Remedial Education Improvement Act

The bill would create five-year competitive grants for colleges and partnerships with school districts or state education agencies to improve remedial education. Grants could support aligning high school and college coursework, accelerated or targeted instruction, co-requisite courses, or comprehensive student supports; each grant would be at least $500,000.

Grant recipients would report student-level data each year during the grant and for five years afterward. An independent evaluator would assess how programs affect course and degree completion and compare the results across remedial education models.

Students could receive federal loans or grants under the Higher Education Act for up to two academic years while enrolled in a remedial education program funded under the bill.

The bill would prohibit selling data collected through the program and restrict its use by other federal agencies. It would also prohibit using personally identifiable information for law enforcement or other activity that could harm a student, including debt collection or immigration enforcement.

The Education Department would have to award grants to at least 30 eligible entities over each five-year grant period, distribute them across urban and rural areas, and give preference to entities that primarily serve low-income students. Most recipients would have to contribute non-federal funds equal to 10 percent of their grant; Tribal Colleges or Universities and institutions in specified territories and freely associated states would be exempt.