Jan 22 Facing skepticism, colleges set out to prove their value By Jon Marcus, The Hechinger Report Detailed accounting is an example of aggressive new efforts being made by colleges and universities to prove something once taken for granted: their value and importance, in dollars-and-sense terms that consumers understand. Continue reading
Jan 20 Watch 5:16 College apps should emphasize passion not accomplishments, says Harvard report By PBS News Hour Do colleges put too much pressure on students to impress admissions committees with achievements and accolades? A new report from the Harvard Graduate School of Education recommends limiting the number of advanced placement classes and extracurricular activities that students can… Continue watching
Jan 12 Obama: ‘We have to make college affordable for every American’ By Adelyn Baxter Calling December's bipartisan reform of No Child Left Behind an "important step" in better preparing American students for the workforce, President Barack Obama said he will push for more college affordability in his final year in office. Continue reading
Jan 12 Watch 7:51 Individual coaching demystifies college for first-generation applicants By PBS News Hour Final deadlines for college applications are looming this week, and students who are first in their families to attend college are far less likely to have help navigating the application system. The College Advising Corps aims to change that by… Continue watching
Jan 11 Watch 8:23 Poetry helps youth at a juvenile detention center find peace By PBS News Hour, Frank Carlson Free Write Jail Arts and Literacy aims to help troubled youths in Chicago’s Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center address their personal issues by writing poetry about their circumstances and upbringing. Jeffrey Brown talks with poet Reginald Dwayne Betts, who… Continue watching
Jan 10 Watch 11:14 Country’s oldest voluntary school desegregation program grows in Rochester, New York By PBS News Hour The Urban-Suburban program in Rochester, New York, has given minority children the opportunity to attend schools in the suburbs that have a far larger population of white students. The program is growing, but questions still remain remain about whether the… Continue watching
Dec 25 In tough times, colleges turn to unconventional leaders By Matt Krupnick, The Hechinger Report When tiny Paul Quinn College faced its darkest hour, it turned not to a physicist or an historian or a political scientist to lead it forward. It named a corporate securities lawyer and crisis manager as its president. The historically… Continue reading
Dec 15 U.S. high school graduation rate ticks up to 82 percent By Jennifer C. Kerr, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Education Department said Tuesday that the rate for the 2013-14 school year -- up from 81 percent the previous year -- was the highest since it started using a new, uniform measure in 2010. Still, the numbers… Continue reading
Dec 10 Watch New education law shifts federal influence over public schools By PBS News Hour After years of debate, President Obama and Congress have finally agreed on a new education law. The Every Student Succeeds Act, the successor of No Child Left Behind, still requires annual testing of some students, but it does not give… Continue watching
Dec 10 Obama signs No Child Left Behind rewrite, shifting power to states By Jennifer C. Kerr, Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Calling it a "Christmas miracle," President Barack Obama signed a sweeping overhaul of the No Child Left Behind education law on Thursday, ushering in a new approach to accountability, teacher evaluations and the way the most poorly performing… Continue reading