents, and others in improving results for children with disabilities. The request for the 

Technical Assistance and Dissemination program includes a $10 million increase to support 

Results Driven Accountability Implementation grants. These competitive grants to States would 

provide targeted support to identify and implement promising, evidence-based reforms that 

would improve service delivery for children with disabilities while also building State and local 

capacity to continue to improve outcomes for those children in the long-term.
30

For Rehabilitation Services, the Budget provides $3.5 billion to support comprehensive and 

coordinated vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities through training, 

demonstration, and technical assistance; as well as other direct service programs to assist 

individuals with disabilities to live more independently in their communities. In July 2014, the 

Rehabilitation Act was reauthorized by title IV of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

(WIOA). WIOA supports the Nation’s primary programs and investments in employment 

services, workforce development, adult education, and vocational rehabilitation.

People with disabilities represent a vital and integral part of our society, and the Administration 

remains committed to ensuring that individuals with disabilities have the opportunities to 

compete for and enjoy high quality employment in the 21st century global economy. The 

$3.4 billion request for the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) State Grants program includes an 

increase of $56.7 million over the fiscal year 2015 mandatory level, consistent with the inflation 

increase specified in the authorizing statute, to assist States and tribal governments in 

increasing the participation of individuals with disabilities in the workforce. WIOA strengthened 

the alignment of the VR program with other components of the workforce development system 

to ensure a coordinated and streamlined system. As an integral partner in this system, the VR 

program is the primary Federal vehicle for assisting individuals with disabilities, particularly 

individuals with the most significant disabilities, to prepare for, obtain, retain, or advance in highquality employment. 

The 2016 request also includes appropriations language that would allow the Department to use 

amounts under the VR State Grants program that would otherwise return to the Treasury to 

support innovative activities aimed at improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities. The 

requested language also would provide authority for these funds to remain available for Federal 

obligation until September 30, 2017.

The Administration requests $30.5 million for the Supported Employment State Grants program, 

an increase of $3 million over the 2015 level to assist State agencies in meeting the new 

challenges and opportunities resulting from WIOA. WIOA made several significant changes to 

this program in order to maximize the potential of individuals with the most significant 

disabilities, particularly youth, which require ongoing supports to achieve competitive integrated 

employment.

Section 491 of WIOA transferred several programs from the Department’s Office of Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services to the Administration for Community Living in the 

Department of Health and Human Services. Consequently, the Department’s 2016 request 

does not include funds for the State Independent Living Services program, the Centers for 

Independent Living program, programs under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (including 

the Alternative Financing Program), and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation 

Research. 

The Budget includes $212.2 million for special institutions for persons with disabilities, including 

$24.9 million for the American Printing House for the Blind, $67.0 million for the National 

Technical Institute for the Deaf, and $120.3 million for Gallaudet University.
31

Special Education

Grants to States

Program Information

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions.............................................. $11,472.8 $11,497.8 $11,672.8

Estimated average Federal share

per child (in whole dollars)................... $1,743 $1,742 $1,768

The Grants to States program, which is authorized under the IDEA, makes formula grants that 

help States pay the additional costs of providing special education and related services to 

children with disabilities aged 3 through 21 years. The request, an increase of $175 million over 

fiscal year 2015, would provide a per-child average of $1,768 for an estimated 6.6 million 

children with disabilities, which would maintain the Federal contribution of about 16 percent of 

the national average per pupil expenditure. 

Under the IDEA, States are required to provide a free appropriate public education to all 

children with disabilities. Services are provided in accordance with individualized education 

programs that are developed by teams that include the child’s parents; a special educator; a 

representative of the local educational agency; a regular educator, if appropriate; and others. In 

addition, services must be provided, to the maximum extent appropriate, in the least restrictive 

environment, which for most children means in classes with children who are not disabled. 

Students with disabilities also must be included in general State and district-wide assessments, 

including the assessments required under ESEA, and States must provide appropriate 

accommodations, where necessary, to enable children with disabilities to participate in these 

assessments, or alternate assessments for those children who cannot participate in regular 

assessments. 

The request for Grants to States also includes $17.0 million that would be reserved for technical 

assistance to improve the capacity of States to meet the data collection requirements of the 

IDEA.

Preschool Grants

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions.................................................. $353.2 $353.2 $403.2

This program provides formula grants to help States make a free appropriate public education 

available to all children with disabilities ages 3 through 5. The request would provide an 

estimated $541 per child for approximately 745,000 children to supplement funds provided 

under the Grants to States program and help to ensure that young children with disabilities are 

ready to learn when they enter school. 

The request also includes appropriations language that would allow LEAs to expand the age 

range of children who are eligible to receive coordinated early intervening services to include 

children ages 3 through 5. In addition, the Administration is requesting a waiver of some 

reporting requirements for LEAs that exercise this flexibility.
32

Grants for Infants and Families

Program Information

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions.................................................. $438.5 $438.6 $503.6

This program provides formula grants to help States implement statewide systems of early 

intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families, so that State and 

local agencies identify and serve children with disabilities early in life when interventions can be 

most effective in improving educational outcomes. The request would enable States to provide 

high-quality early intervention services to approximately 340,000 infants and toddlers with 

disabilities and their families. 

The request also includes $15 million for Pay for Success projects which would support 

expanded early screening, early intervention, and other services for infants and toddlers with 

disabilities and at-risk infants and toddlers who would otherwise not qualify for services under 

Part C of the IDEA in their State. The Pay for Success model relies on private investors, who 

provide the capital necessary to expand or create promising programs in exchange for 

performance-based payments tied to the achievement of targeted outcomes, and permits the 

Government to fund only those programs that meet or exceed expectations.

State Personnel Development

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions..................................................... $41.6 $41.6 $41.6

This program provides competitive grants to help States reform and enhance their systems for 

personnel preparation and professional development in the areas of early intervention, 

educational, and transition services in order to improve outcomes for children with disabilities. 

The 2016 request would help cover the cost of approximately 39 new and continuation awards 

to State educational agencies to improve the knowledge and skills of special education and 

regular education teachers serving children with disabilities and help recruit and retain highly 

qualified personnel providing services to children with disabilities.

Technical Assistance and Dissemination

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions..................................................... $44.31 $44.31 $54.3

1 Excludes $7.58 million for the Special Olympics, which is requested as a separate line item in 2016.

This program funds competitive grants for technical assistance and dissemination of materials 

based on knowledge gained through research and practice. The request, which is in addition to 

the separate $17 million set-aside under the Grants to States program to help States meet data 

collection requirements, would support continuation costs for projects initiated in previous years.

The request includes an increase of $10 million to support Results Driven Accountability 

Implementation grants, which would provide competitive grants to States to build capacity to 

implement State Systemic Implementation Plans to improve results for children with disabilities 
33

ages birth through 21. These implementation grants would be used by States to identify and 

implement promising, evidence-based reforms that would improve service delivery for children 

with disabilities while building State and local capacity to improve long-term outcomes for those 

children.

Personnel Preparation

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions................................................. $83.7 $83.7 $83.7

This program helps ensure that there are adequate numbers of personnel with the skills and 

knowledge necessary to help children with disabilities succeed educationally. Program activities 

focus both on meeting the demand for personnel to serve children with disabilities and 

improving the qualifications of these personnel, with particular emphasis on incorporating 

knowledge gained from research and practice into training programs. The Department is 

required to support (1) training for leadership personnel and personnel who work with children 

with low-incidence disabilities, (2) at least one activity in the broadly defined area of personnel 

development, and (3) enhanced support for beginning special educators.

Parent Information Centers

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions...................................................... $27.4 $27.4 $27.4

These funds support centers that provide parents with the training and information they need to 

work with professionals to meet the early intervention and special education needs of their 

children with disabilities. The request would support new competitive grants and continuation 

awards for about 103 centers as well as awards to provide technical assistance to the centers.

Educational Technology, Media, and Materials

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions...................................................... $28.0 $28.0 $28.0

This program (formerly known as the Technology and Media Services program) makes 

competitive awards for research, development, and other activities that promote the use of 

technology, including universal design features, in providing special education and early 

intervention services. Funds also support media-related activities, such as providing video 

description and captioning of films and television for use in classrooms for individuals with visual 

and hearing impairments and increasing the availability of books in accessible formats for 

individuals with visual impairments and other print disabilities. The request includes 

$21.3 million for continuation awards and $6.7 million for new awards.
34

Special Olympics Education Programs

program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions...................................................... $7.581 $7.581 $7.58

1 Funds were provided under the Technical Assistance and Dissemination program.

This program supports the expansion of Special Olympics and the design and implementation of 

Special Olympics education programs. The request includes funds to support Project UNIFY, a 

school-based education program designed to develop teamwork skills and increase awareness 

and social acceptance of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Rehabilitation Services

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) State Grants

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions...................................................... $3,064.3 $3,335.11 $3,391.8

1 The amount shown for fiscal year 2015 is the mandatory level for the VR State Grants program and does 

not include the 7.3 percent sequester reduction for mandatory programs that went in to effect October 1, 2013, 

pursuant to the Budget Control Act of 2011. The reduced fiscal year 2015 amount is $3,091.6 million.

This program provides formula grants to State VR agencies to help individuals with disabilities 

become gainfully employed. These agencies provide a wide range of services to over 1 million 

individuals with disabilities annually, including vocational evaluation, counseling and guidance, 

work adjustment, diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental impairments, education and 

vocational training, job placement, and post-employment services. States that are unable to 

serve all eligible individuals with disabilities who apply must give priority to individuals with the 

most significant disabilities. Services are provided according to an individualized plan for 

employment. In implementing the changes to Titles I and IV of WIOA, the Department is 

working with its partners in the Federal workforce development system to improve employment 

outcomes for individuals with disabilities, particularly individuals with significant disabilities and 

youth with disabilities. 

The Department’s request would assist States and Tribal governments to increase the 

participation of individuals with disabilities in the workforce. Giving workers with disabilities the 

supports and the opportunity to acquire the skills that they need to pursue in-demand jobs and 

careers is critical to growing our economy. The requested increase ($56.7 million over the fiscal 

year 2015 mandatory level) is consistent with the inflation adjustment specified in the 

authorizing statute (1.7 percent for 2016). Of the amount requested for VR State grants, 

$41.2 million would be set aside to support grants under the American Indian Vocational 

Rehabilitation Services program. In 2014, the VR program helped over 183,000 individuals with 

disabilities―92 percent with significant disabilities―achieve employment outcomes.
35

Supported Employment State Grants

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions...................................................... $27.5 $27.5 $30.5

This formula grant program provides supplemental funds to State VR agencies for supported 

employment services for individuals with the most significant disabilities. The amendments 

made to this program under WIOA reflect supported employment’s important role in increasing 

competitive integrated employment opportunities for such individuals, particularly youth with the 

most significant disabilities. The requested increase would help State agencies offset the 

increased costs associated with meeting the new challenges and opportunities resulting from 

WIOA. 

Client Assistance State Grants

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions...................................................... $12.0 $13.0 $13.0

This program makes formula grants to States for activities to inform and advise clients of 

benefits available to them under the Rehabilitation Act, to assist them in their relationships with 

service providers, and to ensure the protection of their rights under the Act. The request would 

support advocacy services for approximately 55,400 individuals with disabilities.

Training

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions..................................................... $33.7 $30.2 $30.2

The Training program makes competitive grants to State and other public or nonprofit agencies 

and organizations, including institutions of higher education, to help ensure that personnel with 

adequate skills are available to provide rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities. The 

decreased level of support in fiscal years 2015 and 2016 reflects the elimination of the funding 

set-aside for the In-Service Training program, which was eliminated under WIOA. VR State 

Grant funds can be used for training State agency personnel, consistent with each agency’s 

Comprehensive System of Personnel Development plan under Title I of the Rehabilitation Act.

