As the Higher Education Act (HEA) is being discussed in the House and Senate, many are calling for new policies that would give students and taxpayers a better return on their investment. In an effort to better understand how well schools are currently putting their resources towards helping students succeed, The Century Foundation, Third Way, and Veterans Education Success are coming together to pull back the curtains on instructional spending in higher education, dive into why it matters, and explore how best it could be used.

Join us on Thursday, April 18 for an overview of how to think about instructional spending, followed by opportunities to interact with the data for a hands on experience to learn more about a complex subject. We’ll have something for everyone – no prior knowledge of instructional spending is needed.

Event Details

Thursday, April 18, 2019
2:00 – 3:00pm

The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
First Street Northeast
Center Room: HVC-201 A&B
Washington, DC 20515

Speakers

Stephanie Hall
Fellow, The Century Foundation

Stephanie Hall is a fellow at The Century Foundation where she works on higher education policy with a focus on accountability and quality. She is an expert on international higher education policy, teacher policy, and trends in the privatization of public education.

Stephanie previously worked at the University System of Maryland Office of Academic and Student Affairs on issues including teacher education and workforce development. For the Maryland system, Stephanie coordinated a workgroup on civic education and civic engagement. She also managed statewide projects focused on improving undergraduate student outcomes and equity in STEM education.

Stephanie earned her PhD in International Education Policy at the University of Maryland College Park. Her dissertation analyzed the network of public and private sector organizations involved in teacher education policy in Brazil. Stephanie’s work has been published in Teachers College Record as well as in Portuguese-language academic journals.

Wesley Whistle
Education Policy Advisor, Third Way

As the Education Policy Advisor, Wesley works on higher education policy to improve student outcomes through increased transparency and accountability at the federal level. Through data analysis, research, and legislative advocacy, Wesley is moving the conversation around college from one exclusively focused on cost to one focused on the value students are getting from institutions of higher education.

Prior to joining Third Way, Wesley served his alma mater as the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research at Kentucky Wesleyan College, where he worked to improve student outcomes. There, he oversaw assessment, data analytics and government reporting, and he was heavily involved in the college’s reaccreditation. Wesley also worked in similar roles at the University of Louisville. Wesley graduated with a B.S. in Political Science from Kentucky Wesleyan College and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in education policy from the University of Kentucky.

Carrie Wofford
President, Veterans Education Success

Carrie Wofford brings two decades of significant policy and political experience from the White House, executive branch agencies, and senior Capitol Hill posts. Prior to founding Veterans Education Success in January, 2013, Wofford served Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) as the Senior Committee Counsel across the Committee’s issues, where she was described by The National Journal as someone who “wins high marks.”

Wofford was awarded the 2012 Freedom Award, the 2012 Congressional Staffer of the Year Award, and the 2012 Legislative Proponent Award for her work
building a coalition of allies on and off Capitol Hill to protect veterans and servicemembers from abuse by predatory for-profit colleges. Wofford was noted for proposing and helping secure an Executive Order by President Obama and for working with the nation’s top veterans’ leaders to enlist multiple bills from numerous Members of Congress, with a successful bipartisan bill sent to the President at the end of 2012.

Wofford’s other major work on the HELP Committee centered on working with a team of top staff and outside allies to draw attention to the dwindling Middle Class and to develop and build support for a proposal to rebuild the Middle Class.