Welcome back to After the First 100 Days, Inside Higher Ed’s weekly roundup of news from the Hill to the Oval Office. I’m your host, Katherine Knott, Inside Higher Ed’s news editor, who could use a nap.
It’s Day 277 of the second Trump administration, and Day 24 of the government shutdown. The record for the longest shutdown is 35 days, and this one could surpass that total given the current stalemate here in Washington, D.C. As the shutdown drags on, it’s fueling uncertainty on college campuses, and some are starting to feel the pain.
But let’s talk about the state of the Education Department. The recent layoffs have raised concerns that Education Secretary Linda McMahon is managing to dismantle her agency without congressional authorization. Special ed advocates are particularly concerned amid reports that the department is planning to let other agencies manage programs for students with disabilities. After the First 100 Days cohost, Jessica Blake, talked with Jacqueline Rodriguez, CEO of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, who is worried that the cuts could leave a generation of students without the services they are legally entitled to.
Elsewhere at the department, experts are skeptical about efforts to reform the Institute for Education Sciences. That office, which funds education research and collects data from colleges, was hit hard by layoffs in March, but the Trump officials say they are committed to supporting “a national education research entity.” Our federal policy reporter Ryan Quinn dived deep into the current IES and what outside groups are hoping to see from the beleaguered office.
Compact Watch: Last week, shortly after sending this newsletter, we reported that the White House called a meeting with several university leaders to talk about its compact, a wide-ranging plan for reform in higher ed. McMahon described the meeting as productive. But two universities still rejected the plan after the meeting, and another did so Monday—the deadline for feedback. What’s next is still unclear, but officials expect to update the draft and send out a new one next month.
The compact has loomed large over the month of October, so we pulled together our coverage to help readers see the full picture.. First, here’s my explainer on the proposal. Then, we have an analysis of all the compact responses from university leaders. Finally, we’re tracking the universities that have publicly weighed in on the compact on this handy map. (If you know of a university that we’re missing, let me know!)
That’s it for Week 40. Somehow, we’re nearly to the end of the year. What stands out to you the most about 2025? Any questions that you want answered in our year-in-review coverage? You can reach me at katherine.knott@insidehighered.com.
As always, if news breaks this afternoon or over the weekend, you can find the latest at InsideHigherEd.com. In the meantime, I’ll be exploring bike trails in D.C. to bask in the fall colors and showing some friends around town.
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