Demonstration and Training

program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions...................................................... $5.8 $5.8 $5.8

This program supports competitive grants and contracts to expand and improve the provision 

and effectiveness of programs and services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act or to further 

the purposes of the Act in promoting the employment and independence of individuals with 

disabilities in the community. Funds are used to support model demonstrations, technical 

assistance, and projects designed to improve program performance and the delivery of VR and 

independent living services. All of the funds requested would be used to support the 

continuation costs of projects awarded in previous fiscal years, including approximately 
36

$3.6 million to continue support for the Career Pathways Model Projects to be awarded in fiscal 

year 2015.

Independent Living Services for Older Blind Individuals

programs

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $33.3 $33.3 $33.3

The Independent Living Services for Older Blind Individuals program assists individuals aged 

55 or older whose severe visual impairments make competitive employment difficult to obtain, 

but for whom independent living goals are feasible. Funds are provided under a formula to 

State VR agencies to provide services designed to help eligible individuals to adjust to their 

blindness by increasing their ability to care for their individual needs. In fiscal year 2013, the 

program served over 60,000 with severe visual impairments. 

Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights (PAIR)

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $17.6 $17.6 $17.7

This formula grant program funds systems in each State to protect and advocate for the legal 

and human rights of individuals with disabilities, helping them to pursue legal and administrative 

remedies to secure their rights under Federal law. The PAIR systems also provide information 

on, and referrals to, programs and services for individuals with disabilities. The request would 

support advocacy services to approximately 60,100 individuals with disabilities.

Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions...................................................... $9.1 $9.1 $9.8

This program serves individuals who are deaf-blind, their families, and service providers through 

a national headquarters center with a residential training and rehabilitation facility and a network 

of 10 regional offices that provide referral, counseling, training, and technical assistance 

services. The funds requested would provide direct services for approximately 65 clients at the 

Center’s residential training and rehabilitation program, and serve an estimated 

1,500 consumers, 350 families, and 800 agencies and organizations through its regional offices. 

The $713,000 increase requested for fiscal year 2016 would support one-time renovation 

projects to address safety and infrastructure needs and help to upgrade facilities to comply with 

the American with Disabilities Act.
37

Special Institutions for Persons with Disabilities

(BA in millions)

Programs

2014 2015

2016

Request

American Printing House for the Blind ................. $24.5 $24.9 $24.9

National Technical Institute for the Deaf .............. 66.3 67.0 67.0

Gallaudet University ............................................. 119.0 120.3 120.3

Total ........................................................ 209.8 212.2 212.2

American Printing House for the Blind (APH)

The APH manufactures and distributes specially adapted educational materials for students who 

are visually impaired, offers advisory services for consumers and educational agencies, and 

conducts applied research related to the development of new products. At the request level, 

APH would provide free educational materials to approximately 60,000 persons with visual 

impairments at an average per student allotment of $298, continue funding for initiatives to 

improve its technical assistance and outreach services, and support a variety of new and 

continuing research projects. 

National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)

The NTID provides postsecondary technical education and training for students who are deaf as 

well as graduate education and interpreter training for persons who are deaf or hearing. NTID 

also conducts research and provides training related to the education and employment of 

individuals who are deaf. The request would support education and training for approximately 

1,195 undergraduate and technical students, 90 graduate students, and 147 interpreters for 

persons who are deaf.

Gallaudet University 

Gallaudet University offers undergraduate, continuing education, and graduate programs for 

persons who are deaf and hearing. Gallaudet also maintains and operates the Kendall 

Demonstration Elementary School and Model Secondary School for the Deaf. The request 

provides $120.3 million for operations, including funds that may be used for the Endowment 

Grant program. The request would help Gallaudet serve an estimated 1,831 undergraduate and 

graduate students and 275 elementary and secondary education students in the 2015–

2016 school year.
38

D. CAREER, TECHNICAL, AND ADULT EDUCATION

Overview

Programs in the Career, Technical, and Adult Education account provide formula grants to 

States to support State and community efforts to improve career and technical education, adult 

education and literacy systems, and competitive grants and contracts for evaluation, 

performance measurement and improvement, technical assistance, research and development, 

innovative programs, and other national activities. For 2016, the Administration is requesting 

$1.3 billion to support its proposal to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical 

Education Act programs. This proposal would increase the rigor and relevance of what students 

learn in school to more closely align programs with the demands of the 21st century economy 

and workforce while creating stronger linkages between secondary and postsecondary 

education. The 2016 request also includes $588.7 million for Adult Education programs.

Career and Technical Education

(BA in millions)

Programs 2014 2015

2016

Request

State Grants ......................................................... $1,117.6 $1,117.6 $1,317.6

National Programs ............................................... 7.4 7.4 9.4

Total ........................................................ 1,125.0 1,125.0 1,327.0

Funds for the Career and Technical Education (CTE) State Grants program would support the 

first year of activity under a reauthorized Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act 

(Perkins Act). In April 2012, the Administration released “Investing in America’s Future: A 

Blueprint for Transforming Career and Technical Education,” which outlined the Administration’s 

proposal for reauthorizing the Perkins Act to help ensure that all CTE programs become viable 

and rigorous pathways to postsecondary and career success. The Blueprint calls for 

transforming CTE by promoting:

• Strong collaboration among secondary and postsecondary institutions, employers, and 

industry partners to improve the quality of CTE programs;

• Meaningful accountability for improving academic outcomes and building technical and 

employability skills in CTE programs for all students; and

• Effective alignment between high-quality CTE programs and labor market needs to 

equip students with 21st-century skills and prepare them for in-demand occupations in 

high-growth industry sectors; and

• Increased emphasis on innovation through a new CTE Innovation Fund that would 

support the development and implementation of new practices and models at the local 

level as well as systemic reform of State policies and practices.

The request provides $200 million for a new American Technical Training Fund within the 

proposed CTE Innovation Fund that would support the development, operation, and expansion 

of innovative, evidence-based job training programs in high-demand fields that provide a path to 

the middle class for low-income individuals. Programs would emphasize strong employer 
39

partnerships, work-based learning opportunities, accelerated training, and flexible scheduling to 

accommodate part-time work. These features would help workers gain the skills for 

employment in growing fields with significant numbers of middle-class jobs that local employers 

are trying to fill, such as energy, IT, and advanced manufacturing. The Department would make 

grant awards to institutions of higher education, local educational agencies serving high school 

students, or non-accredited training providers, in consortia with industry organizations, 

employers, workforce investment boards, and economic development agencies. The Fund 

would be jointly administered with the Department of Labor to help ensure that projects are wellintegrated into the workforce system.

CTE National Programs would support implementation of a reauthorized Perkins Act through 

research, evaluation, data collection, technical assistance, and other national leadership 

activities aimed at improving the quality and effectiveness of career and technical education. 

The request includes a $2 million increase to provide technical assistance and evaluation 

support for projects under the American Technical Training Fund.

Adult Education

(BA in millions)

Programs 2014 2015

2016

Request

Adult Basic and Literacy Education

State Grants................................................... $564.0 $569.0 $569.0

National Leadership Activities.............................. 13.7 13.7 19.7

Total ........................................................ 577.7 582.7 588.7

Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants assist adults without a high school diploma or 

the equivalent to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for 

postsecondary education, employment, and economic self-sufficiency. The Adult Education and 

Family Literacy Act, which was reauthorized in July 2014 as Title II of the Workforce Innovation 

and Opportunity Act, promotes better alignment of the Adult Education program with Federal job 

training programs and the postsecondary education system. The reauthorized State Grants 

program includes a statutory set-aside for English Literacy/Civics Education to help States and 

communities provide adults learning English with expanded access to high-quality English 

literacy programs linked to civics education.

Funds proposed for National Leadership Activities would continue to support efforts to increase 

the literacy and workforce skills of adults born in the U.S., as well as the ongoing need to 

address the English language acquisition, literacy, and workforce skills gaps of the immigrant 

population and to promote reentry education. The proposed $6 million increase would be used 

to support State-based efforts to improve adult education standards and assessments and to 

carry out data collection activities during the first year of full implementation of the reauthorized 

Adult Education programs.
40

E. STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Overview

The student financial assistance programs provide important resources to students and families 

to help them achieve their dreams of a postsecondary education. Over the course of his 

Administration, President Obama has focused on targeted investments in and improvements to 

these programs, ending student loan subsidies for private financial institutions and banks and 

delivering $60 billion in savings to students and their families, including increasing the maximum 

Pell Grant award by more than $1,000, creating and extending the American Opportunity Tax 

Credit, making loans more affordable, and helping borrowers manage their education debt. 

President Obama also took action to make student loans more affordable by proposing 

regulations in 2012 and 2014 to allow nearly 7 million additional Federal Direct student loan 

borrowers the opportunity to cap their student loan payments at 10 percent of their discretionary 

income and have any remaining balance forgiven after 20 years of payments. He also 

proposed new strategies designed to target the PAYE plan to struggling borrowers. The 

2016 request continues this focus on improving college affordability, access and student 

outcomes, and driving higher performance in postsecondary education. 

Overall, the 2016 Budget for postsecondary student aid includes both discretionary and 

mandatory funding that would make available $148.2 billion in new grants, loans, and workstudy assistance—an increase of $50.5 billion, or 52 percent, over the amount available in 

2008—to help an estimated 13.2 million students and their families pay for college. Key 

proposals include:

Continuing Pell Grant Inflationary Increases

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, as amended, provides the mandatory 

funds needed to index the maximum Pell Grant award to inflation through the 2017–18 award 

year (fiscal year 2017), after which these adjustments are set to expire. The Budget would 

continue to index Pell Grants to inflation after 2017, consistent with Administration policy to 

ensure that students have access to a maximum Pell award that keeps up with inflation. 

Extending inflationary increases to Pell Grants would cost $30 billion over 10 years. 

FAFSA Simplification

The Department of Education has taken administrative steps to greatly improve the Federal 

financial aid process. Today, more than 99 percent of Free Application for Federal Student Aid 

(FAFSA) applications are submitted online. The online FAFSA uses skip-logic, which allows 

applicants to skip questions that are not pertinent, expediting completion. On average, students 

complete the online FAFSA in 20 minutes, down from over an hour in 2009. Moreover, more 

than 65 percent of students and more than 50 percent of parents with available data use the 

IRS Data Retrieval Tool, which allows students and parents to access and transfer their IRS tax 

return information into the FAFSA.

Despite these improvements, the FAFSA requires some applicants to complete over 

100 questions to determine their eligibility for Federal student aid, and this complexity 

discourages many eligible students from applying for aid: an estimated 2 million students who 

would have qualified for a Pell Grant failed to complete the application. The FAFSA could be 

further shortened and simplified by removing data elements pertaining to assets and additional 

types of income and by relying primarily on information readily available in Federal tax returns, 
41

making it more understandable and easier for applicants to complete. That is why the 

President’s 2016 Budget proposes additional and significant FAFSA simplification by removing 

questions regarding savings, investments, and net worth. Additionally, untaxed income and 

exclusions from income data that are not reported to the IRS would no longer be collected. 

Together with the retrieval tool, this would remove up to 30 questions from the FAFSA, thereby 

reducing the FAFSA approximately by a third. To prevent resulting decreases of aid awards, 

the Budget also proposes adjustments to the Expected Family Contribution for certain 

categories of applicants.

Reforming and Streamlining Income-Driven Repayment

In October 2011, the Administration announced the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) initiative to 

accelerate the new terms of the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan as modified in the Health 

Care and Education Reconciliation Act, and in 2012 those benefits were extended to certain 

eligible borrowers through regulation. In 2014, the President announced his intent to expand 

similar benefits to all Direct Loan student borrowers, regardless of when they borrowed, and 

also to include new features to target the plan to struggling borrowers. The Department will be 

conducting negotiated rulemaking on these proposals in 2015. By the end of calendar year 

2015, all student borrowers would be eligible for some type of income-driven repayment plan 

that caps student loan payments at 10 percent of their discretionary income and forgives any 

remaining balance after 20 years of payments. However, the Administration continues to work 

with Congress to create a single, simple, and better targeted income-driven program that would 

ensure that program benefits are targeted to the neediest borrowers, safeguard the program for 

the future, and simplify borrowers’ experience while reducing program complexity. The Budget 

recommends using any resulting savings from its 2016 proposal to help students and expand 

college access, including by indexing the maximum Pell Grant award to inflation beyond 2017. 

