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Open Recommendations

K-12 Education: Actions to Improve Oversight of Key Federal Programs and Address High Chronic Absenteeism
GAO-26-107920
Sep 23, 2026
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should promptly resume more comprehensive monitoring to better ensure states are meeting ESEA fiscal and programmatic requirements. (Recommendation 1)
Open
The Department of Education disagreed with this recommendation. Education noted that it will provide its 2027 monitoring plan in Fall 2026. We are encouraged that Education is developing a monitoring plan for 2027. However, by significantly curtailing the scope of fiscal and programmatic monitoring, especially for Title I, given the size of the program relative to other ESEA programs, Education has left over $18billion in federal funding at heightened risk for undetected waste, fraud ,and abuse. We continue to believe that Education should promptly resume more comprehensive monitoring to ensure that federal funds are being used for the purposes intended and are sufficiently safeguarded.
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should require that states report the number of students who are enrolled in each school in a way that matches how it requires states to report chronic absenteeism counts so that it can calculate reliable chronic absenteeism rates. (Recommendation 2)
Open
The Department of Education disagreed with this recommendation. Education noted that the mismatch between the enrollment data and chronic absenteeism data is a known limitation that is already documented. We agree that this is a known limitation, but that does not negate the importance of addressing it, especially given how Education and others have highlighted the importance of addressing chronic absenteeism. Our report notes that Education's annual EDFacts data is the only federal data collection meant to provide nationally comparable data on chronic absenteeism for every public school and school district. Without addressing the mismatch between enrollment data and chronic absenteeism data, Education cannot fulfill one of the primary reasons for collecting the data. In addition, Education noted that it has chosen to continue working with currently reported EDFacts data elements, highlighting limitations as needed, rather than imposing additional reporting burden on states. However, states already need to identify the number of students enrolled for at least 10 days to determine the number of students who are chronically absent as required for EDFacts. Therefore, any additional burden could be minimal. Further, collecting only part of the data needed to calculate accurate rates means that states and districts are expending time and effort reporting data with limited utility, and doing so in a way that does not meet a primary purpose of collecting and reporting the data. Finally, Education noted that the data limitation associated with using October1 enrollment counts is particularly problematic at the school level and it does not publicly publish analysis at this level for this reason. These data limitations do not disappear when the data are aggregated to the district and state levels; rather, they become harder to discern. Furthermore, having reliable data at the school level is important for helping to understand trends in low-performing schools, including analyzing the effectiveness of chronic absenteeism interventions that could be replicated. We continue to believe that Education should require states to report the number of students who are enrolled in each school in a way that matches how it requires states to report chronic absenteeism counts so that it can calculate reliable chronic absenteeism rates.
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should provide guidance on how states should report chronic absenteeism data for shared-timed schools to ensure consistent reporting among states. (Recommendation 3)
Open
The Department of Education agreed with this recommendation. Education stated that subject matter experts from various offices will work together to improve the guidance to provide more information that states can use in reporting these data for shared time schools. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
Congress Congress should consider clearly articulating ESEA monitoring requirements to help ensure that the federal government's approach to monitoring ESEA programs will ensure compliance with federal requirements and deter waste, fraud and abuse with respect to these funds, as intended by the ESEA. (Matter for Consideration 1)
Open
We will monitor congressional activity that addresses this matter.

High School Aviation Maintenance Programs: FAA Should Assess Expanding Access to the Mechanic Knowledge Test
GAO-26-108303
Sep 01, 2026
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Federal Aviation Administration The FAA Administrator should establish a group of industry stakeholders and aviation experts to assess whether high school students, upon successful completion of aviation maintenance curricula at uncertificated schools, should be allowed to take the general written knowledge test. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

