Jul 01 Why the government let many trade schools become diploma mills By Anne Flaherty, Associated Press WASHINGTON — How did trade schools go from being mom-and-pop shops that trained mechanics and hair stylists to making billions on Wall Street? And if the industry is as predatory as the Education Department and many lawmakers suggest, why didn't… Continue reading
Jun 29 How churches are trying to raise the college graduation rate By Kayleigh Skinner, The Hechinger Report “What we’re trying to do is move the needle to get as many people into education programs as possible,” said the organization’s associate director, Camy Sorge. “It’s really about, ‘How can we reach the most people?’”… Continue reading
Jun 25 Watch 8:54 International Baccalaureate changes outlook for Seattle school By PBS News Hour The International Baccalaureate program, once thought of as a college preparatory curriculum exclusively for the rich, may also help students at struggling schools. The NewsHour’s April Brown explores how the program has transformed one high school in Seattle. Continue watching
Jun 25 Federal college ratings plan fizzles By Kyla Calvert Mason The Obama administration is backing off plans to sort the country’s college and universities into categories based on how data like student debt load, graduation rates and graduate earnings, according to Inside Higher Ed and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Continue reading
Jun 25 How Marvin Gaye and Nikki Giovanni help my students discuss racial violence By Colin Pierce When I planned the lesson out the day before, I didn't intend it to end with everyone crying in the basement of a church. And yet there we were. Continue reading
Jun 23 Nonprofit hopes to spread aquaponic farming to schools around the country By Cat Wise SchoolGrown was started last year by a group of like-minded aquaponics enthusiasts who felt that students weren’t getting enough hands-on experiences growing food and learning about their connection to the world around them. Continue reading
Jun 23 More states, DC receive waivers on No Child Left Behind standards By Jennifer C. Kerr, Associated Press The Obama administration is giving seven more states and the District of Columbia more flexibility from the requirements of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind education law. Continue reading
Jun 23 Should the Confederate flag fly in the Citadel’s chapel? Same law keeping it at S.C. State House says yes By Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed In South Carolina, a state law governs the Confederate flag on the State House grounds -- a flag that has become the source of increasing criticism after the murders last week of nine people in a historic black church, apparently… Continue reading
Jun 22 As states cut student aid, dollars still flow to upper-income families By Meredith Kolodner Twelve states plus Washington, D.C., now spend more on merit-based aid than need-based aid, and many others have increased funding for scholarships based on academic achievement instead of need. Some states have cut financial aid for everybody, leaving hundreds of… Continue reading
Jun 18 How a 9th-grader’s letter to Gwen Ifill inspired an entire school By Corinne Segal This April, Gwen Ifill received a letter that began: “Dear Ms. Ifill, I hope you remember me, but if you do not, my name is Sophie Sabin.” That letter became a catalyst to an inspirational moment for hundreds of middle school… Continue reading