The 2016 Budget would simplify income-driven repayment by making modified PAYE the only 

income-driven repayment plan for borrowers who originate their first loan on or after July 1, 

2016. Students who borrowed their first loans prior to July 1, 2016, would continue to be able to 

select among the existing repayment plans (for plans for which they now qualify and for loans 

originated through their current course of study), in addition to the modified PAYE.

Reforming Campus-Based Aid

Some of the roughly 7,000 institutions of higher education that participate in the Federal Pell 

Grant and/or Federal Student Loan programs also participate in one or more of the Federal 

Campus-based Aid programs: Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), 

Federal Work-Study, and Federal Perkins Loan programs. While all schools are eligible to 

participate in the campus-based aid programs, antiquated formulas with stringent hold-harmless 

provisions have resulted in institutions receiving allocations that reward schools for high tuition 

prices, bear little relation to the population of Pell-eligible students attending the institutions, and 

fail to consider whether institutions are a good value for students. The President’s 2016 Budget 

proposes to reform Federal allocations in the campus-based programs to target those 

institutions that enroll and graduate higher numbers of Pell-eligible students, and offer 

affordable and quality education and training such that graduates can obtain employment and 

repay their educational debt. 

In addition to reforming the allocation of lending authority, the Budget proposes to expand the 

Perkins Loan program into a new Unsubsidized Perkins Loan program which would provide 

$8.5 billion in loans annually and replace the current program (which expired in 2014 and was 

extended for 1 year under the General Education Provisions Act). When fully implemented, the 
42

new Perkins loan program would provide more than eight and a half times the current Perkins 

loan volume and expand institutional participation by up to an additional 2,700 postsecondary 

institutions. Savings resulting from this reform will be reinvested in student aid spending, 

specifically to continue indexing the maximum Pell Grant award to inflation beyond 2017.

Strengthening the Pell Grant Program

The Budget proposes to make several small reforms to strengthen and protect the Pell Grant 

program while promoting student responsibility:

• First, it would strengthen academic progress requirements in the Pell Grant program in 

order to encourage students to complete their studies on time. 

• Second, it would allow those students enrolled in eligible career pathways programs who 

recently had the Ability to Benefit provision restored to receive the maximum Pell Grant 

award, which would allow adults without a high school diploma to gain the knowledge 

and skills they need to secure a good job. The 2015 expansion made these students 

eligible only for partial Pell awards.

• Third, it would limit the receipt of additional Pell disbursements by recipients who 

repeatedly enroll in postsecondary programs and obtain aid but do not earn any 

academic credits.

• Fourth, the Budget would move Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants to the Pell Grant 

program to avoid further award reductions as a result of sequestration and ensure our 

veterans’ children receive the full, non-sequestered Pell award for which they are 

eligible.

Ensure Student Aid Resources are Used Well

The Budget proposes to include other Federal educational programs, such as Department of 

Defense Tuition Assistance and Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill Benefits, in the 

90/10 calculation in the administration of Title IV Federal student aid at proprietary (for-profit) 

institutions. Currently, for institutions participating in Federal student aid programs, no more 

than 90 percent of revenue can come from Federal student loans and grants.

Federal Student Aid and Tax Benefits for College Students

In addition to Pell Grants, low-interest student loans, and the campus-based student aid 

programs, the Federal Government provides significant tax relief to American students and 

families through several credits, exclusions, and deductions. These benefits, in comparison 

with the amounts provided by the student financial aid programs, are displayed below. The 

Administration proposes to expand, simplify and better target education tax benefits, building on 

its success in creating the American Opportunity Tax Credit.
43

Federal Assistance to 

College Students

Fiscal year

2008

Fiscal year

Fiscal year

2016 

Request

Change in 

Dollars

Change 

in 

Percent

Student Aid Available $97.7 billion $148.2 billion $50.5 billion 52%

Selected Tax Benefits $7.5 billion $19.9 billion $12.4 billion 165%

Student Aid Summary Tables

Budget Authority 

(dollars in millions) 2014 2015

2016

Request

Pell Grants

Discretionary funding ... ............................................... $22,778.41 $22,475.4 $22,475.4

Mandatory funding ....................................................... 5,423.51 6,079.51 6,460.41

Subtotal, Pell Grants ................................................ 28,201.8 28,554.9 28,935.7 

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants .................. 733.1 733.1 733.1

Work-Study ......................................................................... 974.7 989.7 989.7

TEACH Grants 2 ................................................................. 18.4 14.3 11.7

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants ................................. 0.3 0.3 —3

Federal Family Education Loans ....................................... -5,676.04 -3,293.64 —

Federal Direct Loans .......................................................... -15,715.15 16,134.45 -14,011.85

Unsubsidized Perkins Loans .............................................. — — -876.96

Total ..................................................................... 8,537.2 43,133.1 15,781.2

1 Amounts appropriated for Pell Grants for 2014 include mandatory funding provided by the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2012. Mandatory funding was also established in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, as 

amended.2 For budget and financial management purposes, this program is operated as a credit program under the 

Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990. Budget authority reflects the estimated net present value of future Federal nonadministrative costs for awards made in a given fiscal year. Budget amounts for 2014 and 2015 include new loan 

subsidy and upward reestimates and exclude downward reestimates. The downward reestimate for 2014 was 

$13.3 million, and for 2015 was $31.2 million. The amount for 2016 reflects new loan subsidy. 3 Budget authority for the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants (IASG) program is displayed as part of the 

Pell Grant program, reflecting Budget policy to consolidate IASG into the Pell Grant program. In 2016, budget 

authority for this program is projected to be $396,000. 4 FFEL budget authority does not include the Liquidating account. The 2014 amount includes a net 

downward reestimate of -$1.7 billion primarily related to revised interest rate assumptions, and a net downward 

modification of -$4.0 billion as a result of the changes to guaranty agency loan retention and compensation passed in 

the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. The 2015 amount includes a net downward reestimate of -$3.3 billion primarily 

related to revised deferment assumptions. These reestimates and modifications reflect the impact of changes on an 

outstanding FFEL portfolio of over $275 billion. 5 The 2014 amount includes a net upward reestimate of $6.8 billion, primarily related to revised interest rate 

assumptions and increased participation in income-driven repayment plans. The 2015 amount includes a net upward 

reestimate of $12.3 billion, primarily related to revised interest rates and increased participation in income-driven 

repayment plans, and a net upward modification of $9.3 billion, to reflect the budgetary impact of the proposed 

changes to PAYE. The FY 2015 Direct Loan net reestimate has been corrected from the February 2, 2015 version to 

eliminate a double-counting of the 2015 net upward modification. The 2016 request includes a net downward 

modification of -$804 million, to reflect the budgetary impact of the proposed expansion of PAYE (reestimates and 

modifications reflect the impact of changes on an outstanding Direct Loan portfolio of $694 billion). 6 Amount in 2016 reflects proposal to create a new Perkins Loan program as a mandatory credit program.
44

Aid Available to Students 

(dollars in millions)

2014 2015 2016

Request

Pell Grants $30,998.1 $31,326.8 $32,113.1

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants.... 976.5 976.5 976.5

Work-Study ............................................................... 1,158.5 1,176.4 1,176.4

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants ....................... 0.3 0.3 —1

New Student Loans:

Federal Direct Loans ......................................... 100,815.7 103,915.2 109,160.4

Perkins Loans .................................................... 1,010.3 1,010.3 613.0

Unsubsidized Perkins Loans ............................. — — 4,113.4

TEACH Grants ................................................... 91.6 80.4 94.3

Subtotal, Student Loans .............................. 101,917.52 105,005.92 113,981.22

Total ............................................................. 135,051.03 138,486.03 148,247.23

1 Aid available for the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants (IASG) program is displayed as part of the Pell 

Grant program, reflecting Budget policy to consolidate IASG into the Pell Grant program. In 2016, aid available for 

this program is projected to be $476,000. 2 Consolidation Loans for existing borrowers will total $34.6 billion in 2014; $26.6 billion in 2015; and $27.8 

billion in 2016. 3 Shows total aid generated by Department programs, including Perkins Loan capital from institutional 

revolving funds, and institutional matching funds.

Number of Student Aid Awards

(in thousands)

2014 2015 2016

Request

Pell Grants 8,173.0 8,237.0 8,376.0

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants ... 1,629.5 1,629.5 1,629.5

Work-Study ......................................................................... 692.5 703.1 703.1

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants 1 ............................... — — —

New Student Loans: 2

Federal Direct Loans ................................................... 19,583.6 19,770.6 20,434.8

Perkins Loans .............................................................. 501.6 501.6 313.3

Unsubsidized Perkins Loans ....................................... — — 730.6

TEACH Grants ............................................................. 32.5 30.6 33.4

Total awards ................................................................ 31,298.8 31,360.8 31,723.6

1 Less than 1,000 recipients in each year.

2 Consolidation Loans for existing borrowers will total 686,000 in 2014; 488,000 in 2015; and 503,000 in 

2016.
45

Number of Postsecondary Students Aided by Department Programs

2014 2015 2016

Unduplicated Count (in thousands) ....................... 12,770 13,150 13,235

Federal Pell Grant Program

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions

Discretionary budget authority....................... $22,778.4 $22,475.4 $22,475.4

Mandatory budget authority........................... 4,835.5 6,079.5 6,460.0

Definite mandatory funding............................ 588.0 — —

Total ........................................................ 28,201.8 28,554.9 28,935.7

Program costs (dollars in millions)....................... $31,039.0 $31,368.0 $32,155.4

Aid available (dollars in millions).......................... $30,998.1 $31,326.8 $32,113.1

Recipients (in thousands)..................................... $8,173 $8,237 $8,376

Maximum grant (in whole dollars)

Discretionary portion...................................... $4,860 $4,860 $4,860

Mandatory add-on.......................................... 870 915 1,055

Total 5,730 5,775 5,915

Average grant (in whole dollars) .......................... $3,792 $3,803 $3,833

The Pell Grant program helps ensure financial access to postsecondary education by providing 

grant aid to low-income undergraduate students. The program is the largest need-based 

postsecondary student grant program, with individual awards based on the financial 

circumstances of students and their families. The 2016 discretionary request of $22.5 billion for 

Pell Grants would continue to make college more affordable for 8.4 million students by 

supporting the scheduled increase in current law in the maximum Pell award by the Consumer 

Price Index from $5,775 in award year 2015–2016, while also fully funding the program through 

award year 2017–2018.

In addition to fully funding the Pell program in fiscal year 2016, the Budget proposes reinvesting 

savings from the reformed and expanded Perkins Loan program and the legislative savings 

from reforming income-based repayment plans in student aid spending, and specifically, in 

extending CPI indexing of the maximum Pell Grant award beyond 2017.
46

Campus-Based Programs

The Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), Work-Study, and Perkins Loan 

programs are called the “campus-based” programs because they make grants directly to 

participating institutions, which have considerable flexibility to package awards based on the 

needs of their students. The 2016 request would reform these programs to target awards to 

those institutions that enroll and graduate higher numbers of Pell-eligible students and offer an 

affordable and quality education such that graduates can repay their educational debt.

In addition, the request would expand and reform the Perkins Loan program to significantly 

increase both lending authority and the number of participating institutions, in part by modifying 

the formula used to allocate funding to institutions, which currently is based primarily on 

institutions’ longevity in the program.

These reforms, collectively, seek to provide increased access to college and ensure that 

students are well-prepared for work and life after graduation by making postsecondary 

education more affordable for students with financial need through better targeting of Federal 

resources to institutions that demonstrate success in the areas of access, affordability, and 

completion.

