Functional Statements > Office of Postsecondary Education > OPE Functions and Responsibilities

Policy, Planning, and Innovation

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Innovation (PPI) serves as the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education in policy development, strategic planning for program policy development and implementation, innovation, policy research and analysis in the areas of postsecondary education, and accreditation issues. The Deputy Assistant Secretary provides overall leadership for, oversees, and coordinates postsecondary education policy development and implementation.

PPI provides an integrated and structured approach for the identification and development of policies and innovative practices designed to improve the performance of federal postsecondary education programs, and, with the Assistant Secretary for OPE, provides leadership in the postsecondary education arena. PPI ensures an integrated and consistent direction in the development of postsecondary education and program policy. The programs for which PPI has responsibility include those administered by OPE and FSA.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary leads the development of OPE policy through close coordination with the Assistant Secretary for OPE, the Chief Operating Officer for FSA, the Deputy Assistant Secretaries for Higher Education Programs and International and Foreign Language Education, as well as with senior agency officials (e.g., Office of the Under Secretary), other federal agencies (e.g., OMB, Government Accountability Office, Department of Labor), the immediate staff of the President, the Congress, and the postsecondary education community.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary leads OPE's efforts in strategic planning for program policy development and implementation, and impact assessments to ensure alignment of program planning and delivery strategies with overall policy direction and to ensure the responsiveness of postsecondary education programs to customers and constituents.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary provides policy leadership and develops the postsecondary education and OPE policy agenda and establishes policy direction for ED's postsecondary education programs while working closely with senior agency officials, senior managers of other federal agencies, the Congress, and program constituents and other stakeholders in the development of postsecondary education policy. The Deputy Assistant Secretary ensures consistency and integration of OPE policy across programs while providing policy direction; program regulations; and monitoring the alignment of program regulations with the overall OPE policy agenda.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary also serves as the lead for development of postsecondary education legislative initiatives; and develops annual program budget plans and policies.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary also manages the operating budget and human resources allocated to PPI, including salaries and expenses, budget development and management, human resources and performance management, employee development and training, and staff and workload allocations.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for PPI provides overall direction, coordination, and leadership  for:

Policy Development, Analysis, Accreditation Service/Administrative, and Auxiliary Services

The Policy Development, Analysis, and Accreditation Service/Administrative and Auxiliary Services provides support, information, and recommendations to the Deputy Assistant Secretary on:

1. Developing policy for postsecondary education,
2. conducting policy analysis and forecasting, and
3. administering the review process of accrediting agencies that are reliable authorities as to the quality of education and training offered by postsecondary institutions and programs.
4. Coordinating and overseeing PPI's Control Mail and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

The Policy Development, Analysis, and Accreditation Service/Administrative and Auxiliary Services also manages data collection and other contracts necessary to carry out the responsibilities of PPI including the campus security, equity in athletics, and accreditation data collections.

National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) and National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation Committees (NCFMEA)

The Executive Director serves as the Designated Federal Official for NACIQI and the NCFMEA. NACIQI provides recommendations to the Secretary of Education regarding the recognition of accrediting agencies as reliable authorities concerning the quality of education and training offered by postsecondary educational institutions and programs. NCFMEA makes determinations as to whether the standards used by foreign countries to accredit medical schools are comparable to the standards used to accredit programs leading to the M.D. degree in the United States.

Policy Coordination Group and Policy Development Group

The Policy Coordination Group and the Policy Development Group are responsible for ensuring the effective coordination and development of OPE policy through the management of the regulatory, budgetary, and legislative processes within OPE. 

The Policy Coordination Group primarily focuses on matters related to Federal student loans.  The Policy Development Group primarily focuses on the 34 C.F.R. Part 668 General Provisions, as well as the Federal Student Aid grant and Federal Work-Study programs.

Working with the Deputy Assistant Secretaries, Service Area Directors, and Program Development Group Directors in Higher Education Programs and International and Foreign Language Education, along with staff from Federal Student Aid, the Policy Coordination Group, and the Policy Development Group:

• Review research and analysis on postsecondary education to inform policy development.
• Develop a regulatory agenda and plan for the programs administered by Federal Student Aid.
• Manage the regulatory process, including negotiated rulemaking.
• Develop regulations on postsecondary education matters using the appropriate approach to regulating either through negotiated rulemaking or notice and comment rulemaking.
• Provide authoritative advice and technical assistance on policy matters that impact the delivery and oversight of postsecondary education.
• Develop sub-regulatory guidance documents (including "Dear Colleague" letters, and Federal Register notices) needed to support the implementation the Federal Student Aid programs.
• Monitor implementation of regulations to ensure alignment with the overall policy agenda and develop legislative, budgetary, or regulatory strategies for making needed adjustments.
• Work with the postsecondary education community, other federal agencies, and senior agency officials in the identification of legislative issues and development of legislative proposals.
• Provide technical assistance on legislative issues.

