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The Higher Education Act of 1965, the law governing most of the federal government's role in higher education, especially regarding student aid, comes up for reauthorization in the 108th Congress, most likely this fall.

Reauthorizing the Higher Education Act: Issues and Options, a report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy, provides an overview of the higher education issues Congress will face when renewing the act.

The nonpartisan guide summarizes relevant research, provides historical context, and evaluates 10 critical Higher Education Act (HEA) policy issues facing Congress and the President. It analyzes HEA programs, pinpoints options for change, and weighs the resulting tradeoffs of those options.

The report asserts that providing access to and success in postsecondary education, the principal goal of the HEA, is a legitimate and attainable goal for federal policy.

"Providing quality higher education for those who would not otherwise have such opportunities serve the public interest," note the authors. "It is also the right thing to do because it helps makes a more fair, just, and equitable society."

The report derives from more than 18 months of analysis by a wide variety of national higher education experts under the leadership of Institute senior associate Thomas Wolanin, how helped draft legislation renewing the Higher Education Act in 1980, 1986, and 1992.

The full text of the report is available online and copies can be downloaded at the institute's Web site at www.ihep.org.