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants

Program Information

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions ....................................................... $733.1 $733.1 $733.1

Aid available (dollars in millions) ......................... $976.5 $976.5 $976.5

Recipients (in thousands) .................................... 1,629 1,629 1,629

Average award (in whole dollars)......................... $599 $599 $599

This program provides grant assistance of up to $4,000 per academic year to undergraduate 

students with demonstrated financial need. Program funds are allocated to institutions 

according to a statutory formula and require a 25 percent institutional match. The $733.1 million 

request would leverage $243.4 million in institutional matching funds to make available an 

estimated total of $976.5 million in grants to 1.6 million recipients. Awards to students are 

determined at the discretion of institutional financial aid administrators, although schools are 

required to give priority to Pell Grant recipients and students with the lowest expected family 

contributions. The request would reform the institutional allocation formula to direct funding 

toward institutions that (1) enroll and graduate higher numbers of Pell-eligible students, and 

(2) offer an affordable and quality education such that graduates can repay their educational 

debt.
47

Work-Study

program Information

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions ....................................................... $974.7 $989.7 $989.7

Aid available (dollars in millions) ......................... $1,158.5 $1,176.4 $1,176.4

Recipients (in thousands) .................................... 692 703 703

Average award (in whole dollars)......................... $1,673 $1,673 $1,673

The Work-Study program provides grants to participating institutions to pay up to 75 percent of 

the wages of eligible undergraduate and graduate students working part-time to help pay their 

college costs. The school or other eligible employer provides the balance of the student’s 

wages. The Budget proposes to level-fund Work-Study at the 2015 amount—$989.7 million—

which, when combined with institutional matching funds, would make available nearly 

$1.2 billion to an estimated 703,000 recipients. Funds are allocated to institutions according to 

a statutory formula and individual award amounts to students are determined at the discretion of 

institutional financial aid administrators. The request would reform the institutional allocation 

formula to direct funding toward institutions that (1) enroll and graduate higher numbers of Pelleligible students, and (2) offer an affordable and quality education such that graduates can 

repay their educational debt.

Perkins Loans

Program Information

2014 2015

2016

Request

Perkins Loans (current program):

Aid available (dollars in millions) ......................... $1,010.3 $1,010.3 $613.0

Recipients (in thousands) .................................... 502 502 313

Average loan (in whole dollars)............................ $2,014 $2,014 $1,957

Unsubsidized Perkins Loans:

Loan subsidies (BA in millions) ........................... — — -$876.9

Aid available (dollars in millions) ......................... — — $4,113.4

Recipients (in thousands) .................................... — — 731

Average loan (in whole dollars)............................ — — 5,630

The Perkins Loan program provides long-term, low-interest loans to undergraduate and 

graduate students with demonstrated financial need at roughly 1,500 institutions. Perkins Loan 

borrowers pay no interest during in-school, grace, and deferment periods, and are charged 

5 percent interest during the principal repayment period. Annual borrowing limits are $5,500 for 

undergraduate students and $8,000 for graduate and professional students. The authorization 

for the current program expired in 2014 and was extended for 1 year under the General 

Education Provisions Act.

The Administration is proposing to create a reformed and expanded Perkins Loan program as 

part of its overall effort to improve and strengthen the campus-based programs. The proposal 

would provide $8.5 billion in new loan volume annually—more than eight and a half times the 

current annual Perkins volume—and serve students at up to 2,700 additional postsecondary 

education institutions. Savings from this proposal, estimated at $6 billion in outlays over 10 

years would be redirected to the Pell Grant program to continue indexing the maximum Pell 
48

award beyond 2017. Under the Administration’s proposal, Unsubsidized Perkins Loans would 

carry the same annually-determined fixed interest rate as that proposed for Unsubsidized 

Stafford Loans. Loan limits for both undergraduate and graduate students would remain the 

same as in the current Perkins program. The Department of Education, rather than institutions, 

would service Perkins Loans. Lending authority would be allocated among institutions in the 

same manner as the other campus-based programs—the request would reform the institutional 

allocation formula to direct funding toward institutions that (1) enroll and graduate higher 

numbers of Pell-eligible students, and (2) offer an affordable and quality education such that 

graduates can repay their educational debt.

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants

Program Information

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in thousands .................................................. $294 $340 $0

Aid available (dollars in thousands) .................... $331 $376 $0

Recipients (in thousands) .................................... (1) (1) —

Average award (in whole dollars)......................... $4,940 $5,013 $0

1 Number of recipients estimated to be less than 1,000.

The Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant program provides non-need-based grants to students 

whose parent or guardian was a member of the Armed Forces who died in Iraq or Afghanistan 

as a result of performing military service after September 11, 2001. Students are not required to 

be eligible for a Pell Grant in order to receive a Service Grant; however, the student must be 

24 years old or younger; or, if older than 24, must have been enrolled in an institution of higher 

education at the time of the parent or guardian’s death. Service Grants are equal to the 

maximum Pell Grant for a given award year, which is $5,775 for the 2015–2016 award year. 

The 2016 Budget proposes consolidate this program into the Pell Grant program so that awards 

for these deserving recipients will no longer be subject to the effects of sequestration.

TEACH Grants

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions.................................................................. $18.4 1 $14.3 1 $11.7 1

Aid available to students (in millions)............................. $91.6 $80.4 $94.3

Recipients (in thousands) .............................................. 32.5 30.6 33.4

Maximum grant (in whole dollars) .................................. $4,000 $4,000 $4,000

Average grant (in whole dollars) .................................... $2,815 $2,633 $2,825

1 Amounts for 2014 and 2015 include new loan subsidy and upward reestimates, and exclude downward 

reestimates. The downward reestimate for 2014 was -$13.3 million, and for 2015 was -$31.2 million. The amount for 

2016 reflects new loan subsidy.

The TEACH Grant program awards annual grants of up to $4,000 to eligible undergraduate and 

graduate students who agree to serve as a full-time mathematics, science, foreign language, 

bilingual education or other English language program, special education, or reading teacher at 

a high-need school for not less than 4 years within 8 years of graduation. For students who fail 

to fulfill this service requirement, grants are converted to Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans 

with interest accrued from the date the grants were awarded.
49

For budget and financial management purposes, the TEACH program is operated as a loan 

program with 100 percent forgiveness of outstanding principal and interest upon completion of a 

student’s service requirement. Grants are converted to Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans if 

students do not complete the required service. Consistent with the requirements of the Credit 

Reform Act of 1990, budget authority for this program reflects the estimated net present value of 

all future non-administrative Federal costs associated with awards made in a given fiscal year. 

Federal Family Education Loans and Direct Loans

(in millions)

2014 2015

2016

Request

Federal Family Education Loans

Net modification of existing loans ........................... -$4,020.4 1 — —

Net reestimate of existing loans.............................. -1,655.7 2,3 -3,293.6 2,3 —

Total, FFEL program BA................................... -5,676.1 -3,293.6 —

Federal Direct Loans

New loans subsidies (BA)....................................... -22,508.7 2 -5,501.8 2 -$13,207.7 2

Net modification of existing loans ........................... — 9,307.2 -804.1 1

Net reestimate of existing loans.............................. 6,793.6 3

 

12,329.0 3 —

Total, new budget authority .............................. -15,715.1 16,134.4 -14,011.8

Total, student loans (BA) .................................. -21,391.2 12,840.8 -14,011.8

1 Under Credit Reform, costs or savings related to the impact of policy changes on existing loans are reflected in 

the current year. The amount of 2014 FFEL modification reflects the impact of changes to guaranty agency loan 

retention and compensation in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. The 2015 and 2016 Direct Loan modifications 

reflect the impact of the proposed changes to the Pay As You Earn repayment plan. 2 Total includes amount for Consolidation Loans.

3 Under Credit Reform, the subsidy amounts are reestimated annually in both Direct Loans and FFEL to account 

for changes in long-term projections. Reestimates and modifications reflect the impact of changes on outstanding 

portfolios of $275 billion for FFEL, $84 billion for ECASLA, and $694 billion for Direct Loans. The FY 2015 Direct 

Loan Net reestimate has been corrected from the February 2, 2015 version to eliminate a double-counting of the 

2015 net modification.
50

New loan volume (in millions) 2014 2015

2016

Request

Direct Loans

Stafford loans....................................... $26,199.9 $26,346.0 $26,954.5

Unsubsidized Stafford loans ................ 55,562.5 57,502.3 60,982.8

Parent PLUS loans .............................. 10,786.6 11,361.4 11,978.4

Grad PLUS loans ................................. 8,266.7 8,705.5 9,244.7

Total............................................... 100,815.7 1 103,915.2 1 109,160.4 1

Number of new loans (in thousands)

Direct Loans

Stafford loans....................................... 8,134 8,141 8,321

Unsubsidized Stafford loans ................ 10,086 10,213 10,637

Parent PLUS loans .............................. 849 880 913

Grad PLUS loans ................................. 514 537 564

Total............................................... 19,583 1 19,771 1 20,435 1

1 Consolidation Loans for existing borrowers will total $34.6 billion and 686,000 loans in 2014, $26.6 billion 

and 488,000 loans in 2015, and $27.8 billion and 503,000 loans in 2016.

The Department of Education operates two major student loan programs—the Federal Family 

Education Loan (FFEL) program and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) 

program—but since July 1, 2010, the Department has made new loans only through the Direct 

Loan program. The legacy FFEL program made loans to students and their families through 

private lenders. State and private nonprofit guaranty agencies administered the Federal 

guarantee which protected FFEL lenders against losses related to borrower default, collected on 

defaulted loans, and provided other services to lenders. Under the Direct Loan program, the 

Federal Government provides the loan capital and schools disburse loan funds to students. The 

Department carries out its loan origination and servicing functions under Direct Loans through 

private contractors. The Direct Loan program features four types of loans:

• Stafford Loans are subsidized, low-interest loans based on financial need. The Federal 

Government pays the interest while the student is in school and during certain grace and 

deferment periods. The current interest rate for undergraduate loans made in academic 

year 2014-2015 is 4.66 percent. As of July 1, 2012, only undergraduate students are 

eligible for subsidized Stafford loans.

• Unsubsidized Stafford Loans have a fixed interest rate of 4.66 percent for undergraduate 

borrowers and 6.21 percent for graduate and professional borrowers in academic year 

2014-2015, but the Federal Government does not pay interest for the student during 

in-school, grace, and deferment periods.

• PLUS Loans are available to parents of dependent undergraduate students, and to graduate 

and professional students. The interest rate is 7.21 percent in academic year 2014–2015 

and the Federal Government does not pay interest during in-school, grace, and deferment 

periods.

• Consolidation Loans allow borrowers with multiple student loans who meet certain criteria to 

combine their loans and extend their repayment schedules. The rate for both FFEL and 

Direct Consolidation Loans is based on the weighted average of loans consolidated rounded 
51

up to the nearest 1/8th of 1 percent. The resulting rate for the consolidated loan is then fixed 

for the life of the loan.

The 2016 Budget would reform and streamline income-driven repayment to ensure that program 

benefits are targeted to the neediest borrowers and to safeguard the program for the future, 

including by protecting against institutional practices that may further increase student 

indebtedness. The most substantial change would be to simplify income-driven repayment by 

making a modified PAYE the only income-driven repayment plan for borrowers who originate 

their first loan on or after July 1, 2016. This would simplify borrowers’ experience and allow for 

easier selection of a repayment plan, while reducing program complexity and targeting benefits 

to ensure program effectiveness. Students who borrowed their first loans prior to July 1, 2016 

would continue to be able to select among the existing repayment plans (for plans for which 

they now qualify and for loans originated through their current course of study), in addition to the 

modified PAYE, which includes the following reforms:

• Calculating payments for married borrowers filing separately on the combined household 

Adjusted Gross Income;

• Establishing a 25-year forgiveness period for borrowers with balances above the 

aggregate loan limit ($57,500) for independent undergraduate students;

• Eliminating the standard payment cap so that high-income, high-balance borrowers pay 

an equitable share of their earnings as their income rises;

• Capping the amount of interest that can accrue when a borrower’s monthly payment is 

insufficient to cover the interest to avoid ballooning loan balances.

