MSCHE Submits Comments to the United States Department of Education Regarding Prison Education Program Application

President Heather F. Perfetti submitted a letter on behalf of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) in response to the request for information by the United States Department of Education (Department) regarding the Prison Education Program (PEP) Application. Read Comment Request: Prison Education Program Application

“MSCHE is adapting our policies and procedures to the new responsibilities assigned to accrediting agencies by the revised regulations. As we prepare to implement this change, we note several areas of the proposed PEP application form where greater alignment and consistency with the accreditation process and substantive change regulations could be achieved,” stated President Perfetti in the letter. “As a more general comment, the proposed form requires programmatic information and documentation that the institution also must provide to the accrediting agency during the substantive change process. The Department should explore ways to streamline the requested information to reduce the burden of submitting duplicative information to multiple entities.”

Read the full letter.