2.   Safeguarding the privacy of students.  H.R. 609 explicitly prohibits the creation of a Student Unit Database, as proposed by the U.S. Department of Education.  Republicans have spoken out consistently against such a massive federal database, which would compile and maintain personally identifiable information about individual college students, including Social Security number, address, date of birth, attendance record, and financial information.

3.   Promoting merit-based pay for teachers.  The bill establishes a Teacher Incentive Fund to provide funds to states and local school districts to help develop pay-for-performance systems.  These systems would offer teachers and principals “recognition pay” for demonstrating progress in raising student achievement and closing the achievement gap.

4.   Increasing public access to information about colleges and universities.  The College Access & Opportunity Act would provide parents and students information currently sent to the U.S. Department of Education about college costs, student/faculty ratios, graduation rates, and average amount of financial aid being received by students.  Furthermore, institutions that increase tuition and fees at more than twice the rate of inflation over a three-year interval will be publicly identified and asked to provide information to the public about the causes of tuition increases, as well as strategies to help hold down tuition in the future.

5.   Easing college access for members and veterans of the Armed Forces.  The legislation ensures the eligibility of all veterans to participate in the TRIO college access programs.  The bill also classifies members of the Armed Forces as independent students, which could increase access to financial aid.  These reforms build on important education benefits for military personnel enacted in February 2006 under the Deficit Reduction Act.  That measure provided that active duty members of the military may receive loan deferment – meaning payments are not required and interest will not accrue – when serving the nation.