The Budget also proposes the reforms above as legislative changes for future loans, in addition 

to the following changes:

• Capping Public Sector Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) at the aggregate loan limit for 

independent undergraduate students to protect against institutional practices that may 

further increase student indebtedness, while ensuring the program provides sufficient 

relief for students committed to public service; and

• Preventing payments made under non-income driven repayment plans from being 

applied toward PSLF to ensure that loan forgiveness is targeted to students with the 

greatest need.
52

F. HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Overview

The Administration’s 2016 request includes $2.1 billion in discretionary funds for Higher 

Education Programs aimed at increasing the percentage of Americans with postsecondary 

degrees or credentials to achieve the President’s goal of leading the world in college attainment.

The Administration’s Budget invests in innovation and building evidence of what works in 

postsecondary education at the institutional level through a $200 million request for the First in 

the World program (FITW), funded in the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education 

(FIPSE). Increased funding in FITW would build on the 2014 and 2015 competitions by 

providing larger grants to support the implementation and rigorous evaluation of promising and 

evidence-based strategies at scale. Of the amount requested for FITW, up to 30 percent would 

be set aside to support the implementation of projects at Minority Serving Institutions. 

The request includes $30 million for GPRA data/Higher Education Act (HEA) program 

evaluation, of which $29 million would be used to conduct research, evaluations, and 

demonstrations to test approaches for promoting postsecondary access, program completion, 

and high-quality, affordable education programs and $1 million would be used for activities to 

improve Higher Education program data quality and performance measurement the collection 

and analysis of performance data and the evaluation of HEA programs. 

To help close gaps among racial and socioeconomic groups in college enrollment and degree 

attainment, the request provides $429.8 million in discretionary funding for the Aid for 

Institutional Development programs, the same as the 2015 level. The request would strengthen 

institutions of higher education that serve high proportions of minority and disadvantaged 

students, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Historically Black 

Graduate Institutions (HBGIs), by improving their academic programs, institutional capacity, and 

student support services. The Budget also provides $110.8 million in discretionary funding for 

the Aid for Hispanic-Serving Institutions programs.

The request would provide $859.8 million to support college preparation and completion

activities for participants in the Federal TRIO Programs. Of this amount, up to $20 million would 

be used to support a new TRIO Demonstration initiative designed to give existing grantees the 

opportunity to compete for increased funding to implement and evaluate additional, evidencebased, college access and success strategies and support dissemination of strategies that 

prove to be effective at scale to all TRIO grantees. Additionally, the request includes 

$301.6 million to assist middle and high school students in preparing for college through Gaining 

Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). These programs 

are crucial for helping to meet the President’s 2020 college attainment goal by getting more 

students into and through postsecondary education.

In addition, the Higher Education request includes $76.2 million, or $4 million more than the 

2015 level, for the International Education and Foreign Language Studies programs, which help 

meet the Nation's security and economic needs through the development of expertise in foreign 

languages and area and international studies. The Budget also provides $29.3 million for meritand need-based scholarships and fellowships to postsecondary students under Graduate 

Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) programs, as well as $11.8 million for model 

comprehensive transition programs through the Model Transition Programs for Students with 

Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) program.
53

Title III: Aid for Institutional Development

(BA in millions)

Programs

2014 2015

2016

Request

Strengthening Institutions (SIP) .................................. $79.1 $80.5 $80.5

Strengthening Tribally Controlled Colleges 

and Universities (TCCUs)........................................ 25.2 25.7 25.7

Strengthening Tribally Controlled Colleges

and Universities (mandatory TCCUs)...................... 27.8 1 27.8 1 30.0 1

Strengthening Alaska Native and Native

Hawaiian-serving Institutions (ANNHs).................... 12.6 12.8 12.8

Strengthening Alaska Native and Native

Hawaiian-serving Institutions (mandatory ANNHs) . 13.9 1 13.9 1 15.0 1

Strengthening Historically Black Colleges

and Universities (HBCUs)........................................ 223.8 227.5 227.5

Strengthening Historically Black Colleges

and Universities (mandatory HBCUs)...................... 78.9 1 78.8 1 85.0 1

Strengthening Historically Black Graduate

Institutions (HBGIs).................................................. 57.9 58.8 58.8

Master’s Degree Programs at HBCUs

and PBIs (mandatory)....................................... 10.7 2 — —

Strengthening Predominantly Black

Institutions (PBIs)..................................................... 9.1 9.2 9.2

Strengthening Predominantly Black

Institutions (mandatory PBIs)................................... 13.9 1 13.9 1 15.0 1

Strengthening Asian American and Native

American Pacific Islander-serving

Institutions (AANAPISIs).......................................... 3.1 3.1 3.1

Strengthening Asian American and Native

American Pacific Islander-serving

Institutions (mandatory AANAPISIs)........................ 4.6 1 4.6 1 5.0 1

Strengthening Native American-serving

nontribal institutions (NASNTIs)............................... 3.1 3.1 3.1

Strengthening Native American-serving

nontribal institutions (mandatory NASNTIs)............. 4.6 1 4.6 1 5.0 1

Minority Science and Engineering

Improvement (MSEIP) ............................................. 9.0 9.0 9.0

Total .................................................................... 577.4 573.4 1 584.8

Discretionary .................................................. 422.8 429.8 1 429.8

Mandatory ...................................................... 154.5 143.7 155.0

1 Mandatory appropriations are provided under Section 371 of the HEA, as amended by the Student Aid and 

Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) within the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152). 

These figures include sequester reductions of 5.1 percent in 2013 and 7.2 percent in 2014 that went into effect 

October 1, 2013, pursuant to the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25). 2 These funds are mandatory appropriations provided under Section 897 of the HEA. These figures include 

sequester reductions of 5.1 percent in 2013 and 7.2 percent in 2014 that went into effect October 1, 2013, pursuant to 

the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25).

The request for Title III maintains support for institutions that serve large percentages of minority 

and disadvantaged students. Title III funding, which is awarded both competitively and by a 

formula that directs aid to specified institutions, helps provide equal educational opportunity and 

strong academic programs for these students and enhances the financial stability of the 
54

institutions that serve them. Funds may be used to plan, develop, and implement activities that 

support faculty development; administrative management; development and improvement of 

academic programs; joint use of libraries and laboratories; construction, maintenance, and 

renovation of instructional facilities; student services; and endowment funds.

Strengthening Institutions supports institutions that provide educational opportunities to 

low-income and minority students. The 2016 request would support 137 continuation grants 

and would enable the Department to award new development grants.

Strengthening Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) supports 34 Tribal 

Colleges and Universities located primarily in remote areas not served by other postsecondary 

education institutions. These institutions offer a broad range of degree and vocational certificate 

programs to students for whom these educational opportunities would otherwise be 

geographically and culturally inaccessible. In addition, $30 million in mandatory funds is 

available under section 371 of the HEA for TCCUs.

Strengthening Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving Institutions supports institutions with 

undergraduate enrollments that are at least 20 percent Alaska Native and at least 10 percent 

Native Hawaiian students, respectively. The discretionary request would support continuation 

awards for these institutions, which typically are located in remote areas not served by other 

institutions. The Department also will use $15 million in fiscal year 2016 mandatory funds to 

award new and continuation grants.

Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities supports any accredited, legally 

authorized HBCU that was established prior to 1964 and which retains a principal mission of 

educating African-Americans. Fiscal year 2016 funding would support 96 HBCUs. In 2016, 

$85 million in mandatory funding is available for HBCUs.

Strengthening Historically Black Graduate Institutions supports 24 institutions with schools of 

law, medical schools, or other graduate programs. 

Strengthening Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) makes awards to primarily urban and 

rural 2-year colleges that have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is at least 

40 percent African-American and that serve at least 50 percent low-income or first-generation 

college students. The request would support approximately 35 new awards. In addition, 

$15 million in mandatory funding is available in 2016 for continuation awards to 27 grantees.

Strengthening Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institutions

supports institutions with undergraduate enrollments that are at least 10 percent Asian 

American and Native American Pacific Islander. The 2016 request would support 8 continuation

awards for institutions serving this diverse population. In addition, mandatory funding of 

$5 million is available in 2016 to support approximately 11 new awards for these institutions.

Strengthening Native American-serving Nontribal Institutions supports institutions that are not 

designated as TCCUs, yet enroll at least 10 percent Native American students and serve at 

least 50 percent low-income students. The discretionary request would support 8 continuation 

awards and an additional $5 million in mandatory funds would support approximately 13 new

grants.

The Minority Science and Engineering Improvement program would fund approximately 12 new 

grants and 25 continuation grants that support improvement in science and engineering 
55

education at predominantly minority institutions and increase the participation of 

underrepresented ethnic minorities, particularly minority women, in scientific and technological 

careers.

Aid for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)

(BA in millions)

programs

2014 2015

2016

Request

Developing HSIs ........................................................ $98.6 $100.2 $100.2

Mandatory Developing HSI STEM 

 and Articulation Programs....................................... 92.8

1

92.7

1

 100.0

1

Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans

(Discretionary) .......................................................... 8.8 8.9 10.6

(Mandatory) .............................................................. 10.7 2 — —

Total ........................................................................... 210.9 201.9 210.8

 Discretionary ............................................................ 107.4 109.1 110.8

 Mandatory ................................................................ 103.5 92.7 100.0

1 These funds are mandatory appropriations provided under the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act 

(SAFRA) within the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152). These figures include 

sequester reductions of 5.1 percent in 2013 and 7.2 percent in 2014 that went into effect October 1, 2013, pursuant to 

the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25). 2 These funds are mandatory appropriations provided under Title VIII, Part AA, Section 898 of the HEA. 

These figures include sequester reductions of 5.1 percent in 2013 and 7.2 percent in 2014 that went into effect 

October 1, 2013, pursuant to the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25).

The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) program funds competitive grants to 

expand and enhance the academic quality, institutional management, fiscal stability, and selfsufficiency of colleges and universities that enroll large percentages of Hispanic students. In 

2016, $100.2 million in discretionary funding would support approximately 158 new and 

continuation awards. In addition, mandatory funds provided under section 371 of the HEA 

would support 109 new awards under the HSI Science, Technology, Engineering, and 

Mathematics (STEM) and Articulation program.

The Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) program 

provides funds to eligible HSIs that offer a postbaccalaureate certificate or postbaccalaureate 

degree-granting program. The program is designed to help Hispanic Americans gain entry into 

and succeed in graduate study, a level of education in which they are underrepresented. The 

amount requested is needed to pay third year continuation costs of 19 continuation grants 

awarded in fiscal 2014 with the final year of PPOHA mandatory funding.
56

International Education and Foreign Language Studies (IEFLS)

(BA in millions)

Programs 2014 2015

2016

Request

Domestic Programs.............................................. $65.1 $65.1 $67.1

Overseas Programs ............................................. 7.1 7.1 9.1

Total............................................................... 72.2 72.2 76.2

These programs support comprehensive language and area study centers within the United 

States, research and curriculum development, and opportunities for American scholars to study 

abroad. In addition to promoting general understanding of the peoples of other countries, the 

Department’s International Programs also serve important economic, diplomatic, defense, and 

other national security interests. The request would enable the Department to help maintain the 

national capacity in teaching and learning less commonly taught languages and associated area 

studies and to continue to work toward increasing the global competency of all U.S. students. 

The proposed $2 million increase, or 3 percent, for Domestic Programs in 2016 would support 

new awards to help American students develop proficiency in critical foreign languages, 

specifically those spoken in the Asia-Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa regions. The proposed 

$2 million increase, or 28 percent, for Overseas Programs in 2016 would improve the capacity 

of school districts to teach global competencies by providing opportunities for groups of K-12 

teachers, principals, and administrators from a single district to study a different culture and/or a 

global issue together through summer study abroad.

Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)

(BA in millions)

Programs 2014 2015

2016

Request

First in the World Awards ..................................... $74.6 $58.0 $195.0

Centers for the Study of Distance Education and

Technological Advancements........................ 1.5 — —

Training for Realtime Writers ............................... 1.1 — —

Center for Best Practices to Support Single

Parent Students ............................................. 0.5 — —

Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student

Success. ........................................................ — 5.0 —

National Center for Information and Technical

Support for Postsecondary Disabilities......... — 2.5 —

Analysis of Federal Regulations and Reporting

Requirements on IHEs .................................. 1.0 — —

Other/FITW Evaluation......................................... 0.7 2.3 5.0

Total............................................................... 79.4 67.8 200.0

FIPSE awards competitive grants to support projects that are models for innovative reform and 

improvement in postsecondary education. The 2016 request would provide a total of

$200 million for the third year of the First in the World (FITW) program. FITW is a competitive 

grant program, modeled after Investing in Innovation (i3), designed to identify innovative 

solutions to persistent and widespread challenges to completion in postsecondary education, 

particularly those that affect adult learners, working students, part-time students, students from 

low-income backgrounds, students of color, and first-generation students. FITW builds 
57

evidence for what works in postsecondary education by supporting the implementation of 

innovative solutions and rigorous evaluation at increasing levels of scale to test the 

effectiveness of particular strategies. Increased funding in FITW would build on the 2014 and 

2015 competitions by providing larger grants to support scaling up of promising and evidencebased strategies, and rigorous evaluation at scale, to help determine whether these strategies 

work in varied settings and with a wide range of students. The Administration plans to set aside 

up to 30 percent of the funds available for the competition to support the implementation of 

projects at Minority Serving Institutions.

Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $7.7 $7.7 $7.7

The request would fund awards to tribally controlled postsecondary career and technical 

institutions that meet the program’s eligibility requirements to fund instructional and student 

support services under a reauthorized Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.

Special Programs for Migrant Students

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $34.6 $37.5 $44.6

Special Programs for Migrant Students include the High School Equivalency Program (HEP), 

which funds competitively selected projects to help low-income migrant and seasonal farm 

workers earn high school diplomas or equivalency certificates, and the College Assistance 

Migrant Program (CAMP), which makes competitive grants to provide stipends and special 

services, such as tutoring and counseling, to migrant students who are in their first year of 

college. HEP and CAMP programs focus on finding and assisting migrant youth who have not 

been able—due to limited or inconsistent educational opportunity—to complete high school or 

go on to postsecondary education. The 2016 request provides a $7.1 million increase in 

recognition of strong program performance supported by improvements in the areas of data 

quality and program management over the past several years. Funds would support 

approximately 45 HEP projects and 52 CAMP projects, as well as outreach, technical 

assistance, and professional development activities.

Federal TRIO Programs

(BA in millions)

Programs

2014 2015

2016

Request

Talent Search....................................................... $134.6 $135.1 $134.7

Upward Bound ..................................................... 264.8 265.4 265.4

Veterans Upward Bound...................................... 13.7 13.8 13.8

Upward Bound Math-Science .............................. 43.1 43.1 43.1

Educational Opportunity Centers ......................... 46.9 46.9 46.9

Student Support Services .................................... 281.7 297.5 297.5

McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement............ 46.0 30.3 30.7

Staff Training........................................................ 1.5 1.5 1.4
58

Programs

2014 2015

2016

Request

TRIO Demonstration — — $20.0

Evaluation .......................................................... $2.0 $2.0 2.0

Administration/Peer Review................................. 3.8 4.1 4.3 

Total............................................................... 838.3 839.8 859.8

The TRIO programs are among the Department’s largest investments aimed at getting more 

students prepared for, into, and through postsecondary education. The request would provide a 

$20 million increase over the 2015 level and would enable the Department to maintain funding 

for approximately 2,800 TRIO projects serving middle school, high school, and college students 

and adults, while also supporting a new TRIO Demonstration initiative designed to give existing 

grantees the opportunity to compete for increased funding to implement and evaluate additional, 

evidence-based, college access and success strategies and support dissemination of strategies 

that prove to be effective at scale to all TRIO grantees.

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $301.6 $301.6 $301.6

GEAR UP provides funds to States and partnerships for early college preparation and 

awareness activities to help low-income elementary and secondary school students prepare for 

and pursue postsecondary education. Several features of GEAR UP, including targeting entire 

grades of students, partnering with local organizations and businesses, and matching Federal 

funds with local contributions, allow projects to serve large numbers of students. The request 

maintains funding at the 2015 level and would support continuation awards for approximately 

37 States and 82 Partnerships in fiscal year 2016.

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN)

program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $29.3 $29.3 $29.3

GAANN provides fellowships, through competitive grants to postsecondary institutions, to 

graduate students with superior ability and high financial need studying in areas of national 

need. Participating graduate schools must provide assurances that they would seek talented 

students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. The 2016 request would support 

approximately 609 fellowships.

Model Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID)

program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $10.4 $11.8 $11.8
59

TPSID supports competitive grants awarded to institutions of higher education or consortia of 

such institutions to create or expand high-quality, inclusive model comprehensive transition and 

postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities. The 2016 request would 

support 27 continuation awards, as well as a Coordinating Center that provides technical 

assistance to institutions with transition programs.

Child Care Access Means Parents in School

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $15.1 $15.1 $15.1

This competitive grant program supports the participation of low-income parents in 

postsecondary education through campus-based childcare services. Grants made to 

institutions of higher education must be used to supplement childcare services or start a new 

program, not to supplant funds for current childcare services. The program gives priority to 

institutions that leverage local or institutional resources and employ a sliding fee scale. The 

2016 request would support approximately 86 continuation awards.

GPRA Data/HEA Program Evaluation

program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $0.6 0.0 $30.0

The request would support the collection and analysis of performance data and the evaluation 

of Higher Education Act programs that either lack funding set-asides to conduct these activities 

or where such set-asides are not sufficient to cover the costs of the activities. The Department 

would use $29 million to conduct research, evaluations, and demonstrations to test approaches 

for promoting postsecondary access, program completion, and high-quality, affordable 

education programs and $1 million for activities to improve Higher Education program data 

quality and performance measurement.

America’s College Promise

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ — — $1,364.8

The mandatory President's America’s College Promise proposal would make community college 

free for responsible students, enabling them to earn a certificate, an associate’s degree or up to 

2 years’ worth of credits towards a bachelor’s degree without paying any tuition and fees. 

Everyone will be required to do their part:

• Shared Responsibility With States: Federal funding would cover about three-quarters of 

the average cost of community college. Allocation of the Federal portion would be 

based, in part, on a formula that includes both student enrollment and outcomes such as 

program completion or transfer to 4-year institutions. States that choose to participate 

would be expected to contribute the remaining funds necessary to eliminate community 

college tuition for eligible students. States must also commit to continue existing 

investments in higher education; coordinate high schools, community colleges, and 
60

4-year institutions to reduce the need for remediation and repeated courses; and 

allocate a significant portion of funding based on performance, not enrollment alone.

• High-Quality Community Colleges: Community colleges would be expected to offer 

programs that either: are academic programs that fully transfer to local public 4-year 

colleges and universities, giving students a chance to earn half of the credit they need 

for a 4-year degree; or, are occupational training programs with high graduation rates 

and that lead to degrees and certificates that are in demand among employers. Colleges 

must also adopt promising and evidence-based institutional reforms and innovative 

practices to improve student outcomes.

• Student Responsibility: Students who attend at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA 

while in college, and make steady progress toward completing their program would have 

their tuition eliminated. The program would eliminate tuition and fees for all eligible 

students for a maximum of 3 years. Students with AGI $200,000 and above would not be 

eligible.

The total cost of the mandatory America’s College Promise proposal is estimated at $60.3 billion 

over 10 years.

College Opportunity and Graduation Bonus

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ — — $647.0

This mandatory proposal would reward colleges that successfully enroll and graduate a 

significant number of low- and moderate-income students on time and encourage all institutions 

to improve their performance. Eligible institutions may receive a grant that will support 

innovation, interventions, and reforms to further increase college access and success based 

upon the number of Pell Grant recipients they graduate on time. The new program would 

provide an annual grant to eligible institutions equal to their number of on-time Pell graduates 

multiplied by a tiered bonus amount per student, varying by institution type. In addition, this new 

program would encourage institutions to continue improving their performance and graduate 

even more low-income students, by providing a larger bonus amount for additional Pell 

graduates. Eligibility would be based on Pell students comprising a significant share of an 

institution’s graduating class, as well as on graduation and student loan default rates. Over the 

next decade, the Budget provides $7.0 billion in budget authority for the College Opportunity 

and Graduation Bonus program.
61

Howard University

(BA in millions)

Programs

2014 2015

2016

Request

General Support................................................... $194.5 $194.5 $194.5

Howard University Hospital.................................. 27.3 27.3 27.3

Total............................................................... 221.8 221.8 221.8

The 2016 request would maintain support for Howard University’s academic programs, research 

programs, construction activities, and the Howard University Hospital at the 2015 level. Howard 

University has played a historic role in providing access to postsecondary educational 

opportunities for students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, especially AfricanAmericans. The request includes $3.4 million for Howard University’s endowment. The direct 

Federal appropriation accounts for approximately 36 percent of Howard University’s operating 

costs. 

Academic Facilities

(BA in millions)

Programs

2014 2015

2016

Request

HBCU Capital Financing Program ....................... $19.4 $19.4 $19.4

CHAFL Federal Administration ............................ 0.4 0.4 0.5

These programs support the construction, reconstruction, and renovation of academic facilities 

at institutions of higher education. The 2016 request for the HBCU Capital Financing Program 

would support the management and servicing of loan guarantees on previously issued loans, 

and includes $19.1 million in loan subsidy that would allow the program to guarantee 

$286 million in new loans in 2016. Funds also would be used to continue technical assistance 

services to help HBCUs increase their fiscal stability and improve their access to capital 

markets. The Administration is seeking legislative authority to raise the limits on total loan 

authority and the sub-limits on authority for loans to public and private HBCUs.

Funding for CHAFL Federal Administration is used solely to manage and service existing 

portfolios of facilities loans and grants made in prior years.
62

G. INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Overview

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) supports sustained programs of research, statistics, 

and evaluation to inform and provide solutions to the problems and challenges faced by 

schools, teachers, and learners. Investment in research and statistics activities is critical in 

order to identify effective instructional and program practices, track student achievement, and 

measure the impact of educational reform. Through its four centers—the National Center for 

Education Research, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the National Center 

for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, and the National Center for Special 

Education Research—IES ensures that the Federal investment in education research, statistics, 

and evaluation is rigorous and relevant to the needs of educators and policymakers.

For 2016, the Administration is seeking $675.9 million for IES activities, an increase of 

$101.9 million over the 2015 appropriation. This request would enable IES to award 

approximately $60 million in new research and development grants in early learning, 

elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and adult education in 2016, including research focused 

on issues related to students with disabilities. NCES would receive an additional $21.7 million 

to support a wide range of activities, including collecting administrative National Postsecondary 

Student Aid Survey (NPSAS) data every 2 years, re-initiating the Early Childhood Longitudinal 

Study Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), and developing a study on college loan performance. The 

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) would receive an additional $20.6 million 

to maintain the current schedule of assessments, transition to digital-based assessments and 

expand the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2017, and conduct assessments at 

grades 8 and 12 in U.S. history, civics, and geography in 2018. In addition, the Statewide 

Longitudinal Data Systems program would receive an additional $35.5 million to make new 

grants and support the expansion of existing systems to provide near real-time information to 

policymakers on the impact of various education strategies.

The request also would provide an increase for the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) to 

expand dissemination efforts to better meet the needs of practitioners and policymakers and to 

accelerate study reviews to help ensure that State educations authorities (SEAs), local 

educational authorities (LEAs), schools, and practitioners have access to the most up-to-date 

evidence. In addition, the request would continue the Administration’s commitment to 

supporting the Regional Educational Laboratories and Special Education Studies and 

Evaluations.

