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GAO-24-107296 1 (2024-05-21)

handle is hein.gao/gaoqfb0001 and id is 1 raw text is: G AO# U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Comptroller General Washington, DC 20548 of the United States May 21, 2024 The Honorable Miguel Cardona Secretary of Education U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202 Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Education Dear Secretary Cardona: The purpose of this letter is to provide an update on the overall status of the Department of Education's (Education) implementation of GAO's recommendations and to call your continued personal attention to areas where open recommendations should be given high priority.' In November 2023, we reported that, on a government-wide basis, 75 percent of our recommendations made 4 years ago were implemented.2 Education's recommendation implementation rate was 57 percent. As of April 2024, Education had 90 open recommendations. Fully implementing these open recommendations could significantly improve agency operations. Since our May 2023 letter, Education has implemented one of six open priority recommendations. Specifically, in February 2024, Education issued a study estimating the causal effects of federal student loan payment amounts under Income-Driven Repayment plans on a variety of outcomes for students with incomes around 150 percent of federal poverty guidelines.3 The study covered outcomes related to loan repayment, such as the incidence of delinquency, default, and forbearance. The study also included broader outcomes like re- enrollment in higher education, and attainment of a degree. Through this research, Education has implemented our May 2012 recommendation to study the effectiveness of Title IV programs and higher education tax expenditures to improve student outcomes.4 1Priority recommendations are those that GAO believes warrant priority attention from heads of key departments or agencies. They are highlighted because, upon implementation, they may significantly improve government operations, for example, by realizing large dollar savings; eliminating mismanagement, fraud, and abuse; or making progress toward addressing a high-risk or duplication issue. 2GAO, Performance and Accountability Report: Fiscal Year 2023, GAO-24-900483 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 15, 2023). 3Tombs Monarrez and Lesley J. Turner, The Effect of Student Loan Payment Burdens on Borrower Outcomes, U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Chief Economist, OCE2024-001 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 2, 2024). 4GAO, Higher Education: Improved Tax Information Could Help Families Pay for College, GAO-1 2-560 (Washington, D.C.: May 18, 2012). GAO-24-107296 Education Priority Recommendations Page 1

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