K-12 Education: Improved Oversight Could Help DOD Schools Better Support Students with Literacy and Math Skill Deficits
GAO-26-108038
Aug 26, 2026
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8 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the DODEA Director eliminates gaps in DODEA's current approach to screening students for literacy and math deficits. This could include adopting screening tools that assess foundational phonic skills in elementary school and expanding access to existing screeners that are currently only available to middle and high school students already receiving strategic literacy or math instruction. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DOD agreed with this recommendation. DOD noted steps it has taken to address it, such as procuring Navvy + aimswebPlus to support universal screening and earlier identification of student learning needs. They will continue to monitor implementation and screening outcomes to ensure student needs are met as early as possible. Initial administration is scheduled for November/December 2026. We will monitor the progress of these and any additional efforts.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the DODEA Director analyzes data on the reasons why Student Support Teams reject referrals for students who may benefit from additional literacy and math support and use this information to better ensure the completeness, quality, and timeliness of referrals. (Recommendation 2)
Open
DOD partially concurred with this recommendation. DOD noted that recent system enhancements have increased the availability of data on Student Support Team referrals. It also noted that this will help inform decisions regarding the completeness, quality, and timeliness of referrals. DOD further stated that the Student Support Team is a general education problem-solving team that makes referrals to multiple pathways for specialized support, such as strategic instruction classes or special education. Our report clarifies the relationships between the Student Support Team, strategic instruction, and special education. Nevertheless, there is significant confusion among DODEA staff about the data needed to successfully support a referral to the Student Support Team for students who may benefit from additional literacy and math support. We continue to believe that understanding the reasons why Student Support Teams reject referrals would help ensure the completeness, quality, and timeliness of referrals, and ultimately ensure that students who qualify for additional support get it more quickly.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the DODEA Director identifies referrals for special education that have been rejected due to poor quality or incomplete information and use the results to improve the completeness and quality of referrals systemwide. For example, by identifying the districts with the highest rejection rates using available data in its special education information system, DODEA could identify common patterns for rejections due to poor quality or incomplete data and take achievable steps to improve the quality of the referrals. (Recommendation 3)
Open
DOD partially agreed with this recommendation. DOD stated that it will explore available data sources to support informed decision-making while preserving the integrity of Case Study Committee final determinations, which are unique to each case's circumstances. We maintain that the purpose of identifying districts with the highest rejection rates is to identify common patterns that could improve the quality of the referrals themselves. Improving the quality of referrals would ultimately ensure that students the Case Study Committee determines are qualified for additional support get it more quickly.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the DODEA Director analyzes factors within its control contributing to delays in the special education evaluation process and take appropriate steps to address them. (Recommendation 4)
Open
DOD agreed with this recommendation. DOD will continue providing ongoing training and support on evaluations and timeline requirements. They will also continue to monitor timeline data, collaborate with military medical partners and identify opportunities to reduce delays and improve coordination across the system. We will monitor the progress of these and additional efforts to address this recommendation.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the DODEA Director clarifies that feedback forms provided to strategic instruction and special education teachers at the end of agency-wide professional learning sessions are designed for general feedback about these teachers' future professional learning needs and use this feedback to inform future professional learning offerings. (Recommendation 5)
Open
DOD agreed with this recommendation, stating that it provides opportunities to gather educator feedback and evaluate professional learning offerings in various ways. Teacher feedback is regularly considered to help inform the planning and delivery of future professional learning opportunities. They will continue to provide feedback links. We will monitor the progress of these and other efforts to address this recommendation.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the DODEA Director ensures that special education teachers who teach students needing specialized reading interventions receive the professional learning necessary to teach these interventions with fidelity. This should include systemwide monitoring of teacher certifications for specialized reading interventions, as well as associated training rates. (Recommendation 6)
Open
DOD agreed with this recommendation. DOD noted various professional learning opportunities it provides, such as synchronous and asynchronous training and coaching; and vendor-provided training, when available. The Department also monitors participation in professional learning and will continue to monitor participation and completion of professional learning to improve literacy outcomes for students requiring specialized reading support. We will monitor the progress of these and additional efforts to implement this recommendation.

Federal Student Loans: Education Could Better Coordinate with Servicers When Making Program Changes
GAO-26-107780
Aug 06, 2026
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Education The Secretary of Education should ensure that Federal Student Aid develops and implements formal criteria for determining when to conduct early coordination with servicers. For example, when dealing with complex changes or tight time frames, Education could consider if early coordination with servicers could ease implementation challenges. (Recommendation 1)
Open
Education disagreed with this recommendation. Education stated that establishing such criteria would be detrimental to the agency and servicers' ability to implement changes in a timely and efficient manner while also being responsive to dynamic administration priorities. The agency also stated that establishing formal criteria would create challenges and risks that could negatively impact the agency and servicers. GAO believes, however, that having formal criteria for early coordination would help Education ensure servicers have the information they need to implement changes in a timely and efficient manner, while providing needed flexibility to respond to changing circumstances. Using such criteria would positively impact Education and servicers. We will monitor the agency's efforts.
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