Research, Development, and Dissemination

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $179.9 $179.9 $202.3

The request includes an increase of $22.4 million over the 2015 level to support critical 

investments in education research, development, dissemination, and evaluation that provide 

parents, teachers, schools, and policy-makers with evidence-based information on effective 

educational practices. The request would enable IES to launch three new grant competitions: 

low-cost, quick-turnaround randomized control trials; research networks focused on critical 

problems of education practice; and the pathways to education research training program. At 
63

the request level, IES would be able to support $6 million in new research on early childhood 

education. In addition, the increase would allow IES to expand What Works Clearinghouse 

(WWC) activities, including increasing the number and pace of study reviews.

Statistics

program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $103.1 $103.1 $124.7

The Department’s statistics program—operated primarily through competitively awarded 

contracts administered by NCES—provides general statistics about trends in education, collects 

data to monitor reform and measure educational progress, and informs the IES research 

agenda. The 2016 request, an increase of $21.7 million from 2015, would support the 

collection, analysis, and dissemination of education-related statistics in response to both 

legislative requirements and to the particular needs of data providers, data users, and 

educational researchers. The increase would provide $8.7 million to re-initiate the Early 

Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort, $2 million to support an international study of early 

childhood education, $4 million to collect administrative National Postsecondary Student Aid 

Survey data every 2 years, $2 million to support the School Survey on Crime and Safety and the 

School Crime Supplement, $4 million to support a study on student loan repayment and 

defaults, and $1 million to support statistical work on the My Brother’s Keeper initiative.

Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) 

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $54.4 $54.4 $54.4

The requested funds would be used to support the final year of the 5-year REL contracts. The 

RELs serve as a necessary bridge between the research community and State and local 

educational agencies by building the capacity of States and districts to conduct and use 

research in order to bring the latest high-quality research and proven practices to the school 

level. RELs work in conjunction with other Department technical assistance centers to support 

State and district education priorities. Key REL activities include providing technical assistance 

on data analysis, evaluating programs and strategies, and analyzing State and district data to 

inform educational improvement.

Assessment

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $140.2 $137.2 $157.4

The request would fund the ongoing National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and 

the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). NAEP measures and reports on the status 

of and trends in student learning over time, on a subject-by-subject basis, and makes objective 

information on student performance available to policymakers, educators, parents, and the 

public. As a nationally representative and continuing assessment of what American students 

know and can do, NAEP has become a key measure of our Nation’s educational performance. 

The requested funding for NAEP would allow for the 2017 4th and 8th grade national and State 

assessments in reading and math to transition to a digital-based platform, the expansion of the 
64

Trial Urban District Assessment to an additional 10 urban school districts, and the administration 

assessments in U.S. history, civics, and geography at grades 8 and 12 in 2018.

Research in Special Education

program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

BA in millions........................................................ $54.0 $54.0 $54.0

These funds support a comprehensive program of special education research designed to 

expand the knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities; 

answer questions about how children with disabilities develop and learn; and how best to 

support their development through improved teaching and special education and related 

services. Continued investment in such long-term programs of research is necessary to 

accumulate empirical knowledge and develop evidence-based practices and policies that will 

result in improved academic achievement, social and emotional well-being, behavior, and 

physical development for children with disabilities.

Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

 BA in millions...................................................... $34.5 $34.5 $70.0

This program supports competitive awards to State educational agencies to foster the design, 

development, and implementation of longitudinal data systems that enable States to use data 

on student learning, teacher performance, and college- and career-readiness to enhance the 

provision of education and close achievement gaps. Up to $6 million would be used for awards 

to public or private agencies and organizations to support activities to improve data 

coordination, quality, and use at the local, State, and national levels. The proposed 

$35.5 million increase would allow the Department to support $58 million in new grants to 

improve data systems and ensure that data are available to answer key policy questions in such 

core areas as financial and resource equity and teacher preparation, compensation, and 

advancement.

Special Education Studies and Evaluations

Program budget authority (BA)

2014 2015

2016

Request

 BA in millions...................................................... $10.8 $10.8 $13.0

This program supports studies to assess the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA) and the effectiveness of State and local efforts to provide special 

education and early intervention programs and services to infants, toddlers, and children with 

disabilities. The request would support an evaluation of preschool special education practices, 

a study of State and local implementation of IDEA, an impact evaluation of multi-tiered systems 

of support for behavior, and a study of post high school outcomes for youth with disabilities.
65

III. PROGRAMS PROPOSED FOR CONSOLIDATION OR ELIMINATION, 

OR FOR TRANSFER

A. Proposed Discretionary Program Consolidations or Elimination

The 2016 request continues the Administration’s commitment to eliminating or consolidating 

funding for programs that have achieved their original purpose, duplicate other programs, are 

narrowly focused, or unable to demonstrate effectiveness. Overall, Congress eliminated funding 

for approximately 50 programs since fiscal year 2010 for a total annual savings of more than 

$1.2 billion. The table shown below is followed by a brief summary of each program, in 

alphabetical order, that would be consolidated or eliminated under the 2016 request.

Programs Proposed for Consolidation or Elimination in FY 2016

Program (2015 BA in millions)

Evaluation (Education for the Disadvantaged)......................................................... $0.7

Impact Aid Payments for Federal Property.............................................................. 66.8

School Leadership ................................................................................................... 16.4

Teacher Quality Partnership .................................................................................... 40.6

Transition to Teaching.............................................................................................. 13.7

Total ............................................................................................................ 138.2

(2015 BA in millions)

Evaluation (Education for the Disadvantaged) ........................................................... $0.7

These funds are used to carry out objective measurement and systematic analyses of the Title I 

Grants to Local Educational Agencies program, the Federal Government's largest investment in 

elementary and secondary education. The 2016 requests proposes to fund these activities

through an expansion of the ESEA pooled evaluation authority first authorized in the fiscal year 

2014 appropriations act for the Department of Education and continued in fiscal year 2015.

Impact Aid Payments for Federal Property............................................................... $66.8

This authority provides payments to local educational agencies without regard to the presence 

of federally connected children and thus does not necessarily support the provision of 

educational services for federally connected children. 

School Leadership ................................................................................................... $16.4

This program, which provides funds to States and local educational agencies to develop and 

support a high-quality teaching force through activities that are grounded in scientifically based 

research, would be consolidated into the more flexible Teacher and Principal Pathways 

proposal.

Teacher Quality Partnership..................................................................................... $40.6

This program, which would be consolidated into the more flexible Teacher and Principal 

Pathways proposal, supports the development and implementation of model teacher 
66

preparation and teaching residency programs to improve the quality of teaching in high-need 

schools and early childhood education programs.

Transition to Teaching.............................................................................................. $13.7

This program, which would be consolidated into the more flexible Teacher and Principal 

Pathways proposal, supports competitive grants to develop and implement comprehensive 

approaches to training, placing, and supporting teacher candidates through alternative routes to 

teacher certification or licensure.
67

B. Programs Being Transferred to HHS in 2015

On July 22, 2014, President Obama signed into law the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

Act (WIOA). Under WIOA, the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, as 

well as specified functions of the Independent Living and the Assistive Technology units in the 

Rehabilitation Services Administration are transferred from the Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services in the U.S. Department of Education to the Administration for 

Community Living in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The table below is 

followed by a brief summary of each program, in alphabetical order, that would transfer to HHS 

in 2015.

Programs being transferred to HHS in FY 2015

............................................................................................................................................

Program (2014 BA in millions)

Assistive Technology Programs............................................................................... $33.0

Centers for Independent Living................................................................................ 78.3

Independent Living State Grants ............................................................................. 22.9

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research ................................... 104.0

Total ............................................................................................................ 238.2

Assistive Technology Programs ............................................................................... $33.0

Assistive Technology programs support grants to States to increase access to and funding for 

assistive technology devices and services for individuals with disabilities of all ages.

Centers for Independent Living ................................................................................ $78.3

The Independent Living programs provide services to individuals with disabilities to maximize 

their independence and productivity and to help them integrate into the mainstream of American 

society. The Centers for Independent Living program makes competitive grants to support a 

network of independent living services.

Independent Living State Grants.............................................................................. $22.9

The Independent Living programs provide services to individuals with disabilities to maximize 

their independence and productivity and to help them integrate into the mainstream of American 

society. The State Grant program awards formula grants to States to expand and improve 

independent living services and to support the operation of centers for independent living.

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research................................... $104.0

The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) helps improve the lives 

of persons of all ages with disabilities through a comprehensive and coordinated program of 

research, demonstration projects, and related activities, including training of persons who 

provide rehabilitation services or conduct rehabilitation research.
68

IV. DEPARTMENTAL MANAGEMENT

History and Background

Congress established the Department of Education as a Cabinet level agency in 1980. Today, 

the Department supports programs that touch on every area and level of education. The 

Department's early learning, elementary, and secondary education programs annually serve 

approximately 16,900 school districts and 50 million students attending more than 98,000 public 

schools and 28,000 private schools. Department programs also provide grant, loan, and workstudy assistance to nearly 13 million postsecondary students.

The Department is responsible for administering education programs authorized and funded by 

Congress and signed into law by the President. This responsibility involves developing 

regulations and policy guidance regarding program operations, determining how program funds 

are awarded to recipients consistent with statutory requirements, and ensuring programs are 

operated fairly and conform to statutes and laws prohibiting discrimination in federally funded 

activities. The Department also collects data and conducts research on education to help focus 

attention on education issues of national importance.

Most Federal funds for education are distributed using one of three methods: a statutory 

formula based on certain eligibility requirements, such as the number of low-income students in 

a school district; a competitive process aimed at identifying the most promising proposals or 

projects targeting a particular educational purpose; or an assessment of financial need, such as 

the ability of a student or family to pay for college.

Key programs administered by the Department include Title I of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act (ESEA), which under the President’s 2016 request would provide $15.4 billion to 

help almost 24 million students in high-poverty schools make progress toward State academic 

standards; the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part B Grants to States, which would 

provide $11.7 billion to help States and school districts meet the special education needs of 

6.6 million students with disabilities; Federal Pell Grants, which would make available nearly 

$32.1 billion in need-based grants to 8.4 million students enrolled in postsecondary institutions; 

and the postsecondary student loan programs, which would help provide roughly $137 billion in 

new and consolidated Direct Loans to help students and families pay for college.

The Department’s responsibilities have grown substantially over the past decade, reflecting, in 

part, the implementation of complex new competitive grant programs like Investing in 

Innovation. In the postsecondary area, the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 

2008 (ECASLA) supported uninterrupted access by students to federally guaranteed student 

loans throughout the financial crisis, while SAFRA (Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act), 

Title II, Part A of the Health Care Education Reconciliation Act, 2010, ended Federal subsidies 

to private lenders and created 100 percent Direct Lending. The Department has also taken on 

new, complex statutory, regulatory, and administrative responsibilities. The Department is now 

the sole lender for Federal postsecondary student loans and has a portfolio of more than 

$1.1 trillion, including Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL), ECASLA, and Direct Loans. The 

Department’s investigative responsibilities have also grown significantly, as evidenced by the 

growth in civil rights-related complaints.

Laws and Presidential directives such as Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 and the 

Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 have required significant ongoing 
69

resources to address physical and information security technology issues. There has been an 

enhanced Governmentwide focus on prudent financial management through instruments such 

as OMB Circular A-123 on internal controls. The Department has also significantly increased 

the dollars it invests in computer security to ensure that sensitive data on students, borrowers, 

and the Department’s State, local, and institutional partners’ information are protected.

Despite the dramatic increase in its workload, the Department has controlled its administrative 

costs by reducing the number of personnel and improving its acquisition and financial 

management. The following chart compares the cumulative percentage increases, from 2004 to 

2014, in the Department’s discretionary budget, total loan originations, and FAFSA applications, 

with the Department’s total decrease in full-time equivalent (FTE) usage.