Accreditation Group

The Accreditation Group administers the Department's review process of accrediting agencies and State approval agencies for postsecondary vocational education and nurse education seeking to obtain initial and continued recognition by the Secretary of Education. The Accreditation Group carries out the Secretary's responsibility to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies and associations that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities as to the quality of education and training offered by postsecondary institutions and programs. In addition, the Accreditation Group reviews the standards that foreign countries use to accredit their medical schools and of Federal agencies and institutions seeking degree-granting authority. The Accreditation Group also reviews the accreditation standards used by foreign veterinary accrediting agencies to determine if the standards are acceptable to the Secretary.

The Accreditation Group:

• Implements statutory and regulatory criteria governing the recognition of State approval agencies and of institutional and programmatic accrediting agencies as reliable authorities concerning the quality of education and training offered by postsecondary institutions or programs within their respective scopes of recognition.
• Evaluates petitions for initial recognition, renewal of recognition, and expansion of scope of recognition and compliance and monitoring reports by accrediting bodies and State approval agencies.
• Conducts on-site reviews of accrediting agencies, to include observing agencies in the process of conducting on-site accreditation visits of institutions and programs; conducting file reviews of the agencies; and observing accrediting agencies' decision-making activities.
• Reviews annual reports of recognized agencies.
• Monitors recognized accrediting agencies for continued compliance with the Criteria for Recognition and investigates third-party complaints.
• Presents the analyses of petitions, reports and inquiries to the NACIQI for review.
• Evaluates the standards and processes used by foreign countries to accredit/approve medical schools for comparability to standards used to accredit medical schools in the United States and presents the analyses to the NCFMEA or review and decision.
• Analyzes applications of Federal agencies and institutions seeking degree-granting authority.
• Maintains a close liaison with accrediting agencies to obtain information on institutional and program eligibility and provides this information to the Office of Federal Student Aid.
• Provides consultative services and general information to accrediting agencies and associations, State approval agencies, individual institutions, other parts of the Department and other Federal agencies of the activities of the Accreditation Group; and provides them with assistance in resolving their accreditation and eligibility related questions.
• Publishes the official list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies.

Policy and Forecasting Group

In performing its responsibilities, the Policy Analysis and Forecasting Group:

• Analyzes and evaluates the critical program and population trends, trends in eligible student populations, trends in postsecondary education, institutional and administrative characteristics and practices, economic indicators, etc. for use in developing policy and assessing the effectiveness of program structure and functioning against policy, budget goals, and objectives; determines the data necessary for these and other analytic tasks it performs.
• Develops and maintains models to forecast the effects of costs of key indicators or proposed regulatory or legislative changes across the Department of Education's postsecondary education programs, and develops annual or periodic updates to existing forecasting models for each of the major programs using various costing assumptions; coordinates its costs modeling and forecasting activities with the Policy Development Group Staff in the development of budget requests and justifications for postsecondary education programs.
• Evaluates the impact and effectiveness of policy changes made to postsecondary education programs; identifies issues for analysis in support of policy development; and coordinates OPE program-related research with other segments of the postsecondary education community.
• Assesses and measures program impacts for postsecondary education programs; develops and implements appropriate studies in coordination with other stakeholders; working with the Deputy Assistant Secretary, for PPI, the Chief Operating Officer for FSA, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for HEP, the Assistant Secretary for OPE, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Language Education, and senior agency officials, federal oversight agencies such as OMB, and the postsecondary education community, develops plans for the assessment of postsecondary education programs to determine their effectiveness in meeting legislative goals, agency policy goals, and long-term postsecondary education needs in the nation.
• Leads the development of early warning reports to assess actual demands for program dollars against fiscal plans and uses results to re-calibrate estimation M models.
• Directs and/or conducts studies in response to special requests from the Congress, the President, the Secretary, Assistant Secretary, and OMB, etc. These studies vary in duration, but may often be of an urgent nature, having specified completion dates and are of national scope and importance.
• Provides consultation on analytic and evaluative methods upon request.

Special Initiatives Group

In performing its responsibilities, the Strategic Initiatives Group:

• Undertakes, at the direction of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Innovation, special projects to support postsecondary education programs and policy development.
• Supports Department and administration policy direction to improve alignment with K-12 education, enhance college affordability and completion, improve consumer choice with respect to an individual's postsecondary education alternatives, and ensure sustainability of the levels of educational attainment of the nation's adult population.