28%

56%

53%

-8%

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Department of

Education Discretionary

Budget (Includes Pell

Grants)

Total Loan Originations FAFSA Applications Department FTE

Percent Change

The Department's workload grew from 2004 to 2014 while FTE 

levels decreased.

Key workload indicators FTE
70

Salaries and Expenses Overview

Departmental Management

(BA in millions) 2014Footnote2015Footnote

2016 

RequestFootnote

Program Administration $422.91 $411.001 $474.092

Office for Civil Rights 98.36 100.00 130.69

Office of Inspector General 57.79 57.79 59.26

Student Aid Administration 1,166.03 1,396.92 1,581.85

Other 9.284 9.284 8.894

Total 1,754.34 1,974.99 2,254.78

Full-time equivalent employment (FTE)

Program Administration 1,898 1,8611 1,961

Office for Civil Rights 544 554 754

Office of Inspector General 249 241 244

Student Aid Administration 1,320 1,350 1,350

Other 16 19 19

Total 4,0275 4,0255 4,3285

1 The 2015 Appropriation for the Program Administration account does not reflect two anticipated transfers. 

The first would transfer funds to the Department of Health and Human Services for necessary administrative 

expenses per Section 491 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, P.L.113-128. The second would avoid 

potential furloughs of staff by using the Department’s authority to transfer up to 1 percent of another discretionary 

appropriation as long as the receiving appropriation does not increase by more than 3 percent, with the sending 

appropriation(s) to be determined. 2 Includes $13.8 million in 2016 for Building Modernization.

3 Excludes $1 million in Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL) program transfer from HHS and excludes 

$226.8 million in mandatory funds. 4 Includes small Federal Credit Administration accounts and S&E activities in program accounts. 5 Actual FTE usage in 2014; target for 2015 and 2016. Target for 2015 does not reflect two anticipated 

transfers as detailed in footnote 1. With transfers, FTE target for 2015 is expected to be approximately 4,114.
71

The 2016 Budget request for Salaries and Expenses (S&E) would pay the costs of staff, 

overhead, contracts, and other activities needed to administer and monitor the Department’s 

educational assistance programs. The Department of Education has the smallest staff of the 

15 Cabinet agencies, but its discretionary budget alone is the third largest, behind only the 

Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services. As a result, the 

Department’s administrative funds are approximately 1 percent of the total annual program 

appropriations and new loan volume administered by the Department. When adjusted for 

inflation, the Department of Education’s overall administrative budget is about the same as it 

was 10 years ago, while FTE has declined by 8 percent.

The Department is requesting $2.25 billion for its S&E budget accounts in 2016, an increase of 

$280 million, or 14.2 percent, over the 2015 level. Approximately 62 percent of the requested 

increase is for servicing costs based on current loan servicing projections. An additional 

23 percent of the requested increase is for fixed increases (e.g., actual and proposed pay 

increases, increased retirement contribution rates effective October 2015, GSA-mandated 

increases in rental costs) that must be covered, as well as a necessary increase of 303 FTE to 

1) handle increased investigative workload (especially in the areas of sexual assault on college 

campuses and school discipline), and 2) provide adequate staffing based on current workload. 

The rest of the requested increase is focused on key priority areas: student aid systems and 

operational costs necessary to originate, disburse, and manage Pell Grants and Student Loans; 

implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 and DATA Act 

additional reporting requirements; IT security; IT system enhancements; and building 

modernization costs to reduce the Department’s space needs and rental costs.

The chart above provides detail on the total Salaries and Expenses request of $2.25 billion by 

category. 

Department Employment

The 2016 request includes funding for 4,328 FTE, a net increase of 303 FTE from the 2015 

level of 4,025 FTE. Of the requested increase, the Department is seeking 51 additional FTE in 

Program Administration (the balance of the requested increase of 100 FTE in 2016 in Program 

Administration is accounted for by the reduction of 40 FTE in 2016 per the transfer of staff to the 

Department of Health and Human Services and the FTE impacts in 2015 of the anticipated use 

of the Department’s transfer authority). This increase is needed to staff areas of high priority. 

More specific detail is explained in the Program Administration request. The request also 

includes an increase of 200 FTE in the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to address staffing 

shortages and the increased workload to address increased Title IX investigations regarding 

sexual violence on college campuses. The increased FTE will allow for a better ratio of cases 

per staff, which will ensure more robust monitoring efforts and reduce the time needed to 

resolve cases. Additionally, an increase of 3 FTE in the Office of Inspector General (OIG) is 

requested for continual support on audit, investigation, and inspection activities.
72

Boston

New York City

Philadelphia

Washington, D.C.

Regional Offices

Field Offices

Location of the Department of Education 

Regional and Field Offices

Seattle

San

Francisco Denver

Kansas

City

Chicago

Atlanta

Dallas

Cleveland Sacramento

Long Beach

Puerto Rico Pembroke 

Pines

Pittsburgh

St. Paul

Austin

Phoenix

Nashville

Ann Arbor

Program Administration

The Program Administration account provides administrative support for most programs and 

offices in the Department. The 2016 request totals $474.1 million, an increase of $63.1 million, 

or 15 percent, above the 2015 level. The request includes $293.1 million for personnel 

compensation and benefits to support 1,961 FTE.

Non-personnel costs cover such items as travel, rent, mail, telephones, utilities, printing, 

information technology, contractual services, equipment, supplies, and other services. The total 

request for non-personnel activities in 2016 is $167.2 million, an increase of $28.2 million from 

the 2015 level of $139.0 million. This increase is needed for: (1) 51 new FTE to address 

staffing shortages and high priority initiatives; (2) built-in increases for a proposed 1.3 percent 

pay raise in January 2016, one additional paid day, and an increased Federal Employees 

Retirement System (FERS) contribution rate starting in October 2015; (3) support for a recently 

established STEM Office to expand outreach and technical assistance activities to States and 

districts to support the STEM Innovation initiatives; (4) enhancing and reengineering the 

Department’s management of student privacy, including compliance with Family Educational 

Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA); 

(5) implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 and DATA Act 

additional reporting requirements; and (6) several Administration priorities that will strive to 

dramatically improve the Department’s effectiveness in improving educational outcomes, 

interacting with the public, and providing technical assistance to grantees. 
73

Student Aid Administration

The Student Aid Administration account provides funds to administer the Federal student 

financial assistance programs. The Higher Education Act Title IV programs, which provide 

funds to help students and families pay for the cost of education and training beyond high 

school, are the Nation’s largest source of financial aid for postsecondary students. This account 

funds functions across the student aid lifecycle, including: educating students and families 

about the process for obtaining aid and student loan repayment options; processing student 

financial aid applications; disbursing aid; servicing loans; and collecting on defaulted loans.

Ensuring the smooth operation of the complex financial transactions and many participants 

involved in the student financial aid programs—and safeguarding the interests of both students 

and Federal taxpayers—is one of the Department's greatest management challenges and 

highest administrative priorities. Primary responsibility for administering the Federal student 

financial assistance programs rests with Federal Student Aid, the Office of the Under Secretary, 

and the Office of Postsecondary Education.

During the 2014–2015 award year, FSA provided approximately $169.6 billion in grant, workstudy, and loan assistance, including loan consolidations, to 12.8 million postsecondary 

students and their families. These students attended approximately 6,200 institutions of 

postsecondary education accredited by dozens of agencies.

SAFRA ended the origination of new loans under the FFEL program and required all new loans, 

as of July 1, 2010, to be originated and serviced through the Direct Loan (DL) program and 

serviced by the Department of Education. Although all new lending is made through the DL 

program, lenders and guaranty agencies continue to service and collect outstanding loans from 

the FFEL portfolio. In 2013, the Bipartisan Budget Act removed SAFRA language that 

authorized mandatory budget authority to fund loan servicing performed by Not-For-Profit 

servicers. The Department currently has 13 loan servicers to service the Department’s portfolio 

of nearly 30 million borrowers.

The Student Aid Administration account represents 70 percent of the Department’s total 

discretionary administrative budget. The 2016 request would provide $1.6 billion to administer 

student aid programs, an increase of $185 million over the 2015 level. Ninety-four percent of 

the increase is due to higher servicing costs, due to increases in the number of borrowers, the 

aging of the student loan portfolio as more borrowers move into repayment, and renegotiated 

servicing contracts with pricing and incentives to improve customer service and keep borrowers 

current and in a payment plan that makes their debt manageable. In addition to the servicing 

request, funds are necessary to maintain operations for student aid application processing,

origination, disbursement functions, and student aid IT system hosting; manage the acquisition 

strategy for FSA’s core contracts for application processing and system hosting; and improve 

data collection, reporting, and dissemination to the public.

Office for Civil Rights

The Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigates discrimination complaints, conducts 

compliance reviews, monitors corrective action plans, and provides technical assistance on civil 

rights issues. Over the past 6 years, OCR’s workload has dramatically expanded as civil rights 

complaints received by the Department have increased from 6,933 in 2010 to an estimated 

10,200 in 2016. At the same time, OCR’s staffing has actually decreased, increasing the 

number of complaints per staff to 28 and creating a backlog of 630 pending complaints open for 
74

more than 180 days. OCR estimates that the complaints-to-staff ratio needs to decrease to 

roughly 19 cases per staff to eliminate this backlog and keep up with the projected level of

complaints. To address this issue, OCR is requesting a significant increase in FTE.

The 2016 request for OCR is $130.7 million, an increase of $30.7 million over the 2015 level. 

About $26.3 million, or 86 percent, of the requested increase is for staff pay and benefits for 

754 FTE (a requested increase of 200 FTE), as well as a proposed 1.3 percent pay raise in 

January 2016, one additional paid day, and an increased FERS contribution rate starting in 

October 2015. An increase of $2.1 million is for information technology services including 

contracts for the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), which will be used to support the 2015–16 

and 2017–18 CRDC data collections and provide resources for technical assistance to school 

districts on preparing and submitting accurate data. The remaining $2.3 million will cover 

overhead costs as well as computer equipment, data analysis and reporting activities, travel, 

and other contractual services. The requested funds would ensure essential program support to 

resolve complaints of discrimination filed by the public and to ensure that institutions receiving 

Federal financial assistance are in compliance with the civil rights laws enforced by OCR. 

OCR provides extensive information on its Internet site, including self-assessment materials for 

recipients, data on school characteristics, brochures, and other information for the public. The 

Department of Education recently released the CRDC data from the 2011–2012 school year, a 

massive undertaking that produced a comprehensive snapshot of civil rights data from the 

Nation’s 97,000 public schools and its 16,500 school districts, representing 49 million students. 

It is the first comprehensive look at civil rights data from every public school in the country in 

nearly 15 years. For the first time, State-, district- and school-level information is accessible to 

the public in a searchable online database at crdc.ed.gov.

Office of Inspector General

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducts audits and investigations of the Department’s 

programs and activities to help ensure accountability for taxpayer-provided funds and to identify 

management improvements. The 2016 request for the OIG is $59.3 million, an increase of 

$1.5 million over the 2015 level. Approximately 69 percent of this amount, or $41.0 million, is 

for personnel compensation and benefits to support a staffing level of 244 FTE, including built-in 

increases for a proposed 1.3 percent pay raise in January 2016, one additional paid day, and an 

increased FERS contribution rate starting in October 2015.

The non-personnel request of $18.3 million includes $1 million to contract for the mandated 

annual audit of the Department’s financial statements. The scope of the audit would include the 

examination and analysis of account balances, review of applicable financial systems, and 

evaluation of internal controls and compliance with significant laws and regulations. 

Additionally, the non-personnel request includes funds to support the Council of Inspectors 

General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE); and to continue to develop the ability to perform 

predictive analytics, a tool to identify patterns of fraud and risk, allowing the OIG to better target 

audit and investigative work. 
75

APPENDICES

• Summary of Discretionary Funds

• Mandatory Funding in the Department of Education

• Summary of Mandatory Funds

• Advance Appropriations for the Department of Education

• Total Expenditures for Elementary and Secondary Education in the United States

• Detailed Budget Table by Program